How to degrease your bike chain

Why is it important to clean my chain?

One important step that people often miss when cleaning their bikes is to give the chain a thorough clean!

Cleaning your bike chain is important for a few reasons! It will remove dirt, grit and other debris that might be prematurely causing your drivetrain to wear by grinding away at it. Using our Bio Chain Cleaner, Bio Chain Doc, Bio Drivetrain Cleaner or X3 Dirty Chain Machine will also degrease your chain; this means it removes all the old, dirty chain lube which allows the fresh lube you apply to lubricate your chain better and saves you those precious watts!

How do I clean my chain using Bio Chain Cleaner or Bio Drivetrain Cleaner?

Using either our Bio Chain Cleaner, which comes in an aerosol can, or our Bio Drivetrain Cleaner is the same process. You will also need one of our Drivetrain Detailing Brushes, a Microfibre Cloth and access to clean water.

Step 1: Rinse the drivetrain thoroughly with clean water.

Step 2: Apply the Bio Chain Cleaner or Bio Drivetrain Cleaner to the chain, if you are using the aerosol can, you can cycle the cranks backwards to cover the whole chain with the cleaner. The spray bottle tends to spread out better so this is not necessary.

Step 3: Use the Drivetrain Detailing Brush to agitate any obvious grime, you can use the backwards pedalling method to quickly brush the whole chain!

Step 4: Rinse the drivetrain thoroughly again with clean water, the cleaner and agitated grime should wash straight of!

Pro Tip! Be careful when rinsing off your drivetrain that you don’t splash dirty grease onto your brake disks!

Step 5: Run your chain through a Microfibre Cloth to dry it, the backwards peddling method works here too!

Step 6: Lube your chain! It is important to ensure your chain is protected from corrosion after cleaning, if you don’t lube your chain it could rust!

This video shows you how to clean your chain using our Bio Chain Cleaner, the process is exactly the same with our Bio Drivetrain Cleaner!

How to clean my chain using a chain cleaning device?

Using a dedicated chain cleaning device usually gets better results than using a spray and brush! We sell both our X3 Dirty Chain Machine and our Bio Chain Doc, the only other thing you will need is a Microfibre Cloth to wipe your chain dry after using your machine.

X3 Dirty Chain Machine

Step 1: Fill the X3 Dirty Chain Machine reservoir chamber with Bio Drivetrain Cleaner.

Step 2: Place the X3 Dirty Chain Machine over the chain and clip together.

Step 3: Spin the pedals in a reverse motion (approx. 2 to 3 times).

Step 4: Press the button at the top to release the Bio Drivetrain Cleaner while continuing to rotate the pedals until the chain is clean.

Step 5: Detach the X3 Dirty Chain Machine.

Step 6: Rinse your entire chain and drivetrain area with water.

Step 7: Wipe your drivetrain dry with a Microfibre Cloth, this can be done by cycling your cranks backwards whilst holding the chain with the cloth.

Step 8: Wash the X3 Dirty Chain Machine with water and store until next use.

Step 9: Lube your chain! It is important to ensure your chain is protected from corrosion after cleaning, if you don’t lube your chain it could rust!

Bio Chain Doc

Step 1: Position your bike upright or mount in a workshop stand. Shift the chain to the middle front chain ring and third smallest cassette for optimum chain tension.

Step 2: Hold the Bio Chain Doc in your left hand with your thumb over the spray button and forefinger over the trigger. Position the open Chain Doc over the chain.

Step 3: Pull the trigger to close the Bio Chain Doc. Spin the pedals backwards for 2 to 3 revolutions while spraying the chain cleaner through the Bio Chain Doc. Continue for a further 2 to 3 revolutions without spraying.

Step 4: Rinse your chain and Bio Chain Doc thoroughly with clean, fresh water.

Step 5: Wipe your drivetrain dry with a Microfibre Cloth this can be done by cycling your cranks backwards whilst holding chain with the cloth.

Step 6: Lube your chain. It is important to ensure your chain is protected from corrosion after cleaning, if you don’t lube your chain it could rust!