ULTRASONIC Bike Cleaning, save time and money!!
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- čas přidán 27. 02. 2020
- I’ve been using a cheap ebay ultrasonic cleaner to clean the drive chain (cassette and chain), on my carbon commuter bike for over a year now.
It’s been fantastic and I use it all the time, but is it something you should consider buying?
I’ll be going into detail around the ultrasonic cleaner I chose, the pros and cons, and whether you should pick one up yourself!
Got any questions or comments, stick them below 👇 and I'll try and get back to as many of you as I can!
Timestamps:
00:41 - Intro
02:13 - Cleaner Specs
02:57 - Drive Chain Wear
06:08 - New vs Worn Cassette
07:38 - Cleaning Steps
08:37 - Issues With Ultrasonic Cleaners
10:33 - Should I Get One?
Oz Cycle video on drive chain cleaning:
• Best homemade chain cl...
Product links (please note, I have no affiliation to any of the sellers or products shown):
Ultrasonic Cleaners: tinyurl.com/wemj5b7
Degreaser: tinyurl.com/sen2ftv
Chain Wear Tool: tinyurl.com/ta3abd2
Intro roll:
Created by Dev Joshi - www.go2dev.co.uk
Music:
Birocratic - Fresh Healthy Perspectives
Birocratic - If I Tried (Original Mix)
About Trace Velo:
I love cycling, and I love getting pro cycling kit for less. If it’s cheap, from China, and made of carbon fibre, I’m interested!
Instagram:
/ tracevelo
Email:
tracevelouk@gmail.com
Please note:
All products demonstrated in this video have been purchased by me, and I have no affiliation to any of the sellers or vendors shown.
In addition, I am not a professionally trained bike mechanic. There can be risks associated with using products that are unbranded, untested, or come from sources where the provenance is unknown. Please talk to a qualified bike mechanic if you are in any doubt.
In essence, be careful, do your research, and cycle safe!!! - Sport
Finally a bike channel for those of us without access to the proceeds of a major bank robbery!
All able bodied people should rob at least one bank
For cleaning chains with an ultrasonic cleaner I find a very handy method is to put your cleaning solution (I use mineral spirits) in an empty jar, put the chain in the jar, then put the jar into the water bath in the ultrasonic cleaner. When you're done you just remove the jar and store it with the lid on for the next time. You've kept the water clean in the ultrasonic cleaner's water bath, so you can just dump it out and don't have the hassle of cleaning oily/greasy cleaning solution from the ultrasonic cleaner.
For parts that won't fit into a jar you'll just put them into the ultrasonic cleaner as shown in this video, but for parts like chains that will fit into a jar, this saves some time and hassle.
I use ziplock baggies - glass bottles lessen the US waves that hit the chain/part. Baggies dampen the waves as well, but not as much.
Oooô⁰ooppooo⁰
Use a coffee filter to filter the cleaning solution (I use cleaning benzine) afterward to get rid of the dirt before reuse. I give it a second run to completely clean it.
@@workingguy6666 Good to know, but I'm unsure about putting benzine into ziplock bags. Maybe a plastic jar will do the trick as well?
Because of you I am OBSESSED with CHINESE CHEAP CARBON FIBER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy shit, me fucking toooooooooooooooooooo!@
I'm on the train as well! Thanks for doing the research and R&D to make carbon tech available to enthusiasts like me who don't have 12k to drop on branded bike.
Do you guys have any "best of chinese carbon finds"? I myself love my handlebar, stem, seat and seapost. what else should i try?
@@callemacody I’ve got a seat post and saddle. Both look amazing and are lightweight. Not sure what to get next
Protip: never cheap out with underfilling your ultrasonic cleaner, it will kill your cleaner's container. Instead fill it with plain water and throw your parts into a plastic bag with your cleaning agent. The sonic waves will mostly go through the bag anyway. You dont make a big mess and dont have to clean the container all the time. Keeping stuff sealed in plastic bags or jars will avoid any toxic fumes going around your living quarters. They also sell professional made bags that increase the effects of the ultrasonic cleaning by creating small bubbles on its inner surface.
This video contains the best explanation I've heard so far of why and how not staying on top of cleaning your chain accelerates wear.
Thanks Trace. I've got a ultrasonic cleaner and love using it. One thing I have found is when I offered to help clean a friends bike, their chain was so thick with crud that it barely shifted anything in the cleaner. When keeping on top of maintenance nothing beats it.
I was also once told to agitate the dirt on my drive-train. After 3 hours of uncomfortably staring and shouting at it it was still just as dirty. Go figure. :D
"A freshly cleaned drivechain is a joy to ride." Agree 100%, the best reason of all. 👍👍👍
Had one for a couple of months. Love it. Good tip is that you can put stuff in jars inside the water and it'll still work - so e.g. a jam jar with some stronger detergent in it with a chain, at the same time as some other parts in the main tank.
Thanks for the top tips!-) Glad 2 C U link another bike nut 🥜. You’re a gifted presenter and I like your info. Thanks!-)
Good video, thanks for the info, very , very useful, please keep them coming!
My favorite cycling channel by far
Thanks ch3xmix!!!
Nah man this channel makes cycling too accessible... we need more channels that talk about cheap wheelsets costing "only" 1800£ 😂😂
Agreed, as always Luke has carved quite the interesting and informative niche for himself. Others try to be funny, he actually really is, in a very likeable way.
Top bloke, top content.
Trace say 'drive the train' - 'drive the train'
Now say it without 'the' - 'drive train'
Now say 'drivetrain' - 'drivechain'
I always thought it was just a mispronunciation of drivetrain but he actually spelled it “drivechain” in the video. Is that a word?
No, its an ill met contraction.
from 2 3 videos and couple laughs i subscribed ur amazing man keep making videos thats utube for suggesting the cheap saddle replacement vid 🍻❤️😍🚴
Very informative video! Thanks!
Good vlog Luke, I'll be looking at getting one of these👌👌🚲
Cheers Paul!
good that you know Oz cycle I ALWAYS lube the chain with PTFE wax.
And never have to clean it.
@@GADonMc yeah pretty much!
Just hot water, dip again in the ptfe wax and done!
Dude!You are one of the beste CZcams entertainer i have Seen. It is only fun to watch your Videos...
Informative and funny too. Well done dude.
Bro, you should make more videos. Great content, great delivery, and your charisma bleeds through the screen. 🤗
love it, great fun vid as usual.
My top tip is experiment first with sacrificial (damaged / broken) parts, especially anodised parts. Hard lesson learnt today using ultrasonic cleaner for first time. Plain metal parts no problem. Clear coated chrome more tricky (even with diluted cleaner - identical liquid to Luke ) First mix ineffective not much cleaning. Second mix managed to remove outer clear coat and replace it with a black film coat. Not a total disaster but made lots of extra work having to scrub the black film coat off and re-polish all the parts on the buffer wheel. Also no clear coat protective top coat for time being Will ceramic spray in due course . Key to work out for individual types of parts what mix they will tolerate and what duration and what intensity of clean (if you have full power / delicates choice). Once that’s nailed it’s a bit of kit that will pay it’s way for sure 👍
You mentioned researching these ultrasonic cleaners and I was when I stumbled across this video....
I ride off-road on CX, gravel and MTB's virtually all of the time but have the token road bike in the collection (6 different bikes) and am now convinced I need one of these as. as your good self, live in a flat !!!
The amount of wear on the drivetrain is very noticeable when you off-road as the grit, mud and general rubbish really is there !!! In a flat, you have to clean by hand, which can be a laborious process but it's what you do....
By the way, using wax chain lube really does make a difference to the state of the grinding paste you mentioned and really worth a go....I was using wet and dry lubes for decades before starting to use this a year ago and, even in muddy winter conditions on MTB's, it doesn't cak up the jockey wheels on the rear mech....
I'll have to get a large capacity one as I have some rather big cassettes as I run 1x on 5 bikes.....Gotta get summat to fit a 12 speed SRAM Eagle 11-50 on my full suss trail bike !!!
After this video, I am convinced that I would save a lot of cash and the unit would pay for itself very swiftly
This intro is amazing!!
Thanks for the video.
Always nice made and with some funny jokes.
Thanks Philippe, really appreciate it 😀
I bought a used set of Shimano 105 shifters off ebay a few months ago and the previous owner had loaded up one of the shifters with spray lithium lube probably in an effort to try solving some rough shifting issue. I borrowed an ultrasonic cleaner from a friend and popped the shifters into the cleaner with some WD-40 and after a short period of time, they came out squeaky clean and they shifted great after being cleaned. So yes, I too can endorse using ultrasonic cleaners with bike parts.
Hilarious presentation plus really interesting content. PS I've ordered a carbon saddle. thanks again
Thank you Jeremy!
Mine just arrived and I’ll install it after my nap! Matte finished and center cut out for more blood flow. OZ cycle also explains how to know how wide your saddle should be~ Very insightful
Excellent video Luke 👍
Great video! Had been thinking about getting an ultrasonic cleaner for same time now to clean my DriveTRAIN 😜
I love my ultrasonic cleaner. I use it with just water to remove any trace of degreaser fro my chain before a quick rinse in alcohol and then straight into a PTFR wax bath for 30 mins. Works great on screws, keys, jewelry and even glasses!
As long as your cassette fits in the container, any ultrasonic cleaner will do the job. I paid some £8 for a small used jewelry ultrasonic cleaner on eBay and had it for years. Hands down, best cleaning tool you can buy for your bike.
incredible result , i do it every month , as new
Trace, I was crying when you gave yourself that heros medal hahaha, my dream is to meet you in Richmond park some day boyyy!
Daaaaang.. just spent 4hs cleaning my whole drivetrain... And it is still dirty as F... Will buy one of this ASAP!! Thanks Luuuuuuke!!!
You can put the degreaser in a bag or container. It still works and keeps the internals clean.
Not sure if you can use the heat function, but I’m not sure that’s really necessary.
Hey man, thanks for the vid! Looking at getting one myself. Could you recommend the minimum power/volume requirements required for a good cleaner? Also do you need the heater function? Thanks! :)
🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖 Looked for a good UltraSonic video and this popped up. Thank you!
Maybe do a follow up vid with wear measurements to really show the haters? Great work!
Yes trace!! Now I want one
thanks for the tips
Nice, just found your channel. Thanks.
No worries, good to have you on board Edvin!!!
Chain wax is really good. Lasts ages and is “quicker” than normal lubricant. Weirdly, the noise you get from a waxed chain is a good thing because it means it’s not sticking together like it does with other lubricant. Now we are talking small amounts that in reality mean nothing to normal riders but the sticking that lubricants cause actually increases resistance in your drivetrain, meaning you have to produce more power to turn it. Wax doesn’t do this and is therefore actually smother to ride :) Oz cycles videos on the diy wax are very good and I’ve used it myself for a while now, just don’t follow what GCN did with diy wax because they haven’t got a clue!
Interesting to hear about noisy waxed chain, guys from gcn also noticed this, but since I started waxing my chain last summer, my drivetrain is perfectly smooth and quiet. The key is absolutely clean and degreased chain before waxing.
Agreed, sometimes I add just a bit of glycerine for a softer quieter wax treatment. Most of the time I just use plain paraffin. I find that I need to keep the chain direction and orientation constant from treatment to treatment or I will get noise initially. I think taking care of keeping the chain in the same orientation extends the life of the chain as well.
For me wax in the rain is not worth it, as does not seem to last very long in the wet.
Good information 👌
Bada Bing Boom, funny stuff!
Sounds good to clean 🙂 still waiting for the crankset 🐻 go give us the crankset video. A indor bike wash tutorial would be lovely too
Well... Funny you should ask, because I've just finished the script this evening. Gonna 'crank' out the filming tomorrow...
@@TraceVelo can't wait to see the FTP data on that crank sesh.
I clean my vinyl with ultrasonic. Works great... with the chain id be concerned that the grease is off the chain rollers and not be able to get it back in from the outside.. I use finish line ceramic grease, with that Therese none or less of the dirt and mud sticks to the chain...
*RE: Chain Wax* - I tried waxing my chain a couple years ago...hated the noise and gave it up. I just started waxing my chains again with the "newer" style formula with PTFE common in *_oz cycling_* videos. There is an improvement in chain noise, but I still can only get about 5 hours of riding before the noise becomes unbearable. This on four different bikes (road + MTB, mine and my g/f). I am thinking of trying adding molybdenum into my mixture and see if that makes it any quieter for longer periods. I know adding moly b will require a complete drivetrain cleaning every rewax, but if I can get more like 10-15 hours of usage on a single go, it'll be worth it in my opinion.
Yeah this was totally my issue with wax. I cannot stand a clunky drive train, really puts me off when I'm trying to get my head down and concentrate on the road. But that was a few years back, maybe if I try a new wax formula it will be better. As you say, maybe a bit of molybdenum will do the trick... Anyway thanks for the comment!!
If you want a clean drivetrain use dry lube. Apply after ultrasonically cleaning your chain. It is essentially a very thick oil with solvent in it. Apply generously (most people make the mistake of applying too little and end up with a noisy chain), spin the pedals (slowly, otherwise it flies off) to make sure it penetrates well, and let it stand for about 5 minutes so the solvent can evaporate. Then - this is important - wipe the chain down as well as you can. Use a rag, or better still, an old towel. The chain should be as dry as possible on the outside, then it collects almost no dirt. The only drawback is that you need to apply it about twice as often as you do with a wet lube. If you are riding long-distance, a couple of hundreds of kilometres, you may have to take a small bottle along to top up along the way.
Or even better chain wax. Keeps your chain even cleaner and no need to do any re-cleaning other than wiping the flakes off.
I have started riding again after a long time. I got a new bike and as I was learning about how the cycling world had changed I discovered the chain waxing. I decided to give it a go. I was also told that there would be a bit more noise. I am not sure what noise people are referring too.
I have enjoyed all your videos.
Dude it's like you have read my mind this is exactly what I do to my mountain bikes and I even used finish line lube. This method it makes your drivetrain as smooth as silk and super super quite. To anyone who waxes I mean your chain not your legs more noise=more friction it's called science look it up.
You should join the GCN team, I think they are still looking for more announcers/hosts/tech people.
Working for GCN would be pretty freaking amazing. Not sure my obsession with cut price carbon would sit well with their sponsors tho 😋
@@TraceVelo That's a good point but maybe the sponsors will send you free things to change your mind and then you can make a video entitled "Why I Was Wrong About Cheap Chinese Carbon" but you secretly kept your Chinese Carbon bike behind that door like a dirty little secret and you only ride it under the cover of night wearing a mask and there's your superhero origin story.
Interesting comment from Luke that waxed chains were noisier in his experience. I hot paraffin wax my chains with PTFE powder added and have not noticed any extra noise so far. I appreciate how much cleaner everything is compared to oiled chains or chains with molybdenum disulfide or graphite lubricants. For me just a hose down between waxes is the only cleaning I need.
Do not throw in anodized parts (eg casette with Black cogs) the anodized collor will fade/dissapear.
Other than that, its absolutely stunning
I actually have a smaller 1l cleaner like this, never thought I could clean drive train w/this! Can confirm the sound it makes is demonic!
How is it working for you? Is it one with 50W heating and 60W Ultrasonic power?
Thanks for the info man,
I also use one to clean vinyl records. You can also re-use your cleaning solution if you use a cheap fish tank filter/pump to remove the muck from it afterwards
hey trace: I just saw a video on youtube. Put your gears, chains whatever in plastic bags or plastic boxes with the dissolvant. Then just place just in the water tub again. All the frequencies will travel there. Making you not having to clean the Ultrasonic cleaner itself
That black stuff on your chain also has cassette and chainring paste from the grinding action introduced by the addition of sand to the drivetrain.
I use Squirt lube, the best I have used out of many lubes I have tried.....
WAX of any type, and You won't need a Ultrasonic anything, you won't have lube on your bike/brakes/clothes, you will have a CLEAN DRIVETRAIN, for less time/money then TRICKNOLOGY of any type, less labor, less time working on the bikes,. Squirt is my choice.. its just easier, I have 5 bikes to lube, city, gravel, mountain, FAT, and vintage,
@@manabiker does carnauba wax work?
I just do a petrol bath for the chain and petrol with a toothbrush for the casette and front chainrigs and jockey wheels, works impeccably.
Brilliant Stuff......
Your style reminds me a bit of how Rowan Atkinson might do bike related videos.
hi just curious, after deep cleaning, do you need to grease the casette in between the lockring and casette ?
Thanks again for the great video. I saw that you are rocking the 6l version, would you say that you need such a large one or could the 3 liter be just as good?
The benefit of this that I see is that it is a much friendlier solution for those who don't have much space or freedom to spread the dirt and oils from washing the bike on the ground. From my experience most annoying and oily dirt comes off exactly from the drivechain, the rest of the bike just turns water grey and sandy. This looks like a good solution to clean the dirtiest parts in an enclosed and controlled environment rather than having it leak on the ground and annoy the neighbours.
Can a conventional degreaser be used with this device? Say some muc off product?
I have to make the jump.... thanks for your review mate. Little question though, since I want to get more into home service myself. What do you recommend as a bike stand? Thanks!
Great video! did yours come with a uk plug or a different one with an adapter? Thanks
This might sound appalling but as a motorcycle courier in Melbourne Australia for 8 years we came to the conclusion in the end the best and cheapest and greenist form of chain oil was simply sump oil . Strain it , put it in a old style pump engineering squirt container and apply to rollers . Because it’s so thin it penetrates easily and couple of fast revolutions before riding flings off excess and you wipe chain with paper towelling and good to go . Free chain oil and free service on your car to collect it . Win win . Doesn’t attract fa grime as not sticky and chain stays clean for ages . Just need to apply regularly as thin . 500,000 km of R&D lol 😂
This is definitely a bit unorthodox, but I love it! Sump oil, amazing hack!
Try SMOOVE (by far the best one i've used to date) or Squirt, two really good wax based lubricants. Price tag is high, but it CERTAINLY pays off on the long run, as chain keeps lubricated for loooooong kms without relubing, takes much more time to retain dirt/moisture, and drivetrain lasts muuuuchhh longeeeeerrr.
Ok cool, I'll check it out, thanks for the tip Rômulo!
Because of oz, I've been waxing my chain and I can't hear any noise. Always clean.
Does a container of degreaser with components in on top of a speaker playing loudly work?
Trace please do a video on cycling glasses. Most of the Ali Express glasses are out of this world quality for very little cash. I enjoy an extensive collection.
That intro got me lolling 😂
How many times do you use a ultrasonic cleaner to clean your bicycle ? Like weekly or monthly or yearly or when?
One thing you did not cover is the washing of the ultrasonic cleaner after use. This is ofc not a big issue, but a way to get around this is to fill the ultrasonic cleaner bath with minimum required water, then put the parts that you want to wash in zip lock bags (or you can use plastic/glass containers) which you again fill with water and cleaning product(s). This also means you can get away with using less cleaning product(s) as you only need enough for a small ziplock bag compared the whole 6L container. Not sure if this is advisable to use the heat setting with ziplock bags though.
Mikkel Tysland worth testing the theory. Good tip 👍🏼
Hi just watched your video, it seamed as tho you had a lot of space left in the ultrasonic cleaner, do you think you could still clean all parts in the smaller 3litre or will this be too small.
Cheers steve
If you go through all this trouble to clean your drive train then might as well do the extra mile and wax your chain instead of greasing it with some oil , that way your drive train will stay shiny and clean alway and you can just wipe of dirt. I use squirt lube because it's easy to apply but if you have an ultrasonic cleaner there might even be better solutions.
Waxing was such a game changer for me, it does not attract dirt and the wax even prevents dirt from getting into the rollers in the first place
OZ is awsome!
Thx for your review. I´m much interested in ultrasonic cleaning for my bike parts specialy for the chain and chain rings. But what I´ve really learned is that to clean your chain you have to open the chain lock. This lock is adviced by the manufactures to be only used once. So for my KMC x11 chain this means 8€ per cleaning session. Buying a fully new KMC x11 chain incl. the chain lock will cost me 16€. So cleaning this way is very expensive and not a good solution so far. Degreasing the chain before first usage and putting chain wax onto it might be done perfectly by ultrsonic cleanig. Therefore I´m still thinking of buying such a device.
You can buy reusable links. YBN 11 Speed QRS links are reusable up to 5 times (they work fine with KMC chains). Adam Kerin (Zerofrictioncycling) says he can get 10 uses out of them. They are also very cheap.
Oz Cycle, the other channel You linked to in Your video, has an updated recipe for chain wax which includes PTFE powdered lubricant (1.6 micron) in the mixture. Supposedly it quiets the noise.
I wonder if there are places you can take your drive train for commercial cleaning, like a ultrasound launderette?!
Good video
Can you reuse the degreaser more than once? I imagine it's not fully saturated with oil from one go if the drivetrain is relatively clean.
What specifications should you look for to know how "powerful" the unit is ?
😂 funny video - thanks
Surprised your not a waxer…. Much cleaner and fun for the diy-er!
Where did you clear out the wasted solution and which chain do you use (with quick link ?)?à link tu buy please ?
Love your videos... Thanks
Yeah, i dont like to go into so much trouble. I do rekon that the ultrasonic cleaner is better for removing everything, but the ParkTool chain cleaner does almost the same with a lot less hassle. And if you are like me and keep your bike clean on a daily basis, a brush and some WD-40 is enough to clean the most part of your drive train.
What do you call the "tool" used to measure chainwear and where may we buy one?
Once the chain is surgically clean, you can put it in the slow cooker with chain wax for that deep-penetrating lubrication
Do you actually use the whole 6L capacity or would something smaller like 1.3 or 2 liters still work?
How long does the unit take to heat up to say 70 Celsius? Can I use it to heat my chain wax for dipping my chain into?
Great video dude. Taking your life in your hands lol
Top tip, use paraffin oil and when it settles you can suck the muck out of the bottom with a turkey baster and use the paraffin again and again, also leaves your kit coated with a protective coating so it doesn't rust. edit: be careful with plastic and rubber, it can destroy it.
What is your drive tran set up on your bike and gears?
try the "gunk" biodegradeable degreaser from halfords. Cheap and effective (and kind to the critters)
I've started waxing my chain and now it doesn't pick up dirt anymore :)
I'm pretty tempted to get one, but couple things holding me back:
1) You basically have to disassemble and re-assemble your drivetrain each time. I have the tools for this at home but still seems like a bit of a hassle compared to cleaning them with a brush / chain cleaner tool.
2) You can get a super clean chain simply by letting it rest in a degreaser bath and giving it the occasional shake (I've done this a few times). Also no reason why you couldn't do it with the cassette also but I haven't mostly because of see point 1. Also you can then re-use most of the degreaser with some coffee filters.
3) Most importantly, you don't really need to do any of this with a strategic change of lube. I see Squirt has already been mentioned in the comments and it's my weapon of choice as well. It simply doesn't leave/generate the black gunk that regular chain lube does and fairly dramatically reduces the need for the whole drive train degrease, clean and re-lube show. It does wash off much easier than proper wet lube in foul weather but re-applying it is drastically simpler (and less dirty) work than the normal 3-step.
The greyness actually mostly comes from the the steel in the rollers, which is why the chain wears out
Use simple green for a degreaser, its environmentally friendly and super cheap.