Kerosene vs degreaser

[Rahul S]

Hi,

What is the advantage of using an expensive degreaser instead of plain
old Kerosene (other that being eco-friendly) ? I saw
http://www.nordicgroup.us/chain . There (and in many forums), kerosene
is recommended. I have cleaned my cycle chain with kerosene a couple
of times and find that it cleans the chain really well. I have also
read that singer oil is a good chain lubricant. I am currently using
the lubricant from Icetoolz. I let the kerosene evaporate off the
chain for a day and then lube the chain. Is there any reason why I
should not use singer oil ? - I am assuming that singer oil is a lot
cheaper than the lube from Icetoolz.

-Rahul

[Shreelesh Kumar]

http://www.pedalite.com/greenoil.aspx

Generally I guess degreasers are not eco-friendly are they? They are petroleum based or synthetic non-biodegradable products. Having said that, I have been using kerosene till now but switching to a bio-degradable degreaser with my next bike cleaning as soon as I can get over the laziness. Yet to try it so cant say how good or bad it is.

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[Sreepathi Pai]

On Sun, May 29, 2011 at 12:36 PM, Rahul S <sra...@gmail.com> wrote:
>. Is there any reason why I
> should not use singer oil ? - I am assuming that singer oil is a lot
> cheaper than the lube from Icetoolz.

*Sigh* Well, if you can get singer oil to last more than a week in the
dry season, go ahead and use it. It works as a lubricant.

And in the rains, well, lube after every ride in the wet.

Frankly I got tired of singer oil as a lube. 20W40 motor oil is much
better (compared to singer oil). Even better are adhesive motorcycle
chain lubricants, which are perfect for the commuter IMHO -- they last
about a month or so even in the wet depending on how many rains the
bike is exposed to.

So it's not just the ability to lubricate the chain that's important.
Even water is a good lubricant -- my bike runs the smoothest just
after being in rain :)

But this is a very contentious topic. So use what you find "good" --
with that measure being defined by you.

P.S.: I would prefer paint thinner against kerosene. Easier to get,
and evaporates quickly. Slightly more expensive. Currently I use
dishwashing liquid -- not very satisfactory but works, sort of...

--
Sreepathi Pai

[deepakvrao]

Have been using diesel/kerosene too but lately have used 'Pril'. It's
a safe citrus based degreaser and cheap to boot. Works great.

On May 29, 10:52 am, Shreelesh Kumar <shreel...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.pedalite.com/greenoil.aspx
>
> Generally I guess degreasers are not eco-friendly are they? They are
> petroleum based or synthetic non-biodegradable products. Having said that, I
> have been using kerosene till now but switching to a bio-degradable
> degreaser with my next bike cleaning as soon as I can get over the laziness.
> Yet to try it so cant say how good or bad it is.
>
> On 29 May 2011 12:36, Rahul S <sra...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hi,
>
> > What is the advantage of using an expensive degreaser instead of plain
> > old Kerosene (other that being eco-friendly) ? I saw

> >http://www.nordicgroup.us/chain. There (and in many forums), kerosene

[R. Venkatachalam]

+1 to pril, leaves a nice lemon fragrance too :P

I use Pril + Steel brush to clean the chain well, allow the excess water to drip, clean it with dry cloth, and then grease it (Spray grease or Finishline - depending on what can be found quickly in my garage aka balcony) and leave it overnight. 

Visit www.bangalorebicyclechampionships.com for more details

--
Best Regards,
R. Venkatachalam
- http://www.facebook.com/cleatedwarriors

[deepakvrao]

I have been cleaning the chain off the bike, and it's not too much of
a pain. Wash in a bottle with Pril, dry in the sun/under hairdrier,
replace chain, and lube.

On May 30, 3:37 am, "R. Venkatachalam" <r.venkatacha...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comfor more details

[RT]

Nice idea using the hairdrier. Though I'll probably have to invest in
one purely for that purpose as I'm sure the better half wouldn't be
terribly pleased at this idea :)

I use kerosene purely because of the evaporation. I believe that if
you use any soap-based degreaser you need to ensure that the chain is
completely dry with no trace of it before applying the lube. If you
don't it'll simply form a layer over the residual soap and not cling
to the metal like its supposed to. Consequently (absent the hairdrier)
I use kerosene and leave it to dry. One thing though, I've noticed
that there is a slightly oily residue when using kerosene. I'm
guessing this is because most of the kerosene we get is adulterated.
So my solution is to also wipe completely dry with a soft cloth before
applying the lube.

Pril is really effective though if you can wash it off well and dry it
properly.

> > > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comformore details

[Rohan Kini]

Not used Pril, but kerosene makes a bloody mess of your bike !

Chain lube - the icetoolz one seems to be a tad too thick. 

Prefer the Finish Line ones.

Ditch the Singer sewing machine oil - unless you have the time to spare on your bike.

A small bottle of proper chain lube will last you quite a bit and is definitely worth it.

[deepakvrao]

Kerosene with the chain in a Pepsi bottle is what I meant.

Of late my thoughts run towards, f**k chain maintenance. Just a wipe
down once a week, and let the chain last 4K kms instead 5K kms. The
time taken to clean is not worth it I think.

This is what Rohan had said to me in fact 2 years ago.

[Rahul S]

On Wed, Jun 22, 2011 at 3:35 AM, Rohan Kini <rohan...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Not used Pril, but kerosene makes a bloody mess of your bike !

Are you saying that cleaning with kerosene is messy (I can live with
that) or that it is bad for the bike ?

> Ditch the Singer sewing machine oil - unless you have the time to spare on
> your bike.

Again, a bit of explanation please ...

-Rahul

[RT]

(Not used Pril, but kerosene makes a bloody mess of your bike !)

Well that depends. Didn't make a mess of my bike since I'm rather
careful. It does make a mess of the area though. Its fine for me 'cos
I do it in the basement garage anyway :)

(Chain lube - the icetoolz one seems to be a tad too thick.
Prefer the Finish Line ones.)

+100 to that! I'll have to wait a year to finish the damn Icetoolz
bottle though before I pick up a Finishline. Dayum...

(Of late my thoughts run towards, f**k chain maintenance. Just a wipe

down once a week, and let the chain last 4K kms instead 5K kms. The

time taken to clean is not worth it I think.)

Too true Dr... I've been just wiping my chain down careful to remove
muck and it seems to be doing just fine. I think I'll start doing a
bit of maintenance once the rains end for sure. I seem to be invoking
ol' Murphy since it pours every time I clean my bike so I think I'll
be waiting this one out henceforth.

[TOMCAT]

Diesel in a big Pepsi bottle + a bit of Vim liquid or Pril (after the
diesel evaporates) = works best for me :-)

> > > > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comformoredetails- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[naveen m]

Now it does sound like a cocktail party... jd with coke works for me...

Jokes apart, I prefer diesel too actually, smells good too...

~naveen
Sent from handheld..

On 22-Jun-2011 5:36 PM, "TOMCAT" <tomc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Diesel in a big Pepsi bottle + a bit of Vim liquid or Pril (after the
diesel evaporates)  = works best for me :-)

On Jun 22, 12:58 am, RT <rahul.tho...@gmail.com> wrote:

> (Not used Pril, but kerosene makes a blo...

> > > > Visitwww.bangalorebicyclechampionships.comformoredetails- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

--
biking conversations on the world famous "Bangalore Bikers Club" :)

are you a part of the bicy...

[Rohan Kini]

Doc, I Used to use Singer sewing machine oil :) And I think its ok to use it, provided you are ok with the extra maintenance it requires. And having the occasional chain marks on your calves and the occasional black marks on your stays.

Nothing like having a really clean n dry chain if you use the proper tools/lubes :) Its an initial investment which I think kinda pays for itself as these lubes last quite a bit.

If you still insist on using home made concoctions - try diesel  +shellak (thinner). Cleans the chain out pretty well. Concocted by Abhinandan. 

Kinda messy to use. Your hands smell of diesel. You need to chuck the diesel somewhere. Lil messy. But much cheaper !

And then use Singer. Wipe. Wipe. Wipe :) 

[Arvind Ganesh]

Anyone heard of ultrasonic cleaners in Bangalore? Seems like a great way to clean parts (chains and more) 

http://findout.rei.com/blog_detail/?contentid=8318446252782753895

-Arvind

[Satheesh]

Before yesterday's 200k ride I have used Johnson Baby Oil. Its very good ... doesn't attract dust!
Also its very easy to apply as the bottle hole is small! :-)

-Satheesh

Regards,
Satheesh Amilineni
Inspire & Lead if not, Follow your Lead!
     ___O
  _(\     \_
((_)/   ((_)
COCO [Cycle On, Cycle Onwards]
(A FORward150 initiative)

[Sreepathi Pai]

On Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 12:29 PM, Arvind Ganesh <arv...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Anyone heard of ultrasonic cleaners in Bangalore? Seems like a great way to
> clean parts (chains and more)
> http://findout.rei.com/blog_detail/?contentid=8318446252782753895
> -Arvind

Yes, I keep seeing this pop up on some other forums, and it's always a
Harbor Freight link. It seems like a good thing.

<http://www.harborfreight.com/ultrasonic-cleaner-3305.html?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=googlebase&hft_adv=40010&mr:trackingCode=D5670F9E-782A-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA>

I have seen ultrasonic cleaners in S P Road, but I am not sure. The
jewellery shop fellows might be having it.

--
Sreepathi Pai

[deepakvrao]

On my commute bike, I have become a great believer in the green
Finishline. Apply not even once a month, ride in rain and crap and
chain remains silent.

Black as coal but silent.

On Jun 27, 12:28 am, Rohan Kini <rohan.k...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Doc, I Used to use Singer sewing machine oil :) And I think its ok to use
> it, provided you are ok with the extra maintenance it requires. And having
> the occasional chain marks on your calves and the occasional black marks on
> your stays.
>
> Nothing like having a really clean n dry chain if you use the proper
> tools/lubes :) Its an initial investment which I think kinda pays for itself
> as these lubes last quite a bit.
>
> If you still insist on using home made concoctions - try diesel  +shellak
> (thinner). Cleans the chain out pretty well. Concocted by Abhinandan.
> Kinda messy to use. Your hands smell of diesel. You need to chuck the diesel
> somewhere. Lil messy. But much cheaper !
> And then use Singer. Wipe. Wipe. Wipe :)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 7:50 PM, naveen m <united.navee...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Now it does sound like a cocktail party... jd with coke works for me...
>
> > Jokes apart, I prefer diesel too actually, smells good too...
>
> > ~naveen
> > Sent from handheld..
>