[gmikes]

Is there anything harmful ( to my bike) in using mineral spirits to clean my drivetrain?

I figure it's cheap and cuts through grease with little residue. Will it harm any of the metal or plastic on my bike?

thanks

 

[Kerry Irons]

OMS works just fine

Mineral Spirits, or Odorless Mineral Spirits, is a good solvent for chain cleaning. The home brew chain lube is 3-4 parts OMS and one part oil, so lots of people are using it on their bikes. Presumably you're not going to be soaking plastic parts for long times, and since organic solvents have no effect on metal, you're good to go.

 

[Drone 5200]

Just don't forget to apply lube after you're done with the mineral spirits. Or make a home brew that contains both at the same time.

 

[Tre-colore]

Degreaser

Try WD40 can't be beat for degreasing and lubing.

 

[BugMan]

Try WD40 can't be beat for degreasing and lubing.

I've never tried WD40 for degreasing, but don't use it as a lube - it is far too light.

 

[Cory]

Cheap Home Depot paint thinner, $1.49 a gallon

Might be the same stuff--I haven't bought any in awhile because I let the crud settle and pour the clean fluid back, so it lasts a long time. But I've used the cheapest paint thinner/solvent (labels vary) I can find for years, and it's never hurt anything. With spotty maintenance of the whole family's bikes (nine of them at the moment), a gallon lasts for years.

 

[Mike Prince]

One thing to consider...

Solvents like mineral spirits and paint thinner can actually clean TOO good, as they are lighter than most chain lubes, so they can clean way deep inside the rollers. I've heard of folks that did this to a new chain and then had a squeaky-clean chain. Problem was that they had a hell of a time getting the squeak to go away as it took several lubings to get lube back into the deep crevices of the chain.

That's one reason why old-school team wrenches use diesel fuel - there's some oil in there that stays behind after all of the solvents do their intended job.

Mike

 

[bikefreax]

Simple green

I have used simple green for the last 2 years. I use it in conjunction with the park chain cleaner. Works real good. I am going to try the synthetic motor oil and mineral spirits for lube that I saw on this board.

 

[B2]

How do you dispose of the dirty stuff?

Is there anything harmful ( to my bike) in using mineral spirits to clean my drivetrain?

I figure it's cheap and cuts through grease with little residue. Will it harm any of the metal or plastic on my bike?

thanks

Just let it evaporate?