How to clean and oil a bike chain

A clean and oiled bike chain makes the whole bike feel better. Gears change more smoothly, the bike runs quieter, and the chain and cogs wear out more slowly. Cleaning and oiling a chain at home takes about a quarter of an hour, and you need nothing you cannot buy at a hardware shop.

What you need #

• A clean, dry rag. An old cotton T-shirt is ideal.
• A stiff brush, such as an old toothbrush.
• A bike chain oil. Use a wet oil for winter and rain, and a dry oil for dry summer roads.
• Warm water with a little washing-up liquid, for a chain that is very dirty.

Clean and oil the chain #

1. Wipe off the old dirt

   Hold the rag loosely around the lower part of the chain. Turn the pedals backwards so the whole chain runs through the rag several times.

2. Scrub what the rag misses

   Brush the chain, the small wheels on the rear gear and the cogs. Use soapy water if the dirt is thick, then rinse and dry everything well.

3. Oil each roller

   Turn the pedals slowly backwards and put one drop of oil on each roller, on the inside of the chain.

4. Let it soak in

   Turn the pedals for half a minute and change through the gears, so the oil works into every link.

5. Wipe off the extra

   Run the chain through a clean rag again. The outside of the chain should feel almost dry. The oil that matters is inside the rollers.

When a bike chain needs replacing #

A chain stretches as it wears, and a stretched chain wears out your cogs too. A new chain is cheap. A new set of cogs is not. We check every chain with a gauge during a bike service, and you can buy the same gauge for home. If the chain jumps when you pedal hard, bring it in.

Before the wet months, read getting your bike ready for winter. Rain and road salt are hard on a chain, and a few minutes of care each week saves a lot of wear. For more on chain wear, the Cycling UK technical guides are a good, plain place to start.