SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING

Green Oil Clean Chain Degreaser Jelly has all the eco-credentials expected from Green Oil. Whilst lacking the fearsome lube stripping power of some solvent sprays, it’s pretty efficient. 

 

Made from a combination of fermented apple and coconut oil, this is basically the neat component that forms their citrus based bike wash. Just add 900ml of water. They also offer a 1 litre size for workshop duties. Michael loves this, since he can tailor various strengths to suit his needs.

 

Development of a jelly for degreasing came about, in part, because many degreasers seemed to just run-off the chain. It’s also recommended for discs, although debate rages regarding best practice where rotor hygiene’s concerned. 

 

Start by popping a few drops on the disc, scrubbing with a clean brush and working it into a rich lather. Left a minute or so, warm water rinsing saw the lion’s share of grimy mascara slide away. A final fresh water rinse and clean rag once-over had it gleaming. 

 

When it comes to chains, pop bike on a workstand, drizzle it into the links before spinning the cranks and (where appropriate) go through the gears. Alternatively, ride around for five minutes, so it penetrates. The latter technique seemed most effective. The jelly-like non-drip goo clings to the drivetrain, leaving refreshingly little spatter adorning my MTB-cum-trailer-tug and commu-tourer’s chainstays  

 

Bereft of brushes - the sort that wouldn’t cause banishment to the spare bedroom for several weeks, Steve ran his through the clip-on chain bath with 30ml water. Tepid is best but the hotter you can manage, the faster the magic works. 

 

Give chains a final freshwater rinse and air dry. 

 

As with most standard wet or middle weight PTFE preps, embedded grit and dirt vanished completely.  Stubborn ceramics needed second helpings followed by some more intensive stiff-brush tickling and a quick rub down with clean rag before introducing fresh oil. 

 

This is more involved and time consuming compared with white spirit and aerosol cleaners that strip surfaces piranha fashion and achieve similar results in two minutes start to finish. However, the green oil’s dropper bottle goes a lot further since there’s no wastage or evaporation. Better still it can be used and stored pretty much anywhere.