Remove chain to clean?

[escrs]

With chain cleaning you have to find what works for you, as the OP said for him chain cleaning devices dont work well enough for him

Ive been removing chains to clean them for over 10 years now

This is over three bikes, MTB, good road bike and the work road bike

Its just so much easier to give the chain a proper deep clean with it off the bike every few months, also less chance of contaminating the rotors, brake pads and genreally making a mess on the bike

I normally drop the chain into a tub of drivetrain degreaser but have used petrol and even white spirit in the past

Once soaking in the degreaser i agitate it with a brush then allow to dry for 30 mins or so, then refit using the original split link (they only get replaced when i fit a new chain)

Once refitted then i apply the lube of my choice for that particular bike

The whole process takes 30 minutes and only really needs doing once every two months on the work bike which is used all year round in all weathers and averages 3500 miles a year

I also remove the cassette at the same time to clean properly, inspect the freehub body and cassette teeth along with checking and cleaning the chainring

 

[The Hodge]

Zip-ties for turning your cranks backwards ...pah..what you need is a high tech wooden bung ..the top of any old broom shank will do ..you will also be doing your bit for the environment as its totally bio-degradable?..unlike those nasty plastic zip-ties ?..
Get with the project dudes !?