Following my previous article regarding Muc-Off’s products, I got several queries about the cleaning of your bike’s drivetrain. It was clear that readers had taken note that a well-maintained drivetrain can gain you a few extra watts and where races on Zwift are won by the tiniest of margins, this could be the difference between winning and losing!
This article is focuses solely on the products that Muc-Off offers for cleaning and optimizing your drivetrain (cranks, chainrings, chain, cogs/cassette, and derailleur) and thus get the most out of your efforts. It includes an overview of their brand-new lubricating oil, which is has a somewhat unique name – Ludicrous AF Lube.
A bit of science
I was never much of a science student, but I will try and summarise why it is important to keep the drivetrain clean. Basically, there is a certain amount of efficiency lost from a dirty drivetrain. It is estimated that there is a decrease in efficiency of 3-5 watts when your drivetrain is dirty.
Another way to think about it is that a clean and lubricated chain consumes 7 watts. If dirty, this increases to 10-12 watts, meaning you use more power to go at the same speed. The bottom line is that you need to keep your drivetrain cleaned and well-lubricated.
Fundamental tools for the job
There are two different tools that I have tested to clean my drivetrain, the first being the X-3 Dirty Chain Machine and the second the Bio Chain Doc. Before analysing these products, there are several related items which will make your task much easier. These are as follows:
Gloves
There are two different types of gloves, the Deep Scrubber gloves or the Mechanics gloves.
Deep Scrubber Gloves – The Deep Scrubber gloves are made of silicone that is highly durable. These gloves are used for cleaning your bike and have bristles on the palms and fingers that allow you to basically scrub your bike with your hands. Muc-Off advise that the Scrubber gloves are used for cleaning your frame, bars, saddle, and tyres – none of which covers what I was about to use them for. However, given that my drivetrain was particularly dirty and not wanting to get my Mechanics gloves covered in oil, I thought I would try to see if I could use the Deep Scrubber gloves, not to clean the chain, but to help me handle the dirty chain and the X-3 Dirty Chain Machine and Bio Chain Doc.
The truth is, despite using the gloves not as intended, I had good results. The gloves are extremely durable: I accidentally got them caught in the chain and immediately feared the worst. I expected there to a be hole in the glove, but there wasn’t, not even a scratch! The gloves are tough and completely saved me getting oily hands undertaking this mucky task.
The only negative point is that because the gloves are a little on the thick side, due to the silicone, it makes doing tasks that require a bit of dexterity (like using the Bio Chain Doc) more challenging. However, this is minor because as noted, Muc-Off advises that these gloves should be used for cleaning instead of mechanical work as I tested.
It is surprising how oily the gloves got, but the great point is that because they are made of silicone, they were easy to clean. It says on the packaging that they can be put in the dishwasher, but a bit of soap and water was sufficient to make them look like new. They come in three sizes and are on the large side.
Mechanics Gloves – These are essential. And to be completely honest, it would probably be best to have two pairs – one that you are prepared to get mucky and another for when you are undertaking mechanical fixes. They have a rubber palm and fingers to facilitate a good grip and are elasticated to fit your hand firmly. Like the Deep Scrubber glove, these come in three sizes, a good guide would be to select whatever your bike glove size is.
Drivetrain Detailer Brush
When cleaning your drive train, it’s not enough to think that using the X-3 Dirty Chain Machine or Bio Chain Doc will clean your drivetrain completely, it will get the job done 90%, but that is still half a job in my eyes, and you will need that little extra something to get into the nooks and crannies of your cogs.
The solution is the Drivetrain Detailer Brush. It consists of stiff nylon bristles and a large handle that allows you to really apply pressure and scrub spots where there may be an excessive build-up of dirt. Muc-Off summaries the functionality of this product best: “it makes it easy to get to those hard-to-reach spots.”
Microfiber polishing cloth
Another necessary piece of equipment. When you use either the X-3 Dirty Chain Machine or the Bio Chain Doc, the chain cleaner product will break down the dirt. To help remove the grime, a cloth is essential. It’s not sufficient to use paper towels or an old rag because from experience, the paper towels disintegrate and an old rag leaves fibres in the chain that you have just been trying to clean.
I’ll admit, I was reluctant to use my Microfiber cloth, thinking that I would ‘save’ it to polish my bike with some of Muc-Off’s cleaning products such as Miracle Shine but in the end, I realised it’s better to use that and buy another Microfibre Polishing Cloth. At this rate, I have concluded you probably need a minimum of 3 Microfibre Polishing Cloths. One for when you use Muc-Off’s Antibacterial Equipment Cleaner after your intense Zwift sessions, one for when you polish and clean your bike, and one for when you are undertaking, dirty, grimy tasks like cleaning your drivetrain.
Cleaning my drivetrain
Now onto the main event, cleaning my drivetrain! The two main products I used to clean my drivetrain were the X-3 Dirty Chain Machine and the Bio Chain Doc.
X-3 Dirty Chain Machine
The X-3 Dirty Chain Machine is the more expensive of the two products but it is the one which I found easier to use. There is a really concise video here which details how to use the product, however, I will briefly explain.
What you do is take the lid off the device, attach the handle, place the base of the device under the lower chain, attach the lid, fill the reservoir which is in the top part of the device with the Drivetrain cleaner product that comes with it, then hold the handle and pedal backwards, pressing the button on the top of the reservoir to release the cleaner. It’s advisable to have your bike in a Mechanic’s stand as this can get messy. The bristles in the device will clean your chain and the dirt will pool in the bottom of the X-3 Dirty Chain Machine, which can be easily disposed of, down the drain. A Microfibre cloth is then used to remove any excess dirt and grim, drying the chain too. At this point, I also used the Drivetrain Detailer brush to clean the derailleur and other hard to reach parts.
I was able to operate this whilst using the Deep Scrubber gloves and I got an excellent result. I liked using this product because it was easy to use, and the bristles in the machine cleaned the chain well. The machine also minimised oil and dirt going everywhere as it collected it internally. It did such a good job cleaning my chain that it revealed to me that despite thinking that I had actually been maintaining my drivetrain, the reality was that I hadn’t, as evidenced by the sheer amount of grime that was removed – there were a few watts gained there for sure! To lubricate the chain afterwards, I applied Muc-Off’s Hydrodynamic Lube.
It really was that simple, and with minimal mess.
Bio Chain Doc
The Bio Chain Doc machine is rather unique in its construction and more complicated to use. It is a pair of brushes in a clamp that connects to a canister of Chain cleaner, you attach a hose from the nozzle of the canister to the brushes. You spray the canister, whilst simultaneously clamping the device and back pedalling. It’s as complicated explaining as it is doing! (A video here demonstrates what I am attempting to explain.)
The bottom line is that it is pretty fiddly. You certainly can’t use the Deep Scrubber gloves for this task as it is impossible to reattach the hose, if it disconnects, which it did in my case. Not wanting to cover my Mechanics gloves in grime, I used my hands and got completely covered in oil. It was particularly messy because the Bio Chain Doc doesn’t collect the residue from the chain as well as the X-3 Dirty Chain machine, which resulted in a mess on the floor that required cleaning.
Yes this device is more fiddly and dirty than the X-3 Dirty Chain machine, but I must say it certainly was successful in cleaning my drivetrain. If you want to clean your chain and want to be economical with your expenditure and are prepared for a bit of a mess, then this is certainly worth purchasing. In the end, to get the desired results, I disconnected the cleaning device and sprayed the Chain cleaner directly onto the areas I wanted to clean, using the Drivetrain Detailer brush. The chain and other components were wiped clean with a Microfibre cloth and Bike Protect was applied.
(Bike Protect is an after-wash corrosion inhibitor that drives out moisture, so it is adviseable to spray onto your chain to drive out moisture before you apply any chain lubes. In my case Hydrodynamic Lube was applied.)
I achieved good results by following Muc-Off’s simple process of “clean, protect, lube.”
Cleaning Recommendations
In my opinion, the X-3 Dirty Chain Machine is the product to get if you want to clean your drivetrain. Granted, it is more expensive of the two, but it is easier to operate and collects the dirt and grime which can easily be disposed of. That being said, the Bio Chain Doc delivered equally as good a result, it’s just I struggled with the setup and felt like I needed an extra pair of hands. But that would explain why it has the lower price point, as it’s probably Muc-Off’s way of providing a product for all.
Ultimately, if you were wanting to clean your drivetrain on a budget and are prepared for a bit of cleaning, then you wouldn’t go far wrong with buying the Drivetrain Detailing brush and Bio Drivetrain Cleaner.
Lubricating the chain after cleaning
As explained, after cleaning my drivetrain and applying Bike Protect to the components, I lubricated the chain withHydrodynamic Lube. However, Muc-Off have launched a new lubricant called Ludicrous AF Lube.
When I was working on my previous article, Muc-Off eluded that they had something special in the pipeline. Well, this new lubricant was it! I don’t know many details about it other than what I have read but the official line is “tested and refined over the last three years by the industry’s leading tribologists, Ludicrous AF has been pro-peloton-approved for taking speed and performance to an entirely new level. Thanks to their state-of-the-art R&D facility, our Muc-Off boffins have created a true masterpiece – an ultra-low-friction, highly durable lube which allows you to go harder and faster for longer than ever before. Basically, it’s fast as f**k!”
The details behind the new lube make for some interesting reading. “When applied to a chain, it penetrates chain link scars to create a sheer plane – which means more speed! The molecules in the formula charge up, which helps to accelerate both chain and rider by reducing friction and power loss. The proprietary additives contain synthetic polymers, which are designed for long-distance performance. This means class-leading low levels of wear on chain components, making it super-fast and super-durable. This provides unbeatable performance in both wet and damp or dry and dusty conditions at a range of temperatures.”
It was developed “with INEOS Grenadiers, EF Education-NIPPO and deployed on the Olympic stage, winning 6 gold medals in 2021. Ludicrous AF has been built to take on all conditions at the highest level of racing. Tested during the 2020 season and perfected for 2021, this badass lube has already taken multiple podiums and an overall win at the 2021 Giro d’Italia.”
So in summary, it sounds very impressive… but it comes at a bit of cost. Having just been released, I don’t yet have this in my hands. But I plan to give it a test, so watch this space.
Does all this really matter?
The short answer is “Yes.” Having spent time cleaning the drivetrains of my Zwift and outdoor bikes for this article, I can honestly say that pedaling felt smoother. Not only that, but gear changes feel more fluid. Considering many of us spend several hours a week on our bikes, I think that this is a simple way to potentially make some performance gains as well as extend the life of our drivetrains.
Right, I’m off to buy another pair of Mechanics gloves, another Mibrofibre cloth and some Ludicrous AF Lube. With new events on the calender like the Mountain Massif TT – Powered by Muc-Off , I need all the gains I can get!
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