@Wahots@pawb.social

I cleaned my bike chain a couple of weeks ago and it was caked in grease+dirt. First I used a flathead screwdriver to dislodge as much crust as possible, then an awl/pick to get into smaller spaces then I used hot soapy water + eco/biodegradable dish soap + stiff brush. I scrubbed the chain while it was on the bike then I removed the chain (and rear mech and cassette) and scrubbed them all again.

After I dried them all using a towel then sprayed with WD40. Allowed this to evaporate, sprayed them with EPA, then greased them all with lithium grease spray.

I disassembled the mech, cleaned all the individual parts the same way, then used lithium grease on the pivots and bearings. reassembled, refitted, and it's all running like new.

I probably could have used some bike degreaser however I didn't have any and couldn't be arsed going to buy some.