Degreasers
Browse bike degreaser for sale from riders across the UK. Degreaser is the aggressive end of bike cleaning — a solvent or citrus-based cleaner aimed at the chain, cassette, chainrings and jockey wheels, where old lube has combined with road grit into a grinding paste. It is sold as ready-to-use sprays, as chain-bath fluid, and as concentrates that dilute at around 1:5 to 1:10 for drivetrain work.
What is the difference between citrus, bio and solvent degreaser?
Citrus degreasers use d-limonene and smell of orange peel; they are pleasant to work with and slower on hardened wax build-up. Bio and water-based formulas are the mildest and rinse away with water, which suits a chain bath used over a drip tray. Straight solvent degreasers cut fastest and evaporate rather than needing a rinse, which makes them the choice for parts cleaning off the bike — and the ones to keep well away from painted and rubber surfaces.
Do I need degreaser or bike wash?
Degreaser is for the drivetrain only; the frame, wheels and finishing kit want bike wash instead. Using degreaser as a general cleaner strips the light protective film off every bolt head and clamp face it touches, and it dulls matt lacquer. If you mostly want the chain cleaned without dismantling anything, the fluid supplied with chain cleaners is a milder version of the same idea.
Will degreaser strip the grease out of my bearings?
Given the chance, yes. It creeps past hub, bottom bracket and freehub seals and thins the grease inside, which is why a chain bath or a rag beats spraying a whole cassette while it is on the bike. Overspray on disc pads is worse still — contaminated pads cannot be reliably cleaned and get replaced, though rotors come back with isopropyl alcohol. Keep it off suspension stanchions, wiper seals and anything elastomeric, and rinse thoroughly before the chain dries.
Can degreaser be reused?
Dirty degreaser from a chain bath will settle if it is left to stand in a sealed jar for a day or two, and the clear fluid can be decanted off the sludge for a second pass. That works with citrus and solvent types; water-based ones tend to hold the dirt in suspension and are better disposed of. Nothing goes down a drain — take used solvent to a household waste centre with the container labelled.
How much degreaser should I be paying for?
A concentrate is normally the cheaper route, since the same 5-litre container that does a season of chain baths costs a modest multiple of a single aerosol. Names you will see include Muc-Off, Finish Line, Fenwick's, Juice Lubes and Weldtite. Buy the aerosol only for the jobs that need its jet — jockey wheel cages, chainring bolts, the back of a cassette — and buy the bulk fluid for everything else. The full range sits under cleaning supplies.