The single-purpose gadget that could
I’m not generally a fan of single-purpose gadgets, but when they’re eminently effective and will get a lot of use, I’m down. Garlic press? Oh yeah. Chain scrubber? HELL yeah.
One of my Nashbar purchases was the Park Cyclone Chain Scrubber. Chains are just a bitch to keep clean, in my experience. I’ve done okay with Maia so far because I only ride her in dry conditions, but the commuter bike gets ridden in the wet and I don’t necessarily take care of its every little ding and bit of gunk. The chain was horribly encrusted with gunk that I despaired of getting out, despite regular attempts to clean it.
The scrubber works pretty darn well. I tested it on Maia first to get the hang of it, and got a lot of dirt off there. The chain still benefited from a good wipedown with a cloth after, to get gunk out of little corners and give a general once-over, but it was much easier to deal with.
Then I took it outside to Minerva, along with a ton of degreaser. I had to run it many times over on the chain, vigorously, then wipe off the chain and cogs, then run it many times over again with a clean apparatus and degreaser. Finally the chain appeared from under the gunk and actually began to look truly clean! I’m hoping that regular sessions with the scrubber will keep me from having to deal with so much accumulated gunk again.