Cleaning parts can be a challenge when it comes to bicycles. Exposed drive train style parts like chains, derailleurs, and chainrings and cogs can prove to be quite a challenge to clean up. This becomes an issue especially when you are about to set up your bicycle with chain lubricant. Getting a drive train cleaned up to the "nth degree" is paramount to getting the best chain lube performance. Cheat on this exercise and you will pay the price in lost watts, drive train performance, and in earlier parts replacement than necessary.
But taking off parts and replacing them after cleaning can mean hours in the garage/on the apartment living room floor/in the basement and you probably do not have all the proper tools for doing this anyway. Why can't we just, you know, clean up things while they are on the bike?
The answer is "You can", but you need to know what to use and how to use it. I'll link my article on how I clean my bikes HERE if you want to get into the nitty-gritty of my techniques. (Note - That link takes you to an article with many other linked articles. Please refer to all of those before asking any questions here about drive train/bicycle cleaning)
What It Is: Okay, back to the subject at hand. Stan's Biobased products, many of which I have reviewed here before, are all made with a singular focus which is to be as environmentally friendly as possible. The Biobased Drivetrain Cleaner is no different. The bottle says this product uses "WPL biobased tech". WPL (Whistler Performance Labs) is a Canadian based company focused on biobased lubricants, cleaners, and grease products. I actuall reviewed a WPL lubricant in a previous Guitar Ted Lube-Off session HERE.
Biobased Drivetrain Cleaner comes in a 500ml spray bottle and costs $20.00 USD. Following are some features listed which were taken from the webpage for this product:
- Powerful Formula: cuts through grease and grime, yet it's gentle on paint, rubber, plastic, and carbon. Avoid cleaner contact with disc brake rotors and brake pads
- Vegan, Biodegradable, and Plant-based (USDA-certified Biobased pending)
- PFAS and PTFE-free: safer than petroleum-based products for rubber, carbon, paint, and anodized bike parts
- Clear and Odorless: no added dyes or scents
- Made in Canada
How I Used It: My main usage for the Biobased Drivetrain Cleaner was to get my chains ready for the next Lube-Off session, referred to earlier in the week HERE. The label directions indicated that one should use a liberal amount of product on a chain, (or cassette, chain rings if so desired) and use a brush to scrub off any build-up. Then the label instructs you to do something I do not agree with, but it makes sense from the basis of what this product's philosophy is based upon.
The instructions direct you to rinse chains, cassettes, or chain rings with water. That's certainly "enviromentally friendly", but in the case of a chain, I really don't want to introduce water into all the spaces between the rollers and pins. If I had rinsed my chains with water, I would then want to use compressed air to blow out any excess water residue, (extremely messy), or use a chemical product like alcohol, or brake cleaner, or....something similar, (defeats environmental benefits) to displace the water and hopefully leave no residues behind.
So, I did not rinse my chains with water. I tried drying out the chains and wiping off as much as I could with a rag. This did not leave a satisfactory result. It fouled the chain lube I applied afterward, because I could not drive out all the degreaser product from the rollers and pins of the chain. While I could have removed the chain and obtained a better result with rinsing and air drying the chain, this defeats the purposes of my testing.
Final Verdict: Stan's Biobased Drivetrain Cleaner is a good product if you can rinse with water and not worry about oxidation from the water afterward in the tight spaces which define a typical bicycle drive train. I like the environmental aspect, which I think makes this a product worth checking out. The Biobased Drivetrain Cleaner does blast away build-up and dissolves grease well. It's just that - for me - using it on a chain is problematic in that you must rinse off the product with water, (or solvent of choice if you don't care about being consistent with the product philosophy) Then you can avoid residue which this product leaves behind and which will not dry off a chain, in particular. Add in the self-imposed parameter of not removing parts, and this becomes an issue.
So, I would recommend this with caveats as to how this product needs a rinsing after use. How you go about that rinsing is up to you. Then again, if you really are more concerned with ease of use and convenience, you probably are looking at a different degreaser product that is a "one-shot" and done kind of procedure. I can recommend Finishline's "Speed Degreaser" is that is your aim.
