White Lightning Clean Streak
If you want to keep your bicycle clean and in good working condition you need to get acquainted with White Lightning cycling products. A can of White Lightning Clean Streak Dry-Degreaser is the easiest way possible to clean you entire drivetrain (chain, crankset and derailleurs). I don’t care how dirty, greasy and grimy your drivetrain is, Clean Streak White Lightning can make it look like new in under a minute.
Why do you need Clean Streak White Lightning? First, if you buy a new chain you need White Lighting to remove the packing grease. The grease that comes on new chains is only there to keep the chain from rusting while in storage—it is very sticky and worthless as a lubricant. Second, if you ever want to switch brands of chain lube you usually need to remove the old lube first, and there is nothing better to use than White Lightning. Third, if your chain has picked up a lot of sand or grit it is easier to use White Lightning to strip the chain than to spend 15 minutes trying to clean it.
Once the chain is stripped down to bare metal it is going to be thirsty for a fresh coat of oil, and my favorite lube is Clean Ride (also made by White Lightning). Clean Ride is a liquid wax that goes on wet and dries quickly. This lube is self-cleaning which means that once the chain dries the wax lube sheds off as your chain gets dirty. Clean Ride is good for both road and mountain bikes. I get about 2,000 miles of use out of a new chain on my road bike, and with Clean Ride I usually never have to clean it—I just apply a new (thin) coat to the chain every 100 miles or so. I sometimes have to strip and clean the chains on my mountain bikes because I live in an area with a lot of sand and while it would eventually fall off the chain I like to remove it before it does too much damage to my rear cassette and front chainring. This product dries in just a few minutes and leaves no residue—you don’t even have to rinse it off with water!
Clean Streak White Lightning is also good for cleaning disc brake rotors and other metal parts. A few weeks ago I accidentally got some spray wax on the front disc brake rotor of one of my mountain bikes—the brakes still worked but they squealed so loud when I applied the brakes I was actually embarrassed when other cyclists where nearby. Fortunately, one quick shot of Clean Streak cleared the problem right up!
Clean Streak White Lightning comes in an ozone safe aerosol can and is available in either 12-ounce or 23-ounce sizes. The 12-ounce can retails for around $10 and is available at nearly every bike shop in America. The folks at White Lightning suggest that Clean Streak be used either outdoors or in a well-ventilated area, and that you put down a layer of old rags or newspapers to catch the crud and grease that falls off your chain. A 4-ounce bottle of White Lightning Clean Ride self-cleaning lube retails for $8.
hectorgmontano
July 4, 2012 at 10:26 AM
Awesome write up. This is what we use at the Shop that I work at and it performs miracles. Clean streak is usually a little bit more than other degreasers but its well worth it.
All Seasons Cyclist
July 4, 2012 at 5:01 PM
It really is a case of “getting what you pay for.”
melanielegault
July 5, 2012 at 10:20 PM
I put some Clean Ride on my bike for the first time on Monday (after i spent hours on Sunday washing off all the old grease). Now my bike squeaks like crazy like there’s no lube at all. Maybe I didn’t put enough on. Any suggestions?
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
All Seasons Cyclist
July 6, 2012 at 9:23 AM
Without being able to listen to the noise I can’t be exactly sure of where the noise is coming from. First, if you used a power washer you might have driven grit into the bottom bracket and that could be where the noise is coming from. However, since you think it comes from the chain you are probably right.
First, are you sure the chain was DRY when you put the Clean Streak on? Since it is a wax-based lube it needs a clean, dry surface to adhere to. Second, you only need one or two drops per barrel on the chain (that’s the part in the middle of the chain that lines up with the chain rings). If you just poured it an as you spun the chain around that is OK too.
After the lube is applied you need to spin the cranks and shift through all of the gears (if you don’t have a bike stand you could just ride it around the block as you shift through the gears). The next step is important: you need to let the Clean Ride sit on your chain for 10 or 15 minutes to dry then wipe it off — that way it will have soaked into all the little crevices where it is needed. The best way to wipe off the extra lube is with a clean cotton cloth — just gently hold it in the chain as you spin the wheels. You are not going to hurt anything if you put more than is needed on your chain — since you are going to wipe off the extra lube when it dries.
There are several good videos on YouTube.com that show the proper way to lube a bicycle chain (sometimes watching a video is a lot easier than reading how to do it).
timscyclingblog
July 7, 2012 at 9:06 AM
Seems like a lot of faff to me, but most of my riding is on the clean(ish) roads here.
I’ll stick with Finish Line Cross Country Wet Lube for winter and the cheap 3 in 1 oil I use in summer.
I find a citrus degreaser (Muc Off), wash with water, WD40 to drive out the water, then apply oil before the next ride is easy enough.