Saw a rusted chain that looked brand new after 40 minutes of ultrasonic cleaning
I had a road bike come into my shop in Portland last Tuesday with a chain that was basically a solid brown bar of rust. The owner said it had sat in a damp garage for two seasons, and he was ready to toss the whole drivetrain. I threw it in our ultrasonic cleaner with a citrus degreaser at 50 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes, and I could not believe the difference. The links actually moved freely again, and the rollers had a faint shine underneath all the crud. I hit it with a quick dry lube after, and the shift feel was smoother than some new chains I have installed. That thing was about 80 bucks to replace, so saving it felt like a small win. Has anyone else pulled a chain back from the dead this way, or do you just replace them on sight?