It’s important to keep your bicycle chain clean and lubricated to improve performance and reduce wear on your components. Unfortunately, it can be tedious and messy to clean your chain which is why many people skip doing it or only do it infrequently. First introduced in 1988, the Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner was developed to make cleaning chains quick and easy without requiring removal of the chain. In this review, we’ll be looking at the latest third-generation version of the Pro Chain Cleaner which Finish Line claims uses shop-quality brushes and plastics. The chain cleaner retails for $34.99 which includes a 4oz bottle of degreaser and 2oz bottle of lubricant. Finish Line also offers the chain cleaner separately for $24.99 as well as a $7.99 rebuild kit.

Finish Line’s Super Bike Wash and Speed Degreaser have easy to use spray and aerosol designs that make quick work of cleaning a bike.

Rating8.8 / 10
Retail Price$34.99 ($24.99 without lube/degreaser)
Likes+ Durable construction
+ Replaceable brushes and scrubber pads
+ Cleans all sides of the chain at the same time
Dislikes– Handle can slide off
– Chain Cleaner also needs to be cleaned after cleaning the chain
Where to Buy (US)Finish Line

UNBOXING

The Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner comes in a simple cardboard box with cutouts that allows you to see the chain cleaner and degreaser bottles . Inside the box you’ll find:

  • Pro Chain Cleaner
  • 4oz Finish Line Multi Bike Cleaner
  • 2oz Finish Line Dry Chain Lube

Per the packaging recommendations, the lube is sufficient for 12 uses while the degreaser is good for 8 uses.

FIT & FINISH

Finish Line has designed the Pro Chain Cleaner to simply clip onto your chain and scrub the inner links without requiring any manual labor or chain removal. It is primarily constructed from a transparent green plastic housing that uses three plastic brushes in sequence. It has a fully  serviceable design with opening top which can be rebuilt using Finish Line’s $7.99 rebuild kit that ensures you can continue to use the chain cleaner for multiple years. The top lid is attached to the body using a metal clip and has the center brush molded into it. There are two scrubber pads at the exit of the cleaner to prevent drips and soak up excess liquids. To reduce fluid dripping out of the cleaner, Finish Line has designed the exit to have a 47° upward angle. There is even a magnet built into the base of the housing to trap metallic debris.

Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner Bike Chain Cleaner Review - Cleaning Kit
With the cleaner kit, Finish Line includes chain lube and degreaser with the Pro Chain Cleaner.

ON THE BIKE

Setting up the cleaner is quick and easy as you simply have to remove the lid and add a mixture of water / degreaser up to the fluid level indicator. After that you simply clip it on the chain and back pedal until you’re happy with the results. Although the cleaner is designed to be drip free, we found that the chain still retained some cleaning fluid and would drip. We’d recommend using the chain cleaner outdoors or somewhere that is easy to clean. Thanks to the multiple brushes and scrubber pads, the Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner does a great job cleaning between the chain pins and both the front and backsides. It’s significantly faster than hand wiping the chain with degreaser. Pedaling with the chain cleaner attached is easiest if you keep the cleaner aligned with the natural chain position, otherwise you may have to apply more force.

Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner Bike Chain Cleaner Review - Scrubber Pads
Finish Line offers a full rebuild kit which includes the three brushes and two scrubber pads.

Once you’ve thoroughly scrubbed the chain you simply unclip the cleaner off the chain and wipe down the chain to remove the dirt and grime. While we were impressed with the results, we’d still recommend using an ultrasonic cleaner if you’re looking for a like-new chain and don’t mind removing your chain. Otherwise, the Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner allows you to keep the chain on the bike and doesn’t even require a bike stand as long as you can back pedal. We also accidently dropped the Chain Cleaner onto concrete and were impressed to find no damage or cracks in the thick plastic construction. The main downside to this style of chain cleaners is that you do need to clean the chain cleaner itself which adds an extra step to the cleaning process. Depending on how dirty your chain is, that may be as simple as hosing the cleaner down or removing the scrubbers and getting in there with a rag.

Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner Bike Chain Cleaner Review - On The Chain
The Pro Chain Cleaner simply clips on to your chain and cleans the chain from every angle.

THE VERDICT

Overall, we found the Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner offers impressive cleaning results with minimal effort. The multiple brush and scrubber pad design quickly cleans all sides and the recesses between pins simultaneously. With the angled exit and additional scrubber pads, the Pro Chain Cleaner causes much less of a mess than cheaper chain cleaners we’ve used in the past. There was only minimal dripping that wiped off easily. We are also impressed with the thick plastic construction which can withstand drops. The main downsides of the Pro Chain Cleaner is that the slide-on handle can easily slide off while cleaning and that you do have to clean the chain cleaner itself after the chain is cleaned. That said, if you’re looking for an easy way to keep your chain clean that doesn’t require additional tools or chain removal, the Finish Line Pro Chain Cleaner is a great option.

Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Finish Line. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.

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