Park Tools CG-2 Chain Gang Chain Cleaning System

In a sport where almost everything is foreign, Park Tools stands out as an American company with a strong world-wide presence in bicycling. The brand has built reputation based on the design of their tools as well as their quality. It comes as no surprise that they offer a cleaning kit for bicycle chains which delivers the construction and ease of use Park Tools’ buyers expect.

The CG-2 Chain Gang Cleaning system comes with three components:

The CM-5 “Cyclone” Chain Scrubber
The GSC-1 GearClean Brush
A bottle of CB-2 Citrus Chain Brite

The CM-5 chain scrubber is compatible with all derailleur-equipped chains as well as the narrow single-speed chains used on most BMX and internally-geared bikes. The scrubber is designed to be used on the chain twice during cleaning: First with the included Citrus Chain Brite solvent and then with soap and water. The scrubber is easy to use, splitting in two to be clamped onto the chain. Unlike other chain cleaners, the CM-5 has a large side-mounted handle that lets you fill the reservoir without spilling solvent on your hand while also making it easy to keep it in place while turning the pedals.

When in use a magnet at the bottom of the reservoir helps keep debris separate from the chain after cleaning. The chain runs through a set of sponges at the end of the scrubber to remove most, but not all, of the solvent. There will still be some dripping, so this should be done over some newspaper. If you wear out the rollers Park Tools offers a rebuild kit, making the scrubber a permanent addition to your tool box.

After the chain scrubber has been used spot cleaning can be done with the included gear clean brush. The curved-ended handle is ideal for cleaning out gunk from in between gears. This is now a common feature, but again Park Tools’ attention to detail shows: There’s a long handle letting you use the gear cleaning end without having to wrap your hands around the bristles.

Retail price for the CG-2 Chain Gang Chain Cleaning System is around $30, or about the same as buying only the chain scrubber and gear cleaning brush separately.