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review
£24.99
VERDICT:
Most thorough chain cleaner we've used with hands free operation and no mess
Weight:
140g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The Pedro's Chain Pig makes cleaning your chain a simple and above all mess free job thanks to some sensible design. It looks cute too so there is more chance of you getting the kids to do the job for you.
The body is made up of two parts, and upper and a lower section which is easy to take apart and reassemble. The upper half is home to the neat alloy tail which loops around the lower jockey wheel on the rear mech giving you totally hands free operation.
With the two parts snapped together you can spin the cranks backwards as quick as you like without having the Pig jump or slip out of line.
To appeal to the professional market as well has the home DIY'er Pedro's have gone for larger diameter bristles for a more robust cleaner. We're not talking much here obviously but compared to my Halfords cheapie the Pig's brushes are much stiffer.
The first brushes in the cycle lift the degreaser up on to the chain before those manly bristles take up the main scrubbing role. They do a good job getting in between the pins and remove the majority of grit and crap thrown up from a season of winter miles.
Pedro's are proud of the fact that it only needs 30ml of degreaser to clean a chain thanks to the design and on the whole I'd agree with this only really heavily caked chains need two or more cycles. I'm talking the lube, salt, road grit kind of paste you get from a couple of months of winter abuse.
It gets by using so little thanks to the sponge in the Pig's nose. It wipes the chain clean and absorbs the degreaser which returns to the reservoir relatively clean after filtering through.
As with most manufacturer's claims I was sceptical about how great it was going to clean and be so mess free etc. etc. but I am unbelievably impressed. Even heavily soiled chains clean up well and the fact it's so quick and easy to use it's become a weekly exercise to keep the drivetrain clean.
The only sticking point could be seen as the price, £24.99 put it up there with the likes of Park Tool's CM5 which also cleans well but in my opinion the Pig has the edge.
Verdict
Most thorough chain cleaner we've used with hands free operation and no mess
road.cc test report
Make and model: Pedros Chain Pig
Size tested: n/a
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
The Chain Pig is designed for both workshop and home use thanks to beefed up bristles. The chain is cleaned very well in all angles.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
*Chemical & impact resistant body
*Alloy 'tail' for hands free operation
*Stage 1 & stage 2 brushes
*Sponge wipe
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
8/10
Rate the product for value:
8/10
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Brilliantly, cleans even heavily soiled chains well.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The ease of use.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The price is top end.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
Whether you consider the cost to be excessive comes down to how often you would use it I guess. The price reflects the cost in my eyes but with plenty of bikes of my own and test bikes the Chain Pig is getting a serious amount of use so it's paying for itself.
About the tester
Age: 36 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: Kinesis T2 My best bike is: Kinesis Aithien
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.
With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.
He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.
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Add new comment
14 comments
Don't leave it anywhere near the current PM...
He'd be very disappointed if it went soft on him
I treated myself to one of these. I cleaned 3 chains in one session, using Parktool citrus chain bright. I then washed the pig as thoroughly as I could. Next time I came to use it, the plastic body of the pig had softened and deformed to a degree as to make it useless. Whether this was an unfortunate reaction between the pig and another brands degreaser, I do not know. Pretty disappointing
Exact same thing happened to me
I contacted the manufacturer and they said the first batch was made from the wrong specification plastic and sent me a replacement which has been problem free.
I now use it with a light lubricant rather than a degreaser anyway.
EDIT: I used the tech@ address on this page: http://pedros.com/about-us/contact/ to make contact.
Does anyone know of anywhere (online) that actually stocks this?
Winstanleys have them for £22.50
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/67053/Pedros_Chain_Pig_Machine...
Under a quid for a big pack of cheap baby wipes - best & least messy degreasing / cleaning solution ever!
baby wipes are an environmental scourge, they don't bio-degrade for ages. What's wrong with an old t-shirt for a rag?
TBH I just use Muc-Off chain degreaser - sprays on, leave for 5 minutes and then either rinse off with a hose or use a cloth.
I used to use a Park Tools chain cleaner but it was so messy in comparison.
http://www.brummiebiker.co.uk/muc-off-degreaser/
Having had a Park tools chain cleaner and another one by lightening which both had their issues, I tried the GCN recommendation of a simple brush and degreaser. It is like 100x better and cheaper. I wouldn't bother with this sort of device now. £3.99 for a brush is about it.
Having been through about a dozen chain cleaners of various ilks over the years, I am increasingly of this persuasion. I don't believe that in the same amount of time, with maybe only 1/3 the amount of degreaser, you can't do a better job of it with a brush.
No mention of spare parts, Stu? are they available, or is this a £25 disposable unit?
I like the fact that you feed the soiled chain through its bum and it comes out the snout squeaky clean. As opposed to the other way round, which would also make total sense but probably be less desirable.
Just the ticket, thanks, my Muc off Chain dock broke last week. £20 on PBK plus an extra 12% off (discount code) for new customers.
Looks similar to the one I've got, which also cleans the chain really well. A clean chain makes a huge difference. Much more than I expected.
I like the hook idea, mine has a handle which is a bit more fiddly.
What degreasing agent did you use in the trial?