What are the chances that we live just around the corner from each other. Yes, I'm in Witchford just outside Ely.If you are in Ely (I am in Swaffham Bulbeck just down the road) then Halfords in Ely has the Muc Off wet chain lube. Comes in a spray can.
Things to do:
If you can remove chain, then remove it, put it in a big jam jar, spray with GT85, rattle it, then pour in about 5cms of Muc Off pink cleaner OR hot water with a good squirt of washing up liquid, plus some hair shampoo. Then lid on and rattle lots. Rinse off with lots of HOT water and dry in sun quickly or use hair dryer. If you twist chain there should be no crunching or grinding if you twist it.
If you can’t remove chain, then place a rag underneath it and spray with GT85 and run it through and through the rag, by holding rag in a bundle around the chain and turning the cranks.
To apply Muc Off wet chain wax, hold a rag underneath the chain so that it doesn’t go everywhere and GENTLY trickle-spray the links as they pass over the rag. Look at the chain as it passes and do it in sections, so each link gets some. Leave to dry before riding - around 15 mins.
I ride in Thetford a lot, which is incredibly sandy - really abrasive - yet through this cleaning and lubing regime my chain and cassette and chainring have lasted thousands of miles there - currently five years of constant riding.
Sadly we don't have a Halfords in Ely but there's one in Cambridge and so it's dead easy and really great to have such a detailed explanation of what I need to do. Sounds very straightforward and the MucOff sounds amazing. It's incredible that your chain and cassette have last that long.
I should have mentioned that I only cycle on the road and so my chain has a pretty easy life. I clean it properly once a week but the GT85 just doesn't seem to last very long at all. Although it used to?!