How to prevent chain looking dirty one ride after cleaning it! I try and clean my chain regularly and particularly when it's wet or dirty.

Despite my chain looking pristine clean once I have finished it often looks black and oily again after just one commute of 18 miles (on dry tarmac).

When cleaning my chain I use muc-off chain cleaner on the chain and the rest of the drive train and then I use chain cleaner in one of these gadgets to get right into the chain links.

Once that is all done I rinse the chain with a garden hose and I usually let it sit in the garage for an hour or so before I then oil the chain.

I wipe excess oil off the chain with a rag when I am done.

I think that possibly I am not removing the de-greaser properly or not letting the chain dry properly before applying the oil...

Any advice much appreciated, I love it when my chain is nice and sparkly but when it gets black and oily again straight away it's pretty annoying!

Thanks
Wiping off excess oil with a rag is good, but there will still be extra oil hidden inside the links in-between the roller and bushings.  This is what comes to the surface once you start riding. You can try spinning the drive train a bit (to bring this oil up) before wiping down a second time. Typically, you will need to wipe the chain off again even after a short ride.  Personally, I prefer a thicker oil, so that after second or third wipe to get the chain really clean I don't touch it again for a couple hundred km. A lighter oil needs to be applied sooner, meaning less time running clean.

Also, when you spray with water it typically takes longer than an hour to dry the water inside the links.  As such, when you are adding oil it may not penetrate as well due to water being in the system.  This could further contribute to the dirty mess you are seeing. Using solvents on the chain too early also removes the factory lube (typically a type of wax), which reduces chain longevity. In terms or real world use I measured a 30% reduction in chain life if you strip the factory lube out early. As the chain gets older, less factory lube remains and cleaning with a solvent becomes a non-issue.