ndr
friend
Reged: 08/10/04
Posts: 27
Loc: Los Altos, CA
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What are you all using to lubricate your chains. Do you use different products for summer and winter?
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 189
Loc: Plano, TX
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I use the Rock n' Roll Gold Lube. Works well and last a long time.
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Dave_Thompson
prophet
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 720
Loc: Spokane, Washington
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I've used Boeshield T-9 for years on all my bikes with good success.
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Steel lover, but then I like Ti with carbon too.
Licensed bike geek.
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Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
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I am using Dumonde Tech oil, only because I got a free bottle of it from a bike club get together.
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superunleaded
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 223
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I have been using 10-40 motor oil with great success. Drive train is very smooth and quiet. The downside is it gets really dirty.
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***Regular Unleaded - 4.99
***Special Unleaded - 7.99
***Superunleaded - Arm & a Leg
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Bruce
contributor
Reged: 12/27/03
Posts: 133
Loc: North of NYC
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I will second Rock n Roll Gold. Lasts a long time, keeps the chain clean. Highly recommended.
http://www.rocklube.com/
My experience is that you have to build up the lube over 2-3 applications, but once you get a bunch of it on, it lasts a long time.
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tall_jason
new member
Reged: 08/15/06
Posts: 13
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So does everyone pretty much just use those cheap plastic chain cleaner things with their non-Sachs, non-Wipperman (ie: w/o a master link) chains? Is there a better way?
*Jason
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64cm Dragonfly custom geometry
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Dave_Thompson
prophet
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 720
Loc: Spokane, Washington
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Quote:
tall_jason wrote:
So does everyone pretty much just use those cheap plastic chain cleaner things with their non-Sachs, non-Wipperman (ie: w/o a master link) chains? Is there a better way?
*Jason
I use, and highly recommend, the SRAM chain connector. It allows easy chain off/on for maintenance/cleaning/wheel and tire repairs. Much better and quicker, particularly in the field, than having to break a chain and install a new pin. They fit all 9-speed chains.
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Steel lover, but then I like Ti with carbon too.
Licensed bike geek.
Edited by Dave_Thompson (09/21/06 05:44 PM)
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Umlungu
contributor
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 189
Loc: Plano, TX
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I use a Park Gear Cleaning Brush on my chainring, cassette and chain with a citrus degreaser. Works great. The "chain cleaning systems" to me seem kinda hokey, but that just may be me.
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Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
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I use the park chain cleaner in addition to a toothbrush and wiping rags. I first use a detergent cleaner for greasy stuff in the resevoir then I dry the chain. I then use mineral spirits in the park chain cleaner. At this point, once I've dried the chain as thouroughly as I can by rags, I wait a few hours and by then the chain is bone dry. I then lubricate it, once drop per link with the chain lube.
My thinking: lubricants gradually evaporate. Lubrication reduces friction that causes wear. Chains, being close to the ground, pick up dirt and grime. Tolerances on modern chains are such that grime doesn't really get into the bushings. I do clean the grime off, and any coating left on the chain will be displaced by the mineral spirits. The chain, when dry and warm from being in the sun will wick up quickly any lubricant you use.
Finally, what lubricant is best depends on where in the country you ride, what the soil conditions are and how much sunlight or rain you get. Dry, dusty conditions call for a dry lube. Wet, humid conditions prefer an oil-based lubricant. For what it's worth, specialty lubes are mixtures of different lubricants with different volatilities. Some even add colorants and scents but those do nothing to improve the product. I applaud the guy who has the sense to use motor oil, at fractions of a penny per lubrication versus a bike-shop-sold product that costs dollars per ounce.
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skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
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Quote:
tall_jason wrote:
So does everyone pretty much just use those cheap plastic chain cleaner things with their non-Sachs, non-Wipperman (ie: w/o a master link) chains?
Clean the chain?? Nope, not something I practice. I just keep adding more White Lightening.
I do clean the bike once a year though, ...whether it needs it or not!
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Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
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Nev
captain
Reged: 05/03/04
Posts: 376
Loc: Never where I want to be
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Rock and Roll Gold here, too, on the road bikes. Good stuff. Never an issue, ever. Silent.
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Lurpy
new member
Reged: 09/22/06
Posts: 3
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In dry conditions I use Mobil 1 mixed with odorless mineral spirits in a 1:4 ratio. Wipe chain, apply lube, wipe again; generally after each ride. Cleans, lubes, doesn't attract dirt, and cheap!
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ndr
friend
Reged: 08/10/04
Posts: 27
Loc: Los Altos, CA
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Thanks all, Just completed the OATBRAN ride across Nevada using Rick n Role Gold and it worked perfectly. Reapplied every morning.
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Bruce
contributor
Reged: 12/27/03
Posts: 133
Loc: North of NYC
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Lurpy,
The problem with oil bases lubes is that they are wet. Wet oil attracts dirt like a magnet. A dry chain does not attract dirt, and therefore stays cleaner longer. You have good luck with your system becasue you clean the chain EVERY time. I generally clean the chain once a month, and I do about 200 miles a week.
I used to hot wax, completely dry, and the chain would stay very clean. Since upgrading to 10 speed, I have switched to Rock N Roll lube with much success. Not as dry as hot wax, but not wet either.
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Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
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If an oiled chain attracts dirt like a magnet, there was too much oil on the chain. The oil only needs to be in the roller area, not on the outsides and surfaces of the plates. The problem with dry lubes is they are not much more effective than no lube at all. Practicaly, with an oil lube, when you wipe the chain clean often, there is still vital lubrication in the places that need it and the oil is hygroscopic, keeping moisture out.
From all I've read about chain maintenance, the important factor is cleanliness. It's not about what lube a person uses, it's a matter of how often they clean the chain. Getting the drivetrain clean often reduces the wear that comes from grit and grime on the chainrings and chain.
I really should not pipe in since this is one area, chain lubes, that is in the realm of religion. It's all based on faith and anecdote and facts do not matter.
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skuke
captain
Reged: 12/22/03
Posts: 323
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Quote:
Insightdriver wrote:
The oil only needs to be in the roller area, not on the outsides and surfaces of the plates.
I agree in principle. On a motorcycle chain, I believe one should oil the rollers between the plates. The oil will wick into the area between that roller and the pin. Most modern motorcycle chains have o-ring seals and that hypothesis probably doesn't even really matter.
But that same principal should apply to bicycle chains since there is no o-ring between the roller and pin. The oil will wick and minimize wear. However, a bicycle chain must also shift up and down the cogset (motorcycle don't) and therefore should have some lubricant on the outer plates as well to facilitate shifting on the cogs.
Quote:
the oil is hygroscopic, keeping moisture out.
I think you mean to say that oil is hydrophobic.
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Skuke
95 Carbonframes Tetra Pro
92 Bridgestone MB-1
90 Moser 51.151
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Insightdriver
captain
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 472
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I stand corrected. I must be related to Mrs. Malaprop.
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