Oiling the chain

venster · May 2007

Do those of you who use standard oil on their chain find it attracts grit so much so you need to clean it every other ride out ?

I wipe it off as much as I can every lube, but it doesn't seem to help at all.

Would these wax lubricants make any difference, or am I doing something wrong ?

spivvy · May 2007

I use this: http://www.dotbike.com/ProductsP526.aspx

barrybaines · May 2007

Now this is something I am about to experiment with on the push bike after great sucsess on the trials motorbike.......
Due to all the grit and crap clinging to the chain I thought I'd give wd40 or gt85 a blast for a while and although you need to apply it much more often (it is only cheap anyway) it works a treat no ill effects and my trials bike chain has lasted as long if not a bit longer than if I were using proper chain lube. I put this mainly down to the fact it isn't picking the crap?
Plus it makes the bike smell nice (GT85) and is much easier to clean [:)]

http://www.action.org.uk/giving/sponsor ... arrybaines

http://www.r2wtrials.co.uk/

Mosschops2 · May 2007

If I almost never oil my chain, does this make me a bad person??!!??

Have you ever tried pressing Alt+F4 ??

wotbus@ · May 2007

Hi. Depends what you mean by "standard" oil, 3 in 1 ? Engine oil ?
It's a fact all bike chains attract a fair amount of grit because they are right in the way of everything thrown up by the front tyre and operating close to the road.
There are so called "dry" lubricants designed to reduce this problem.
The principle is, it is applied as a mousse under pressure (aerosol). This creeps everywhere and when the bubbles disappear they leave behind the lubricant which hardens to a degree. Note: The chain is still subject to the same ingress of road cr#p but to you it may appear "clean". The chain still requires cleaning but the lube is not as messy as with oiling.
I clean my chain when I take the bottom chain run and roll it backwards/forwards between thumb and forefinger. If it feels gritty I use my chain cleaner then re-lube each roller individually with one "drop" while turning the chain backwards. Before riding, I turn the chain backwards while holding an old towel around it - this takes off the excess, and this is done as and when necessary..
I use Decathlon brand Vasalene based low viscosity Chain Oil.
Personally I like my chains as clean and grit free as possible, and lubed sufficient for noise free operation and smooth changes. I achieve this my way :-)
Maybe you are just putting too much lubricant on or using the wrong stuff.

wotbus@ · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Mosschops2

If I almost never oil my chain, does this make me a bad person??!!??

Have you ever tried pressing Alt+F4 ??
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No [:D]

Uncle Mort · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Mosschops2

If I almost never oil my chain, does this make me a bad person??!!??

Have you ever tried pressing Alt+F4 ??
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No, but it probably means you have mudguards and don't use derailleurs though. [:)]

But you could be a bad person as well, of course [:)]

I have a hub gear on my commuter and I clean and lube the chain once every two or three months, whether it needs it or not...

__________________
Six foot six he stood on the ground. He weighed two hundred and thirty five pounds
But I saw that giant of a man brought down by a baby elephant

wotbus@ · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by barrybaines

Now this is something I am about to experiment with on the push bike after great sucsess on the trials motorbike.......
Due to all the grit and crap clinging to the chain I thought I'd give wd40 or gt85 a blast for a while and although you need to apply it much more often (it is only cheap anyway) it works a treat no ill effects and my trials bike chain has lasted as long if not a bit longer than if I were using proper chain lube. I put this mainly down to the fact it isn't picking the crap?
Plus it makes the bike smell nice (GT85) and is much easier to clean [:)]

http://www.action.org.uk/giving/sponsor ... arrybaines

http://www.r2wtrials.co.uk/
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
[:0] WD40 is not a lubricant but it has to be better than nothing or grinding paste [;)]
Dunno about GT85 [?]

sloboy · May 2007

Three main choices - wet lube (like Finish Line green top) dry lube (like Finish Line red top) and wax lubes.

The wet lubes are great in the wet, they pick up crap but resist washing off. The dry lubes really do seem to pick up less stuff. Now this may be because I'm usually riding on dry road when its on but ... I've also used wax lubes from time to time but don't regularly. Pedro's Ice Wax I quite liked (I may even give that another go in the summer) seemed to stay clean and made the chain very quiet.

barrybaines · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by wotbus@

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by barrybaines

Now this is something I am about to experiment with on the push bike after great sucsess on the trials motorbike.......
Due to all the grit and crap clinging to the chain I thought I'd give wd40 or gt85 a blast for a while and although you need to apply it much more often (it is only cheap anyway) it works a treat no ill effects and my trials bike chain has lasted as long if not a bit longer than if I were using proper chain lube. I put this mainly down to the fact it isn't picking the crap?
Plus it makes the bike smell nice (GT85) and is much easier to clean [:)]

http://www.action.org.uk/giving/sponsor ... arrybaines

http://www.r2wtrials.co.uk/
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
[:0] WD40 is not a lubricant but it has to be better than nothing or grinding paste [;)]
Dunno about GT85 [?]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I know what you mean and I to was sceptical at first but on the trials forum I use (a lot) many people have tried this and infact still use it after 2 years of "experimenting" and if it works on a m/cycle i'm happy to risk my chain on the push bike to experiment this also. And although not a lubricant it seems to work!

http://www.action.org.uk/giving/sponsor ... arrybaines

http://www.r2wtrials.co.uk/

wotbus@ · May 2007

OK but bear this in mind. WD40 is designed to penetrate and resist moisture, something it does very well. It contains no lubricant qualities at all and you are putting it on the only part of your bike which is most exposed to grit etc.
Consider also, it's you who powers your bike - not an engine [;)] so you want your chain as efficient as possible right!
The chain is a masterpiece of engineering in that, to date, there is little to come close to it in transferring the maximum of effort to the wheel - something like 90% odd. Just about all motorcycle chain these days have synthetic "O" rings between the rollers and side plate - designed to keep lube in and cr#p out.
Personally I don't think any experimenting as such will improve on what the engineers give us, and the producers of lubes sell us, it's just a question of how well do you want to look after this well engineered and often neglected piece of kit
[:)]

venster · May 2007

I've decided to try a dry lube this time - looks lot nicer. I'll see how that goes.

Unknown · May 2007

Purple Extreme seems to attract less muck than ordinary oils, like Finish Line, on my bikes.

Aidocp · May 2007

I usually use Finish Line, the one with the green top, a wet lube on my hybrids. The lbs advised though that I should use something like White Lightning on my new road bike, not used it yet though, is it any good?

If I had a baby elephant, who would take it for walks?

Anonymous · May 2007

FROM WD40 WEB SITE
FIVE PRODUCTS IN ONE - THE 5 FUNCTIONS
CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, marks and grease making it easy to wipe away. It also dissolves adhesives, allowing easy removal of labels, tape, and stickers
PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements
LUBRICATES: WD-40's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and hold firmly to all moving partsPENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts
DISPLACES MOISTURE: Because WD-40 displaces moisture, it quickly dries out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits. Turn the power off before you spray

Non Omnis Moriar

Unknown · May 2007

remeber you need one drop on each link ONLY...and the wipe off the excess, Its not actually all that much oil

too much and you ll attract the grit.....But make sure you re using the correct lube for the conditions as well, Pedros road lube is a good one for roadies, but I use finish line on the MTB

--

Insert stupid, possibly baby elephant realated, comment here......

sloboy · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Aido

I usually use Finish Line, the one with the green top, a wet lube on my hybrids. The lbs advised though that I should use something like White Lightning on my new road bike, not used it yet though, is it any good?

If I had a baby elephant, who would take it for walks?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I tried White Lightning, hated it. Threw it away half finished actually.

Aidocp · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by sloboy

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Aido

I usually use Finish Line, the one with the green top, a wet lube on my hybrids. The lbs advised though that I should use something like White Lightning on my new road bike, not used it yet though, is it any good?

If I had a baby elephant, who would take it for walks?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I tried White Lightning, hated it. Threw it away half finished actually.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
What were your reasons for not liking it?

If I had a baby elephant, who would take it for walks?

wotbus@ · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by NumbNuts

FROM WD40 WEB SITE
FIVE PRODUCTS IN ONE - THE 5 FUNCTIONS
CLEANS: WD-40 gets under dirt, marks and grease making it easy to wipe away. It also dissolves adhesives, allowing easy removal of labels, tape, and stickers
PROTECTS: WD-40 protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements
LUBRICATES: WD-40's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and hold firmly to all moving partsPENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts
DISPLACES MOISTURE: Because WD-40 displaces moisture, it quickly dries out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits. Turn the power off before you spray

Non Omnis Moriar
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

[:I] Wow, can't argue with that. I imagine Bicycle Chains are listed in the 2000 uses but I didn't bother to read them all.
It is not sold as a lubricant in the full sense of the word however and I rest my case. If it's good enough for your rusty guitar case fastener (just one of the uses) then it must be good enough for your chain, and as I said, it's better than nothing
[:)]

barrybaines · May 2007

Woop woop I am happy with that on the wd front I now feel I am not totally insane! BTW trials chains do not use "o" rings and I wouldn't use wd on my road m/cycle. But let the experiment commense!

http://www.action.org.uk/giving/sponsor ... arrybaines

http://www.r2wtrials.co.uk/

rustychisel · May 2007

In 'easier' climates, Prolink Gold, or Finish Line is pretty good.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I'm only escaping to here because the office is having a conniption

wotbus@ · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by barrybaines

Woop woop I am happy with that on the wd front I now feel I am not totally insane! BTW trials chains do not use "o" rings and I wouldn't use wd on my road m/cycle. But let the experiment commense!

http://www.action.org.uk/giving/sponsor ... arrybaines

http://www.r2wtrials.co.uk/
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

[;)] Good oh!. Don't forget to post the results of your experiments - may be a scientific breakthrough.
By the way. When I was motorcycling, you had a choice between "O" ring chain or not. Maybe narrower width off road chains are not available with "O" rings but in the end it's all down to chain TLC (Tender Loving Care).
PS: Water is a lubricant if you are using a whet stone [:D]
PPS: D.I.D. manufacture "O" link chain in 420 and 428 sizes - no good? My Duke ran 520 so that would be too big [8D]

sloboy · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Aido

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by sloboy

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Aido

I usually use Finish Line, the one with the green top, a wet lube on my hybrids. The lbs advised though that I should use something like White Lightning on my new road bike, not used it yet though, is it any good?

If I had a baby elephant, who would take it for walks?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I tried White Lightning, hated it. Threw it away half finished actually.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
What were your reasons for not liking it?

If I had a baby elephant, who would take it for walks?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

To be honest - I can't really remember. It's my age, y'know. Once something's on the "Don't be doing that list", all other data is deleted. I can tell you what I like about the others though - and I'll assume WL was different (I tried the search, cos I think I commented on this before, but it seems to have forgotten as well).

Finish Line Green - sticks well. Dropper bottle easy to use small amounts. Aerosols unreliable

Finish Line Red - very light. Harder to use small amounts as its very thin, but seems to keep a clean smooth chain.Same comment on their aerosols !

Pedro Ice Wax - I used to find this worked well on a summer mountain bike in that it would stick well but not attract too much dirt. Might try it again on some of my more neglected chains.

If I had to guess what I didn't like about WL, I have a feeling I didn't get the feeling it was sticking very well.

giant_man · June 2007

Pedros Syn Lube is great for chains. I don't use anything else ...

SIZE IS EVERYTHING! or at least that's what my LBS tells me.

Oiling the chain

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