Maintenance Question

Donut

I've read a fair bit on the forums etc about the best way to keep my bike in tip top condition. One thing that was recommended was that I should degrease and relub the chain regularly. This made sense to me as the dirt that accumulates on the chain and transferes to the cogs is bound to be abrasive.
However a collegue at work who is a keen cyclist said that I should definately NOT degrease the chain and just wipe it with an oily rag. He said that the chains come from the manufacturer in a condition that can't be recreated easily. As soon as the chain showed any signes of wear just replace it as they are relatively cheap.
I have noticed that the chain is tacky with quite a heavy oil/grease.
Help.......
Donut

unclemalc

The 'sheldonbrown.com' website maintains that to completely degrease the chain at any stage, thereby removing the original 'packing' grease, is a bad thing, as it will leave the microsurfaces within the links at risk of corrosion.
However, the grease used on new chains, especially SRAMs, is very sticky and soon collects severe amounts of crud, which is spread over the chainset and cassette.
I took the step of removing said grease (because I like a clean bike) but subsequently making sure that after almost every ride the chain and chainset was thouroughly cleaned and re-lubed. This keeps everything pristine and safe.
If you don't do that, having removed the protective original grease, horrible things happen... :shock:
The choice is yours.

Donut

Thanks for that
I guess I could rub the "outside" of the chain with degreaser and leave the grease in the "microsurfaces" making sure that I keep it reasonably clean with an oiled cloth between rides.
Donut

unclemalc

jashburnham wrote:

unclemalc wrote:

I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to cleanliness. If you pays a lot of money for a beautiful bike - look after it!!!

Spray a water dispersant like GT85 over the chain links and run the chain through a dry cloth for a few dozen turns while holding it between the front and rear mechs - this will collect any dirty water gunge left.
Then repeat the performance with clean 3-in-1 type lube so that all the links are clean, lubed and not dripping oil. Clean the chainset and cassette too.

Not nerdy enough I'm afraid! GT85 is a degreaser and as such should be kept well clear of chains. KMC have a great article on chain cleaning and they know their stuff.


http://www.kmcchain.com/index.php?ln=en&fn=service#2

A wiser man than me sent me this link. See what you think BEFORE you hit it with degreaser...

Donut

OK I'm persuaded - I'll just wipe it with a clean/lightly oiled cloth.
Cheers
Donut

Steve I

I just squirt mine with some spray lube every couple of rides. It gets the occasional degrease when I wash the bike, after which I'll use a dry lube. I'd rather ride the bike than spend time cleaning the drive chain.

I'd also argue that GT85 is not a degreaser. Yes it does contain a solvent, but it also contains PTFE which is an excellent lubricant. Try spraying a squeaky door hinge with a degeaser such as white spirit, it won't stop the hinge squeaking long term, GT85, WD40, or any spray lube will. In fact a wet, lightweight lube does a pretty good job of dissolving dirty chain grease and spreading it all over the chain, cassette and chainrings, but doesn't dry like a spray lube. Consequently, the mucky mixture then gets flung all over the back wheel and tyre (and riders leg), yuk.

Running a chain through a cloth to clean it forces any gritty dirt from the outside edges of the chain (where it does no harm as it isn't touching anything), to down between the plates and back onto the rollers. You can hear the gritty, grating sound when you start riding again if you treat your chain in such a way.

unclemalc

Description: The lubricant, penetrator and water displacer. Containing Teflon, this spray can be used in all conditions and contains no CFC's. Aerosol, Penetrating, With PTFE. No CFCs, for derailleurs, cables, brake levers, and for frame polish. NOT chain lube!

This was from a website. So officially its definitely NOT a chain lubricant.

This is going to end up as a 'sticky'....excuse the pun :oops:

I was told years ago to avoid using lubes like 3-in-1 because it got messy. It does.
I was also told to use things like GT85 'a little but often', so I did. This lead to sqeaking and rubbing in the drivetrain, unless I soaked it in the stuff.
Then I was told to use something like 'White lightning' as it was a dry lube, and therefore was not messy. BUT IT SHOULD ONLY BE USED ON 'CLEAN' CHAINS. So, get rid of the grease first...!

I personally didn't like it as although it did what it said on the bottle it also spread itself all over the drive as a black sticky crud, rather than falling off 'taking the dirt with it'.

So on my 'clean' chains, newly freed from the dregs of white lightning, I returned to the GT85-clean-and-wipe down/ re-lube-with-3-in1 system.
No sqeaks, no wear, clean drive, clean bikes.

It comes down to personal preference - if you like a clean bike, clean and relube the chain often as you see fit.
If you don't mind black sticky crud everywhere, leave it alone.
I change the chain at the begining of a season anyway, so wear from possible ingrained dirt derived from my cleaning method doesn't bother me.

Steve I

I once phoned the company that makes Gt85. They assured me it can be used on chains and does work as a chain lube. People will tell you it's not because they want to sell you a tiny bottle of very expensive chain lube, rather than a giant can of GT85 for 3 quid that lasts for years. I actually use Weldtite TF2 spray lube. It doesn't smell as strong as gt85, but it's the same sort of stuff. TF2 is specifically recommended for use on bike drive trains.

This is definitely one area where a lot of people have their own ideas. These are my own ideas, it doesn't mean that others are wrong, whatever works for you. I've tried 3 in 1 oil Malc, and it works great, quietens the transmission right down, but no matter how much I wipe the excess off it still ends up all over the back tyre and wheel.

unclemalc

I try to wipe as much 'excess' off as poss but I know what you mean...
....but I don't mind cleaning the residue off after I've been out!

http://bicycletutor.com/no-wd40-bike-chain/

The above link was posted by feel, in another similar thread.

nickcuk

Traditional oils certainly pick up all kinds of abrasive gunk and need totally de-greasing and replacing every so often if you go along that perfectly acceptable route. Oils tend to be a bit 'dirtier' and get on everything in my experience. WD40/GT85 don't seem to work well alongside oils so the choice seems to be either/or - with neither having a great edge over the other.