am i doing something wrong or is this normal?
dimmockg
Posts: 471
just degreased my chain, degreased, dried, allowed to dry then re-lubed.
been out on it today and again the gearing feels only what i can describe as grainy - this happened before but after a week or so things seemed to go.
Just concerned i'm doing something wrong as this is twice now i've done this and on both occasions my gearing has felt grainy afterwards.
i've taken the chain off the crank and turned the pedals/crank arms with no noise and a completely smooth action, and when i spin the arms backwards (chain on) you can hear it and feel it a little, then when using the bike its even worse!
The chain looked/looks spotless, i'm just a little bemused!
been out on it today and again the gearing feels only what i can describe as grainy - this happened before but after a week or so things seemed to go.
Just concerned i'm doing something wrong as this is twice now i've done this and on both occasions my gearing has felt grainy afterwards.
i've taken the chain off the crank and turned the pedals/crank arms with no noise and a completely smooth action, and when i spin the arms backwards (chain on) you can hear it and feel it a little, then when using the bike its even worse!
The chain looked/looks spotless, i'm just a little bemused!
0
Comments
-
dont know if you're doing this but best not to totally de-grease chain too often.
wipe clean chain again with rag and add bit more lube and in the process bend each link by hand to check nothing stiff.
check for dirt on rear mech , crap always sticks to jockey wheels.
wot lube you using ? try something thicker maybe ? finish line wet good in this weather.
hope this helps , dont mean to be patronising if you've thought of all this.0 -
cheers but thats exactly what i've done, done the chain, rear mech jockey wheels etc - they were caked! funnily enough i'm using finish line wet lube as well, when i first got the bike it was dead smooth, but the 2 times i've done this its felt really bitty and grainy afterwards when pedalling - yet looks completely clean. got me stumped!0
-
To me I think this shows why over-zealous degreasing is wrong. I don't do it, just a superficial wipe and relube, drivetrain lasts plenty of miles. Having a shinny chain which is full of water/degreaser/dirt/lube in the parts you cannot reach isn't a recipe for longevity or a smooth drivetrain IMHO. However, some people are passionate about their chain cleaning, it makes them feel good, so I wouldn't knock it
0 -
funnily enough a guy i spoke to today said it wasn't perhaps the best thing to do and the chain may have had wear caused to it by grain and grit etc and the drivetrain (prior to being cleaned) is used to this, then when you clean it the drivetrain is missing the grain/grit and becomes a little grainy in feel itself. Guess there could be some kind of logic to this but not sure how much of this is true/feesable0
-
hmmm, not sure I would go that far with the theory, I just think the process displaces lube and replaces it with a mixture of dirt/degreaser/water - in the inner recesses, while on the outside it all looks sweet. Honestly, if you can cope without a shiny chain you will save time and money (degreaser, and your drivetrain lasts longer).dimmockg wrote:funnily enough a guy i spoke to today said it wasn't perhaps the best thing to do and the chain may have had wear caused to it by grain and grit etc and the drivetrain (prior to being cleaned) is used to this, then when you clean it the drivetrain is missing the grain/grit and becomes a little grainy in feel itself. Guess there could be some kind of logic to this but not sure how much of this is true/feesable0 -
I degrease and lube my chain on a regular basis (which I hate having to do), and I have not experienced any obvious problems because of it. I can see the argument regarding over-zealous cleaning/degreasing, which kind of makes sense.
According to most on this thread, it appears that the common opinion is that regular cleaning/degreasing is not a good idea, but I would've thought that getting rid of the grime/grit etc. can only benefit the drivetrain.0 -
i see chains as disposable items.
Mine gets GT85 or WD40 after a hose down, dry and then a wipe with a dry rag.
Longevity doesn't come into play for me, if it lasts 3 months i'm happy. But i've never had less than 8 months out of one.Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php0 -
I don't see enthusiastic cleaning as having any point. If muddy, hose the mud down, then use a water displacer like WD40 to remove the water, then any old oil will do - I use engine oil.
My chains last at least a year (I only replace as a preventative, to get more life out of the chainrings) and middle chainrings two years approx. I simply make sure that the chain is never run dry, as that is the killer.
Gunge is just a (beneficial) reservoir for lube, and it and any grit accumulated will inevitably be out of the way of the contact surfaces, it just gets pushed away by them so the idea that having a dirty (but lubed) chain is bad just does not work for me.
On the other hand a dry chain means that wear is accelerated.Giant Reign X10 -
funny, cuz when i go for the whole shebang, with boiling water, scrubbing and brake cleaner, so long as i rince it really well, and lube it properly, it always comes out lie new, and mega smooth too....I like bikes and stuff0
-
been out quickly this morning (before the snow arrives) and its still much the same - despite giving it another squirt of lube before going out. Just feels really grainy/gritty and almost sounds like its crunching grit as it goes round.
Could it be that i may not have removed the degreaser properly and its still "working" hence the grainy/gritty feel?
I'm tempted to but a new chain to see if that fixes the issue0 -
sounds like is really well degreaed, but actully inside the links, is a bit dirty, i would try cleaning it with boilinig water and a brush, before lubing really well....I like bikes and stuff0
-
don't degrease it when you get it!0
-
Or buy a chain cleaner. I run mine through with degreaser in, hose it, use GT85 on it and then wipe down. Lube it before a ride and it's fine. Since I've done this my chain is now coming up to a year old and still working ok. Would normally get 6 months out of it.0
-
fcumok wrote:Or buy a chain cleaner. I run mine through with degreaser in, hose it, use GT85 on it and then wipe down. Lube it before a ride and it's fine. Since I've done this my chain is now coming up to a year old and still working ok. Would normally get 6 months out of it.
was one of those chain cleaner gizmo's i used, must admit though i didn't hose it down, but wiped thoroughly dry and left to dry out then re-lube.
Have a sneaky feeling i may not have got all the de-greaser and gunk out and as stated above some of it is circulating around in the links :oops:0 -
Could be that not getting all of the degreaser out is removing some of the lube in the bits inbetween0
-
Grit in the jockey wheels doesn;t hslf make the drivetrain feel horrible, I always take my chain off to clean it and rear wheel off to clean the casssette. Even so taking out cleanin and dry lubing the jockey wheels does make it all feel good.-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Mongoose Teocali
Giant STP0
Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:0 -
The easiest way to clean a chain is with it off the bike.
Take the chain off, put it in a jar of degreaser and give it a few shakes, leave it to sit for a while and take the chain out. Rinse of the degreaser spray some WD / GT85 on it give it a wipe. Put it back on the bike and then put some lube on it. While the chain is off its much easier to clean the jockey wheel of the deraileur
If you have a Shimao chain then spend £2 on a sram powerlink and learn how it works.
You don't have to be obsessive about drivetrain cleaning once a month is enough0 -
Parafin is one of the absolute best chain cleaners u can buy, put some in the bottom of an old ice cream tub then leave ur chain in it overnight and next day it'll be absolutely pristine with no crap anywhere.
I usually hang it over the washing line for an hr or so while i finish up other things to dry then put it back on the bike and lube it up and ur good to go.
Works a treat and is cheap
0
