rust on chain

thefonz78

I gave my chain a clean and re-lubed it last week before going on holiday for 7 days. I have come back and there is surface rust on my chain. I'm guessing i did not lube the chain enough? Would this have weakened the chain will I need to replace it?

sungod

it'll be fine

run it through a cloth to remove whatever is on it and relube, wipe off excess

rusting in 7 days is fast, it suggests there was no lube on it, what were you using to clean it? what lube did you use?

Radioactiveman

putting lube on a wet chain will just trap the moisture in.

Tonymufc

Radioactiveman wrote:

putting lube on a wet chain will just trap the moisture in.

+1. Nail on head.

thefonz78

I used white spirit to clean it then used bike hut dry lube from Halfords. Should i get a spray lube? I am new to biking im clueless

Tonymufc

After you've de-greased the chain and rinsed it off, use a t-towel (don't tell my wife I do that though) and run the chain through it and try to get as much of the water, moisture as you can off the chain. Then re-lube.

Tonymufc

thefonz78 wrote:

I used white spirit to clean it then used bike hut dry lube from Halfords. Should i get a spray lube? I am new to biking im clueless

I use halfords citrus de-greaser. £9.99 for 1 litre. Run it through the chain cleaner for a minute or two, leave it on for another few minutes, then rinse off with cold water.

sungod

maybe the white spirit hadn't evaporated, so the dry lube didn't stick

just wipe it and leave it somewhere warm to dry properly after cleaning, then apply lube

now, let's hope it doesn't turn into ANOTHER chain cleaning thread :-)

thefonz78

I left it a few hours do dry off i did not rinse off the spirit though. I think i might get a chain that i can take off the bike like the sram. Should make things easier. The rust seems to be inside the chain as well as the outside. Can i get my chain off without a tool if its not going back on the bike?

Cajun

I use an Ultrasound cleaner for the drive system [chain & cogs]...I put the chain on a pizza pan, place in the cooker at a low temp for about 20 minutes; remove and let cool...
Don't forget to clean the big rings and pulleys as well....there's grit & grime there too..
I use the Sram Powerlink for both the Dura Ace & Campy chains....never a problem...absolutely won't live without it..

sungod

thefonz78 wrote:

I left it a few hours do dry off i did not rinse off the spirit though. I think i might get a chain that i can take off the bike like the sram. Should make things easier. The rust seems to be inside the chain as well as the outside. Can i get my chain off without a tool if its not going back on the bike?

unless the chain is worn, just get a kmc missing link, you can replace an existng link and then it's easy to remove for cleaning...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/KMC_K ... 5360020546

you do need some kind of chain tool, a new chain is supplied too long, so you need to have a tool to remove the correct number of links to fit your drive train

you could get a dedicated tool...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/LifeL ... 360026441/

but imho a better option is to get a multitool with one, then you've got the basic tools for most bits likely to need tightening/adjusting on the road...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/LifeL ... 360036750/

...it's cheap for the bits, but look at the crank brothers or lezyne ones for higher build quality

note: i used wiggle as it's easy to find and postage is free, but might not always be the cheapest option