Chain Cleaning

ndrover

I am about to carry out my first full bike clean and am now confused as to what to do with the chain etc.
I have looked around and have come across differing views and methods on cleaning the chain, rings and cassette. Also what is the difference between wet and dry lube and which should I be using?
I would appreciate any tips and info on the best way to keep my bike in full working order.

vorsprung

Both wet and dry lube are liquids when they go on the chain. The dry ones dry out leaving a waxy residue to protect the chain. The wet lubes remain sticky. The wet lubes protect better against wet conditions. The dry lubes attract less dirt as they are not as sticky.

There are differing views on chains and how to clean them. The main schism is between flushing out all the lubricants and leaving it well alone.

The "flushing out" school of thought assumes that to really clean a chain all the old lubricant must be removed. This is achieved with a product like citrus degreaser, wd40 or diesel. After removing all the old lube, new lube is applied. This method is appropriate IMHO when the bike has got very dirty, muddy and wet. So MTB might need this after every session

The "leave well alone" approach says that it is difficult to get the lubricants to the crucial parts of the chain. This is the tiny gap between the rollers and the chain plates. This approach aims to have a build up of protective lubricant at this point. Obviously, if you believe this then using a degreaser on the chain would be a bad idea. It might clean the external parts of the chain but might make it difficult for the new lube to penetrate to where it is needed in the tiny gaps. So the process for this form of "cleaning" is to wipe off dirt after every ride with a cloth and then apply tiny amounts of lubricant separately to each roller.

The flushing out method favours wet lubricants, chain cleaning tools and removable chains

The "leave well alone" method favours dry lubricants

Another technology worth mentioning is the "all in one" chain cleaner. Finish line make a product called 1-Step which works ok. I use the phenomenally expensive Progold prolink stuff. With products like this you apply, and they clean the chain removing old lubricant. Then they leave a residue which is a new layer of lubricant. Progold is a fairly "dry" lubricant so on my summer bike I just apply it every few days and the chain stays shiney.

ndrover

vorsprung wrote:

Both wet and dry lube are liquids when they go on the chain. The dry ones dry out leaving a waxy residue to protect the chain. The wet lubes remain sticky. The wet lubes protect better against wet conditions. The dry lubes attract less dirt as they are not as sticky.

There are differing views on chains and how to clean them. The main schism is between flushing out all the lubricants and leaving it well alone.

The "flushing out" school of thought assumes that to really clean a chain all the old lubricant must be removed. This is achieved with a product like citrus degreaser, wd40 or diesel. After removing all the old lube, new lube is applied. This method is appropriate IMHO when the bike has got very dirty, muddy and wet. So MTB might need this after every session

The "leave well alone" approach says that it is difficult to get the lubricants to the crucial parts of the chain. This is the tiny gap between the rollers and the chain plates. This approach aims to have a build up of protective lubricant at this point. Obviously, if you believe this then using a degreaser on the chain would be a bad idea. It might clean the external parts of the chain but might make it difficult for the new lube to penetrate to where it is needed in the tiny gaps. So the process for this form of "cleaning" is to wipe off dirt after every ride with a cloth and then apply tiny amounts of lubricant separately to each roller.

The flushing out method favours wet lubricants, chain cleaning tools and removable chains

The "leave well alone" method favours dry lubricants

Another technology worth mentioning is the "all in one" chain cleaner. Finish line make a product called 1-Step which works ok. I use the phenomenally expensive Progold prolink stuff. With products like this you apply, and they clean the chain removing old lubricant. Then they leave a residue which is a new layer of lubricant. Progold is a fairly "dry" lubricant so on my summer bike I just apply it every few days and the chain stays shiney.

Thanks for this Vorsprung. Very helpful. Think I might try the leave alone method initially and look for any ill effects.

balthazar

vorsprung wrote:

The "leave well alone" approach says that it is difficult to get the lubricants to the crucial parts of the chain. This is the tiny gap between the rollers and the chain plates.

It simply isn't so. I appreciate you're trying to be even-handed but this is a preposterous premise, that doesn't deserve the respectful note. From the perspective of lubricant penetration, chains are very sloppy constructions, and even heavy oil will wick into the bearing surfaces in a couple of revolutions.

balthazar

cadseen wrote:

balthazar wrote:

vorsprung wrote:

The "leave well alone" approach says that it is difficult to get the lubricants to the crucial parts of the chain. This is the tiny gap between the rollers and the chain plates.

It simply isn't so. I appreciate you're trying to be even-handed but this is a preposterous premise, that doesn't deserve the respectful note. From the perspective of lubricant penetration, chains are very sloppy constructions, and even heavy oil will wick into the bearing surfaces in a couple of revolutions.

Not if you got some degreaser left in there.

So, what. Do you really claim that residual degreaser in some way prevents oil wicking into chain links?!

I think any remaining solvent (or degreaser) will dilute any applied oil rapidly, which is why degreased chains should be well dried before use.

FWIW, I'm not making any general point about chain-care here – there is enough discussion about that – rather, I'm addressing the very specific claim that oil is not easily transmitted into a chain's internals.