WD40!!

philljp

After reading many forum posts and talking to friends there appears to be a huge difference of opinion in using WD40 to clean and degrease a bike chain before lubing it. In fact it seems to be like Marmite.

So here's a poll to see what people really think.

Feel free to give an explanation why, but just a vote is fine too

bennett_346

nah, cba with sprays, they waste most of the stuff in them and go where you don't want them. there are better degreasers and i usually pour a solution of water and something like finish line degreaser into a bottle and pop the whole chain in.

cooldad

You seem kind of hung up on WD40.
I believe it is fun to sniff.

philljp

lol Seems most people agree with you

cooldad

I bribed them to say that.

theshrew

ive not voted yes or no for the following reasons

- No because WD40 is not a lube so wouldnt use it for that

- Yes because if im in a rush after a ride in the wet and dont have chance to clean the bike straight away i will spray it over the chain and front and rear mech as it will stop rust until i can get to clean the bike and re lube correctly

philljp

theshrew wrote:

ive not voted yes or no for the following reasons

- No because WD40 is not a lube so wouldnt use it for that

- Yes because if im in a rush after a ride in the wet and dont have chance to clean the bike straight away i will spray it over the chain and front and rear mech as it will stop rust until i can get to clean the bike and re lube correctly

That's a vote for a yes then because you use it to displace water until you get the chance to sort it properly

MountainMonster

WD40 is a great degreaser, just never use it as a lube, which is what everyone says.

1mancity2

No, after each ride it takes 5 minutes to wipe it with lube until you can take it off and clean it.

Mojo_666

It is great for flushing the crap out of those hard to reach places, like cable outers. It has its place like everything else.

Northwind

Aye. But it's a crap lube, and a waste for cleaning. Not a very good penetrating oil either.

It does kill highland midges though.

stubs

GT85 is the answer. Still wouldnt use it as a lube but its a good degreaser, penetrating oil and gives my black anodised frame a lovely satin shine.

cooldad

stubs wrote:

GT85 is the answer. Still wouldnt use it as a lube but it gives my muscly body a lovely satin shine.

Northwind

GT85 is functionally almost identical to WD40 tbh. Just smells nicer and has less stigma attached

NormalD

Yes.

It does what it says on the tin.

Slack

And 85 is a higher number than 40, which means I would use GT85 on the basis it is faster.

Stu Coops

WD40 to degrease the chain then wash in a bit of warm soapy water then warm water rinse to remove any soap as it dry's sticky, dry chain thorouhgly then chain lube for conditions your riding i:e wet or dry lube

paul20v

Nothing wrong with wd40 but its not a lube
And if you want a degreaser brakecleaner will beat anything and it drys almost instantly

Ghostt

For degreasing, why not use a proper bike degreaser? Pedro's Oranj peelz does the job very well, plus it smells very nice!

For non-chain lube jobs, can't beat a squirt of TF2. Keeps everything clean and shiny and working smoothly. Also smells nice.

paul20v

Ghostt wrote:

For degreasing, why not use a proper bike degreaser? Pedro's Oranj peelz does the job very well, plus it smells very nice!

For non-chain lube jobs, can't beat a squirt of TF2. Keeps everything clean and shiny and working smoothly. Also smells nice.

Because proper bike degreaser wont touch brake cleaner
And also i dont pay for my brake cleaner

Anonymous

If something is rusty or seized solid then maybe, though I'd use 3-in-1 penetrating spray for really stuck stuff though. Much better at the job.

Otherwise no. For cleaning a chain, it's a bit harsh.

GT85 at least leaves a little lube behind, but again it's a degreaser really. Handy for shifting a patch of mud if you've just got out of the car and the bike is not too clean, or for cleaning off and lubing mechs, but watch out on bearings. I've used a mist of the stuff around pivots if they've a habit of creaking as my old GT did, just to shift dirt and lube a bit, but still careful and at a distance, not directed right into them. I'm more likely to use proper lube now though (general purpose / chain lube will do).

Generally, soap and water, or Muck-Off will do fine and not leave nasty residue.

For chains, apply chain lube afterwards.

mattyg2004

Wd40 attacks certain plastics so wouldn't touch with a barge poll

cooldad

mattyg2004 wrote:

Wd40 attacks certain plastics so wouldn't touch with a barge poll

Sprayed onto a bargepole would make for You've Been Framed moment though.

Anonymous

Well, if you will ride plastic bikes

mattyg2004

deadkenny wrote:

Well, if you will ride plastic bikes

Its NOT plastic its damn CARBON.

mattyg2004

cooldad wrote:

mattyg2004 wrote:

Wd40 attacks certain plastics so wouldn't touch with a barge poll

Sprayed onto a bargepole would make for You've Been Framed moment though.

I had a customer who emptied almost a can of the stuff into a tape deck because it was squeaking. We literally poured the stuff out. Told him it wasn't covered under warranty informed him that it was most likely his tape that was making the noise and left it with him.

We asked him why he decided to spray WD40 into it. He said it stops his door hinges from squeaking so thought it would be ok. Plus it doesn't say he can't use it. :shock:

I checked his instructions and he was right it doesn't say "Don't cover with WD40" it also doesn't say not to smash with a damn hammer.

What it did say was to refer to properly trained technician for service.


Some people are muppets

Northwind

mattyg2004 wrote:

Its NOT plastic its damn CARBON.

it's just posh string and araldite And not even with a lemon attached.

Neal_

Kill WD40, kill it with fire.

angry_bird

I very occasionally use it after wet/muddy rides, coat the drivetrain in it until the morning after when I can be bothered to clean the bike properly. Other than that I don't use it as I have no use for it.

jayson

I use WD40 after i wash my bike to help get rid of excess water on things like front/rear mechs, chain, cassette, pedals etc etc before i use a proper lube on them.

Its good if you use it for its intended use and dont expect anymore from it although i like the smell of GT85 loads more

andy46

No... just no!