Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Another rider in the black chain camp. IME they last longer if I don't clean them often, just wipe and relube. If it's quicker, better, and cheaper, why not?
The wife bought me an 11-speed upgrade for Father's Day, so I had an entire homeless 10-speed Shimano group with less than 2,000 miles on it, and decided to transfer it to her bike. I had exclusively been using MucOff Hydrodynamic wet lube, and that chain and cassette were just the worst. Three rounds of citrus degreaser followed by Dawn, then repeated baths in mineral spirits, and a final spray down with Brakleen. There were still black streaks on the cloth from the chain. Prior to the super-thorough cleaning, just getting too close to the chain would reward you with an indelible black mark.
But man did that lube work great. Well over 10,000 miles per bottle.