Oh oh, now I did it. I have a chain problem.
02-08-12, 09:19 PM
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Oh oh, now I did it. I have a chain problem.
I live in Minnesota, and have been riding when it has been wet and salty on the ground. We don't have snow, and I haven't ridden in the rain (we haven't had any). However, when I went to get my bike this week after coming back from vacation, the chain and gears were all rusted. The bike makes a horrible sound when I pedal, especially in a high gear when pushing hard.
It's a fairly new bike (6 months old) and hasn't had its first tune-up yet, so I will be taking it to the bike store eventually - but I was going to wait until spring.
How bad is something like this? Can rusty chains be repaired, or do you normally need to replace them?
Better yet, what should I have done to take care of it?
It's a fairly new bike (6 months old) and hasn't had its first tune-up yet, so I will be taking it to the bike store eventually - but I was going to wait until spring.
How bad is something like this? Can rusty chains be repaired, or do you normally need to replace them?
Better yet, what should I have done to take care of it?
02-08-12, 09:31 PM
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It may be best to replace it, but it depends how much rust is present. If it's uniformly orange, I'd replace it, but probably not if there are only traces of surface rust. How about sharing some photos?
The chain on my commuter started getting noisy a few weeks ago and I neglected to lube it before a 50+ mile ride. The squeaking drove me nuts for the duration of the ride, but I lubed it when I got home and it's been quiet since.
The chain on my commuter started getting noisy a few weeks ago and I neglected to lube it before a 50+ mile ride. The squeaking drove me nuts for the duration of the ride, but I lubed it when I got home and it's been quiet since.
02-08-12, 09:35 PM
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Have or do you give it a lube and wipe down every once in a while? Or has it been going since you bought it? An oiling and wipe every couple weeks of normal use, or more frequently if you are riding more frequently or longer distance, should prevent that from happening.
02-08-12, 09:39 PM
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A normal Minnesota winter would be much harder on your chain. 
Usually I pull the chain off my bike every couple of weeks during the winter, soak it in mineral spirits, dry it off, then re-lubricate it.
You can get a chain cleaner like this if you're not comfortable taking the chain off your bike. What I've found though is if you keep your bike outside this can be kind of a pain when it's cold. At some point you'll need a new chain. When it's time, consider something from SRAM with a power link. This makes it easy to take the chain off so you can clean it indoors where it's warmer.
You probably want use a "Wet" type chain lubricant as that will have a bit more staying power though people have had some heated arguments over what the best lubricant is.
What's on your gears (and chain for that matter) is primarily surface rust and will disappear for the most part once you get your chain re-lubed and have ridden it for awhile. Frequent riding does help keep the rust from accumulating.
Even so, a normal chain is only good for one typical winter with all the sand and salt that gets dumped on our roads. I'd plan on replacing it in a couple of months regardless.
Usually I pull the chain off my bike every couple of weeks during the winter, soak it in mineral spirits, dry it off, then re-lubricate it.
You can get a chain cleaner like this if you're not comfortable taking the chain off your bike. What I've found though is if you keep your bike outside this can be kind of a pain when it's cold. At some point you'll need a new chain. When it's time, consider something from SRAM with a power link. This makes it easy to take the chain off so you can clean it indoors where it's warmer.
You probably want use a "Wet" type chain lubricant as that will have a bit more staying power though people have had some heated arguments over what the best lubricant is.
What's on your gears (and chain for that matter) is primarily surface rust and will disappear for the most part once you get your chain re-lubed and have ridden it for awhile. Frequent riding does help keep the rust from accumulating.
Even so, a normal chain is only good for one typical winter with all the sand and salt that gets dumped on our roads. I'd plan on replacing it in a couple of months regardless.
Last edited by tjspiel; 02-08-12 at 09:48 PM.
02-08-12, 10:50 PM
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A normal Minnesota winter would be much harder on your chain.
Usually I pull the chain off my bike every couple of weeks during the winter, soak it in mineral spirits, dry it off, then re-lubricate it.
You can get a chain cleaner like this if you're not comfortable taking the chain off your bike. What I've found though is if you keep your bike outside this can be kind of a pain when it's cold. At some point you'll need a new chain. When it's time, consider something from SRAM with a power link. This makes it easy to take the chain off so you can clean it indoors where it's warmer.
You probably want use a "Wet" type chain lubricant as that will have a bit more staying power though people have had some heated arguments over what the best lubricant is.
What's on your gears (and chain for that matter) is primarily surface rust and will disappear for the most part once you get your chain re-lubed and have ridden it for awhile. Frequent riding does help keep the rust from accumulating.
Even so, a normal chain is only good for one typical winter with all the sand and salt that gets dumped on our roads. I'd plan on replacing it in a couple of months regardless.
Usually I pull the chain off my bike every couple of weeks during the winter, soak it in mineral spirits, dry it off, then re-lubricate it.
You can get a chain cleaner like this if you're not comfortable taking the chain off your bike. What I've found though is if you keep your bike outside this can be kind of a pain when it's cold. At some point you'll need a new chain. When it's time, consider something from SRAM with a power link. This makes it easy to take the chain off so you can clean it indoors where it's warmer.
You probably want use a "Wet" type chain lubricant as that will have a bit more staying power though people have had some heated arguments over what the best lubricant is.
What's on your gears (and chain for that matter) is primarily surface rust and will disappear for the most part once you get your chain re-lubed and have ridden it for awhile. Frequent riding does help keep the rust from accumulating.
Even so, a normal chain is only good for one typical winter with all the sand and salt that gets dumped on our roads. I'd plan on replacing it in a couple of months regardless.
02-08-12, 11:31 PM
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I did forget one thing. Does your bike have fenders? They can help but you need a mud flap on the front fender that extends down pretty close to the ground.
The rear fender is a mixed bag. My guess is that some of the stuff that gets thrown up under a rear fender could end up splashing or dripping down onto your chain.
The rear fender is a mixed bag. My guess is that some of the stuff that gets thrown up under a rear fender could end up splashing or dripping down onto your chain.
02-09-12, 07:06 AM
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I have a bad habit of riding my chains into oblivion and not noticing until the shifting starts to get sloppy. It's hard to tell the extent of the rust without pictures, but I can't imagine that 1 week would be long enough to cause damaging rust on a chain.
To restore the chain I would lube it up with a nice wet chain lube, wipe it down and ride it for a day, and repeat the process everyday until the chain is running nicely. If the chain seems to get back to normal, you should be good to go, if it never really seems to be the same as before it might be time to replace.
down here in Iowa my winter chain maintenance consists of at least a weekly oiling and wipe down, if I remember. I use a nice thin oily lube in the winter, I find this has a tendency to displace any salty water that has worked its way into the inner workings of the chain. My current chain has been through 3 winters and roughly 10,000 miles and seems to be hanging in there just fine.
If you are serious about maintaining efficiency and smooth shifting you definitely want to follow tjspiel's routine more closely, but I am really bad at keeping up with preventative maintenance (not just on my bike) so I find that I am always playing catch-up with my half-ass cleanings
To restore the chain I would lube it up with a nice wet chain lube, wipe it down and ride it for a day, and repeat the process everyday until the chain is running nicely. If the chain seems to get back to normal, you should be good to go, if it never really seems to be the same as before it might be time to replace.
down here in Iowa my winter chain maintenance consists of at least a weekly oiling and wipe down, if I remember. I use a nice thin oily lube in the winter, I find this has a tendency to displace any salty water that has worked its way into the inner workings of the chain. My current chain has been through 3 winters and roughly 10,000 miles and seems to be hanging in there just fine.
If you are serious about maintaining efficiency and smooth shifting you definitely want to follow tjspiel's routine more closely, but I am really bad at keeping up with preventative maintenance (not just on my bike) so I find that I am always playing catch-up with my half-ass cleanings
02-09-12, 07:57 AM
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If I have to rescue a rusty transmission I just spray on some WD40 or GT85. This will penetrate the links and protect the surface from rust. After a few miles, the rust comes off. I stick a piece of card between chain and wheel to protect the tyre and braking surfaces from solvent. You need to keep the spray away from wheel and bottom bracket bearings.
Spray-on lube doesn't hang around for long on a chain so you will need to apply some more durable bike oil after a day or so. In cold conditions, bike oil can become too thick to penetrate, so the mix of wet solvent and bike oil is a good thing.
If you are looking for some kind of maintenance/cleaning routine for cold, dirty winters, I would recommend a two-chain rotation. Use a power link. Remove your dirty chain and fit your clean chain. Dunk your dirty chain in some kerosene for a few days then remove and dry it, then apply some lube. Keep the clean, lubed chain until you need to rotate it back on the bike. The separation of replacement from cleaning works best when outdoor conditions are too harsh to mess around with cleaning.
Spray-on lube doesn't hang around for long on a chain so you will need to apply some more durable bike oil after a day or so. In cold conditions, bike oil can become too thick to penetrate, so the mix of wet solvent and bike oil is a good thing.
If you are looking for some kind of maintenance/cleaning routine for cold, dirty winters, I would recommend a two-chain rotation. Use a power link. Remove your dirty chain and fit your clean chain. Dunk your dirty chain in some kerosene for a few days then remove and dry it, then apply some lube. Keep the clean, lubed chain until you need to rotate it back on the bike. The separation of replacement from cleaning works best when outdoor conditions are too harsh to mess around with cleaning.
02-09-12, 10:10 AM
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Wippermann makes a stainless chain. I had one--pricey buy they do not rust.
Otherwise I use Boeshield on my chains in the winter.
Otherwise I use Boeshield on my chains in the winter.
02-09-12, 06:04 PM
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How long were you on vacation? How rusty is the chain?
The best way to prevent or remove rust on a chain is simply to ride it. If you have a quick release type chain, remove it and give it a mineral spirits bath. Relube it with some medium oil (like motor oil/spirits 1:1) and it should survive. I've had rust on my chains on multiple occasions in the winter. As long as it can be revived and you check for chain wear, there is no reason you can't use it.
The best way to prevent or remove rust on a chain is simply to ride it. If you have a quick release type chain, remove it and give it a mineral spirits bath. Relube it with some medium oil (like motor oil/spirits 1:1) and it should survive. I've had rust on my chains on multiple occasions in the winter. As long as it can be revived and you check for chain wear, there is no reason you can't use it.
