howardv

I come from a mountain biking background and recently purchased my first new gravel bike (Pinnarelo Grevil). It has a 1x Shimano GRX drivetrain (42T chainring and 11-42 Cassette). After riding about 15 miles of gravel, the amount of dirt accumulation is excessive. My legs, the entire bike, and the chain/cassette get filthy dirty. My two water bottles are completely muddy (condensation from the ice inside and the dirt). I know this is part of dirt riding, but I'd have to go on 20 mountain bike rides to accumulate the kind of dirt I get from half of a single ride with my new gravel bike.

Problem is that after the first 15 miles, my drivetrain completely dries out and starts making lots of noises under heavy load (while climbing using the lowest gear). I usually go on 40+ mile rides and I think it's unreasonable to have to clean and re-lube during a single ride. I clean my chain and cassette after every ride and use dry lube (Rock N Roll or ATB lube), but it still makes grinding noises after 15 miles of dirt riding. To test, I used a wet lube and it seems to perform much longer without grinding noises, but the chain is filled with grime since wet lube attracts more dust and dirt.

Why does my gravel bike get so much dirtier than my full suspension mountain bike? On my mountain bike, I have the SRAM Eagle 1x drivetrain and the dry lube easily lasts my entire ride without any grinding noises. Is this due to a gravel bikes geometry? Maybe it's my tires? Is there another type of dry lube that lasts more than what I've been using? Or could there be another cause for my grinding noises? The attached picture is after 5 miles of dirt riding.

Pinarello Grevil

Chi_Z

possibly due to the increase in speed, just bring a small bottle of chain lube with you

Rides4Beer

I think it's just due to the nature of dry/dusty gravel roads, I've found the same thing. I'll use wet lube if it's really dry out, for the same reason, end up with chain/gear grinding half way through the ride if I used dry lube. I give the bike a full clean after a gravel ride anyway, so it's not a big deal to me.

chas58

that is pretty much what my bike looks like. Just look at the dirt on the ground in your picture. Ride 20mph over that stuff and its gonna give you the look in your picture.

howardv

In over 20 years of biking, I've never had to re-lube during a ride. So far, the wet lube may do the job for the entire ride (still testing). Funny thing is that common knowledge says to use dry lube on dirt roads so the dirt sticks less. The ATB and Rock N Roll dry lubes are very thin. Wondering if there's any dry lube that's a bit thicker? Or possibly using one of those Teflon sprays before using dry lube?

Glad to hear I'm not the only one faced with this issue. I also clean my drivetrain after every ride.

I go down trails a lot faster on my FS mountain bike than I do with this gravel bike. Much more control with fatter tires, lower saddle, and full suspension on rough gravel. And my MTB never gets even remotely as filthy as this gravel bike (same terrain). Maybe it's the tires that just grab and kick up more dirt?

shoota 

normal. find better lube.

zen_

I take a square of paper towel with me on long rides to wipe my chain off mid-ride(ish), which is really effective on waxed chains when it's very dusty. I know the hot waxing thing is a big leap few will take (it's not that bad if you wax a bunch of chains at the same time), but it just makes everything so much cleaner and easier, plus the huge reduction in drivetrain wear.

SalsaShark

I ride with full fenders and front mudflap....it helps immensely in keeping the drivetrain clean

dsaul

I've been using Pedro's X-Dry lube and it works pretty well. I've tried numerous other wet, dry and wax lubes and this is my current favorite. I apply it before each ride and it has some type of wax particles in it that build up on the chainring and pulleys, so It needs to be cleaned off regularly.

GrainBrain

Keeping the drivetrain wiped down was my "aha!" moment for gravel riding. I was recommended Dumonde Tech lube by the LBS gravel riders and it's a good chain lube. More importantly then lube brand is maintenance methodology IMHO. Specifically as zen_ mentions is keeping the chain wiped off.

OP:
To start I have a chemical sprayer with water and a park tool chain cleaner that I use first to get the drive train clean initially. I'll run the sprayer into the chain until it's smooth and free of anything. I'll then wipe down the chain until relatively dry, and apply lube - then wipe down again. I only do this maybe every 400 miles? Usually after getting caught in the rain.

Now here's the trick - for best results do not ride for like 12 hours after initial lube application. Then, when I know I'll ride within a few hours I'll start wiping the chain down again and again. After riding I will again wipe the chain down. As the bottle of Dumonde Tech recommends - avoid slathering your drivetrain with lube, you don't need to.

TL;DR - The trick to a healthy gravel drivetrain is keeping the chain very dry so as not to attract excessive dust. I also use the fancier chains with nitride coatings on the pins.

pipeliner

Hot parafin wax is the answer. Watch the YouTube vids and join the club. A $12 crock pot and $8 worth of wax... I converted a month ago, can't believe how easy it is to keep clean.

jadocs

Yep...wax your chain as described above.

u235

That's my bike after just about every ride. Not a one time or an occasional one off. Add some rain or water into that and the wrong lube and it goes bad quick. I gave up on wax and silicone based lubes years ago for the exact reason you described. They just do not last in those conditions. Sure the chain looks "dirtier" with a petroleum based lube but I've NEVER got a squeek, grind, or noise and rides and shifts perfect the whole ride with or without water and will last multiple days without issues. Worst case if you want, you can dump or rinse some water on your chain to get some surface dirt off or ride through some tall grass and continue on like it never happened. Inside the chain is still well lubed and protected. I use Blaster cable and chain lube or similar. Wipe chain, apply and wipe chain before the days ride. At the end of the day.. I'd rather have a "dirty" chain that moves freely then a dirtless one that is also lubeless and making lots of noise. I've tried the lubes with the dirt shed theory in those conditions and it just does not last for me.

base2 

Plus one for wax.
I use an old tooth brush to brush off any gunk. (Usually very little.) Then apply Squirt, & let dry.

Getting your chain super, super clean, degreased, rinsed & dried before waxing is very important. But once done, the wax flows to all the places it needs to be. It's really important to let it dry completely before riding.

With wax, any dust that gets collected gets migrated right out & flakes right off at some maximum collection threshold. That's the reason it remains so clean.

I can easily get 100 miles & generally quite a bit more in the dustiest of conditions before the first "scissoring" noises.

csrpenfab

Totally normal. Here's a pic of my Niner after a 25 mile gravel ride. The bike had been bathed/lubed prior to the ride. The gravel I ride on has a lot of DG sections that have this wonderful "powdered sugar" like dust that clings to everything. Having said that, I've never had to re-lube on a ride and heck, I'll take this back out for another 30 miler with no lube. Sure, the chain is dusty, but the lube I've applied is still working. I use NixFrixShun lube and wipe chain dry well after working the lube in.