biketampa

davidad

I wipe as much of the lube that's on the links and rollers as possible and do it once again after a few rides. The only place that must have lube on it is on the pins and inner links.

fietsbob

Wear surface is on both sides of the pins under the rollers .

Hoopdriver

Wipe all surfaces you can easily get to with your rag. Wipe, then wipe, then wipe some more. Repeat after a few rides, then do it again after a few rides, then again and again, until you relube. The objective is to remove as much lube from the outside of the chain. The lube will remain where it counts and you will have a cleaner bike.

Kimmo 

The correct answer is: more wiping than you can be bothered with.

Marcus_Ti

The better you wipe down the exterior, the less it will gum up with goo, and the longer it will last.

JonathanGennick 

I also do this. I find the "once again" makes a difference. I'm not fond of wet, drippy chains.

Brofessor

rumrunn6

regardless of lube time, if I have to use a screwdriver to scrape crud off my rear der rollers then I'm not wiping enough

Speedway2

Lube will collect grit and will act like sandpaper on the "parts" the chain comes in contact with.
Keep your chain clean.....

JonathanGennick 

Of all sorts. At one time years ago I had 30+ bottles of different lubes laying around. What I find works best for me is to use a really thick lube. Then I can go forever w/o having to relube. That approach works for me, anyway, and I'm happy with where I'm at.

wphamilton

I wipe the chain plates, on the curve of the big ring, full rotation of the chain a couple of times. I don't care what's left on the rollers; it's not important other than slinging off onto your legs or bike. By the time I've gotten the plates wiped, there's not enough left to matter.

biketampa

NoWhammies

I wipe all parts of the chain. In fact it feels like I've wiped the chain too much. Which probably means I've done just enough.

Andrew R Stewart 

To tangent somewhat- I feel that wiping off chains is also like washing your car. Looks better but doesn't do much for the internal workings. In fact some say that wiping off the chain will also push some of that outside grime into the chain.

I talk about this to customers and club members all the time. My point isn't to stop their cleaning of the outsides of their bikes. Quite the opposite. My goal is both a better understanding as to what outside cleaning does (or doesn't) do and that taking care of their bike/chain is more then superficial outside cleaning. I do say that the time spent getting close up to their bike's parts (during the outside cleaning) gives then the chance to both better understand the workings of their bike and to better see when those workings are changing/becoming a problem. Andy

pdlamb

While it may be possible to push some grit into the chains while wiping it down, that's going to be hard. After all, the pins are press fit (and then riveted on modern chains).

But the point of wiping a chain, as I see it, is to get most of the exterior oil off. That oil standing on the outside of a chain will collect dirt, dust, and road grit. To the extent you can keep that from sitting on the outside of the chain, the chances of it working its way inside the chain (as the plates rotate going around a sprocket/cog/idler pulley and then straightening) are reduced.

My take on the question? Wipe it down until there's the thinnest film left as a rust preservative on the surface. It should be so thin that the gunk is too heavy for the oil to hold It there. After a re-lube, wipe side plates, wipe the rollers while forcing the chain to bend so you rotate the rollers. Then go for a ride or four, and repeat the wiping routine. Forget about it until the chain starts squeaking.

Andrew R Stewart 

Of course one won't push grime between the pins and the plates. It's between the plates(inner and outer) and the rollers that the gaps are..Note that I didn't say don't wipe off. Just be aware of what you're doing too. Andy

Cyclist0108

I wipe it once with a paper towel as I drop it into the pot of melted paraffin. A month later I do it again.

taz777

I tried an experiment with Muc-Off C3 Ceramic Dry lube a while back. I put some paper towels on the floor under the chain area and lived the chain as per normal. I then let it dry overnight. When I came to wipe off the excess the next day, before a ride, it was dry to the touch so there was really no excess. Any excess had already fallen onto the paper towels below the chain.

The entire process would take three days though and would only work with dry lube! One day to wash the drivetrain thoroughly, one to lube and the third to let the lube become touch dry.

kaos joe

If you use Chain-L, (which is a great product), wipe it and wipe it until you absolutely, positively, can't wipe it any more.

Then wipe it some more.

bogydave

bikeaddiction1

I regularly wipe my chain off if it is dusty or dirty even if it does not need lube. If you stop the build up of crud it helps keep the rest of the drive train clean and recuses wear.

trailangel

Front to Back......

rydabent

Lube with a good oil like Mobil 1 in the evening. Spin the chain backward for at least two minutes. Then before your ride the next day, wipe all parts of the chain, and every day before each ride.