Old Fart D

I just joined this forum and wanted to ask this question as I thought some people on here might know. I am an older and casual bike rider who needs the exercise and transport as I have some major health issues and can't get around much otherwise. My problem is I don't have any other place to store my bike but off in the corner of the living room by the door. I have not lubed the chain since getting the bike and feel it probably needs it now. I bought something called ProGold Prolink and was told at the shop that this didn't have much of a smell but it certainly did when I opened the bottle. Does this smell go away? I know if you keep a bike out in a garage it's probably difficult to notice, but it would be a nightmare for me if it made our living room smell like this! We re both sensitive to some odors. I haven't used it on the bike yet, but didn't know if maybe there's something better smellwise . I'd imagine at least a few people need to keep their bikes in their apartment or room and may have had similar issues. I mean I don't need it to smell nice, but I need to be sure it doesn't stink!


Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advise anyone can give! And I hope this is the right forum to post this to.

pdlamb

Smart-aleck answer: get some Chain-L, use it once, and you'll never notice the smell of Prolink ever again.

One step towards serious answer: take the lube and some paper towels and ride the bike to a park, coffee shop, etc. Put the lube on the chain, feed the ducks, eat an ice cream cone, kill a half an hour. Let the solvent evaporate. Wipe the chain down and ride home. If you try, you'll be able to smell something, but it will probably take an effort.

Troul 

going to a more pure wax lubricant might be best for smelling less chemically. Otherwise, you're going to smell the lube, geese poop on the tires, & muck residue from the street water.

Sy Reene

Yeah, I'd guess a wax based lubricant that's in a base that evaporates, would (after the 15 minutes it takes to evaporate) only have left more or less just the wax, which doesn't have a smell like a petroleum based oil product. ymmv

sdmc530

wax I suppose is the least odorized chain lubricant. I have a WD-40 bike specific lube that actually smells good. Gets super dirty fast and only use it other peoples bikes now but it smells kind of fruity.

slowpacer

I also keep my bike indoors and couldn't stand the smell of Pro Link chain lube. "Finish Line Wet" solved that problem. It is however much thicker than Pro Link but my chain is much quieter than ever before. I have not tried anything else besides these two.

Rides4Beer

Muc-off smells like candy, but then the smell dissipates after it evaporates.

canklecat

Boeshield T9. Lowest odor of any chain lube I've tried. It's mostly paraffin in an unspecified solvent, but it's not naphtha (used by many others including White Lightning Easy Lube and Rock 'n' Roll Absolute Dry). It's a very light lube and should be reapplied to the chain about every 100 miles. But the protection is very persistent. I even use it on the Spyderco pocket knife I carry on most bike rides. It used to develop light rust from my sweat, but not any longer since using Boeshield every few months. The imperceptible film is tenacious. I can see why it's so well regarded in the aircraft industy.

rydabent

Or just use motor oil like the Mobil 1 that I use. Very little smell, and probably the best lube you can use for a chain, since it is in a way a machine. BTW I get 4000 miles plus on my chains.

c_m_shooter

Vegetable oil from the kitchen will do. When you come in from a ride put a little dollop on a paper towl, wrap around the chain and give the pedals a spin.

grizzly59

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-Premium...dp/B00063KI5I/

rm -rf

Yes, try the "lube it outdoors" plan. Shift the chain to the big front ring and the smallest rear cog. Let the lube soak in for a few minutes, then use some paper towels to wipe the outside of the chain. You can wipe all the lube off the outside -- it's the inside of the rollers that's critical. Wipe it again! Now shift to different gears, front and back, and wipe off the teeth that the chain was on. That should help with any residual smell, and the chain will be cleaner too.

I really like Chain-L (from a long time BF member). It's thick and the chain can look very dirty. But it lasts a long time. It holds up well if I ride in the rain, too. And there's no smell I can detect, dripping some on a paper and sniffing it.
I apply it carefully, one drop per roller, to lessen chain cleanup. It takes a while to wick into the roller, since it's much thicker. Wait to wipe it off. It's great on tools like garden clipper pivots, etc.