Trying to make the plunge into waxing
11-07-18, 03:42 PM
#51
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People come up with all kinds of elaborate chain cleaning systems that have a lot of unnecessary steps. This guy’s ideas are on the further end of the goofy scale.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
11-07-18, 03:49 PM
#52
Mad bike riding scientist
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
11-07-18, 04:34 PM
#53
Senior Member
After reading many replies, I have a few thoughts. I can't imagine any lube lasting for 300 or 600 miles. I relube every 100 miles or 2-3 rides. Chains are not sealed from the intrusion of dirt, so infrequent maintenance is likely to lead to shorter chain life. I'd be disappointed if my campy chain didn't last for 5-6000 miles. Maybe all the other brands have much shorter lives. And then there's someone claiming 16,000 miles or more - what baloney. A well lubed campy chain may show 1/4 of the allowable .5% elongation after 6000 miles, but it will be totally worn out due to excessive roller wear and side clearance. If only one chain was used on the cassette, it will skip if you put on a new chain, despite the low elongation. I know, I've done it. I believed the experts who claimed that the sprockets wouId be fine, as long as the chain elongation was less tha.5%. Not true. If 3 chains are used in a regular rotation, the cassette will last the life of all three chains, even if the elongation reaches 1%.
11-08-18, 03:58 PM
#54
Senior Member
After reading many replies, I have a few thoughts. I can't imagine any lube lasting for 300 or 600 miles. I relube every 100 miles or 2-3 rides. Chains are not sealed from the intrusion of dirt, so infrequent maintenance is likely to lead to shorter chain life. I'd be disappointed if my campy chain didn't last for 5-6000 miles. Maybe all the other brands have much shorter lives. And then there's someone claiming 16,000 miles or more - what baloney. A well lubed campy chain may show 1/4 of the allowable .5% elongation after 6000 miles, but it will be totally worn out due to excessive roller wear and side clearance. If only one chain was used on the cassette, it will skip if you put on a new chain, despite the low elongation. I know, I've done it. I believed the experts who claimed that the sprockets wouId be fine, as long as the chain elongation was less tha.5%. Not true. If 3 chains are used in a regular rotation, the cassette will last the life of all three chains, even if the elongation reaches 1%.
11-08-18, 04:12 PM
#56
Non omnino gravis
...yeah, I was gonna say. In my case, getting past the 3,000 mile mark on a chain is almost cause for celebration. No cleaning/lubricating process known to man is going to get me 10,000+ miles out of a chain. Hell, I'm lucky to get 10,000 miles out of a wheel. I only got 19,000 out of my first frame before I broke it.
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11-08-18, 10:48 PM
#57
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...yeah, i was gonna say. In my case, getting past the 3,000 mile mark on a chain is almost cause for celebration. No cleaning/lubricating process known to man is going to get me 10,000+ miles out of a chain. Hell, i'm lucky to get 10,000 miles out of a wheel. I only got 19,000 out of my first frame before i broke it.
lol
11-09-18, 07:05 AM
#58
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I replace my chain every few months. I prefer the factory lube over everything else and consider chains a cheap wear item that I don't mind replacing.
11-09-18, 09:09 AM
#59
Senior Member
Aint baloney tinker bell I clean my chain every 800 miles in and ultrasonic cleaner with Simple Green and lube it with a chainsaw bar oil, mineral spirit mix. A 7sp KMC chai lasted 20,681.5 miles on the fendered touring bike and an 8sp, KMC chain (same) lasted 17,416.8 miles on my road bike. The big difference was the ultrasonic cleaner. It removes the metal wear particles from the inside of the links.
I started using the mineral spirits and oil mix about 15 years ago. It produces a decent chain life, but nothing near your claims, even with far more frequent cleaning and relubing.
11-09-18, 07:28 PM
#60
mechanically sound
My two cents, as I wax the chain on my folder(needs to be super clean, as I bring it into my work at a hospital): get a wax melter- the type used for leg waxing. Super cheap from amazon. Oh and the cleaning isn’t as important, I’ve found; the wax cleans the chain quite well when it gets dipped. Chain comes out clean to the touch when dry. Good luck! BTW I currently use WL for my performance bikes, and chain-L for the salt/slush winter commuter.
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