Originally Posted by
JohnJ80
So I'd take that heavy OEM "lube" off as much as I could. So it doesn't have to be wax and it's better to take off the OEM lube because OEM lube is pretty bad.
But I get it - chain cleaning and lubing is not high on my list of fun things to do either.
As the first step of my annual bike wash earlier this afternoon, I cleaned my chain, which has just < 300 miles with the Shimano factory lube. About 5 minutes through a Park Tool CM-5.2 chain scrubber filled with degreaser, then further cleaned with degreaser using an old Sonicare toothbrush. Chain looks clean and shiny and barely leaves a mark on the rag, but I can still "feel" the factory lube in the roller. This is about the best I can do with the chain still on the bike. In the past, when I have gone through the same steps to clean a higher mileage chain that has gone through multiple periodic applications of Boeshield T-9 or Rock N Roll Extreme, the chain would squeak when it is very clean. So hopefully the solvent in the new lube takes off the remaining factory lube when I apply it later.