Chain lube
#51
I was asking more for chain life than power loss. If wax based lubes attract and hold less dirt and grit that is what I will use. It doesn’t matter to me if I need to lube more often.
I will stay with White Lightning Clean or Easy Ride.
Now to really stir things up here-how often should I clean my chain and how?
I will stay with White Lightning Clean or Easy Ride.
Now to really stir things up here-how often should I clean my chain and how?
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#52
Grupetto Bob
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EVERYTHING on BF is taken extremely seriously because this is an extremely serious activity akin to brain surgery. No minutia or quip is too small to be methodically dissected, debated and eventually driven into the ground, where a few months later pops up again as a zombie - and the whole process begins anew. The miracle of everlasting life on BF.
On a more serious note, I use Flex Seal on my chain. It has a nice rubbery coating that prevents rust and contrasts nicely with my frame color. Best of all, if you get a ‘rookie mark’ on your ankle, you can say, “Hey, that’s not oil, it’s Flex Seal!”
On a more serious note, I use Flex Seal on my chain. It has a nice rubbery coating that prevents rust and contrasts nicely with my frame color. Best of all, if you get a ‘rookie mark’ on your ankle, you can say, “Hey, that’s not oil, it’s Flex Seal!”
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#53
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EVERYTHING on BF is taken extremely seriously because this is an extremely serious activity akin to brain surgery. No minutia or quip is too small to be methodically dissected, debated and eventually driven into the ground, where a few months later pops up again as a zombie - and the whole process begins anew.
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#54
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Now to really stir things up here-how often should I clean my chain and how?
I don't remove the factory lube for any other reason other than it gets messier if I leave it on.
I also don't lubricate as often as White Lightning says to. I just lubricated my chain after about 450 miles. It was a bit noisy but not overly so and, after nearly 1200 miles, it is still measuring at <0.5%
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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!
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#55
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The only real way to clean a chain is this method: https://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html
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#56
Grupetto Bob
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A friend of mine is so anal fanatical, he uses an ultrasonic cleaner like you would find in a dentist’s office. Then he has a two stage waxing process. And after an hour, he is done. Easy-peasy
OTOH, I use Dawn dishwashing liquid or Park chain cleaner - rinse with water and either air dry or blow dry with a compressor to get out the water and then apply Silca Synergetic lubation
OTOH, I use Dawn dishwashing liquid or Park chain cleaner - rinse with water and either air dry or blow dry with a compressor to get out the water and then apply Silca Synergetic lubation
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#57
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I use this stuff:
DuPont Chain Saver.
Less than $10 USD at Walid's (come to Fargo and you will know why I call it that). One can lasts about a year which includes winter commuting.
Wax, ceramic micro beads, and solvent in a single can. First pass gets wiped off, second one is left on. Little to no shmutz buildup on the chain.
Total time: less than a minute.
DuPont Chain Saver.
Less than $10 USD at Walid's (come to Fargo and you will know why I call it that). One can lasts about a year which includes winter commuting.
Wax, ceramic micro beads, and solvent in a single can. First pass gets wiped off, second one is left on. Little to no shmutz buildup on the chain.
Total time: less than a minute.
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#58
Senior Member
😄. Not a chance! That is NASA level bicycle maintenance.
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Last edited by drlogik; 05-26-24 at 04:25 PM.
#60
They shoot horses, don’t they?
#61
I've tried all the usual ones over time, but the "dry" ones seem to leave a lot of nasty residue that's difficult to clean off properly. Where I live, the geology is all sandstone which means the local mud and road dirt I pick up is very sandy/dusty and abrasive. I've settled on giving the chain a whizz over with the chain pig once a week (I commute daily) which does a pretty good job of de-silting the chain - then I wipe over with the oil I use on my old Myford lathe bearings as it's what I have handy in bulk and it works very well.
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#66
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