sbuckaroo

Hey folks,

I am hoping to start commuting to work, maybe one or two days a week at the beginning. I took my bike to the LBS to get it tuned up since it (literally) collected dust for years. I now find that the chain is very greasy and it leaves grease marks on when my right leg/pant when it touches the chain (since I pivot my weight on the left leg when I stop, so my right leg gets close to the chain).

Should I wipe the chain clean or would that removes the grease and, hence, affects the lubrication?

Thanks!

NYMXer

Simply wipe off the excess chain lube since all it will do is give you more greasy marks on your leg and attract grit which will accelerate drive line wear.

ThermionicScott 

There are clips you can get to keep your lower pant leg from flapping around. If I'm wearing long pants, I'll just tuck my right pant leg into my sock.

Then it's just a matter of paying attention so you're not leaning the bike into your leg or vice versa.

fietsbob

Yes, wipe off the outside with a rag... your oil needs to penetrate in around pin , under roller

only a trace of oil left on the outside.. It will resist rust , it does not have to be thick.

got a trouser clip?

sbuckaroo

Thanks folks. I have an elastic reflective yellow straps for the pants. However, even in shorts my leg still gets grease marks.

So, should I clean the entire chain or just the outer/right part of it? Thanks.

tamnalan

I've had pretty good luck with Pedro's Ice Wax. It lubes pretty well without attracting a lot of dirt. It will help to start with a clean chain. To me, the best way to clean a chain is to remove it from the bike and soak it in solvent. The next best way is to dampen a clean rag with solvent (like Simple Green), wrap a short section of chain with the wet rag, and reverse pedal (spin backwards). Repeat with clean areas of the rag until the chain stops leaving dirt on the rag. Then apply the Ice Wax. Drip it so each link gets a good shot of the wax. Spin the chain backwards some more to let the lube work in, and then wipe the remainder with another clean rag.

sbuckaroo

Thanks much for the useful information.

arbee

No indication where you're located, and this is relevant.

Wax-based chain lubes generally don't fare well in rain.

No guarantee, but I'd hope your LBS used a chain lube appropriate to your location.

acidfast7

I use a few drops of extra-virgin Olive Oil and it seems to work well and smells good when I'm washing on the pedals of my SS.

RubeRad

Wipe as much as you want on the outside, especially the side plates -- that lube is not doing anything but being messy. Lube on the outside of the rollers is probably not going to work its way back in either, it's the lube on the inside of the rollers and plates that does the work.

The chain is probably just shedding some of the new lube, it's probably a good sign that the LBS did a thorough lubrication. One or two wipings and the shedding should slow down.

Since you're on this website now, it's only a matter of time before you'll be wanting another bike, maybe you should look into either a single-speed, or an IGH, so that your bike can have an enclosed chain case. It's good for pants AND chains.

79pmooney

Wipe the chain as others have suggested then see if you can teach yourself not to touch the chain. With pants, use the clips, straps or socks pulled over. If not touching the chain isn't possible, you might consider either wearing a high black sock just for riding or black leg warmers.

Or your next bike could be one with a chain guard. (This will rule out derailleur bikes.) Look at Dutch bikes and bikes with IGH (internally geared hubs).

Chains must be lubed to work properly. In almost all applications except bicycles, chains are enclosed to be protected from outside elements like grit. Where they are not, being dirty is a fact of life if it is kept properly lubed unless you take chain cleanliness to very OCD levels. Keeping it clean enough to touch with dress clothing would mean OCD behaviors at extreme levels. Far easier is arranging your riding so your leg and clothing don't meet the chain.

Edit: another approach - think about using a pedal/cleat system that does not allow you to rotate your foot in. This is a major game changer, so do your research, both about the pedal cleat systems and what they will mean for your riding (and off-bike). For different reasons entirely , I ride with "no-float" pedals and cleats which don't allow my foot to rotate at all, so what you do is impossible on my bikes.

Ben

acidfast7

Nah, just get a Hebie guard ...

here, they make quite nice stuff

The PDF with all of their rear mech stuff is here

wphamilton

I don't ordinarily clean chains, but I do keep them pretty clean by not having extra lube on it and by lubricating fairly frequently. To be honest, the type or brand of lubricant doesn't matter all that much, but on my road bike I prefer wax-based or something that purports to be dry lube.

When your chain is already that gunked up, just adding lube and wiping won't do the trick in my experience. You'll really need to clean it, add fresh lube and then wipe down really well on the outside.

alan s 

Wear black pants.

RubeRad

lol, that's why bike shorts are black, because back in the day black leather saddles would bleed in the rain

autonomy

This is my experience as well. It's really important to have lubrication on the inside of the pins and rollers. The outside doesn't matter and you should wipe it clean.

I've been using "wet' lube for years and it's been a dirt & grime magnet. I switched to dry lube for a while and this helped a LOT with keeping my chains clean. However, the tradeoff is that it wears out faster, so I need to apply more often. It's also much harder to apply the lube correctly - it doesn't penetrate as well so I can start getting squeaks on a few links after as little as 15 miles.

I recently did a dirt-road event for which I used wet lube and shifting was much crisper than with dry teflon-based lube.

HardyWeinberg

Wipe it clean, grease on the outside is not doing anything (good) for the chain.