skeenna

would chainsaw chain oil be a good lubricant for a bicycle chain?

tengu

Maybe. that stuff is usually designed to be cleaned a lot. if you're willing to clean your chain every few rides it's probably ok. wax based stuff is the best, not light oil. helped a guy once who was using gun oil to lube his 9 speed chain and had worn it out in less than 1000 miles. entire drivetrain was shot because the oil picked up tiny bits of dirt. it would have been fine if he'd cleaned it after every use, like his gun, but he rode it for a few months.
Good bike specific lube will alway be cheaper than a cassette, so why risk it?

Bobby Lex

Ah! The eternal debate over which lube is best.

IMO wax based stuff SUCKS. It lubes well. But it is a royal pain in the ***** to clean off. Conventional chain cleaning chemicals are totally ineffective on wax. Proper chain maintenance requires frequent chain cleaning and relubing. Wax based stuff takes a 15-minute cleaning and relubing job and turns it into a 1 hr. job.

Bob

capwater

I've cut my share of wood. Chain saw lube is nothing more than motor oil, at least that's what I've always used. Far too thick. Even the 2 cycle mix is too heavy. Go buy some triflow, it'll last you a couple of years.

waterrockets 

I've been using air tool oil (not compressor oil), and my current chain has lasted longer than any chain I've had in the last 17 years. Air tool oil is lighter than chainsaw bar/chain oil, but not as light as gun oil.

edzo

chain saw oil is sticky like honey. stickier than any other oil

it will grab dust out of the air and pile it on the chain for you,
plus if any does drip off it will leave a long stringer and that will hit
your frame or wheel making a mess

it will make a good lube yes, but it is prob the messiest way to go

San Rensho 

Its not the lube thats important, its how you use it and maintain it. I never take the chain off to clean it, only replace it. My method is to do a very little maintenance every time I ride, rather than take everything apart every few rides, soak in solvent and put it back together.

After every ride, I grab the chain with a rag and spin the cranks backward to clean the chain, then apply about a teaspoon of oil with a pump oil can. Elapsed time, about 30 seconds.

Next time I ride, I wipe the chain again to remove the excess lube. Elapsed time about, 30 seconds.

By spending a total of one minute of maintenance every time I ride, my chain stays visually clean and the drivetrain is whisper quiet shifts absolutely perfectly.

RB1-luvr

someone should put a chainsaw chain on a fixie. that would be sinister.

mx_599

i pressure wash mine often

BikingGrad80

It works, but like others have said it is very messy. After I apply it no matter how much I wipe off the excess, for the first 30 miles it splatters all over the rear of the bike necessitating a good cleaning.

BikingGrad80

I am going to try foaming motorcycle chain oil next.

HillRider

Some of the motorcycle chain lubes I've seen are very heavy bodied and would make the chain somewhat stiff and harder to turn. Motorcycles have power to spare. Typically, bicycle riders don't.

Jesse Smith

I'm always amazed at how people are willing to jump through hoops to avoid using proper bicycle chain lube. They could have a 50-gallon drum of Finish Line, Dumonde Tech, Pedros, or White Lightning sitting in their living room, yet they'd spend hours trying to mix together a concoction of sesame oil, hairspray, and beet juice to dunk their chain in, hoping the one application would lube their chain for the next fifteen years.

jgedwa

Two words: fish sauce

jim

edzo

this.

I have 3 motorcycles and the foaming chain lube is a stiff, sticky someb1tch when it dries

you don't really want it

Hobartlemagne 

I would think that any chain lube for engine powered chains would be too thick for
something human powered.

neil0502

Chain saw oil works. Almost any lubrication works. Keep your chain reasonably clean and lubricate it reasonably frequently.

You hit the Point of Diminishing Returns incredibly quickly on chain lube. If you value neither your time nor your money, you could certainly research the crap out of this, clean your chain with an ultrasonic cleaner every other day, and lube it with Dumond or Mobil1, straight, but ....why?

I apply a 50/50 mix of mineral spirits and Mobil1, with a toothbrush, AFTER every other ride or so, allowing the mineral spirits (that thin the Mobil1, allowing thorough penetration) to evaporate.

I get GREAT life out of chains, and that's with lots of hill climbing. I spend next to nothing on the mix.

If/where viscosity is a concern, you can thin it, but ... as Hobartlemagne said ... there is a point at which thick is too thick. You could probably follow the automotive manufacturers weight-vs.-temperature guidelines and not go too far wrong.

bkaapcke

People need to get over this notion that you can throw any old oil on the chain and then go 500 miles before you have to deal with it again. Yeah, it'll still be working after all those miles, but it will be mega dirty and the equipment will be slowly degrading. Also, cleaning becomes a major chore. I know this approach is popular because I see a lot of cruddy drivetrains out there. But popularity doesn't make it right.

Instead, you should think like a watch maker. Clean, clean clean, and oh so lightly lubed. Then everything can work at it's best. I use Pro Link Gold, because a light lube lasts about 100 miles. Then it's clean and lube again. It is real easy to clean the chain without taking it off the bike because it never got dirty in the first place. Clean, lube and go. It costs, but you don't use much.

The way to tell when it's time to clean and lube; run your fingers back and forth over the rollers. Are they turning freely, like they do just after a lube job? If not, it's time to do it again. bk

Rusty Piton

I use ****in' 3-in-1 every few days along with a hose-off and wipe-down on my winter beater. It works fine.

Rev.Chuck

Saw chain lube is designed to "stick" to the chain as saw chain is moving around 80-100 feet per second. A bike with a 53t spinning 120 rpm is maybe is 4.5-5 feet per second. It lubes fine but will cause a huge mess on a bicycle chain.

OLDYELLR

There are 2 grades of chainsaw oil, summer and winter. It penetrates rollers and sticks to the chain better than motor oil. I've used it on both bikes and motorcycles. It also has another property that's not necessary for bike chains; it dissolves tree resin from the sap.

We see endless debates here over chain oil and most of them are just a waste of space. Basically, oil, any oil, is better than no oil and it's better to use a little more often than a lot just when it squeaks. Paraffin wax is less messy, but it doesn't last long and has marginal lubricating properties.

mx_599

OLDYELLR

Lubing a bicycle chain isn't rocket science. Re-inventing the wheel isn't isn't necessary. While using one of the specialty lubes may have certain advantages, whatever is in the oil can will work fine too.

bkaapcke

It may not be rocket science, but there are a lot of chains out there with waay too much lube on them. They get real groadie in no time at all. bk

oilman_15106

That is because it, true chainsaw oil, has a tack agent added to it! It is designed to be consumed when cutting wood, thus every chain saw has an oiler of some kind. Not intend for bike chain use. You can get away with using it but trust me on this one.