fooferdoggie 

been pretty happy with rock and role lube yellow in the summer blue in the winter. my commuters chain will dry while at work where I lube the chain. it keeps thy drivetrain clean and I only need to wipe the chain each time I Lupe and the jockey wheels. the problem is its portland and sometimes we have rain for days. my shop where I keep the bikes the bikes can stay wet for days. my commuter its not a issue as I ride it every day and the chain can dry to lube it. but our tandem the chain can rust sitting there wet for a couple of days and I don't know how well the rock and roll works if the chain is wet the nI apply it. I was using finish line wet the nI first got my commuter it was really messy. Any ideas pan a more suitable lube for such wet conditions?

Bigbus

Learn the art of waxing. I currently live on the coast and until I started waxing the salty sea air was eating up my chains. It is much better with rain and water in general than most lubes that run off. Good luck

fooferdoggie 

thats too much work and on a tandem a real pain. I wanted to try some of the liquid wax lubes but they take overnight drying and thats not usually possible. the chain may be wet or it is dark when we are done riding.

dscheidt

Chain-L. Home Page Chain-L High Mileage Bicycle Chain Lubricant

canklecat

PTFE in Rock 'n' Roll lubes, Park CL-1, etc., is remarkably tenacious stuff. And Rock 'n' Roll lubes attract less grit and grime than others I've tried. I'd just keep using the RnR lubes, maybe apply a few drops more often. We don't get much rain here and I avoid riding in rain, but so far applying about 6-10 droplets with a needle dropper once a week, randomly around the chain, has been enough with RnR Gold.

Even after wiping down the external chain links with mineral spirits, alcohol, etc., until the oil from RnR Gold is mostly gone, the PTFE still leaves a slick coating.

My errand hybrid bike still uses Park CL-1 and it's been drenched in rain and puddles. So far I've never managed to completely wash out that lube. Besides the PTFE, the Park CL-1 tends to semi-dry and remain tacky, reminiscent of motorcycle chain lubes. But it does attract more grit and grime than the RnR Gold and Absolute Dry.

calstar 

NFS(NixFrixShun) Ultimate lube, I was using Chain-L, still have some but switched to NFS.

​​​​​​NixFrixShun Bicycle Speed Shop

cxwrench

The 'art of waxing a chain'? Please. It's hardly an art form. If I were the OP and really wanted to try something else it would be ChainL.

veganbikes

Good another lube thread. I don't remember having one in a while. Do whatever as long as it is some sort of actual lubricant you are probably doing well. My favorite is Finish Line Ceramic Wax Lube but who knows what is best. Maybe Chain-L no.5 or NFS or Silca Super Secret is better maybe not? Those who use it probably swear by it, those who don't probably swear by something else. I like what I use it seems to keep things clean and quiet but again maybe something is better really don't know if I care enough to find out.

As far as waxing a chain, you clean it really well, then drop it in some melted wax (use an old crock pot), then take it out (use an old wire hanger) and let it dry. Then of course install it on the bike. Probably some good videos out there to help out as well.

fooferdoggie 

no I am not after a regular lube thread. I have a weird situation where my chain stays wet for days. it tends to rust a bit though when I put rock and roll on again it wipes off. I usually lube the chain before a ride because it can be dark when we get back or the chain may be wet. so I am looking for advice.
taking two chains off a tandem is a fair amount of work. I may have to loosen the bottom bracket and rotate it to get the chain tension loose enough to take it off. so removing a chain to wax it is way too much effort. I am not trying to find the magic lube just an idea what would work. I do have a bottle of muck off but I had not used it as it wants overnight to dry. thats then and part.

Geepig

In what way does the shop keep them 'wet'? Is it open sided or does it lack sufficient ventilation? I was just wondering whether there was a way of storing them so they dry quicker?

fooferdoggie 

it is a stand alone garage. but when it is raining outside for days and humidity is 100% nothing out there dries.

fooferdoggie 

that may be an idea. this is the first year with a tandem and a bike that does not get ridden every day because it gets dark and rains so much right now.

trailangel

In Portland use wet lube. It's not messy, you are not applying correctly and you are not wiping it down correctly.
FInishline and Chain-L are both very good products.

fooferdoggie 

when I mean messy it attracts dirt. I used welting on my first chain. that was all rain but on my commuter its easy to relate as needed so the rock and roll works well. I had to clean the whole drivetrain with the finish line. but with such wet conditions it may be needed.

trailangel

I think you are putting too much on. I notice in Oregon the cement on the roadways is different.... maybe it's coming off as sand on your roads and sticking to your bike.

fooferdoggie 

I wipe it off well. but riding in the rain really picks up a lot of crap off the roads. the tandem seems to get dirtier chains then my commuter does even with just rock and roll in the summer I get more gunk on the jockey wheels. not a huge amount but some. I have a new bottle of muck off I will try. if we want to ride then we need to ride in the rain. it rained Thursday Friday and Saturday. with one nice day yesterday. so two rain rides then one nice day.

Iride01 

Set a box fan nearby on low when it's wet. The constant air circulation will dry it quickly. And if you cycling shoes are wet, put them there too. They'll be dry in a short time. Even shorter time if you can remove the insoles.

fooferdoggie 

no power and blowing around 100% humility air wont do much. here is what my chain on my commuter looks like this morning after a rain ride and with rock and roll.

davidad

Chainsaw bar oil diluted with mineral spirits.

Bigbus

That looks pretty darn clean. just wipe off with rag and call it good.

fooferdoggie 

ya but the tandem just does not dry out if it has been raining for days. plus the chain never stays that clean on it for some reason. but I may just hit it with my cordless leaf blower. I hate to switch lubes because it stays so clean. but if I ride in the rain I have to reapply it.,

pdlamb

Which do you hate more, a dirty chain that needs to be wiped off every couple days or a rusty chain?

gauvins

Have you considered Wippermann Sx chains (stainless/nickel)?

HillRider

An even cheaper, and hotter, alternative is a cheap hair dryer.

fooferdoggie 

Humm may be an idea. I wonder how it would do with the extra torque on my mid drive?