Clean and lube your chains man!
Thread started by
feetpower at 09.5.09 - 6:43 pm
Group riding is fairly new for me but I know what a lack-of-maintenance sounds like. Do you guys just really not give a shit about your bike or what? Proper cleaning and lubing will make your chain/chainring/cog last MUCH longer. Seriously, it's not hard to do. You don't need to buy those $ 35 Park Tool chain cleaners either.
All you need are:
- a few rags or towels
- degreaser
- toothbrush
- small tupperware bowl
- water
- lube
1. fold rag/towel into a square small enough to fit into your hand
2. dilute degreaser with water (1:4) into tupperware bowl
3. hold rag in hand directly under the chain
4. dip toothbrush into degreaser and start cleaning that chain! get all the little spaces
5. repeat until the whole chain is done (use left over degreaser to clean chainring and cog)
6. wet new rag with water and clean up as much of the degreaser off as possible
7. let it dry completely
8. lube it up, wipe off excess
9. ?????
10. PROFIT
was that so hard man? sheesh all those squeaky bikes!
reply
I just put the chain in a jar filled with mineral spirits (paint thinner) and shake the jar for a minute. If I want it cleaner I'll shake the chain in a 2nd or 3rd jar with cleaner paint thinner. Wipe the cog(s), chainring(s) and derailleur pulleys.
take the chain out, let it dry, and then put it back on and lube.
Gav09.6.09 - 9:29 am
reply
going through the cleaning procedure in a few moments
got out of work too late to hitup the bike store, i have zero chain lube, i do have hempseed oil, all reports say that is just fine and dandy
it's been about 15 years since i cleaned a bike chain, haha, yes i'm noob and this bike is very new, gotta' get back into this routine
thanks for bringing this up, lots of good tips throughout the thread, i would've never considered the jar with mineral spirits for example but that sounds like it'd work extremely well
natefrogg09.8.09 - 7:28 pm
reply
the old guys who i ride the velodrome with care for their bikes, and their drivetrains are super noisy. are you going to tell them that they need to clean their stuff?
ruinedbyidiots09.8.09 - 7:47 pm
reply
yeah ask them why they're chains are so noisy. im sure if they're torquing it really hard in the sprints, that's the noise, DUH. but not everyone is a veldromer so regular bike maintenance is STILL important.
feetpower responding to a
comment by ruinedbyidiots
09.8.09 - 9:23 pm
reply
the mineral spirits advice is awesome! thats going to save me a lot of time! but then again i kind of like sitting there scrubbing my baby clean... she enjoys it A LOT...
feetpower09.8.09 - 9:25 pm
reply
What degreaser are you using feetpower?
I read an article once and they pointed out that there's really no advantage using a lube when comparing a clean lubed chain and a clean chain. They both performed the same. That maybe the reason the track chains are noisy. They're rolling lube free.
User109.8.09 - 9:54 pm
reply
erm...squeaks can come from all kinds of places on a bicycle.
la duderina09.8.09 - 10:11 pm
reply
two reasons track chains are noisy
1 - running a slack chain means your teeth dont wear out nearly as fast as they would on the street (not good to do on the street where the environment isnt controlled and youre typically wanting to skid around like a retard)
2 - every ratio sounds different. the quest to find the silent drivetrain is fucking pointless.
ruinedbyidiots09.8.09 - 10:16 pm
reply
yeah they both performed the same at that time, but as far as longevity goes, an un-lubed chain will not last as long as a chain that is kept lubed up. ESP if you have gears.
la duderina responding to a
comment by User1
09.8.09 - 10:18 pm
reply
with no lube there would be a lot more friction, heat, and weakening of the chain i would assume
natefrogg responding to a
comment by User1
09.8.09 - 10:23 pm
reply
"youre typically wanting to skid around like a retard"
I was on sunset not too long ago and was early for a lecture at the Book Soup. So I went walking on sunset for a little bit. I saw this hipster dood come skidding to a stop at the light when he clearly didn't have to. He was just doing it for the laydeez across the street, waiting to get into a bar. I LOLed!!!
User1 responding to a
comment by ruinedbyidiots
09.8.09 - 10:25 pm
reply
Well the article stated that heat wasn't a problem cause the metal would dissipate it just fine. And the example they used was just one gear, not multiple gears. It was just to make a point that there was no difference between lubed or unlubed.
User1 responding to a
comment by natefrogg
09.8.09 - 10:30 pm
reply
what kid of lube do you recommend and where can i get it?
FUNKAHO09.9.09 - 1:25 am
reply
any degreaser is fine as long as its environmentally friendly!
good lube is Squirt wax lube! since its waxed based, all the gross stuff will just flake off and leave good luuuubing wax behind.
KY jelly is good too
feetpower09.9.09 - 3:16 am
reply
of course theres no performance enhancement from lube! it just makes things smoother and last LONGER. if lube was a performance mod, everyone would be buying up lube like it was NOS or something!
for me, theres just something irritating about hearing metal-on-metal contact.
dont you like it smooooooth baby?
feetpower09.9.09 - 3:19 am
reply
I'm sorry but I wont waste KY on my chain. It's my special occasion reserve, thank you.
merrickx09.9.09 - 6:05 am
reply
I went for the Finish Line chain cleaner workshop set. The bike shop that I go to had one discounted. It works good! Really fast...
http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/chain-cleaner.htm
alicestrong09.9.09 - 2:32 pm
reply
After adding chain oil to my chain like a retard, knowing it was already dirty and the oil would just crusss it up, I decided to clean it.
I washed that shit in the sink with some dishwashing soap and a toothbrush. Then when it was clean ENOUGH, I dipped it in some candle wax and put it on my bike. Walla! A little messy but eh, it was worth it. I learned my lesson.
imachynna09.29.10 - 4:49 am
reply
dipping in candle wax? dang, that's so last century
Gav responding to a
comment by imachynna
09.29.10 - 8:02 am
reply
Use lemon pledge to clean your drivetrain without disassembly.
Just spray it on thick and use a lot of rags till it's glimmering.
If your going to do the parafin wax trip make sure the chain is clean of all oil,
soaking in rubbing alcohol works well for this.
Melt the parafin wax / candells in an old pan on the stove and submerse the chain
in the liquid wax. This usually last only a few rides till it's time to do it all over again.
Dedicated81809.29.10 - 8:52 am
reply
i dont lube my chains, the dirt on my drivetrain prevents metal on metal contact
66609.29.10 - 9:06 am
reply
Hahahha, is it really that old school?
I just lit a candle and dipped it in the liquid wax around the wick.
Fast and easy. If I wanted to do it legit I probably would have cleaned the chain better and done many other things.
imachynna09.29.10 - 2:18 pm
reply
I heard it works better if you use a cucumber scented candle
sancho1 responding to a
comment by imachynna
09.29.10 - 2:32 pm
reply
-->
Ridazz Roulette!
lube it up