Maintenance tips for rain

[Dial]

As much as I like sitting back with a beer and giving my bike a service. The reality of riding on a daily basis compared to weekend riding is quite different. After a solid weekend of riding you have all week to prepare your bike. When riding day-to-day, you really have limited time to prepare for the next day.

Generally there’s not much to do, keep the chain lubed, check tyre pressure etc. But riding in the rain seems to really throw out my running gear. Has anyone got any quick maintenance tips regarding before and after commuting in the rain?

[mikedufty]

I decided it wasn't worth the bother, so I use a special second bike for rain commuting, it has full length mudguards, a windscreen, internal gearing, only needs servicing every 10,000km even in wet weather, and has a 600cc motor so I can wear wet weather gear without getting too sweaty inside.

[toolonglegs]

Have a chain with a quick link...takes 5 minutes to take it off, clean it and refit.Apart from that good cables with waterproof nipples...clean the rims and pads fairly often.I don't commute but I do ride in any weather...rain is no problem,only thing it wears out is rims and jockey wheels a bit quicker...doesn't bother my chain much but I clean it most days if it is crap....now Winter riding with salt all over the roads is a very different story... that trashes a bike very quickly.

[trailgumby]

....now Winter riding with salt all over the roads is a very different story... that trashes a bike very quickly.

Can't be too good for the cars either? Does that explain why we don't see that many older cars in Europe and the US like we get here in Oz - they rust out from the undercarriage up?

[xavdav]

Can't be too good for the cars either? Does that explain why we don't see that many older cars in Europe and the US like we get here in Oz - they rust out from the undercarriage up?

The government also pays you to wreck you car once it has reached an age where it can easily become Hazardous.

[hartleymartin]

After riding in the rain for a few days, take a rag and use methylated spirits to clean the mess out of your chain and gears. Once you have most of the gunk off, use some WD40 to really strip out the last remaining bits of gunked up crap in your chain. Then it's time to apply all fresh lubricate to you chain and gears. Some people use a rag, some people use a small brush, others just dribble it on whilst turning everything and let the lubricant spread itself around. I'm one of the last group. I'm not going to take pains to lubricate, because I know that I'm only going to have to strip it all out again soon.

[sogood]

After riding in the rain for a few days, take a rag and use methylated spirits to clean the mess out of your chain and gears. Once you have most of the gunk off, use some WD40 to really strip out the last remaining bits of gunked up crap in your chain. Then it's time to apply all fresh lubricate to you chain and gears.

I don't think that's a widely accepted practice. Why both with metho when you are going to use WD40? In any case, there are strong arguments against using WD40 on the drivetrain. Why not just keep it simple and just use citrus degreaser for the whole job? As for lube. Only lightly lube the chain and any necessary bearing area but not the cassette or chainwheel. If you get an accumulation of crud on the jockey wheel, then you are probably lubing too much.

[snedden9485]

WHen lubing, where do you apply the lube? I have been told by some to do it on the chain (on the cassette section), where others say just forward of the RD?

[simonn]

FWIW, I normally wait until the weekend before I clean the bike. I may lube the chain during the week if it needs to be done, i.e. squeaks a little.

The only maintenance I do during a work week is if the bike is basically broken e.g. snapped gear, cable, skipping gears, breaks not working as well as they should do etc.

Does that explain why we don't see that many older cars in Europe and the US like we get here in Oz - they rust out from the undercarriage up?

In the US it's probably because they make badly designed cars which only survive a few years and people thought and borrowed more money than they had sense.

However, in Europe? I was surprised by how many people drove new cars in Oz and how normal it was to buy a new car when I moved here. Never seen so many people willing to pay the instant depreciation for everyone else. Mind you, I lived in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and that was pre-bubble, so maybe things have changed in Europe.

[sogood]

WHen lubing, where do you apply the lube? I have been told by some to do it on the chain (on the cassette section), where others say just forward of the RD?

Absolutely correct that one should only need to lube the chain. Where you do it is up to you. But one tiny drop/spray over each roller/pin is all that's required. Spin the chain around and then wipe the excess off with a rag. The key is to let the lube penetrate under the rollers. Otherwise a drop or a quick squirt at each bearing joint (jockey wheel, RD/FD mechanism) is all that's required.

[snedden9485]

Doesnt that take a while to do (dropping oil onto every link). I have just been spinning the chain and squirting lube on chain for about 3 - 4 seconds. I also put a drop on the bearing of the jockey wheels. I then hold onto the chain with a rag and spin it for a while to remove the excess lube.

[sogood]

Doesnt that take a while to do (dropping oil onto every link).

Well, that's just the description. I am sure most people are able to execute this step in an efficient manner.

[hartleymartin]

Doesnt that take a while to do (dropping oil onto every link).

Well, that's just the description. I am sure most people are able to execute this step in an efficient manner.

Hence, why I think most people just spin the cranks backwards and dribble the lubricant onto the chain.

As to a previous comment on the use of Metho and WD40. I use the metho in a rag to clean the chain. The WD40 is mostly used to get anything out of the cassette. My bad for not making this clearer.

[sogood]

As to a previous comment on the use of Metho and WD40. I use the metho in a rag to clean the chain.

Why do you do that? Letting the metho getting into the rollers/pins would just dissolve any good lube inside. If you just want to get rid of the crud on the chain, then why not just use a hard rag and to scrape them off. If the chain is too sticky for it to run well through the rag, then a bit of light lube on the rag would easy solve the problem.

[Dial]

I find WD40 a very temporary solution. A few days later the rear derailleur and chain are normally clagged up. I think I might try Toolongs suggestion. If I setup with a container of petrol and some washing up gloves. A bit of practice and I should be able to get the chain and derailleur cleaned and chain refitted within 5 minutes. Just can't afford to forget to lube the chain the next morning

[Thoglette]

As to a previous comment on the use of Metho and WD40. I use the metho in a rag to clean the chain.

Why do you do that? Letting the metho getting into the rollers/pins would just dissolve any good lube inside. If you just want to get rid of the crud on the chain, then why not just use a hard rag and to scrape them off. If the chain is too sticky for it to run well through the rag, then a bit of light lube on the rag would easy solve the problem.

There is only One True Way http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html to clean a chain

Personally, I just use a rag (while winding the pedals backwards) to clean the worst of the crap off the chain and sprockets. Then a wax based lube (too lazy to wax the old fashioned way) on the inside of the chain. In the wet I have to relube every few days but I'm never going back to grease!

[sogood]

In the wet I have to relube every few days but I'm never going back to grease!

Wow, does anyone actually use grease for their chain?

[sogood]

I find WD40 a very temporary solution. A few days later the rear derailleur and chain are normally clagged up. I think I might try Toolongs suggestion. If I setup with a container of petrol and some washing up gloves. A bit of practice and I should be able to get the chain and derailleur cleaned and chain refitted within 5 minutes. Just can't afford to forget to lube the chain the next morning

WD40 is a curse. Just don't use it. As for petrol, why keep a highly flammable liquid at home when kerosene can do a better job?

[hartleymartin]

Suddenly the old idea of a chaincase seems very clever. Unfortunately it doesn't work well with derailer gearing systems. At the moment a Shimano 8-speed hub, whilst ideal, is too expensive for me - perhaps when I get a proper paying job I can do it.

[sogood]

Suddenly the old idea of a chaincase seems very clever. Unfortunately it doesn't work well with derailer gearing systems. At the moment a Shimano 8-speed hub, whilst ideal, is too expensive for me - perhaps when I get a proper paying job I can do it.

A quick wipe down after each ride paired with a dry lube (eg. ProLink) is probably the best bet to keep the drivetrain clean. Waiting for the gunk to build up before the clean would just lead to too much work.

[hartleymartin]

I figure that the drive-train is getting dirty when I can see gunk on the jockey-wheels. Today I removed so much gunk. I sprayed de-greaser onto a rag and then ran the pedals backwards to wipe the mess off. Cleaned the chain and then fresh lubricant. I figure its a job I should do more often - at least once every couple of weeks.

[rmgrimes79]

checked out the link Thoglette suggested, this guy is COMITTED to cleanliness !

i just use degreaser all over (wheels, brakes, drivetrain), wash off with water, use turps then with a chain cleaner, then degreaser, wash allow to dry then apply lube to every link and ionox to cable and derailuer. whole process 10 - 20 mins easy as pie and makes your bike run really smooth

in the tropics we dont have water restrictions so do this about every 2 - 3 weeks. in the monsoonal weather turns into nearly every week

[Thoglette]

In the wet I have to relube every few days but I'm never going back to grease!

Wow, does anyone actually use grease for their chain?

I blame the chain oil fairies - you go and put nice clean oil on the nice clean chain and the little buggers steal it, stuffing your chain full of filthy dirty, greasy muck hoping you won't notice. Isn't that how it happens?

Before enlightenment, I tried all sorts of crap including various oils and a proprietory "chain lube" which seemed more grease than oil. Yeuch!

[Nobody]

Before enlightenment, I tried all sorts of crap including various oils and a proprietory "chain lube" which seemed more grease than oil. Yeuch!

Just to show we all have different experiences, I used to use R&R Extreme (blue) and gave up on it as the chain started to sound gritty to me in less than 100Km of dry road cycling. (Yes, I used it as directed). I now keep it for the kid's bikes.

I've now moved to Finish Line Wet at the recommendation of the Bicycle Tutor:

Chain Lubricants

I don’t recommend using either motor oil or 3in1 oil to lubricate the chain. Motor oil is too heavy and won’t fully penetrate the rollers, and 3in1 oil is vegetable based and will gum up the chain. I also don’t recommend using wax lubricants because while they don’t collect as much dirt, they are a lot of hassle to apply correctly, and wax is simply not as good a lubricant as oil. I do recommend mineral based chain oils like Finish Line Cross Country or Phil Wood Tenacious Oil because they do the best job of fighting corrosion and don’t wash away when they get wet.

(The above may have some bias as the site has advertising which sells both these oils.)

So far I'm impressed. Took the MTB out in some wet and muddy conditions earlier this week and the chain is still running smooth without further lubrication.

[Aushiker]

As to a previous comment on the use of Metho and WD40. I use the metho in a rag to clean the chain. The WD40 is mostly used to get anything out of the cassette. My bad for not making this clearer.

G'day

The Bicycle Tutor on WD 40 and why it is bad for your bike chain.

Andrew