To Lube or not

[kunalraiker]

Ok, so far I have been degreasing and lubing the bike every week.
Last week I applied the lube very sparingly and noticed that my cassette remained much cleaner.
I have heard the less lube the better,

Does that mean I can get away with not lubing?
Am I using wrong products- Got the degreaser from Bunnings a cheap $2.00 huge can.
Was given this dry lube can from the person I bought the bike.

I like to see my bike nice and clean but cannot take the risk of destroying any parts, what should I do ?

[mitzikatzi]

Search for chain lube. A number of threads on the topic that include cleaning routines and how to.

[HappyHumber]

"Less lube the better" does not mean "Yipee, no lube!". It just means applying it conservatively in an effective manner ensuring it get to where it's needed ie. inside the chain pins and linkages. Excess lube on the outside of the chain is mainly there to to get on your legs and clothes.

+1 to using the search feature to find a technique for lubing that suits you. The topic has really been done to death umpteen times before just on these forums. It's a personal choice..... just read around and get some ideas and see what works for you.

[gururug]

Decreasing and lubing really put me off riding the bike...... don't bother with the whole routine now..........

Wipe every ten rides ( 3-5 in wet weather ) with a rag, add a bit of lube, wipe again........ best maintenance routine for commuters....... for those who compete I can understand having a meticulous drivetrain. For the rest of us it's overkill IMO.

[jacks1071]

Ok, so far I have been degreasing and lubing the bike every week.
Last week I applied the lube very sparingly and noticed that my cassette remained much cleaner.
I have heard the less lube the better,

Does that mean I can get away with not lubing?
Am I using wrong products- Got the degreaser from Bunnings a cheap $2.00 huge can.
Was given this dry lube can from the person I bought the bike.

I like to see my bike nice and clean but cannot take the risk of destroying any parts, what should I do ?

Degreaser has no business anywhere near a bike, any bits that you fail to wash off will corrode the heck out of any alloy parts on your bike.

Get some Rock n Roll lube and you'll just about never have to wash your chain again as this cleans and lubes at the sametime.

[Puffy]

The degrease will run into the derailer sprocket bearings and what not washing the grease out. To clean a chain properly you need to take it off the bike to soak it in degrease (I use kero as evaproates quickly from the chain), vibrate/shake etc, changing the bath several times until it's clean. That is the only way to get the grit out from under the rollers. Then hang to dry (24hrs) making sure the degrease has gone from under the rollers of it will pollute the new lube. Then to guarantee the pins are lubricated properly, it needs to be soaked again. I have taken chains of bikes that have been just cleaned and done this showing the owner they were far from clean. Another good test is to twist the chain and you will hear the grit grinding between the side plates. A little lube often, esp with a dry lube (eg Clean ride) means less dirt gets stuck to the chain. The cassett needs to come off the rim to be cleaned for the same reason. The crank sprockets can be done with a rag so as to keep the degrease under control.

Doing this will get you significant milage out of a chain but some say the effort is not worth it for a $30 chain. You decide.

[RonK]

Get some Rock n Roll lube and you'll just about never have to wash your chain again as this cleans and lubes at the sametime.

Quite right - Rock'N'Roll Gold, read the instructions and apply it liberally as directed. Allow a minute or two for it to loosen any dirt, then wipe off the excess. Once a week should be enough, more in wet weather.

[bychosis]

+heaps for rock n roll lube. So easy, quick and from my experience effective, even on super muddy runs on the MTB. Is only a bike chain, it's meant to get a bit dirty and eventually wear out. The most important thing for me is that it doesn't sound terrible. Lube reduces the noise.

[jacks1071]

+heaps for rock n roll lube. So easy, quick and from my experience effective, even on super muddy runs on the MTB. Is only a bike chain, it's meant to get a bit dirty and eventually wear out. The most important thing for me is that it doesn't sound terrible. Lube reduces the noise.

It really is good stuff, you waste a bit of it as you apply it liberally then wipe off as much as you can but its like $20 for a great big bottle.

I swear my chains are lasting longer with it and the drive train stays clean enough that personally I would never clean the chain between bike washes anymore.

[Mustang]

I used Rock & roll Gold on a chain that did 10K & was still working perfectly.
I know use R & R Red as its supposed to be better, I never degrease, if the chain gets dirty I just apply & wipe up to 3 x times.
The bike remains cleaner.

[mitzikatzi]

When to replace your chain

How to maintain this chain? (pic inside!)

Cleaning a chain

New discovery - my best chain lube ever

Reccomended Frame clearning products and processes?

Type of Chain Lubricants (Polls)

what degreaser do you use when cleaning your chain and cass

I use Squirt athe the moment and don't clean my chain just apply more lube.

All those threads mention Purple Extreme Lube

[_mike_]

+1 for Rock n Roll. But use the "road" version which is red/pink. The gold is better for mountain biking, I found it accumulates too much and is a little messy on the road bike. Chain never needs de-greasing and i'd take jacks advice with degreaser and bikes.

[MarkG]

Finish Line white ceramic lube or Eureka Pro for me

[Wal42]

I use Pro Link Gold (because that is the bike shop choice), but lube's are a personal choice thing.

As long as you use any of the better quality lube's then you won't go far wrong.

[kunalraiker]

thanks All, such a good outcome
Happy with all recommendation, I think I will give the Rock & Roll a try, probably the road version as the gold is for MTB?

[RonK]

thanks All, such a good outcome
Happy with all recommendation, I think I will give the Rock & Roll a try, probably the road version as the gold is for MTB?

Not quite - Gold is for either MTBs or road bikes, and is a better lube that the dry. Using the dry the chain stays very clean, but I've found that I have to re-apply it more often than Gold.

From the Rock'N'Roll web site.

Many riders ask, "What is the difference between the Extreme, Absolute Dry, and the Gold?" The Extreme is for mountain bikes. Absolute Dry is for the road bikes. The Gold is for both mountain
and road bikes.

It's worth noting the tips for use on the site.

[twizzle]

*sigh* once again...

I tried weekly ultrasonic cleaning in kero followed by detergent then water then Prolink.

It gave roughly the same chain life as a wipe over with a cloth lightly sprayed with WD40 to get the grease off for the first few thousand k's and after that the occasional lube if the chain sounded dry.

The latter takes up significantly less of my time than the former, and chain life was pretty much the same despite uncontrolled variables such as dust, rain etc. Fitting a full-length front mudguard makes more difference to chain life than how/when you lube the chain.

[jcjordan]

Ok, so far I have been degreasing and lubing the bike every week.
Last week I applied the lube very sparingly and noticed that my cassette remained much cleaner.
I have heard the less lube the better,

Does that mean I can get away with not lubing?
Am I using wrong products- Got the degreaser from Bunnings a cheap $2.00 huge can.
Was given this dry lube can from the person I bought the bike.

I like to see my bike nice and clean but cannot take the risk of destroying any parts, what should I do ?

Degreaser has no business anywhere near a bike, any bits that you fail to wash off will corrode the heck out of any alloy parts on your bike.

Get some Rock n Roll lube and you'll just about never have to wash your chain again as this cleans and lubes at the sametime.

You are aware that rock and roll is 95% degreaser. Bike shops love this stuff as it really only has about 5 applications in the bottle.

[HappyHumber]

Religion...
politics...
chain care...

[jimsheedy]

Religion...
politics...
chain care...
volunteer run cycling organisations

[clackers]

Religion...
politics...
chain care...
volunteer run cycling organisations

Let it go, Jim ... you'll feel ever so much better!

[jimsheedy]

Admit it. It made you smile just a bit ?

It's ok I won't let on

[twizzle]

You are aware that rock and roll is 95% degreaser. Bike shops love this stuff as it really only has about 5 applications in the bottle.

Ah, the nuances of "degreaser". "Emulsifiers" are usually alkaline and corrode the metals and ruin the paint, "Solvents" ala R&R, kero & WD40 dissolve the grease before evaporating off.

Sent from my iThingy...

[clackers]

Admit it. It made you smile just a bit ?

It's ok I won't let on

[Counts Jim's cash] ... 178 ... 179 ... 180 dollars! Bwahaha!

[dude18]

Religion...
politics...
chain care...
volunteer run cycling organisations

MHL