To Lube or not

User avatar
sblack
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:38 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby sblack » Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:46 pm

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

All those threads mention Purple Extreme Lube :shock:
I used Purple Extreme for a while and was dissappointed with it's wet weather performance. Despite that supposed to be one of it's stregths I found one ride in the rain was enough to have a noisy chain.

So once it was all used up I went back to the cheaper lube I had been using before. Can't remember what it was called but it was a plant based evnironmentally friendly one. It worked just as well as Purple Extreme had except the plant base turned to a gungy looking dark green pretty quickly. I had over 5000km on my current chain when it ran out and still not worn enough for the chain checker to fit in yet so am happy with the life I got out of it. However when it ran out I decided to try the Squirt that was given out as a sample at the Highland Fling. Gave the chain a very quick clean before applying then the next day the bike went on the roof of the car to head down for the Alpine Classic. A few minutes of heavy rain at freeway speeds on the way down had me expecting to have to reapply but a quick check and all seamed fine.

Got through the ride and coped some torrential rain on the way home the next day. Still no reapplication before a couple of short commutes through the week and then another 200km ride with sections of rain through the day and now approaching 500km since application I've decided to order a proper sized bottle and see how it goes longer term. Pretty happy to get 500km in the conditions it's faced without needing to do anything.
Image

User avatar
m@
Posts: 5112
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Wurundjeri Country
Contact:

Re: To Lube or not

Postby m@ » Tue Feb 05, 2013 1:19 pm

Tried PE to see what all the fuss was about; was seriously disappointed. Lucky to get to the end of a single ride without the chain squeaking like a demented dormouse.

It's Rock'n'Roll all the way for me (Extreme for the MTB, gold for the others). Yes it's more expensive than lube + separate degreaser, but also much quicker, cleaner and easier. If I place too high a value on my time, blame it on too many weekends spent filtering and decanting kero... :mrgreen:
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe

User avatar
il padrone
Posts: 22931
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: Heading for home.

Re: To Lube or not

Postby il padrone » Tue Feb 05, 2013 1:43 pm

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

All those threads mention Purple Extreme Lube :shock:
I used Purple Extreme for a while and was dissappointed with it's wet weather performance.
m@ wrote:Tried PE to see what all the fuss was about; was seriously disappointed. Lucky to get to the end of a single ride without the chain squeaking like a demented dormouse.
Well I am quite perplexed :? :o

Not my experience and I am left wondering. What was your application regime? Did you clean the previous lube off? What trail conditions did you have?

My experience has been that it stays on the chain as well or better than other lubes and attracts far less gunge, in rain, dirt or dry. In very dry & dusty conditions (outback Lake Eyre) it did require application every 2-3 days (150-250kms), but never became squeaky, just a grinding feel. Otherwise I re-apply it about every 600-800 kms.

There is something odd here :? :?
Mandatory helmet law?
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."

User avatar
sblack
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:38 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby sblack » Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:26 pm

Il padrone. I tried both with thouroughly cleaned drivetrain and with quickly wiped down chain as well as trying differing amounts of application from using sparingy through to liberal use. In terms of trail conditions it was wet roads that caused the problems. Maybe there's some crap on the roads around here that you don't have that causes the issue but I would be lucky to get 50 wet km in before it started getting noisy regardless of how I'd cleaned or applied.
Image

User avatar
il padrone
Posts: 22931
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: Heading for home.

Re: To Lube or not

Postby il padrone » Tue Feb 05, 2013 5:43 pm

Wet conditions huh?

When it comes to wet conditions this was the result of the day before. Note the chain condition. Purple Extreme lube in use, Mawson Trail near Hawker SA, May 2010

Image



We rode all of the next day (dry) on a miix of tarmac and gravel with some more mud (not much) and not a peep from the chain. It didn't get cleaned down until the next day. I've been using Purple Extreme for almost 4 years now and I have had no real concerns at all. In that time I've only used the one bottle - onto a second one now. Ridden probably over 20,000 kms with it.
Mandatory helmet law?
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."

Wal42
Posts: 736
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:09 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby Wal42 » Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:31 pm

Cor', a Giant Sedona, I ain't seen one of those for ages. What a bike, couldn't kill them with a great big axe.

User avatar
il padrone
Posts: 22931
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: Heading for home.

Re: To Lube or not

Postby il padrone » Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:55 pm

Still in regular service as my son's touring bike. It's been replaced by my Thorn Nomad, an equally tough frame but designed specifically for the Rohloff Speedhub 500/14 :D
Mandatory helmet law?
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."

User avatar
Mulger bill
Super Mod
Super Mod
Posts: 29060
Joined: Sun Sep 24, 2006 2:41 pm
Location: Sunbury Vic

Re: To Lube or not

Postby Mulger bill » Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:45 pm

il padrone wrote:
sblack wrote:
mitzikatzi wrote:I use Squirt athe the moment and don't clean my chain just apply more lube.

All those threads mention Purple Extreme Lube :shock:
I used Purple Extreme for a while and was dissappointed with it's wet weather performance.
m@ wrote:Tried PE to see what all the fuss was about; was seriously disappointed. Lucky to get to the end of a single ride without the chain squeaking like a demented dormouse.
Well I am quite perplexed :? :o
Not just you, I love the stuffs longevity and dirt sheddingness. I've posted this before, but here's a pic of me commuters pre cleaning chain after quite a few hundred kms through Autumn, it was starting to chirp quietly at the time.
Image
...whatever the road rules, self-preservation is the absolute priority for a cyclist when mixing it with motorised traffic.
London Boy 29/12/2011

NhiTrac
Posts: 758
Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 8:58 pm
Location: Chatswood, NSW

Re: To Lube or not

Postby NhiTrac » Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:38 pm

Just bought a bottle of Rock & Roll because of all you guys raving about it.

Certainly cleans the chain well... But I don't know about lube. My drive train sounds a lot louder than when I use a 'normal' lubricant and shifting is the same...
FOCUS Cayo
BMC Teammachine SLR01

User avatar
clackers
Posts: 2065
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 10:48 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: To Lube or not

Postby clackers » Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:49 am

Really shake it up, Nhitrac, and think about keeping it indoors and not out in the shed, since the liquid is mainly solvent, and you want to get the wax at the bottle's bottom on to your chain to be the actual lube.

Note that wax lubes are really for dry weather.

Oil based ones attract more dust but stay on longer in the wet.

User avatar
sblack
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:38 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby sblack » Thu Feb 07, 2013 12:42 pm

So I checked up what the plant based lube I'd been using was and it Green Oil chain lube. It's what the first 5000+km of my current chain was lubed with. I personally haven't got this distance out of a chain before.

I found it better than purple extreme on wet roads and the only place Purple Extreme seamed better is in appearance. The chain always looked cleaner with Purple Extreme, but depite the dirtier look the Green Oil ran quiet for much longer in the wet.

The initial application of Squirt has lasted longer again but the wet riding hasn't been on the same roads yet so I'm calling it too early to tell. The roads in particular that I'm thinking are part of my daily commute where I ride past the entrance road to two quarries. I'm wondering if metal dust or something else dropped by the high volume of quarry truck traffic in that section of the commute, and picking that up when the roads are wet, has anything to do with why purple extreme performs so poorly for me compared to the likes of il padrone and Mulger bill.
Image

kunalraiker
Posts: 448
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:44 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby kunalraiker » Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:14 pm

All,

My chain has started to squeak constantly, I did lube it sparigly the other day with a dry chain spray lube, still no better.
Would it be something else ?

User avatar
ZepinAtor
Posts: 1558
Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2010 7:46 pm
Location: Brizzzzbane Everton Hillzzzz

Re: To Lube or not

Postby ZepinAtor » Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:48 pm

mitzikatzi wrote:
I use Squirt at the moment and don't clean my chain just apply more lube.
Likewise here. A mate recommended it & at first I thought it was rubbish, but thought I'd dump it on there & just use it up quickly.

Well it's been awesome. Goes on like white milky water & dries like a clear wax coating. After about 500km little blobs of dirty gunk just brush off.

Gave mine a good kerosining yesterday after about 3000km of re-applying & wiping
Gas propulsion.......it's natural don't fight it.

User avatar
Puffy
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:26 am

Re: To Lube or not

Postby Puffy » Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:17 pm

twizzle wrote:*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.

I ride with a buddy... 90% of the time we do exactly the same riding, at the same time.
We both bought chains three months ago (maybe 3000kms?) his is ready for replacement, mine is not showing the slightest of wear. Why? I take mine off once a month and soak/vibrate replace cleaner repeat till clean, then dry and soak in lube. There is no arguing that is the best way to extend the life of a chain. It's the only way to get the grit from under the rollers!

But you know what? We're talking $30 for a chain... is it worth the hassel? For most, not likely....
I use R&R red now. We'll see how long I get from this chain.

User avatar
Puffy
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:26 am

Re: To Lube or not

Postby Puffy » Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:24 pm

NhiTrac wrote:Just bought a bottle of Rock & Roll because of all you guys raving about it. Certainly cleans the chain well... But I don't know about lube. My drive train sounds a lot louder than when I use a 'normal' lubricant and shifting is the same...
I had the same problem when I first used Red. Turned out I wasn't applying enough. Silent chain now! Apply heaps, consider it a cleaner, not a lube. Also buy it in the large bottles which makes it as cheap as other good lubes IMHO. If you don't get any joy, try Clean Ride from white lightening. Also a great lube.

User avatar
Puffy
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:26 am

Re: To Lube or not

Postby Puffy » Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:27 pm

kunalraiker wrote:All,My chain has started to squeak constantly, I did lube it sparigly the other day with a dry chain spray lube, still no better.
Would it be something else ?
Sure it's the chain? If not might be the bottom bracket... I recently replaced the chain on the commuter but rebuiling the bottom bracket is what silenced the squeeks. Go to town with the lube, work it in a bit and wipe the excess off. See if that helps.

HTH.

User avatar
sblack
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:38 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby sblack » Thu Feb 07, 2013 4:15 pm

Puffy wrote:I ride with a buddy... 90% of the time we do exactly the same riding, at the same time.
We both bought chains three months ago (maybe 3000kms?) his is ready for replacement, mine is not showing the slightest of wear. Why? I take mine off once a month and soak/vibrate replace cleaner repeat till clean, then dry and soak in lube. There is no arguing that is the best way to extend the life of a chain. It's the only way to get the grit from under the rollers!
My current chain which happens to be the longest lasting I've had by a considerable margin, is currently at 5671km and plenty of life left. It has never been off the bike and only get's cleaned every now and then with a wipe down then relube.
Image

User avatar
clackers
Posts: 2065
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 10:48 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: To Lube or not

Postby clackers » Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:23 pm

sblack wrote: My current chain which happens to be the longest lasting I've had by a considerable margin, is currently at 5671km and plenty of life left. It has never been off the bike and only get's cleaned every now and then with a wipe down then relube.
Yep, as I understand it there might be a slight gain in mechanical efficiency from a clean chain, but by and large chain wear is related to how many kilometres you ride and the forces put through the links (hard pedalling, cross-chaining, small number of teeth engaged, etc)

kunalraiker
Posts: 448
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:44 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby kunalraiker » Fri Feb 08, 2013 6:54 am

Puffy wrote:
kunalraiker wrote:All,My chain has started to squeak constantly, I did lube it sparigly the other day with a dry chain spray lube, still no better.
Would it be something else ?
Sure it's the chain? If not might be the bottom bracket... I recently replaced the chain on the commuter but rebuiling the bottom bracket is what silenced the squeeks. Go to town with the lube, work it in a bit and wipe the excess off. See if that helps.

HTH.
Will give that a go and report back.

User avatar
sblack
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:38 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby sblack » Fri Feb 08, 2013 8:22 am

kunalraiker wrote:
Puffy wrote:
kunalraiker wrote:All,My chain has started to squeak constantly, I did lube it sparigly the other day with a dry chain spray lube, still no better.
Would it be something else ?
Sure it's the chain? If not might be the bottom bracket... I recently replaced the chain on the commuter but rebuiling the bottom bracket is what silenced the squeeks. Go to town with the lube, work it in a bit and wipe the excess off. See if that helps.

HTH.
Will give that a go and report back.
Also consider pedals and pedal/cleat interface.
Image

User avatar
il padrone
Posts: 22931
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: Heading for home.

Re: To Lube or not

Postby il padrone » Fri Feb 08, 2013 12:53 pm

kunalraiker wrote: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?
You might be able to come close to this with a Chainglider. But you'd need an IGH bike or SS :wink: :mrgreen:


Image

Running on factory lube only after 700kms
Image
Image
Image

http://youtu.be/d_5KPQgpGLs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Last edited by il padrone on Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Mandatory helmet law?
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."

User avatar
Shpox
Posts: 272
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:54 am
Location: Brisbane, Queensland.

Re: To Lube or not

Postby Shpox » Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:25 pm

Your lube should be wet to the touch, if you're using wax based lubes. General rule is clean every 100-150kms of riding. When I say clean, I mean wipe the chain until it stops smearing black. Relube. Wipe off excess.

That's it. I use Rock & Roll gold. Use red for road bikes. Blue for MTB.
Triflow for pivots/cables.

User avatar
sblack
Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:38 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby sblack » Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:54 pm

Shpox wrote:General rule is clean every 100-150kms of riding. When I say clean, I mean wipe the chain until it stops smearing black. Relube. Wipe off excess.
That seams excessive to me and I would be very disappointed if I found my chain needed attention that often. On a road bike I don't see why 500km shouldn't be a reasonable goal.
Image

User avatar
il padrone
Posts: 22931
Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
Location: Heading for home.

Re: To Lube or not

Postby il padrone » Fri Feb 08, 2013 11:16 pm

sblack wrote:
Shpox wrote:General rule is clean every 100-150kms of riding. When I say clean, I mean wipe the chain until it stops smearing black. Relube. Wipe off excess.
That seams excessive to me and I would be very disappointed if I found my chain needed attention that often. On a road bike I don't see why 500km shouldn't be a reasonable goal.
+1

In my routine I do this about every 500-600kms. The chain looks like this (before cleaning, after about 1300kms IIRC):

Image
Mandatory helmet law?
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."

Wal42
Posts: 736
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:09 pm

Re: To Lube or not

Postby Wal42 » Sat Feb 09, 2013 6:15 am

sblack wrote: That seams excessive to me and I would be very disappointed if I found my chain needed attention that often. On a road bike I don't see why 500km shouldn't be a reasonable goal.


I do my chains after every ride, not that they need it but it's called maintenance.


Maybe someone's chain might not need the attention, but over lubing the chain is better than under lubing.


(Not aimed at sblack)

I find it strange that people will spend anywhere from $300-$30K on a bicycle then they'll try to skimp on doing the most basic of maintenance, a litre bottle of Pro Gold cost around $40, why would you not do your chain often, considering the replacement cost of the chain, cassette, derailleur freewheels, etc.

Use whatever brand works best for you, do it often, what cost maybe 50cents now will save you bigger dollars in the long run.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users