Brown substance on chain

[stuarttunstall]

Hi

I have a silly question if anyone can help..

I have just been out to check the bike over ready for a little ride Sunday, I have not used it for about 3 weeks due to the weather … I keep the chain well lubed with dry lube as I use it in the dry.. Now looking at it looks like the chain is covered in a rust/brown coloured substance which seems to wipe off easy enough..

I have just washed off the chain with a jet of water and bike cleaner and it looks to come up really clean with no signs of rust so I have re-lubed and lubricated the cassette .. The cassette does have a couple of tiny rust marks on a couple of the gears but nothing really..

Do you know what this could be? Is it rust in the chain or just damp/muck mixed with the lube? never had this appear before, just the last month I would say..

I am taking it the LBS next Friday to get it serviced to keep the 5 year warranty up to date so will ask them to check the chain/cassette and have them changed if needed, I suspect not as it has only covered about 1000 miles since June 2018 ..

STuart

 

[iluvmybike]

You do often get a bit of corrosion on chains if they have been left wet for a couple of weeks. Nothing to worry about just wipe off and relube as you have done

 

[Stompier]

I keep the chain well lubed with dry lube as I use it in the dry

The brown colour probably indicates a ferrous content, but I just wanted to make sure there was no misunderstanding about what 'dry' lube is. 'Dry' indicates the type of lube (ie usually wax based rather than oil based) - it is not a recommendation that it is ideal for 'dry' weather, any more than 'wet' lube is an indication that it should be used in wet weather.

Having said that - I won't touch dry lube, although lots of others probably swear by it, or maybe at it.

 

[newfhouse]

Was your last ride particularly scary?

 

[PK99]

Was your last ride particularly scary?

Or are there lots of dog walkers on the routes you ride?

 

[12boy]

Your silly question is intriguing to me and I wish a photo was taken before you wiped off the chain. Wet conditions will wash off most any lube, and unless the chain is plated with non rusting metal or is stainless steel, they will rust, especially on the outside of the links, and over the entire length of the chain. If rusty, even if wiped off, the chain will be discolored by the rust.
The problem with chains is the most effective lube is oil and the lube which attracts grit the most is oil. Were we all to follow the path of enclosed chains with an oil bath, chains would last much longer. If you oil a chain, and wipe it thoroughly after every ride and then re-oil it and that wiping removes grit that has worked into the inner surfaces of the chain that would be good. Tough to get that inner grit, though, and a lot of work done frequently.
Dry lubes are generally a wax suspended in a solvent that evaporates after application, hopefully leaving a layer of waxy lube inside the chain. Wax is not as affective a lube as oil, but doesn't pick up grit so much either.
Wet lubes are basically oil, perhaps with additives Such as Teflon or molybdenum to aid in reducing friction. Put it on the inside, pedal the bike to centrifically drive the lube though the chain, hopefully taking grit with it, and wipe off the excess is what I've always heard. .
When the parts of the chain in contact with the sprocket, chain ring and derailleur wheels are lube free, the chain becomes noisier, even if the critical inner areas are still waxy or oily.
Being a Luddite, I have a dedicated crock pot filled with canning type wax, mixed with a little oil and beeswax. Those keep the wax sticky so it doesn't flake off the chain. After heating this wax until totally melted, the chain is immersed for a 1/2 hour or so, and then pulled out to cool off. When the mix is right, there is a little film of wax on the outside and lots inside the chain. The chain is silent and the chain pins push out easily with a chain breaker. Even this washes off in wet road conditions or snow, but not as quickly as wet lube. When the chain is noisy, back in the crockpot. This may be wishful thinking, but I think the waxy exterior reduces the wear on sprocket and chain ring.
So if the brown crud bothers you, wipe it off and relube. You can buy some spendy stainless steel chain, too. Chain lube is like steel vs Al vs Ti vs Carbon frame debates. There are many schools of thought as to what is best. For me, in the 60 some years I've been riding a bike, crock pot wax lube is the most effective and the easiest.

 

[overmind]

That toilet paper you clean the chain with. It is not supposed to be second hand.

 

[Globalti]

It's salt sticking to your chain and soaking up moisture, which turns brown. That's why it washes off.

Ride your bike on even a dry road that's been salted and it will be covered in fine salt dust. If you value the bike you ought to wash it with hot soapy water after every ride once the local authority has started gritting.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I’m going for a punt that it’s ferrous oxide dust. Like fairy dust but different. Effects moving metal components exposed to moisture. Am I right?

 

[silva]

Once on a morning I discovered my chain like that, with nothing to see the evening before. I brushed it off with water and even more brown appeared, so I proceeded until the water stayed clear.
Shortwhile later I discovered that I had to retension the chain (fixed gear) a big distance in one go.
Short explanation: salt.
Solution prevention: toothbrush to put oil on the outside of the chain. To prevent the salt from entering the chains joints. The evening before I had have snow hanging (containing the salt) on the bike. I brushed it off dry but it had already melted partly, causing the salt to dissolve and displaced with the water to the inside. Salt doesn't dissolve in oil.

 

[stuarttunstall]

Sorry for the delay and thank you all for your comments... It is going to the LBS on Friday so I will let them have a look

 

[CXRAndy]

Rust, oil it more often

 

[Levo-Lon]

It's salt sticking to your chain and soaking up moisture, which turns brown. That's why it washes off.

Ride your bike on even a dry road that's been salted and it will be covered in fine salt dust. If you value the bike you ought to wash it with hot soapy water after every ride once the local authority has started gritting.

Road salt is not what it was.
Its lasts longer but the damn stuff makes a mess.
Not to mention greasy roads..

 

[Levo-Lon]

As globalti says or just gunk from the chain rollers

 

[Globalti]

Seven people have told you your chain has gone rusty after not being used for a couple of weeks yet you still don't really believe them?

I thank God I'm not married to you.