chain LUBE -- are we being conned with technology..?

[John the Canuck]

a fair weather cyclist, so bought 125mml bottle of TF2+ DRY to see what all the fuss was
i admit my usage of a light 'cycle oil' did result in a mucky chain - wiped down after every outing though
so cleaned chain - applied - cleaned, and applied 1 drop to each roller

yesterday some unavoidable mucky muddy puddles in the lanes - so cleaned and re-coated
thinks ''wont last long at this rate''.........

so here's the thing -- i cannot EVER remember doing all this in the 1960s
mileage was high with weekday training runs, some roller work, a Sunday 25m TT followed by a 50-70m Club run.
i also did 100mile Reliability Trials

i cannot remember EVER replacing a chain - wouldn't know how to measure wear......
chain maintenance prob consisted of a wipe down and a liberal coating of Mum's sewing machine Oil

so....why not use the cheapest lube possible -- SAE90 gear oil from my shed
and buy a new KMC Z7 chain for £10 or less each Spring..?


edit.........125ml of the Dry was £5.95

 

[smokeysmoo]

chain LUBE -- are we being conned with technology..?

Yup, which is why I use chainsaw oil

 

[Garethgas]

I've read about all the properties cycle oil is supposed to have but having seen other people's chains and tried a few, I just use left over engine oil mixed with thinners.
Seems to work fine. New chain every year £5 to £10 tops.

 

[Brandane]

The lube thing is just another way to get us to empty our bank accounts.
I run a 600cc motorbike, and it is chain driven. OK, the chain is a bit more heavy duty than a cycle chain, but it is subjected to much higher stresses. It gets lubricated by common engine oil from a drip feed lubricator. I expect to get something in the region of 10k miles from a motorbike chain.
Bicycle chains? I use the cheapest oil I can find and then wipe most of it off. Must try chainsaw oil.

 

[John the Canuck]

Yup, which is why I use chainsaw oil

i did look at that [after some of the threads here]
in my local Indian ''Buy it all here'' type DIY shop............it was about £8.99 / L


see OP edit

 

[400bhp]

Chain lube is so cheap. IIRC I go through a 250ml bottle a year, c. 7000 miles.

Not worth worrying about.

 

[John the Canuck]

Chain lube is so cheap. IIRC I go through a 250ml bottle a year, c. 7000 miles.
Not worth worrying about.

indeed ------------ but my idea was do we need it...............?
2 x 125bottles is £12 ... more than a new Z7 chain

 

[400bhp]

indeed ------------ but my idea was do we need it...............?
2 x 125bottles is £12 ... more than a new Z7 chain

Need - interesting word. In binary terms then no we don't need it.

I prefer something that isn't a gloopy mess and dry chain lube seems to fit the bill.

 

[ColinJ]

I tried chainsaw oil and it was so thick that it created a gloopy mess over not only my chain, rings, and cassette, but also draped strands across my chain stays. It was a total filthy gunk magnet, and I could actually feel an increase in drag after using it.

Mind you, it was very cheap!

 

[ColinJ]

What are the odds on 2 CC members typing the description 'gloopy mess' at exactly the same time!

 

[400bhp]

What are the odds on 2 CC members typing the description 'gloopy mess' at exactly the same time!

More than the odds of 2 typing it a minute apart?

 

[ColinJ]

More than the odds of 2 typing it a minute apart?

We were only separated by seconds, but the minute had ticked over!

I saw that another post had been made while I was typing but I didn't read yours until I had posted mine.

 

[AndyWilliams]

It works, cheap enough.

 

[Gravity Aided]

http://road.cc/content/review/64029-wd40-3-one-professional-bike-maintenance-spray
Bottom line-Good lightweight spray lubricant, but too lightweight for use on chains.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

At the Andy Pruitt talk he mentioned needing to find 100 watts for a rider, I think it was the guy looking to win Paris Roubaix, so they analysed everything, cleaning and properly oiling the chain was worth something like 10 watts on its own, a figure they were amazed to find. So you might not want to run one dry. Chainsaw lube is horribly sticky stuff, I've run it on the motorbike before now, it's designed to do a slightly different job and I'm not sure I'd use it on a cycle chain. I'd imagine anything that is just going to keep the rollers clean and moving would do though most of the stuff out there (I saw so e ceramic chain lube at £12 a bottle in the LBS last time I was in) is going to be as effective as each other. While the outlay isn't cheap a bottle does seem to last forever so I think I have a lot more things above it on my worry list.