Chain lube

[rosscbrown]

I know everyone has their own preferences when it comes to keeping the chain lubricated. But I'll ask for some advice anyway...

I would like my chain to be lubed and look clean and perhaps even be clean. I've been using muc-off wet lube which is a blue lube- why does it end up black and dirty looking? How can I avoid black messy chain?

My step-father has just bought a new bike, does the same distance and me and lubes up as regularly as I do but he uses GT85 (as advised by a mechanic at Halfords) and his chain is always nice and clean looking.

What's the best system for a clean chain? Can it be as simple as regular degreasing and re-lubing? Or easier still with a quick blast of GT85 every day or so?

Finally, what's dry lube and should I care? Thanks :-)

 

[TheBoyBilly]

I use a Park Tool chain cleaning machine which really scrubs up a dirty chain well. You can get a cheaper version but I can't vouch for them so would recommend you buy Park Tools stuff. I quick wipe down with a clean, lint-free cloth and a reapplication of the lube of your choice- mine is Finish Line Epic Ride.

Bill

 

[gbb]

Never used GT85 and dont think i would either, its too much like WD40, which is an absolute no no for bike chains. Yes, it'll stay clean, but WD40 just doesnt have the right (some say ANY) lubrication properties. Experimented once with WD (just to prove it to myself)...chain life is drastically reduced. IF GT85 is a similar product..i wouldnt touch it with a barge pole.

Ive tried several different things, mostly unsuccessful at lubricating AND keeping a chain clean.
Engine oil, very good lube but the chain will get very dirty.

Finish Line Dry Teflon...which is not dry its a liquid which may dry with use but my chain gets just as dirty. No doubt a good lube though.

Also tried Rocol (industrial quality products) Sapphire Precision Lube with PTFE...again a very good lube in an aerosol...but the chain still gets dirty.

Rode with a guy once who had what looked like a whitish dry waxy layer all over his chain. I think its a Finish Line product...but it didnt look pretty on his bike either. No dount effective...but not pretty.

 

[HLaB]

Maintenance as suggested above will help things too and try searching the forum for the 'Mickle method' I'd also tend to stick away from GT85 it will clean the chain but at the expense of removing the protective lubricant.

On the lubrication front. I've been using Finish Line stuff on my bikes; the 'Cross Country' stuff (green top) on my utility bike and it seems very robust stuff and lasts for ages its only downside it attracts the muck; on the the road bikes I've been using 'Pro Road' (Gold Top) but I don't think they make it any more and its been replaced by 'Ceramic Wet'. A mate uses their 'Dry' stuff (Red Top), its said to be less robust but attracts less dirt. I guess you'll find something in the Finish line range to suit you.

Other lubes I or friend have tried I wouldn't recommend. I had some of the White lightning wax stuff I found I went through it too fast and didn't like the way it looked dry and didn't reckon it have been lubricating much, it certainly kept the drive chain clean though. I cant recall why but my mate used the Muc Off lube and hated it.

 

[MartinC]

GT85 isn't really a lubricant, it's a cleaner so you need to apply it pretty frequently to avoid wear. Any real oil on a chain will pick up road dirt and go black - if you're fastidious then frequent cleaning is the answer. Some people use dry wax lubricants, the chain stays clean 'cos the wax falls off with the dirt but in my experience the lubricant doesn't last long (not even a full day on the bike) and washes off if it rains.

 

[byegad]

I use heavy applications of GT85 to clean the chain, after thoroughly drying it with a cloth, I used to use a good cycle specific chain oil dropped onto each link. I get through say three cans of GT85 a year but buy it cheap at the York Rally so not too expensive. One very small and expensive bottle of oil lasted 2 or 3 years easily.

Cleaned as above when the chain looks dirty (So every month or so in winter and maybe once over the summer.) and re-greasing in a hot grease bath every 3000 miles or so, depending on how often it had to be cleaned I used to get 5000 to 10000 miles from a chain on my DF tourer and have yet to wear out a chain on my recumbents, but then they use nearly three full 'standard' chains so I'd expect 15000+.

I have just started to use chain saw oil instead of the high quality chain oil and so far it seems to me that;
a) The chains keep cleaner longer and;
b) The lube stays on the chain better.
(Certainly I have gone 1000miles without touching the first chain I applied it to with the chain looking and feeling lubricated and very little dirt stuck on it. )
I'll post when I make up my mind as to which to use in future.

GT85 can be used as an emergency lube but it evaporates quickly. I use it when I get home if the chain is wet, a light coat drives the water off quite well.

 

[Fattman]

I think the only way to keep a chain looking super-tip-top shiny is to either clean it with something like the Park Tool chain cleaner mentioned *very frequently* (which takes some dedication) or to use a dry lube and only ever ride in dry weather...

On my commuter bike (100+miles/week through London) I use White Lightning which is a dry lube in the summer - it doesn't seem to provide any worse lubrication than wet lubes (below). It uses a light solvent to carry a wax which then dries on/in the chain and needs frequent application (I put it on about every 100 miles). The great thing about it for me is that it is very clean to fettle/work with - you can pretty much just wash it off your hands with soap and water, and this has helped as I swap wheels and cassettes a lot for weekend/sportive rides.

In the winter, though, it just doesn't seem to stand up to rain very well, there comes a point where I give up and just load up with wet lube (Finish Line Wet Lube). It sticks, lasts well, but I just never seem to be able to keep it clean and it really does end up very black and mucky, requiring an eventual soaking of nearly everything in degreaser. Am always unhappier during this time!

Both of these methods pick up the black gunk, which must surely be mostly tyre dust (here) and other assorted crap. With the White Lightning your chain can be kept nice and shiny on the side-plates with a spray of Muc-Off Bike Spray on a bit of kitchen roll, and the rest of the drive train keeps nicely shiny.

Finally, I haven't seen any difference in chain life between the methods. This may be due to me not being terribly good at cleaning with the wet lube (it theoretically should be better) but I just don't like going near all that filth!

Good luck...

 

[rosscbrown]

Thanks all for the hints and tips. Looks like I'll be needing one of these chain cleaning tools. I've decided to stop using the Muc Off stuff - hate the smell. Eww. I've been spraying down with GT85 after rides on train days when I can't be bothered to clean and lube up the chain.

I think I might try something wax based for a while (glutton for punishment, me thinks) in the hope that it will be less sticky. I was looking over the chain last night and found loads of grit stuck in with the lube - that can't possibly be good...

 

[battered]

I've used those chain cleaning baths to good effect.

Reference to the MSDS for WD40 or GT85 will show they both contain light oil in a solvent. WD is about 20% light oil, 80% cetane (light petroleum spirit) so you need to use a lot to get a significant amount of lubrication. The solvenbt allows them to flow well, other than that they are no better than the light oil plus additives that goes in them. It's not true though that they don't lubricate, they do, but you have to remember that 80% of them is just petrol and it evaporates.

The white lube you saw was prob a dry film silicone spray, these work well and aren't sticky. Engine oil is horribly sticky (it's designed to be sticky, the whole point is that it sticks to engine parts so that when you start the engine in the morning there is a film of oil present and this lubricates the moving parts until the oil pump wakes up). Sticky oil plus dirt = evil gunge, so it's not bery good on a chain.

Black gunge on your chain is (IMO) a mixyure of oil, dirt, aluminium filings from the chainwheel and plastic from jockey wheels. I allow it to accumulate on the jockey wheels, then scrape it off with a stick and relube.

 

[palinurus]

One of my former colleagues used to have an interesting approach to chain lubrication. He rode a good 15 mile commute all year round and he would smother his chain in what looked liked traction engine grease. Thick black stuff it was, probably borrowed from work- he worked in the engineering shop back in the days when we made our own machine parts on site.

Anyway, I don't know why I told you that. Bored I guess. It's no help.

 

[Crankarm]

I think the only way to keep a chain looking super-tip-top shiny is to either clean it with something like the Park Tool chain cleaner mentioned *very frequently* (which takes some dedication) or to use a dry lube and only ever ride in dry weather...

On my commuter bike (100+miles/week through London) I use White Lightning which is a dry lube in the summer - it doesn't seem to provide any worse lubrication than wet lubes (below). It uses a light solvent to carry a wax which then dries on/in the chain and needs frequent application (I put it on about every 100 miles). The great thing about it for me is that it is very clean to fettle/work with - you can pretty much just wash it off your hands with soap and water, and this has helped as I swap wheels and cassettes a lot for weekend/sportive rides.

In the winter, though, it just doesn't seem to stand up to rain very well, there comes a point where I give up and just load up with wet lube (Finish Line Wet Lube). It sticks, lasts well, but I just never seem to be able to keep it clean and it really does end up very black and mucky, requiring an eventual soaking of nearly everything in degreaser. Am always unhappier during this time!

Both of these methods pick up the black gunk, which must surely be mostly tyre dust (here) and other assorted crap. With the White Lightning your chain can be kept nice and shiny on the side-plates with a spray of Muc-Off Bike Spray on a bit of kitchen roll, and the rest of the drive train keeps nicely shiny.

Finally, I haven't seen any difference in chain life between the methods. This may be due to me not being terribly good at cleaning with the wet lube (it theoretically should be better) but I just don't like going near all that filth!

Good luck...

Don't use this stuff as it is crap. I used it in copious amounts on a new chain and chainset (Ultegra) and within 2 months of winter riding 08/09 the rings were totally shagged. I replaced the chainset (I bought several really cheap before they became NLA) and have used Finish Line Pro Road Ceramic instead and problem disappeared as this is a top lube my chain and rings are now well lubed and protected.

Just to repeat Clean Ride White Lightening Wax is crap - AVOID.

 

[HLaB]

Don't use this stuff as it is crap. I used it in copious amounts on a new chain and chainset (Ultegra) and within 2 months of winter riding 08/09 the rings were totally shagged. I replaced the chainset (I bought several really cheap before they became NLA) and have used Finish Line Pro Road Ceramic instead and problem disappeared as this is a top lube my chain and rings are now well lubed and protected.

Just to repeat Clean Ride White Lightening Wax is crap - AVOID.

+1 I never got as far as destroying things but when I used White Lightning, I found I went through it too fast and wasn't convinced by its lubrication properties and found it messy; searched around the net and got similar reviews and started using the Pro Road stuff too. I don't know if its still marketed though the last time I was looking I bought the almost identical 'Finnish Line - Ceramic wet Lube' its in an almost identical packaging and its even described as 'pro road, on the pbk site :-)

White Lightning keeps the system clean but the other for mentioned problems out weigh its one benefit for me.

 

[Fattman]

Just to repeat Clean Ride White Lightening Wax is crap - AVOID.

I am sorry to hear you've had a bad time with this - but I have not found it to be this bad. Expensive, I guess, requiring a lot of repeat application, yes, but not kit-destroying. 2500 miles and one chain this year and all is still well on it. As I said, though, I agree it's not great for winter riding because it gets washed off in any prolonged wet ride.

 

[Dave5N]

oil.

 

[Maz]

Finish Line Pro Road Ceramic is what I use.