Vitus nucleus 275 VR 2019
Chain maintenance
- Thread starter Philz2002
- Start date
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Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Washing up liquid will do a better job than car shampoo of removing dried on grime.
However, everyone says it contains salt which promotes corrosion.
It probably does, but no worries if the bike is well rinsed and wiped dry.
Nice bike which is certainly not contributing to your maintenance issues.
It has a KMC chain, which is one of the better brands.
Maybe it w as just me. I guess when it rained, I was in a dash to get into a warm house instead of taking 5 minutes to clean the chain.
Thing is, if I clean the chain every time it rains, I'm going to start using a lot of lube
Racing roadkill
Guru
When you have a nice new chain, and clean drivetrain, all you need to do, is wipe the chain down with a rag, that has some lube on it, then re lube the chain before you head out. If you like looking at a sparkly clean chain, by all means get it off, ultrasonic bathe it, and clean it with tepe brushes, but it’s really not necessary.
Racing roadkill
Guru
Lube costs less than chains ( generally speaking ).
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
As said, cleaning the chain need not amount to any more than a wipe with a rag.
No need to lube every time.
The type of riding you do will also play apart.
What I call proper mountain biking - deep muddy trails - will wear transmission parts quickly whatever you do.
I only ride on roads and well made cycle paths, so my chains last comparatively much longer.
Riding regularly anywhere in grotty weather will also increase the wear rate.
Well...
The thing is though, it's not the cost that bothers me. It's my first brand new bike and I like to make sure I'm doing a good job of taking care of it. This whole new chain and cassette episode has made me completely reyhink my strategy
I'm road and sometimes muddy trails. I suppose if I neglect it after a 20 - 30 mile ride, it's going to break a whole lot sooner
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
I've got far better things to do with my time than cleaning bikes. The most I do it run the chain through a bit of rag or an old holey sock to get any gritty road muck off, then I squirt a bit of engine oil or spray lube on the links, and spin the pedals a few revolutions to distribute the lube around as much as possible. Some of mine live outside in all weathers, and I just try to ride them regularly enough to keep rust at bay and tend to give them more frequent lubrication. I don't believe in being OCD about cleaning and polishing bikes. They are machines built to be used, faffing around with toothbrushes etc is a complete waste of time. If you really really care about having a clean transmission, go ride an old fashioned roadster with an enclosed chaincase. They stay clean and the mechanicals last forever. Derailleur gear bikes are an inherently poor design from the perspective of transmission life and maintenance.
Always interesting to hear different takes on varying situations. I guess it just differs on who wants what out of their machine.
For me, I like to keep mine running smothly, even if it takes half hour every week or so.
As for poloshing...i would like to, but it fades fast and the amount of option andgood bad differene is enough to give me a headache, so I don't bother really.
Racing roadkill
Guru
Unless you’re running very expensive drive train kit ( it’s subjective, I know ) but for example, SRAM Red eTAP 12 speed AXS kit, it’s really not necessary to go overboard. For most people, running average kit, keeping it clean by wiping with a lubed rag, and re lubing before setting out, is all that’s required. The drive train kit is really quite resilient ( Normally ) and can take a bit of stick, just keep it clean, keep it lubed, and try not to over think it.
And there we fall onto my #1 problem. Overthinking. Ha, but I'll save that for another thread, not a cycling forum.
Cheers for your advice. I'll take it on board and keep it running as well as i can
12boy
Guru
- Location
- Casper WY USA
The lazy way is get 2 wide mouth plastic bottles and a master link. Fill one bottle with a strong solution of dish soap or Simple Green, if that is available. Insert chain into bottle, close lid and shake. Rinse off , let soak some in clean water in bottle #2, and let dry. On top of a heater vent is good. At this point you can submerge your chain in a molten wax mixture for 1/2 an hour or use a oil or dry type lube with the chain back on the bike, applying the lube to the inside so it migrates outward, and most importantly, gets into the inside of the chain bushings, rollers etc. The active part of breaking the chain, shaking the bottles, rinsing and relubing doesn't take long but letting it soak long enough might be a while. That can be addressed by having 2 chains from the get go or having a meal or a read while you wait. Aside from flats, wheel truing, and new brake pads, a bike with cartridge bearing headsets, hubs and bottom brackets doesn't take a lot of maintenance.
That sounds...thorough. I don't have a master link at the moment though, but I know they can very easily be fitted.
Surely putting the chain on a radiator is a bad idea as that woild cause the metal to expand?
12boy
Guru
- Location
- Casper WY USA
No worries there...otherwise putting your bike in the backseat of your car on a sunny day would damage it. We don 't have radiators here, rather relying on forced air gas furnaces that render the air inside the house dryer than the Sahara, assuming we mean the same thing by radiators. I've read that going from very cold to warm and back can cause moisture problems on the inside of the frame, and in colder places, best to keep it outside.
