Dry Lube Question

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fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Spin the chain - it soaks in. Simples. Most wet lubes do the same on application. Once you spin the chain, it soaks in.
 

wisdom

Guru
Location
Blackpool
At this time of year I warm the bottle in a cup of hot water before applying it.
in summer 10 mins in the sun before I apply it.
 

Citius

Guest
It's not supposed to do what it seems to be doing in the pic. What you have is not normal, IMO. Either it's not been shaken properly, or there's not enough solvent for it to be thin enough to 'capillary' into the chain.
 

Louch

105% knowledge on 105
As bp says, no point lubing a chain that dirty, defeating purpose. Give it a good clean to get the grime off it. May be why the lube isn't moving as sitting on dirt
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
[QUOTE 3650358, member: 9609"]That was my thoughts exactly, and the reason I asked the question, the stuff is pretty thick.

think I will bin it and go back to my tried and tested method of chainsaw oil, put plenty on then wipe it off - 2000 to 3000 mile per chain then chuck it in the bin, a new chain is only a tenner.


dirty ? I've never seen a cleaner chain, its only been on a month and only done 300 mile - this is its first lube. lol[/QUOTE]

Don't bi it. It always looks waxy when it's cold.
 

Louch

105% knowledge on 105
[QUOTE 3650392, member: 9609"]a new chain every 2,500 mile for a tenner and no need to ever clean - how many mile do you get out of a chain with meticulous weekly cleaning ?[/QUOTE]
Doesn't have to be meticulous, tonight was running the chain around twice while rubbing around with some baby wipes. 5 mins max. It's the components you are damaging with the dirt, not your chain. You are wasting your money putting lube on a chain so dirty the lube can't get to the chain.
 

uclown2002

Guru
Location
Harrogate
[QUOTE 3650392, member: 9609"]a new chain every 2,500 mile for a tenner and no need to ever clean - how many mile do you get out of a chain with meticulous weekly cleaning ?[/QUOTE]
3500 miles for me usually @ 0.5-0.75% 2-3 chains per cassette.
Takes about 1 min to run the chain through a rag post ride, so never gets too filthy.
Obviously after a particularly dirty ride it might need a little more time, but I do it after after ride regardless.
 

Citius

Guest
You are wasting your money putting lube on a chain so dirty the lube can't get to the chain.

What 'dirt' there is (not very much) won't be stopping any lube from getting into the chain. The lube is simply too viscous for any capillary action to have an effect. You only have to look at the pics to see that. If a 'liquid' can't go one way, it will usually go another way instead. The fact that is is just sitting there in a big lump tells you all you need to know.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Dry lube is essentially a lube for clean drivetrain fetishists.

In liquid form at summer temperatures it is very thin, and runs neatly into the rollers but it takes some careful application, literally one drop per link applied to a warm ish chain,. And once on the solvent carrier evaporates leaving a minuscule waxy coating on the external parts of the chain, and once applied you can wipe that off leaving the external, visible parts of the chain sparkly. The lube in the rollers will still be there. That dry effect means that dirt and grit doesn't adhere to the chain like it does if you use a sticky oil like chainsaw oil but the lube inside the rollers and plates does its job perfectly well.

I tend to wipe any dirt or buildup off the chain first, and then lube with the dry lube. I do this after warming the lube in my pocket, and witht the bike at room temperature. Otherwise the lube comes out like @User9609 'sfirst picture.

The waxy appearance is because it is err, waxy. It's meant to look like that when the solvent carrier has evaporated, or if it's so cold that it can't stay liquid. And remember, it only needs to stay liquid for application purposes. Once dry, it's meant to be, errr, dry.
 
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