Is it dry lube time?

[potsy]

What is that grease on a new chain and why can't we buy it? A new chain always seems so nice and, errr, greasy.

It will be grease that has been heated up to liquid form, and then the chains are 'dipped' and once taken out the grease has seeped into all the nooks and crannies.
We have them at work but I've never bothered to take advantage, maybe I should.

 

[jonny jeez]

I use Finish Line Dry Ceramic Wax on the roadbike and the XC bike. Keeps things spotless, but the price is a bit of an eye-opener.

just ordered me a bottle.

 

[jonny jeez]

It will be grease that has been heated up to liquid form, and then the chains are 'dipped' and once taken out the grease has seeped into all the nooks and crannies.
We have them at work but I've never bothered to take advantage, maybe I should.

If I recall...my dad used to melt parrifin wax...or grease into liguid form, then kind of boil his chain (over a camping stove) for a few minutes. Then he would let the chain hang for a few more minutes before wiping it down and refitting.

Is this perhaps the new chain process?

 

[the_mikey]

I've been using dry lube, and for short rides , say less than 50km it's fine, I did a 105km sportive and applied finish line dry lube at the start, by the end of the ride it was as if there was no lube on the chain. I'm trying Green oil wet lube now to see if that fares any better.

 

[VamP]

Finish Line Wet Lube on our road bikes, Dry Lube on off-road bikes.

 

[Psycolist]

I have found that, after cleaning a chain, a liberal spray of WD40, allow to soak for an hour or so, then wiped as dry as poss, then dry lube every couple of hundred miles, or after a wet ride. Works for me anyway. New chains are always great though :^)

 

[Edge705]

For what its worth I use both and find that they both perform exactly the same I would say that you have to reapply the dry lube after a wet ride I cant see the benefit of one over the other. I think the secret is in applying the lube in the first place. However this lube'ing lark costs money especially when your cycling 600 miles a month so Ive just gone to chainsaw oil basicaly due to cost but too early to tell if its better or worse. Personaly I got myself a thinking its all a gimmick these small bottle bike lubes. Ive found the secret is to keep your chain, jockey wheels, and cassette clean. As for short rides a dry lube will last me a whole week (140 miles) providing it doesnt rain. Just my opinion and should point out all my rides are on road and country lanes. Incidently I used white lightning dry lube very thin almost like water but worked well unfortunately v pricey as well. I cant comment on the chainsaw oil yet as its the first week on the bike but again I cant feel any difference over the dear stuff

 

[ColinJ]

However this lube'ing lark costs money especially when your cycling 600 miles a month so Ive just gone to chainsaw oil basicaly due to cost but too early to tell if its better or worse. Personaly I got myself a thinking its all a gimmick these small bottle bike lubes.

I had the same feeling about citrus degreaser. I didn't like the idea of paying a lot of money for a small bottle so I have just bought in bulk - 5 litres of concentrated citrus degreaser which can be diluted many times, for under £17 including delivery. That should last me years!

 

[Alun]

It will be grease that has been heated up to liquid form, and then the chains are 'dipped' and once taken out the grease has seeped into all the nooks and crannies.
We have them at work but I've never bothered to take advantage, maybe I should.

Used to do that with motorbike chains, back in the day!

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Dry lube all year for me; it's perfectly capable for wet winter use. I used 'wet' lube on my MTB and winter bikes for many years only to find that everything got caked in cack and paste and wore components out really quickly.

+1

 

[ColinJ]

I had the same feeling about citrus degreaser. I didn't like the idea of paying a lot of money for a small bottle so I have just bought in bulk - 5 litres of concentrated citrus degreaser which can be diluted many times, for under £17 including delivery. That should last me years!

But while I'm waiting for it to arrive ...

The fruit and veg man at the local market gave me a lemon and 4 limes which were past their best. They were probably still edible, but I already had some so I decided to make some DIY degreaser with them. I squeezed them and mixed the juice with a little washing up liquid and some water and used it for today's bike fettling. It works pretty well!

 

[bicyclos]

For what they cost, I have a few chains on the go where I take off the dirty chain and replace with a cleaned one every month. The dirty chain gets de-greased and cleaned then warmed up in a pan with a spoonful of grease, when cool enough wipe and put in a bag for the next change. I just use engine oil and a wipe with a cloth on a regular basis.

 

[BlackPanther]

I use 'Cross Country Finish Line Wet Bike Lubricant', and it is fantastic stuff. I avoid using WD40. This from BicycleTutor.com

WD-40 was developed by the military in the 50s as a rust preventative solvent and de-greaser to protect missile parts. It quickly became a household item when people discovered it had thousands of other uses as a cleaner, rust-prevention agent, squeak-stopper and more. It also works wonders as a light lubricant on small items like hinges, locks, and toys.
Bicycle chains, on the other hand, are far too heavy and fast-moving for the lubricating power of WD-40 to have any effect at all. As a matter of fact, WD-40 will actually strip away any existing lubricant and leave your drivetrain dry – metal on metal. Basically, spraying this stuff on your chain is worse than using no lubricant at all!

I run mine through several pieces of folded kitchen roll until it's shiny, and then it's important to apply lighty, one drop, one link at a time. A dozen or so back-pedals, and finish with a light run along with some more kitchen roll to remove the excess and avoid gunk build up. It's not a long job, most bikes are 112-ish links. My recumbent takes a fair bit longer though, 264 links I think. 5 minutes once a week could double the chain, chainring, and sprocket life.

 

[avsd]

I just use basic cycling oil from Decathlon on my commuting bike - seems to work fine. Time will tell.

 

[ColinJ]

170 miles done so far on one Wurth dry lubing of my Cannondale and no squeaking noises yet. I think I'll leave it until after next Sunday's Jodrell Bank forum ride and then relube it. Once every 250 miles would be fine by me!