Longer life chain?

[mrmacmusic]

You're doing it wrong.

Why do you say that? I thought supplementing regular "mickling" (if I can use that term) with a whole-bike wash and drivetrain degrease every couple of weeks (or so, as long as it's not icy) should keep things tip-top.....

 

[User6179]

Over 8000 miles on ultegra cassette and will be putting 3rd chain on shortly,if I had put my bike to lbs for a service every 1000 miles am sure I would be 8 chains and 8 cassettes

 

[potsy]

Why do you say that? I thought supplementing regular "mickling" (if I can use that term) with a whole-bike wash and drivetrain degrease every couple of weeks (or so, as long as it's not icy) should keep things tip-top.....

The idea is to just 'mickle' no need for any degreasing Mrmac

 

[mrmacmusic]

I tried that since I knew I was going to upgrade the whole groupset, the result of which was nearly losing a bollock when the chain slipped when I was out of the saddle at the top of a small rise because of the worn chainring! Change the chain if it is worn, do not let it bugger the chainrings!

Funny – that's precisely how I knew the drivetrain on my old Flight was past its' best!!

 

[mrmacmusic]

The idea is to just 'mickle' no need for any degreasing Mrmac

Thanks potsy – so that would mean I'm over cleaning perhaps?!

 

[potsy]

Thanks potsy – so that would mean I've over cleaning perhaps?!

In theory you are washing away all the good lubricant and risk leaving degreaser in there to wash away any new stuff you later put on.
I keep my chain relatively well mickled, mainly for smoother gear changes as opposed to any bling factor, don't think degreasing will get you any extra service life imo.

 

[Broadside]

Much like you MrM I kept missing catching the chain before it was too worn and needed a new cassette too. So now I just leave the cassette and chain on for about 3,000-4,000 miles and then replace them in one go. Less faff and quite a bit cheaper than replacing the chain every 1000 miles on my 9 speed drivetrain.

 

[mrmacmusic]

In theory you are washing away all the good lubricant and risk leaving degreaser in there to wash away any new stuff you later put on.
I keep my chain relatively well mickled, mainly for smoother gear changes as opposed to any bling factor, don't think degreasing will get you any extra service life imo.

Cool – thanks for that

 

[mickle]

The thing is is.. Bicycle chains work best if properly lubricated - and (assuming an exposed transmission rather than a chaincase) 'properly lubricated' from a chain's point of view means having lube inside, covering all the working parts, the friction surfaces, and no more on the exterior surfaces than is necessary to minimise corrosion. If you're going to put degreaser on your chain to remove surface sh!ttola you need to be aware of the consequences - the first of which is that it removes all of the lube. That is, not just the surface sh!ttola but also the lube within the chain. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that most people don't remove all the degreaser before they apply fresh lube. A lot depends on the nature of the degreaser or solvent used to strip the chain, but generally speaking, if you put new lube on top of degreaser it degrades the lube. Removing the degreaser variously involves rinsing with possibly soapy water or waiting for evaporation, a process which can be accelerated by heating the chain. Oh my god. What a palaver. To say nothing of the toxic effects of volatile compounds on human health and the environment. And disposal too. What do you do with white spirit/diesel/turps/agent orange after it's been contaminated?

Surface sh!ttola (for it is surface sh!ttola we are talking about) is easy to get off simply by wiping it. And once the chain is cleanish it's easy to lubricate it and wipe off the excess. This makes it even more cleanish. Job done. If your chain is still getting skanky it's because you aren't wiping off enough of the excess. It's really that simple. It ends up becoming a actual procedure because it's sustainable. Wipe, wipe, wipe, lube, wipe wipe, wipe, lube, wipe wipe wipe wipe wipe. Ride. Repeat.

Let us not forget that chains are consumables. We treat them kindly only to minimise the damage they can do to other parts, not because we cherish them. And then we bin them and move on.

 

[Pale Rider]

I can't see the point of degreasing a chain, the solvent is bound to remove lubricant from where you need it most - the bearing surfaces you cannot see.

For external clag removal, I use a dry or very lightly oiled rag or coarse paper towel - known in the trade as elephant's bog roll because it's strong enough to wipe an elephant's...you can guess the rest.

Years ago, if a chain needed a deep clean, maybe because of rust, we used to remove it, put it in a paraffin bath and use a stiff brush on it.

But as mickle says, we would dry it, dry it, warm it, dry it, warm it and dry it again before relubing.

 

[derrick]

Just got myself a new chain and cassette, ready to change in the spring by that time it would have done well over 3000 miles, it would probably go on for a few more miles, but i think i have had my monies worth out of them. it is campagnolo by the way.

 

[mrmacmusic]

The thing is is..

Thanks for the that mickle

I figured using a spray-on degreaser (Muc-off) on the drivetrain as part of a more thorough wash down, clean and lube-up every couple of weeks on top of the regular wwwlwwwlwwwww regime wouldn't do any harm. I do appreciate that there's a possibility of not rinsing adequately and perhaps leaving degreaser in places where it might degrade fresh lube – however I'd have thought that since I'm regularly wiping and re-lubing that would minimise any impact, since fresh lube is going on regularly?

Truth be told, I think I only properly washed the Boardman once during its' 11 weeks use pre-Christmas (because of ice rather than laziness!), choosing to wipe the bike down instead, so as far as the drivetrain goes, it's really been as case of mickling all the way

Is there any possibility that the continual wiping I'm doing could be impacting the chain stretch? Perhaps I'm exerting too much pressure on the cloth when wiping – is it better to hold the cloth still whilst rotating the chain, or to keep the chain still and pull the cloth against it? I tend to do the latter

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I have just had to replace the chain on my 4 month old bike after 1,900km (around 1,200 miles). I clean pretty much after each and every ride simply becuase I live at the very end of a long lane which is covered in mud & other crap. It gets a quick mickle every ride and a much more thorough one once a week. My OH has got around 1/2 of what I got from the original chain - he moans at me if I clean his bike too often, so it is generally filthy and also does not have mudguards fitted which have helped to keep a lot of crap off the chain. I have been really lucky and not needed to replace the cassette - I did a 45 miler on Sunday on the new chain and there was no slipping whatsoever and laying the chain over the cassette has shown it to fit completely fine on each ring. We may not be as lucky with my OH's bike because the chain is slipping a touch in the lower gears (which we need because of where we live - dont't anyone tell me cheshire is flat!)

I also run with a non-wet lube because I hate that black mess that wet lube creates - when I was commuting across country I used to use it on my mtb and everything (chain rings, cassette & chain) always had to be replaced after around 700 miles, though a lot of that was the commute across country on sand, mud, water & soil which pretty much kills anything & everything, including your desire to commute by bike!

I tend to keep the chain still and use the cloth up & down before cleaning the other run chain areas as well.
I fit £4.49 chains to our bikes KMC Z51's which are 7/8 speed chains - the last one on my Rohloff hub (equiv to a fixed) lasted 14,500km (over 9,000 miles) so I quite like them but I will have to find something else for my new mtb which is a 9 speed bike.

 

[mrmacmusic]

I have just had to replace the chain on my 4 month old bike after 1,900km (around 1,200 miles). I clean pretty much after each and every ride.......

Thanks SNSSO Despite the fact that miserable, dreich, damp and wet are words I can frequently use to describe my daily commute, you're making me think that perhaps choosing to use a wet lube might not be the best idea – I've got both wet and dry, and have noticed as you say that there's more build up of "black mess" using the wet lube.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Thanks SNSSO Despite the fact that miserable, dreich, damp and wet are words I can frequently use to describe my daily commute, you're making me think that perhaps choosing to use a wet lube might not be the best idea – I've got both wet and dry, and have noticed as you say that there's more build up of "black mess" using the wet lube.

down side on not using wet lube is that you have to apply it much more frequently - hence me giving a brief mickle when I get home each and every ride - still seems to work better and is easier to clean and re-lube but it is a case of each to their own and I am already imagining the grief I may get from some for suggesting a dry lube in wet weather - but lube & time is cheaper than a new cassette every 1,000 miles not to mention it is much cleaner & easier to clean...