Chain lube and cleaning

rjen · Post by **rjen** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:29 am

Sorry if this is a bit of a dumb question but it's been a while since I owned a bike!

Does anyone actually bother cleaning their chain before they lube it? If so, what's the best way?
Can anyone recommend a good aerosol lube that doesn't fling off everywhere? I bought some stuff made by Shell and it seems to do a great job of mucking up my nice clean rear wheel and swingarm.

Red Rex · Post by **Red Rex** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:18 am

A lot depends on how and where you ride. I would suggest a thorough clean to start with so you know you are starting from a good base, then use an aerosol chain lube on the INSIDE of the chain. Turn the rear wheel in the direction of travel and apply the lube where the chain meets the rear sprocket. Give it a good coating then leave it to soak in for a while before wiping off any excess. Leave it overnight if you can. Most of the better makes of lube don't 'throw' off and make a mess of your wheels and bodywork. After the initial lube I would wipe the chain with a 'clean' lint-free cloth' before applying a light spray as above. Always best to do this when you've finished riding for the day rather than just before you start. Mine gets this treatment every weekend but then I only ride on dry roads without much dust and crud about. ... Next answer please ....

burty · Post by **burty** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:31 am

I hate lubing chains. As I used to do a lot of mileage, I've fitted a Scottoiler to virtually every bike I've had. This does a good job of lubing and cleaning the chain. Not everyone likes them, but they work for me. The Chain on my ZRX had covered 30000 miles before I changed it, and it still had another 10k in it at least.

My Tuono doesn't have a scottoiler and I've struggled to find a lube that I like, current flavour of the month is Wurth chain lube. The problem I find is that any lube needs to fling a bit to get the dirt off, but the fling is not particularly desirable. If it doesn't fling it builds up and you end up with a gungy dirty mess.

I've a theory that chain life is more directly related to how dirty the chain gets rather than the lubrication per-se. Although it is important to keep the o-rings lubricated. Some people just paint some oil on the chain with a paintbrush occasionally. I've never tried this but it strikes me that this is simple, cheap, easy, and potentially less messy than an aerosol.

Ridgifumi · Post by **Ridgifumi** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:43 pm

i've found KY works best for me,oh you guys's meant um chain lube

Doyle171 · Post by **Doyle171** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:13 am

Scottoiler all tha way

Post by **phuk72** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:21 am

Clean the chain - why?

Never have and can't see that I ever will.

Try chain wax rather than oil

burty · Post by **burty** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:08 am

I shall add that the only time I have ever manually cleaned a chain, I'm convinced that it did more harm than good.

Flagman · Post by **Flagman** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:29 pm

Anyone tried one of these?

http://www.chainoiler.co.uk/index.html

Cheap alternative to a Scottoiler and they have a TRX fitted with one on the site

Doyle171 · Post by **Doyle171** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:29 pm

A guy i know with a ZZR110 put one on his bike and took it off after a week because he said the nozzle kept blocking and that you can't apply the oil whilst on the move. Oh and he came out in the morning to find a nice pool of oil on his driveway.

trixynut · Post by **trixynut** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:48 pm

I use Castrol chain wax: seems to work fine. Whatever you use, don't put too much on, and put it on AFTER a ride when the chain is warmer as it penetrates better.

On cleaning it, be careful what you use as some solvents can penetrate the rubber 'o' rings and knacker them.

Something like white spirit is good as it disolves the grease and then evaporates right off after so no residue.

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:25 pm

A rag soaked in kerosene is effective at getting the black "gorilla snot" off chains. Use a race stand to raise the rear wheel (or a mate to tweak it off the ground using the side stand as a lever and then use a block of wood under the swingarm to hold it up). After cleaning allow the chain to dry for a while and apply a light coat of chain lube/wax (Maxima or Motul seem to work for me).
If your chain was very dirty and unlubricated you may find you need to adjust it after cleaning/lubing. Good luck - and wear latex gloves to keep that filthy crap from getting under your finger nails if you're bothered about that sort of thing!

HansJ · Post by **HansJ** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:33 am

Cleaning the chain with a kit from this company. Can't see anything go wrong with that. And I do believe a clean chain wears down a lot less in comparison with a dirty chain.
http://www.kettenmax.com/en/index/index.asp
Chain lube is more difficult, have still no been convinced of either the oilier or stickier stuff. tends to get what I see on the shelf in the shop, trying a new brand all the time....

[JP] · Post by **[JP]** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:07 am

I think everyone also forgot to add that the chain should be lubed when hot..

right?

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 12:57 pm

put it on AFTER a ride when the chain is warmer as it penetrates better.

Courtesy of Trixynut... so yes, it's already been said it's better applied when the chain is hot/warm.

[JP] · Post by **[JP]** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 4:16 pm

UPPSSS!!!! missed that bit!