General Cycling Discussion - Chain and gear rust...can't let it happen!

hey! :D

I was in class when it started pouring really hard outside....my bike was parked out there as well.

Now I don't want the rain water to form any rust on my gears and chains so what should I do now?

Do I wash the gears/chain with soap and water and then buy some tranny lube? And how often do I apply the lube? (what brand or type of lube should I use?)

Thanks a lot for putting up with my noob questions!

;)

Wipperman SS + ProLink

:-)

Why tranny lube? its as bad as the people who use motor oil. Use a product made for bicycle chains.

Why tranny lube? its as bad as the people who use motor oil. Use a product made for bicycle chains.

This is pure bullpucky. Another sucker buying into media hype as to the "best" of anything. What works
is what works and it don't make a damn if it's fancy or hi dollar. Read my thoughts in this thead for
a simple low cost solution to the subject of chain line lube with a 40+ year history of postive results.

P.S. Rain water won't wash out my mix.


http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=222511

ok, thanks for that link. I do not want this thread to turn into another lube war.

I just want to know if my chain / gears will slowly start to rust after being out in the rain twice, without any proper lubing afterwards.

And do you lube the chain AND the gears?

thanks

:D

Rain will not destroy your bike. I left my bike outside for 2 years with no ill effects. When you get home, shake your bike to drip excess water off the transmission and apply a bit more lube.
Even if you do get a little surface rust on the chain it is no big deal, it will soon come off with lube and riding.
When you apply lube, add a drop to each joint at the top surface of the bottom run. You want the lube to be inside the links, not all over the outside.

Spray the drive train down with WD-40 when you get home. The next morning wipe it down with a shop cloth and apply chain lube. The WD-40 will displace the water (http://home.howstuffworks.com/question155.htm) in/on your components.

Listen to MichaelW, who offers the simplest and more than satisfactory idea; Stacey's WD-40 suggestion is ok but unnecessary (if you do spray, avoid getting it on your tires/rims). But you don't need to wash your bike with soap and water, and, no, you don't need to lube the gears. Yes, you should buy some lube and use it occasionally, although how often to do so depends on your use and riding conditions, the weather and other such variables; there's also an enormous difference of purely subjective opinion, as you might already tell. As for what brand to buy, that is even more subjective.

ok, thanks for that link. I do not want this thread to turn into another lube war.

I just want to know if my chain / gears will slowly start to rust after being out in the rain twice, without any proper lubing afterwards.

And do you lube the chain AND the gears?

thanks

:D

I agree no lube wars please..........

Your chain line ( front & rear gears too) will NOT be bothered one bit IF , just IF, you OIL THEM with
either pure oil or my 50/50 mix. The point here is that the lube oil is heavy bodied enough to shed any
rain water (you can even dunk your bike briefly) that your bike might be exposed to as long as you
keep the chain line well lubed (oiled).

As suggested you can use WD-40 after a wetting but be aware that you MUST re-oil the chain line
immediatly after you rinse the chain line with WD-40 because WD-40 is a cleaner not a lube.

Bottom line is simple........
Keep your chain well oiled ,and clean as needed with a re-oil afterwards, for a long lived chain line
that is worry free. Keep it simple mate.

thanks for the great helpful responses guys. Couldn't find any lube at Target...time to amazon.com it up ;)

I agree no lube wars please..........


As suggested you can use WD-40 after a wetting but be aware that you MUST re-oil the chain line
immediatly after you rinse the chain line with WD-40 because WD-40 is a cleaner not a lube.

Bottom line is simple........
Keep your chain well oiled ,and clean as needed with a re-oil afterwards, for a long lived chain line
that is worry free. Keep it simple mate.


WD 40 and the like are water dispellant as well as cleaners. But it is not a top rate spray once- wipe- and it is clean- cleaner. I clean my chain frequently with a water based detergent in the proper bath that can be bought. Then I spray with WD and the chain can then be left to drain or wiped. Then you have to lubricate it before using the bike again. Either that or start saving for new chains. Providing you use a good enough lube- The chain will not rust. If it does- it does not have enough oil on it in the first place.

You could always cover your bike with a tarp.

Are you using oil based lube? I use prolink, do not have a problem with rust anymore. Still, If I am caught in rain, I relube my chain to replenish the supply of oil to inhibit the rust.

Listen to MichaelW, who offers the simplest and more than satisfactory idea; Stacey's WD-40 suggestion is ok but unnecessary (if you do spray, avoid getting it on your tires/rims). But you don't need to wash your bike with soap and waterm and, no, you don't need to lube the gears. Yes, you should buy some lube and use it occasionally, although how often to do so depends on your use and riding conditions, the weather and other such variables; there's also an enormous difference of purely subjective opinion, as you might already tell. As for what brand to buy, that is even more subjective.
I agree. When it rains, I just wipe it as dry as possible with a rag, then I use a drip lube just on the joints and let sit overnight (if possible). In the morning, I wipe off any excess.

If you get a persistent squeak, use a spray lube. If it still won't go away, get a new chain. Chains aren't forever.

thanks for the great helpful responses guys. Couldn't find any lube at Target...time to amazon.com it up ;)

What about your LBS? Why are you even looking for bike supplies at Target in the first place?

thanks for the great helpful responses guys. Couldn't find any lube at Target...time to amazon.com it up ;)

Maybe not. Back in the spring I got a free can of a new product called "Fluid Film", made by a San Francisco area company. They seem to have been in the marine and construction area and are looking to branch out. Maybe they are still giving it away. That little 4 oz can has lasted 8 months now. Try www.eurekafluidfilm.com for a local supplier. The stuff is lanolin based and is touted as a corrosion prevented, luibricant.

This is pure bullpucky. Another sucker buying into media hype as to the "best" of anything. What works
is what works and it don't make a damn if it's fancy or hi dollar. Read my thoughts in this thead for
a simple low cost solution to the subject of chain line lube with a 40+ year history of postive results.

P.S. Rain water won't wash out my mix.


Check out my post on lubing with motor oil.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=220764

Here is a synopsis. It blows chunks. It just collected tons of dirt, sprayed all over the place including my rims and legs and frankly didn't do a very good job of lubricating. It was hard to get off too. I went back to dry wax lubricants and am again quite happy. Motor oil is just plain awful.

I just want to know if my chain / gears will slowly start to rust after being out in the rain twice, without any proper lubing afterwards.

Yes, they definitely will.



And do you lube the chain AND the gears?

Again, yes...though once you've lubed the chain, all you really need to do to lube the gears is ride the bike.

I bounce off the excess water & store the bike indoors. Use White Lightning on the chain but don't relube after wetting unless it needs it anyway. Have never had any rust. I don't often ride or park in the rain however.