Mountain Biking - WD40 - Good Lubricant?

Hello Group -

Just wanted to get your opinion on using WD40 as a bike lubricant.

It's good for everything else :)

Thanks!

No...its not a lubricant at all. Its a degreaser. IT will dry off and wreck havok on your moving parts.

Hi Javajo. Welcome to the forums and would you like to be my boyfriend?

WD40 is not a lubricant. It displaces lubricants and then evaporates and leaves your precious bike parts dry and unprotected.

Get down to your local bike store and ask the nice people there what you should use to lube your chain. I like the wax based lubes like White Lightning. Some people prefer the various metal treatments and still others like the synthetic oils. You really won't go too far wrong with any of these. Even good old Phil's Tenacious Oil is a decent lubricant, though it tends to attract lots of dirt.

Keep your chain clean and lubed and you can ride nekkid with me anytime!

Here are some other lubricants that you should never use on your bike: Mazola, 3-in-1, Crisco, and K-Y Jelly.

Actually there is one legitimate use for WD40 on your bicycle. It's great for installing and removing mountain bike grips. Squirt a little in the grip and it slides right on (or off). When the WD40 evaporates a short time later, the grip will stay put just fine.

It's also good for removing sticker residue off your frame when you remove stickers. Not as a lubricant though.

Originally posted by A.troll
Actually there is one legitimate use for WD40 on your bicycle. It's great for installing and removing mountain bike grips. Squirt a little in the grip and it slides right on (or off). When the WD40 evaporates a short time later, the grip will stay put just fine.

I always steal my girlfriend's hairspray for that. Not sure where I got that idea but it does the trick.

WD40 is horrible, i have used it before, but it turns the chain black, and horrible if it comes into contact with clothes.

Originally posted by McGuillicuddy
I always steal my girlfriend's hairspray for that. Not sure where I got that idea but it does the trick.

I just spent an extra 10$ and bought ODI lock grips. What a creation :)

Thanks for all the replies!

I'll be going to my Local Bike Store this weekend and picking up some appropriate lube.

Thanks again!

Originally posted by McGuillicuddy
I always steal my girlfriend's hairspray for that. Not sure where I got that idea but it does the trick.

NOOOOO! :eek:

Not my hairspray!!!! :mad:

I need that for my hair! :D

I use it to clean my cables. I spray some onto a rag then pinch the cable with the rag and rub it. It does a good job of cleaning it and keeps corrosion at bay. I know enough not to squirt it inside the housing, though. Sometimes I clean my chain the same way, making sure to dry the chain thoroughly and follow up with some proper lube.

If only D*Alex would have seen this thread. <shakes head and chuckles>

Can I say it? Huh please, oh just let me say it. I think that if anyone on this forum is an expert on lube I would think it would be Trollie. Hey girlfriend, sorry but I couldn't help myself
:beer:

Originally posted by Maelstrom
I just spent an extra 10$ and bought ODI lock grips. What a creation :)


Werd!


I can't believe it wasn't thought of before.. so much easier than conventional grips, and they DO NOT come off reguardless of how muddy the trail becomes.



WD40 is awful. Don't use it for your bike.

Originally posted by Maelstrom
I just spent an extra 10$ and bought ODI lock grips. What a creation :)

Air compressor, its what the doctor ordered

Originally posted by ngateguy
Can I say it? Huh please, oh just let me say it. I think that if anyone on this forum is an expert on lube I would think it would be Trollie. Hey girlfriend, sorry but I couldn't help myself
:beer:


You know it, boyfriend. Now gimme a smooch!

:love:

Originally posted by ngateguy
Can I say it? Huh please, oh just let me say it. I think that if anyone on this forum is an expert on lube I would think it would be Trollie. Hey girlfriend, sorry but I couldn't help myself
:beer:

Too much info;)

I may be wrong, but as I understand it, WD-40 is not a lubricant. It was designed originally as a preservative for metal. It was developed in San Diego many years ago when eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes ordered a fleet of personal jets and once they were built, cancelled the order. The manufacturer (can't remember the name) had scientists develop WD-40, which was sprayed on the planes sitting on the tarmac to preserve them. Thus the name, Water Displacement 40. Supposedly, they made 40 attempts to get this product right before they finally found the right combination.

Do NOT use WD-40 as a lubricant. It is a degreaser, but more than that it is evaporates too. IT is designed to go into creavances and degrease it. It will get rid of the lubricant that is between and inside the chain links and will ultimately destroy the chain.

Thanks again for all the responses - this forum is excellent!

I'll be back I'm sure with more questions!

Originally posted by DiL
Air compressor, its what the doctor ordered

yeah and we each have one of those lying around the house :D

I do, you don't????

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
I do, you don't????

If I had that kind of money I would be buying a dually :)

Come on Mael, $150 for a pancake compressor, and you can use them for just about anything. Sweeping out the garage or launching water filled soda bottles, doesn't matter. I hear you can even fill up tires or use impact wrenches with them, you know, for when you want the hex screws on your water bottle cage extra tight. :D

As for WD-40, it makes a really cool flame thrower.

Originally posted by iamlucky13
Come on Mael, $150 for a pancake compressor, and you can use them for just about anything. Sweeping out the garage or launching water filled soda bottles, doesn't matter. I hear you can even fill up tires or use impact wrenches with them, you know, for when you want the hex screws on your water bottle cage extra tight. :D

As for WD-40, it makes a really cool flame thrower.

Now the flame thrower I can go with. Cheap and effective :)

Originally posted by Maelstrom
Now the flame thrower I can go with. Cheap and effective :)

My friend is the west coast regional sales manager for WD-40. He says that the flame-thrower capabilities of WD-40 have been drastically curtailed since they started using CO2 propellent.

Ahh the days of being young :)...the last time I did that was 15 years ago...so maybe things have changed...I am definately not going to try it for myself :)

WD40 corrodes, thats why it gets rid of rust. Of coure by eating the rust it also has a tendancy to eat your lube, and your components, and frame...

Originally posted by iamlucky13
Come on Mael, $150 for a pancake compressor, and you can use them for just about anything.
Actually, you can go to WalMart and find a Campbell-Hausfield compressor with a 2-gallon tank for $99 and they work great. I originally bought it for my airbrush setup, but I find myself using it for all sorts of stuff.