Hybrid Bicycles - How do you lube the chain on my new Giant Rapid 1, using Tri-Flow lubricant?

Hey guys. I have a new Giant Rapid 1 road bike. I just picked it up so I need to lube the chain for the first time. I picked up Tri-flow lubricant and was wondering how to apply this to the chain. Also in 2 weeks when I reapply some more lube how do I clean the chain and other parts? This bike will not be out in the rain so I just need to know a quick good cleaning technique as well as directions on how to apply the lube for later on as well as its first lube. Thanks.

First off: congratulations on the new bike ... it isn't really a "roadbike" though.
If you have a brand new bike, the chain should already be lubed.
To get instructions on how to clean and re-apply lube on bikes, I think you'd be better of in the specific forum about mechanics, as this will be the same for all types of bikes.

First off: congratulations on the new bike ... it isn't really a "roadbike" though.
If you have a brand new bike, the chain should already be lubed.
To get instructions on how to clean and re-apply lube on bikes, I think you'd be better of in the specific forum about mechanics, as this will be the same for all types of bikes.

+1 re. chain lube; just search the 'mechanic' board on this forum and you'll get all kinds of advice (often conflicting!).
However, and w/o meaning to thread-jack, just how and in what ways precisely is a Giant Rapid 1 not "really a roadbike"? I know this bike very well, though I ended up not buying one, and flatbars/trigger shifters aside (i.e. if you said "not really a road race bike" I might agree), in every other respect it is indistinguishable from e.g. a Defy 1.

The OP referred to it as a roadbike, but it has a flat handlebar, right?
So that's why I said it is "not really a roadbike".
I know that apart from that it is exactly like a roadbike ... no offence intended there. ;)

The OP referred to it as a roadbike, but it has a flat handlebar, right?
So that's why I said it is "not really a roadbike".
I know that apart from that it is exactly like a roadbike ... no offence intended there. ;)

None was or is taken:thumb: ... just interested, because these definitional things do seem rather to proliferate on this board.
In any event, you did say "really", which does suggest that in some material sense a Rapid 1 is "not really a roadbike;" the implication is that it should be referred to as something else ... 'hybrid', I suppose?
But I'm still curious; in what does that difference inhere? Your response suggests that having drop bars is a necessary (though not necessarily sufficient?) condition that must be satisfied in order properly to refer to a given bicycle as a 'roadbike'. The further implication of that is that bicycles must fit a paradigm defined by, e.g., a contemporary road race bike in order to fit the definition?
It seemed to me this leads to the rather odd conclusion that e.g. a Giant Rapid 1 (or a 2011 Sirrus Pro, to take another example) is 'not really' a road bike, even though in every other material respect, save for an extra 2 cms. length in the t/t to account for flat bar positioning, the Rapid 1 is identical to the equivalent Defy, which I think we could all agree is a road bike. In the case of the 2011 Sirrus Pro, even that one qualification is not present: bars/shifters/brake levers aside, it identical to its Roubaix sibling.

You could indeed call these flatbar bikes "roadbikes" and you could call the dropbar version "road racers".
That would make sense and it all depends on what you want to call it :)
Here in Flanders, for instance, we simply call the dropbar roadbikes "racefietsen" which translates to "racebikes".

The easy answer to your question is put a drop of oil on every roller, and then wipe the chain down with a clean piece of terrycloth.

Don't forget to keep the chainrings and cassette clean, as well.

You could indeed call these flatbar bikes "roadbikes" and you could call the dropbar version "road racers".
That would make sense and it all depends on what you want to call it :)
Here in Flanders, for instance, we simply call the dropbar roadbikes "racefietsen" which translates to "racebikes".

Here in USA, we used to call road racing bikes "road bikes". Similar models designed like race bikes but heavier to save cost might be called road bikes too. I took a lot of heat in the road bike forum when I said road bike means road race bike, but that's what I've always thought it meant. Some drop bar bikes that fit in categories like cyclo-cross or touring would not be typically referred to as road bikes. I believe cyclists usually are referring to a road racing style bike when they say "road bike", but I've been told this belief is false.

Was there a question?


The easy answer to your question is put a drop of oil on every roller, and then wipe the chain down with a clean piece of terrycloth.

Don't forget to keep the chainrings and cassette clean, as well.

Oh.

Actually that's the hard way, applying dropwise, but an excellent method. I used to do that before I got lazy.

rbloem, read the instructions on the bottle.

I use White Lightning, but Tri-Flow is good too.

How often you want to lube your chain is up to you, but my bike has around 400 miles on it and I haven't added any lube. I wiped the chain clean with a rag three times. I only rode in the rain once, the second day I owned it.

Here is a nice video How To Clean and Lubricate a Chain (http://bicycletutor.com/chain-lubrication/).

I soak mine in a small container with full strenght simple green over night,rinse in tap water,air dried,the chain then looked shinny and spotless and then lubed with purple extreme.

I ride perhaps a thousand miles a summer and lube the chain at the beginning of the summer and then maybe once during the summer. If I ride in lots of dirt or it gets muddy I'll hose it off and drop some lube on it. I've had the same chain on my Cannondale Hybrid for about 3 years now and no problems. Twice a month is more attention than my wife gets...just ride your bike and be happy.