Stupid question; black goo
12-05-08, 10:22 PM
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Stupid question; black goo
Ok, I am new to taking care of bikes and need to clear something up. Is the black goo on my various parts of my bike (chain, spokes, derailleur, etc) lubricant or dirt? If it is all over my crankset, should it be wiped off, or is it lubricating something?
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12-05-08, 10:27 PM
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Stupid Answer
A lot of people think the black stuff on a bike's drivetrain is dirty grease and oil. And they think it should be cleaned off. I, however, think it is a high quality dark molasses that can be scraped off and used for baking... YUM!
Last edited by LarDasse74; 12-05-08 at 10:28 PM. Reason: Added title
12-05-08, 11:29 PM
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Wipe off the excess, use some mineral spirits to clean up the gunk not on the chain and consider using a less messy lube. Triflow, Phil's Tenacious Oil, WD40
, motor oil
, etc. are wet lubes. White Lightning, Bioshield, Pedros, etc are dry. The dry ones are cleaner, don't attract dirt and do a good job. They don't last as long as the wet ones however nor are they very good in areas where you have lots of rain. They really shine in the dry southwestern US.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
12-06-08, 08:58 AM
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For the chain, don't bother cleaning new chains. The lubricant that they come with is excellent and should be allowed to last as long as possible. But when it's time to lube the chain, use one drop/link of a good liquid lubricant like TriFlo of Boeshield. More won't lubricate the chain better - but will attract every particle of dirt on the planet. And a few meteorites from deep-space.
12-06-08, 09:50 AM
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Why that's easy.
Put a tiny drop of whatever chain lube that you're using on your finger. What color is it? Anything that's not that color is something other than chain lubricant and should be cleaned off.
Put a tiny drop of whatever chain lube that you're using on your finger. What color is it? Anything that's not that color is something other than chain lubricant and should be cleaned off.
12-06-08, 02:55 PM
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Lardasse's silliness aside, yes it is lubricant. Most liquid lubes will eventually develop a nasty black layer that gets on you the bike, your neighbor's cat, the dog and, somehow, on the top of your chimney Wipe off the excess, use some mineral spirits to clean up the gunk not on the chain and consider using a less messy lube. Triflow, Phil's Tenacious Oil, WD40, motor oil, etc. are wet lubes. White Lightning, Bioshield, Pedros, etc are dry.
The dry ones are cleaner, don't attract dirt and do a good job. They don't last as long as the wet ones however nor are they very good in areas where you have lots of rain. They really shine in the dry southwestern US.
Wipe off the excess, use some mineral spirits to clean up the gunk not on the chain and consider using a less messy lube. Triflow, Phil's Tenacious Oil, WD40, motor oil, etc. are wet lubes. White Lightning, Bioshield, Pedros, etc are dry. The dry ones are cleaner, don't attract dirt and do a good job. They don't last as long as the wet ones however nor are they very good in areas where you have lots of rain. They really shine in the dry southwestern US.
IMO, you should never oil a chain before cleaning it thoroughly. I use kerosene- soak, scrub, soak, hang to dry and filter the kerosene, soak, agitate, soak, hang to dry. I also use all that time to scrub the chainrings, sprockets, and derailleurs. It's only after I get everything clean do I install the chain and put on a new coat of lube, which I leave overnight and then wipe off the excess.
I use a big funnel and coffee filters to get the gunk out of the kerosene afterwards. It takes 4 or 5 passes (with a new filter each time) before it runs clear. The amount of junk that comes out of this process is astonishing.
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