ramjet1953

The title says it all.

I have a Shimano Hypergide setup and would like a compatible chain that doesn't have that messy black grease embedded in it.

I guess that it is either graphite or molybdenum.

I have found that although it may be a great lubricant, it is just not worth the mess and hassle when you need to clean the chain.
I can only imagine the mess if you needed to do a roadside repair.

I have tried both Shimano and KMC chains and they both have this grease.

I have also tried getting it out by putting gasoline in a soda bottle with the chain and giving it a good shake. However, it doesn't seem to get it all out and before long, the chain is black again.

Any suggestions?

Regards,
Roger

operator

It's the lube, not the chain.

I guarantee you will get the same results with a different brand chain if you are going to use the same type of lube you are using now.

FBinNY 

The black crud isn't embedded, it accumulates over time.

The first thing to know is that it's a drive chain not some piece of jewelery. It has moving parts that wear and need lubrication. Because it's exposed to the elements, the lubricant will pick up some dust. Between the wear by-products, and the picked up dust it will turn black.

Live with it, or manage it's appearance by wiping it down from time to time, or by periodic washing and relubing.

Or

Wash the chain very thoroughly in Naphtha and dry it completely. Run it that way. It'll stay clean, but it won't last.

It's your chain, so it's your choice.

AEO

another method for 'dry lubrication' is dipping the chain in some boiling paraffin wax.

fietsbob

There is no grit in it in the packaging , it's the act of exposing it
to the world that contaminated it.

Heat treated steel is black ..until you plate it, get a nickel plated chain,
and keep it clean and freshly lubricated , and wash the whole bike daily, too.
pros have some one to do that .. have a Valet? otherwise that will be you..

zonatandem

We don't like greasy chains either.
Here is the way we lubricated chains for the past 30+ years:
Remove chain. Clean off chainrings and cassette with a degreaser.
Soak/clean the chain in either kerosene/diesel fuel, or better yet a heavy duty citrus based degreaser.
Scrub with stiff brush and thoroughly re-soak it. Let chain air dry or wipe it dry.
Then get a block of paraffin (canning wax). Put wax in a metal container (coffee can works great).
Put the can on heating element outside, not in the house (we use a small electric burner).
After wax has melted to liquid, gently lower chain into the liquified wax. After about 10 minutes, remove the chain with a pair of long handled pliers and hang up to dry (careful that chain is hot). Wipe down the chain after it cools.
The liquid wax gets in by the chain pins, hence lubricating them.
For the first few rides there may be some black flakes on your chainstay; just wipe 'em off
You can actually grab the chain with your bare hand and there will be no grease/chain marks and you will have a very smooth running chain.
Occassionally wipe chain with a rag. If chain gives the slightest squeak, time to re-wax!
Wax in the can is re-usable several times. A cheap/clean/efficient way to have a well lubed and CLEAN chain!
Pedalon!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

JTGraphics

I use hot wax mixed with a little DuraLub in it stays quite clean and lasts quite long between cleanings and re-applying, it gets done about once every few months. It's a little more work but I like it I use a hot wax machine my wife got me from a beauty supply store works great for my chain I pre clean with mineral sprits and soak in hot wax till bubbles stop about 20-30 min. sometimes I forget about it 1hr later - hang to cool (it's hot) install spin crank a few times and all the loose wax falls off wipe and ride for 2-3 months with out touching it my commuter even longer.

AnthonyG

A chain is NEVER going to run cleaner than when its brand new and running with ONLY the original grease. Trying to wash this grease out will cause a bigger mess than leaving it alone and I think this IS your problem. Also I suspect that maybe you haven't cleaned the chain-rings and spockets before fitting a new chain which is something your really should do.

So, clean EVERYTHING in the drivetrain (chainrings, sprockets, deraileurs, jockey wheels(IMPORTANT)) first, fit a new chain and it should run cleanly without additional lubrication for several weeks at least and you will never get a drivetrain running cleaner than this.

Anthony

gtragitt

It will also be noisy

Retro Grouch 

Is there an incantation that goes with that? Can you do it anytime or only during certain moon phases?

Dan Burkhart 

Sheesh. If I obsessed over my chains like some people do, I'd never have time to ride.

dperreno

I don't use wax on my chain, too much work for me, but I have had melted wax catch on fire on the stove (don't ask). If you are going to do this, either do it outdoors, or use a hot wax machine like JTGraphics suggested. Believe me, you don't want a can of flaming wax in your kitchen!

cyccommute 

Way too old school...and potentially dangerous (see dperreno's post).

First you don't need kerosene or diesel fuel. Mineral spirits will do the job. Water-based degreasers work too but you have to remove the water-based degreaser and then the water. Mineral spirits will do the job in a single step without scrubbing. Put the chain in a jar, add a little mineral spirits (a cup is more than you'll need for a dozen chains), shake the lidded jar, remove the chain and let it dry. If you want to be really, really anal about it, a second rinse in clean mineral spirits will remove the last traces of lubrication.

Use your lubrication of choice after you remove the other lubricant. For cleanliness, it's hard to beat White Lightning, especially if you ride in dry conditions.


I beg to differ. I clean the factory lubricant off before installation. Using a wax lubricant...which isn't all that different from the stuff that is on the chain to begin with...results in a clean drive train.

The black crap that you see from the use of the factory lube or more oil based lubricants is finely divided metal from the chain wear. Oily lube pick up all kinds of grit and sand which are harder than the steel that the chain is made from. This grit just grinds the chain down and results in the black particles you see in so many oily lubricants. Addition of more oil just attracts more grit which results in more grinding and more wear. It's a vicious cycle.

Wax based lubricants don't allow as much grit to stick to them and thus don't result in as much wear. Less wear means less black gunk. It is true that waxed based lubricants don't last as long in water because they are largely stearates which are salts of fatty acids. Being a salt they are a bit more water soluble than a true oil but there are lots of 'dry' formula lubes that are made for wetter conditions...at the cost of more grit attraction. Most of the 'dry' lubes use petrolatum which is essentially petroleum jelly or a soft wax. But that's also what is used for the chain out of the package. And the petrolatum can be easily removed with mineral spirits to make the chain nice and shiny again.

phoebeisis

You can get a teflon coated chain-if it comes with lube-just remove it.Expansive- maybe $55 or so.
Or get a SS chain-remove all the lube.
It won't last as long. I've done-SS- this because I hate getting the black grunge on my pants.
So run with no lube and get shorter service life.I'm doing this on one bike-not sure yet how much it shortens service life.

vredstein

Dan, I used to think like this till I learned the difference between the inside of the chain and the outside, centrifugal force, and the benefits of a couple of initial wipings.

Mr IGH

Gas/naptha as a solvent, heating wax to melting point, etc, lots of fire hazards in this thread. Seems like a silly risk but chain lubing is one of those subjects that give rise to passion around here.

Sixty Fiver

Your chain will probably never be any better lubricated as it is when it is new but the factory lube is also thick and sticky which is not good for dry / dusty climates.

Dry lubes / wax are also good for dry climates.

I use a mix of motor oil and mineral spirits (homebrew) and my chains stay clean and run very smoothly for a very long time... I rarely deep clean my chains and just re-apply the homebrew and wipe the chain clean with a rag after and between re-lubes.

This chain has seen several weeks of winter riding with a few wipe downs and also has a few 1000 km on it... this was taken after another 20km of wet and snowy riding. The single cog and lack of a derailleur (as well as full fenders) also helps as the chain picks up less crud and it was still pretty shiny compared to other parts of my bike.

davidad

You can't get away from the black crud. It is metal particles that wear from inside the chain. Wipe down the chain with a rag with solvent on it to remove the excess on the outside.
No matter what you lube the chain with the black will return.

bkaapcke

When my chains are new, I take them to a friends auto repair shop and soak them in the carb cleaner bucket, wipe them down with brake klean and blow them dry. This gets rid of the sticky factory stuff. I regularly clean the chain and relube with Pro-Link Gold. The black stuff is there at every cleaning. It's from chain wear, so get used to it. bk

DOS

I like prolink gold too, but I believed Sheldon Brown when he told me the factory lube was the best lube so I don't use prolink until factory stuff wears away from riding. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

vredstein

I'll always encourage people to try Chain-L lube once the factory lube has worn away. Properly prepared, Chain-L will most closely replicate the original factory lube and last longer than wax, teflon, or any other aftermarket lube.
It's not hype, it's not blind, brand loyalty. It's simply my honest, unbiased experience. It's not outrageously expensive, so give it a try, come back and either say "Thanks for the recommend", or "You're full of crap."

DOS

Good enough for me; I'll give it a try next time I am running low on lube.

sknhgy 

Just my 2 cents - Last summer I degreased my chain and have used nothing but WhiteLightning since. Now that it's winter my chain frequently gets exposed to snow and road gunk. So far, not a spek of rust, and the chain is still clean. I have noticed that the WL seems to bead up on the chain when applied in sub-freezing weather, but it works right in with use. I love the stuff.
Out of curiousity, some day I want to try the hot parrafin dunk.

dddd

I also found the White Lightning to be super fast and convenient once I added the right size applicator tube to the drilled-out cap and further diluted the stuff with 10 or 20% odorless mineral spirits to prevent clumping.
For winter use I'll mix in at most a couple % of any oil to the bottle so as to add longevity and prevent rust, but it's still effectively self-cleaning if the rag is applied to the moving chain after application.

As described, I never spend more than a minute lubing/cleaning the chain, there's no buildup or flaking off of lube on the chain, and the oil % added is completely up to the user's preference. I never remove chains for cleaning since this lube method rectifies previous gunkyness with a few applications!

I use an aerosol applicator tube from a WD40 can or similar, and adjust length to correct flow rate for a clean continuous application stream. It is important to not get ANY drill shavings in the bottle, or intermittent flow interuption results, and that's about as fun as bladder stones. The 4oz WL bottle has a perfect shape for squeezing out a proper flow rate, I just don't much like the standard tip nozzle. Note that the mineral spirits helps keep the mix in suspension longer. Also note that vintage (older) chains require more oil to keep quiet, and some modern brands are better than others in this regard. I prefer Shimano, and also use narrower chains (9-speed even) for best shifting on older friction shift and indexed drivetrains.
Lately I've preferred some added oil mixed in year-round for reduced lube interval, still clean but quieter longer.

I think the factory lube is the best lubing the chain will ever get! A bit messy on the hands during install, but not that messy in use and lasts an exceptionally long time.

kh6idf

I used to use triflow to lube my chain and it would get a lot of black stuff on it in a short time. I switched to progold prolink after wiping the chain with a degreaser-soaked rag until it was clean. Now the chain stays MUCH cleaner, there is a small bit of black when I wipe it down after a ride, but you wouldn't see it on the chain, only wiping with a cloth will show it. Every 50-100 miles I re-apply the prolink and wipe off the excess. No need to use degreaser anymore. It's staying clean and the drivetrain is very quiet.