How often do you clean and lube the drivetrain?
I just got in from cleaning and lubing my GF's road bike, my road bike and my MTB. This was the complete clean-and-lube... I used one of those Park Tool machines on the road bikes and broke the cain of the MTB. I cleaned and scrubbed chains, cogs and chainrings, and then applied lube.
I started wondering if I'm particularly anal-retentive about this... I mean, I do a complete clean on the road bikes about every week -- about 350 km for me, about 200 km for my GF -- and I do the MTB, which I ride less, in dirtier conditions about every three weeks. I also wipe down the chain [sometimes doing a quick spin with the cleaning machine] after about every second ride and apply lube. I have no complaints. The bikes keep operating smoothly at optimum performance, and I seem to be keep wear on the cogs and chainrings to a minimum... So it works for me. But is this obsessive-compuslive behaviour? Just a way to make sure I still have some bike time on my rest days? What do you guys do? |
I usually clean it when I notice it getting mucked up. Out here now I do not really have to worry about mud. It is more dust than anything right now. I does not really build up that much. When I notice it start to show on the chain it gets cleaned. The amount of time varies. Sometimes it is after every ride, sometimes once a week or month, it depends.
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I voted for "every other week", but really it depends on what sort of conditions I'm riding in during the time. I generally clean it more often when it's been raining than at other times.
Chris |
Summer time & living & biking is easy, I only clean and lube every 2 or 3 weeks, or after a rainy ride. Wintertime, I clean and lube daily because of the salt and sand.
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I answered every other week because that is what I shoot for. Actually, it winds up being more like once a month because the weekend I plan to do it, something always comes up or the weather does not cooperate. I at least wipe the gunk off and lube once a week.
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I clean weekly unless it rains. Then it is as soon as returning home. I don't think it is anal at all, it's just good dollars and cents saved by delaying replacement of chains and cogs.
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I clean mine off and lube every other week, unless I've been riding more than usual. I try not to let it go more than 100 miles or so.
Jonathan |
I READ SOMEWHERE THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DEGREASER TO CLEAN YOUR CHAIN, ORANGE JUICE WORKS JUST AS WELL. ANYONE FOUND THIS TO BE TRUE?
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I'm a white lightning kind of guy. Don't have any use for a chain cleaner, but will run a brass brush over the derailluer about once a month.
YMMV |
Originally posted by A F Baker I READ SOMEWHERE THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DEGREASER TO CLEAN YOUR CHAIN, ORANGE JUICE WORKS JUST AS WELL. ANYONE FOUND THIS TO BE TRUE? |
I usually clean the chain the cog set, and do maintainance work on the bike twice a week, that way I will be able to get longer life on my bike
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Originally posted by A F Baker I READ SOMEWHERE THAT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DEGREASER TO CLEAN YOUR CHAIN, ORANGE JUICE WORKS JUST AS WELL. ANYONE FOUND THIS TO BE TRUE? |
Originally posted by velocipedio But is this obsessive-compuslive behaviour? Just a way to make sure I still have some bike time on my rest days? What do you guys do? |
I should have voted for every other week. I have four bikes. I get confused as to when I did what to which. My favorite road bike, probably does get bi-monthly.
I do have a Park Chain cleaner. makes it so easy. Should do it weekly. Here we get no rain 9 months. I use White LIghtening or some other equilalant, so drive train does not get too awful. Not satisified with just chain cleaning tool. When I attack dirty chain I do the whole drive train. Use brush, citrus cleaner and get up in cogs and chainrings. Makes me feel good about my bikes to look at the whole drive train and it is a shiny silver color. No junk. |
I clean my drivetrain all the time. Nothing is greater than a shiny drive train. And the side effects of smooth running are good too.
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