chico1st

how much lube do i add when i lube my bike? I put a drop on each link but will it make it to the other side of the link? what do i do?

Yan 

One drop on each link, then wipe with a rag while spinning the crank.

Panthers007

^^^ is correct in his method - it's the same as mine!

One caution: Don't use WD40 on the chain. It will just wash out any lubricants in the chain - and then evaporate. Get a good quality oil from your favorite LBS or hardware store.

Machka 

https://astore.amazon.com/machka-20/d...045645-4797569

stapfam

Oil is not that expensive- Clean the chain with a cloth and then put sufficient on to get the oil into the rollers of the chain. Then wipe off.

But if you have a dirty chain- Then all you will do is push the dirt into the chain to act as a grinding paste to wear the chain out.

Wordbiker

To be sure a chain is cleaned and lubed sufficiently, it is necessary to invest in the ShelBroCo Chain Cleaning System.

I recommend cleaning it twice with the late, great Sheldon's method.

LarryMelman

OK, this is two threads that you've tried to derail.

Why not leave it to people who would actually like to answer the question?

Wordbiker

Derail?

It was answered with the first response. Anything more than that is OCD quibbling as satirized by Sheldon's "system". I found it quite pertinent to the question.

bkaapcke

On a nappy washcloth, I soak a spot about the size of a quarter with Pro-Link Gold. Then I hold it up to the chain rollers while slowly spinning the crank. Capillary action takes the lube into the interior of the chain. Then I wipe the sides of the chain while rotating. This gets enough lube in there without overdoing it, and it is fast. I am amazed at how little lube is required. bk

bikinfool

I agree, plus I hadn't actually read Sheldon's "system" before...hilarious. All you get now is each person's personal method...which he already had a few of in the original thread about cleaning. As if the OP couldn't have found more than enough information on chain maintenance with a little effort searching, so a thread like this becomes fair game....

LarryMelman

No, it doesn't become "fair game". Go play somewhere else.

Machka 

All threads on BF are fair game. If that bothers you, find another forum. But as for this thread ... it hasn't been derailled at all. If you want to see some derailled threads, check the Road Forum and look at any thread with more than 2 pages ... chances are it has been badly derailled. It's all a part of the fun.


And chico1st ... a couple suggestions:

1) Go to a library and find some books on bicycles, take them out and read them. They'll help with all these questions. The book I suggested in post #4 might be a good place to start.

2) Go to the Bicycle Maintenance forum here and skim through several pages there. Chances are some of the questions on your mind have already been asked.

Panthers007

<CLAP!> <CLAP!> Enough! Go to your corners of the polytetrahedron and chill.

Thank you.

bikinfool

Larry, Larry...can I just call you Bud? Is it David's marriage that has you all upset?

LarryMelman

Hey, you are the first one to pick up on my user name. Two bonus points for you.

But "I'm seriously", here folks. Chain maintenance is a frequent question. Threads on this topic have shown:
a) there is no real agreement on the best way to do it. Everyone has their twist on it. Some people clean on the bike, some remove it. Some only wipe the outside, some soak in solvent.
b) the discussion always gets hijacked, to the point where you can't tell what's a sincere answer and what's a snark. Some (frequent) posters seem to delight in jumping into chain cleaning threads, only to confuse the discussion... contributing nothing at all.

I have given up on trying to learn anything in the Road forum. I just wish the snarkiness would stay there.

bored

thread caught my attention. n/t

Sixty Fiver

In my professional opinion, I too would use the ShelBroCo method for really dirty chains.

Barring that, applying one drop per link and then doing a good wipe down with a clean rag is all you need to do for lubrication.

I prefer using a solvent bath for routine cleaning.

Sixty Fiver

Just in case you take WB and I too seriously... the ShelBroCo method is the late great Sheldon Brown's best April fools joke.

John1992

Given my limited history of providing smart ***** comments with no value, I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this title. After running around in the room claping and chearing for ten minutes I decided to provide the world with a another of my humorless attempts at a joke. But then I stoped and decided there was nothing I could write (given my limited ability) that would come close to the joy I felt in just seeing this title. Thanks - you made my day.

JoelS

Now that's for folks with time on their hands!

bikinfool

Chain maintenance is all over the place for a reason...it's subjective and depends on too many variables for a simple answer. Keeping a chain well lubed is still best described by Yan's first response in this thread, that will keep most chains well lubricated and clean enough...

Kimmitt 

Yep, agreed; any more than that is too much work for a part which you'll be replacing in a couple of years anyways.