joejeweler

LOL,....How often do i replace chains??? I haven't yet! But that's more because i swap between a dozen or so bikes based on weather, and what i'm in the mood to ride that day.:-)

Over the last 3 years i've put on about 2-3K miles a year,......and no chain shows ANY measurable wear and my mostly vintage Dura Ace chainrings on a lot of the bikes look new also.

One of the advantages of having a fairly large stable,.......i guess at almost 57 i may never have to put a new chain on????

joejeweler

Oh,...., that may change this season. I'm really liking the comfy ride of my Dean titanium X-large frame "Colonel" set up as my fixie "69er". I seem to be using that one on most every commute,......so i suppose if any chain will need to be replaced,....it will be that one. At 21 pounds 13 ounces a durable ride that's still reasonably light.

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cyccommute 

You've never replaced a chain? How long have you been riding bikes? A chain won't last forever, no matter how much lubricant..dry or wet...you slather on. A chain, as well as cogs and chain wheels, is a consumable. They will wear out. I average the same mileage per year spread out over several bikes as well but I'm not under the delusion that I will never have to replace a chain because I've been doing the same yearly mileage for the last 35+ years and have had to replace many chains.

Modern chains are even more delicate than the 5 and 6 speed chains of the past and wear more quickly. Throw dirt at them (mountain biking) or put them under high stress (touring) or throw salt a them (winter commuting) and you'll be replacing chains even more frequently. It's just the nature of the beast.

ThermionicScott 

Well, shoot -- 2-3,000 miles per year, spread between 12+ bikes... you could probably just get away with buying new chains and letting the factory lube do all the work.

MetalPedaler

I just ordered some White Lightning. Gear oil and motor oil was working fine....but if this stuff eliminates the mess......I'll be a happy cameper...err...uh cyclist!

linus

Get rid of that White Lighting garbage and get some Dupont Chain Saver or WD-40 Dry Bike lube. Nothing comes close to these guys.

joejeweler

Well,....i mispoke as i thought about it. I have replaced a chain from time to time, but NOT because it was wore out. I like to change things up from time to time, and on some of my fixies and singlespeeds i've experimented with different cog and chainring sizes.

Rather than add in a piece of "new" chain (previously removed when originally set up) to a chain now with some miles on,.....i'll usually just start with a new KMC single speed chain and reserve the used chain should i ever go back to that gearing, or for use on a singlespeed buildup with shorter chainstays if it will then fit.

BTW,....i started riding a bike back in 1987, when i bought my 1st decent bike then. (1987 Schwinn Cimarron, which i still have). But for many years i was really busy working, 2 jobs a great deal, and had little time to ride or even think about riding.

That changed over 3 years ago, when i decided to lose some weight and eat better. 30 years as a bench jeweler/diamond setter and sitting on my arse a lot in that job, the weight seems to creep on. Biking almost daily now, even in the northeast winter,......i've dropped over 30 pounds and at 172 lbs at 5'10" i've got it under control now. Being sort of retired now at 56 years old, i've got lots more time to enjoy biking and working on building up frames that interest me.

......you centainly can't walk into a bike shope and find anything like the bike's set up the way I like them to be!

joejeweler

Not sure why you've got a mess if you've used gear oil? As long as you allow it to run into the roller areas and wipe off the extra really well afterwards,.....i've seen NO chain throwoff while running the bikes.

Motor oil is much thinner and will throw off much more readily,.....in my experience anyway. The Mobil 1 75-W90 gear oil is thick enough to stay under the rollers,....once it's in place.

cyccommute 

Good choice. Clean the chain with mineral spirits first.

No, you won't see throw off while pedaling. The oil is too thick to be thrown off. When I was using Phil's Tenacious oil which has a similar viscosity, I could see strings of oil forming between the chain and the lower jockey wheel when I was applying it on the stand. It's thick stuff. But it's still flows and that's what makes it messy. While pedaling, it will stay in place but once you stop the oil will settle to the lowest possible point on the chain which is the lower outside edge of the plates. That's why you have to constantly wipe the chain. Also, because the stuff usually resides on the edges of the chain, it provides a perfect environment to pick up a distribution of grinding particles capable of destroying a chain.

Wax lubes, on the other hand, don't flow once the solvent evaporates. The wax is trapped where it is needed...at the pin/plate interface...and even the wax that does end up on the outside of the chain doesn't provide a vehicle for entrapment of particles that act as grinding paste. As I said above, i don't wipe my chain down before a ride or after. I don't even have to wipe the chain down after application of the wax lube.

And, if I have to handle the chain during a ride, I don't have to carry something to wipe my hands on either. There's no black uggy chain to deal with.

rydabent

Mobil 1 extended 5w-30 here. I do ride bents, with the longer chains that should last longer. I did my first chain change at 8000 miles. And even at that it was just probably precautionary as my chain wear tool and steel rule finally showed just some wear. I too wipe down my chain after every ride.

MetalPedaler

I think it's because the oil attracts and holds dirt, being in an open environment. Either that, or because I'm Eye-talian and we're natural grease-balls I think a good part of it may be that brake dust gets entrapped in the oil....but all I know, is it'll be nice to not get grease on myself every time I go near the bike. (And keeping all that crap off the chain and out of the cassette, etc. I'd imagine would be a good thing, too!)

My darn bikes are greasier than the motors in my vehicles!

Thanks for the tip! Can't ewait to try the stuff- Maybe I could even get white bar tape now!

ka0use

i was wondering, too! made me snort!

joejeweler

Now "DAT'S" what i'm talking about! Geeze,....8,000 miles is more than even i would have thought possible. I still like the thicker viscosity of the Mobil 1 gear oil though, but any real oil get my vote.

.....and for you dry lube users,......eat your crow and drool over the simple fact that a REAL lubricant for steel chains is OIL! You don't see no chainsaw "dry" lubricants!

I doubt you get 2K-3K miles out of a bicycle chain before measurable stretch shows up.

For me, i refuse to pay out the arse for the dry stuff!

Dahon.Steve

The Dupont Chain saver is the best. It's not expensive all all. A small bottle lasted me three years! LOL!

cyccommute 

You do realize that a bicycle chain and a chainsaw are two very different uses don't you? No bike chain is going to see the stresses that a chainsaw does for any application that you could think of for a bike chain. The maximum rpm for a bicycle crank is around 150 while chainsaws spin at 2000 to 14000 rpm and the chain is a cutting blade.

You can doubt all you like but I see far more mileage out of a chain while using dry lube then 2000 to 3000 miles. While the comparisons are difficult, I see longer duty cycle with dry lube...which I've been using for nearly 20 years now...then I ever saw with thick oils like you are touting especially with mountain bikes.

La Tortue

I guess all the oil based evangelists are saying to disregard the scientific tests reported in the March issue of velonews?

MetalPedaler

Even the simple task of erling a chain has to be controversial?!

J.C. Koto

Haha, right What else?!

I'd wager that this is probably one of, if not THE most controversial bicycling topic, at least on the interwebs. God help you if you accidentally confess that you once used 3-IN-ONE oil as a chain lubricant, and don't dare mention WD-40 unless you first acknowledge that it's a "Water Displacement" solvent rather than a lubricant, that is unless you want to start a flamewar!

There should be a dedicated chain lube subforum here à la the likes of "Politics & Religion" or "Trollheim"

imi

^^ nah, they're just warming up! :

MetalPedaler

HAhaha! I DID use 3-in-1 erl to lubricate my chains when I was a kid!

Now for a real controversial subject: Springy clothespins, or the other kind?

I-Like-To-Bike

I think there should be a dedicated OCD/A-R subforum for people who insist that their method of obsessively futzing around with their bike (whether it be shopping, buying, riding or maintaining) is the best or the only right way.

joejeweler

Not sure where you see i was touting the Mobil 1 Gear Oil with mountain bikes? I thought it was clear, being set up as a fixed gear,....that i was using this bike as a daily commuter.

I realize the Dean pictured IS a mountain bike frame,.....but certainly actual MTB useage is going to be much harder on ANY chain and lube. The grit gets in no matter what lube you use.

I guess i'd rather spend my bike dough on things other than overpriced teflon dry lube and similar.

Last night i took the chain off my main ride (the fixie Dean) for it's monthly thurough cleaning in a solvent. Dried it out with compressed air at 80 lbs pressure, and added a small drop (more like half a drop) of Mobil 1 gear oil on the rollers, and wiped it all down and cleaned the cog and chainring of most of any slight runoff. Took all of 15-20 minutes.

Looks pretty dry on the outside, but smooth running on the inside.

joejeweler

I take everything with a grain of salt. Most of those reports take little note of someone willing to MAINTAIN a chain using a solid oil product. You can't just soak it in oil and go on your way. It HAS to be done carefully and in moderation, with once or twice a month thurough cleaning of the chain in a solvent. Some folks are lazy and don't want to be bothered, so they pay the $10 or $15 for a small bottle of the dry lube and run the chain without ever doing a good cleaning.

I run a KMC single speed chain, and it costs less than the dry lubes. I'd rather spring for a new chain "when" the time comes, that feel i'm getting hosed with $.50 worth of product in a $10 or more dry lube container.

I suppose YOU believe the ****erments figures on REAL inflation too, because it was put together in an official report. But when i shop for real world items like food and gas (which they conveniently EXCLUDE from their figures!),......it's easy to see the BS with the figuring.

Oil based chain lubes worked great for over 100 years, but now they're passe'. Same with quality steel (or titanium) frames and forks.,......now that carbon is about all you see in the local shops around here in the mid to higher end bikes. Steel or aluminum reserved for the low end stock for the most part.

I'm just waiting for the class action lawsuit that will happen as these carbon bikes "age" a bit, or slight damage isn't noticed and they explode under more than a few riders. I saw a cabon frame inside an SUV last year when it was 96 degrees outside,....probably 115-120 degrees INSIDE.

That's a frame waiting to die, and possibly take the owner out with it. My Titanium Dean with Surly Steamroller steel fork i sometimes transport in my Honda Pilot, but that's something i NEVER worry about.

For saving a pound or two,......you won't ever find me risking life or limb for an overpriced molded carbon frame or fork. I want REAL Steel or Titanium supporting my arse on the road, and real oil lube on a cleanly maintained chain pushing it along.

shelbyfv

joejeweler