round-the-bend

I hear conflicting info about this. KMC say on their website that you should never degrease your chain that once you remove the lube from inside the links the chain has had it.

Their chains come new covered in sticky grease which must attract grit so Purple Extreme say you should degrease a KMC chain when new and they like KMC chains.

Copper1122

just use WD-40....I mean never use WD-40....I mean repost on the mechanics page

My opinion is KMC is stating that because tehy watn their chains to last and since most dont know/have time to properly maintain their chains, leaving the packing grease is a good way to ensure that their chains dont fail in the first month of use. just a thought not a fact

Val23708

good lubes will clean it out so you don't have to degrease. try prolink

woodduck

yeah strip that thick muck off and start using a good lube straight away.

cleaing the chain and cassette properly every 2nd week will make them last a long time.

iab

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

scirocco

Degreasing removes lube. It will take some time before the fresh lube you subsequently apply penetrates into the places the degreaser has removed it from. During that time you will have dry metal surface moving against dry metal surface which is rarely a good idea in any engineering application.

If you're worried about the original preservation grease attracting dirt, lube like hell with oil and wipe multiple times. The oil will gradually wash away the grease on the outside of the chain, but it will remain internally where it is needed.

swifty

Exactly. When I install a new chain with sticky grease, I wipe the chain thoroughly with WD40. After the thick grease is removed from the outside of the chain, I apply my favorite lube.

Suzie Green

Sheldon Sez..."This factory lube is superior to any lube that you can apply after the fact."

If it's so wonderful, why doesn't the chain manufacturer sell that "factory lube"??? I guess they want your chain to fail so they can sell you a new one.

bdcheung

When I get a new chain, I spray some non-chlorinated brake cleaner on a rag and wipe down the outside of the chain to get the surface layer of "factory grease" off. This doesn't affect the lubrication of the rollers and prevents gunk from building up on my cassette/chainring.

RazorWind

Part of the reason probably has to do with the fact that while it's an excellent lubricant, you couldn't apply it properly outside of their factory.

2manybikes

Don't soak a chain in degreaser, that will take the grease out of the inside, just like all the chain manufacturers say. Don't wash the chain with degreaser. Just wipe the outside with a rag.

But, after lubing and letting it sit over night wipe the outside with a clean rag to remove the excess that will attract dirt. A rag with a little WD-40 on it is Ok to spin the chain through. But don't actuall spray WD-40 on anything, it will wash grease out of chains and bearings.

A new chain is covered to help keep the chain from rusting during storage as well as just lube. I think most of them are cosmoline.

BlastRadius

Has anyone used one of the Park Tool Cyclone chain scrubbers but instead of filling with degreaser, fill it with Prolink (or other lube) and used it to "clean" and lube the chain simultaneously?

sowe34

So I shouldnt use White Lightning chain cleaner to clean my bike chain? That is a degreaser....

coasting 

don't degrease. the factory stuff lasts for ages unlike any lube you subsequently add. just wipe the chain if you want to get rid of the stickiness from the outside. when i last put a new chain on, i didn't add lube for months before it squeeked after a few wet rides washed out the factory lube.

Miller2

I soak mine in mineral spirits. Doesnt seem to have any adverse effects. I lube it up with Finish Line Dry Lube and all seems to be just fine.

sharkey00

It is how they are able to apply it not what they are applying.

Though you could do it yourself. Here are some intstructions

kukusz

Wow, yeah, it's worth 4 hours of my time to do this...

CycleFreakLS

I wipe my chain down after every ride, but I fail to see how wiping it down alone is sufficient. I also use a chain cleaning tool and also remove the chain (Wipperman speed link) to really clean it. The grit that gets inside the links is impossible to remove by simply wiping it down. That's the junk that wears down drivetrain parts. Chains are cheap; cassettes and chainrings are expensive; that's why I try to get that junk off of the chain. After the chain is dry, I put in a sandwich size ziploc and liberally apply lube (been using the Finish Line recently) and work it through the chain so it is pretty much "soaked". Put back on the bike and then wipe down the excess. Haven't had any problems with chains using this method. Best.

Avalanche325

Too much lube is almost as bad as no lube at all. When there is too much, all the excess does is attract dirt. Then you basically have semi-liquid sandpaper on and inside your chain.

I don't disagree with a wipedown on the outside of a new chain. It works fine for a few weeks.

Most lubricants are not compatable with each other. When you go from the "factory" lube to anything else, or if you are changing brands / types of lube, you should thoroughly clean the chain and then apply the lube.

It does no good to leave the gritty stuff inside the rollers, and have fresh lube on the outside.

Busta Quad

Lubes do not, and can not, "attract" dirt. Dirt may adhere to them, but there is no force-at-a-distance (such as magnetism) that pull the dirt to the lube.

kenshinvt

4 hours? wow! It took me a solid 6 hours the first time I did it.

BikeWise1

FWIW, KMC says the fastest way to kill your chain is to regularly clean with solvents a.k.a. degreasers.

Like others have said, use ProLink....it cleans and lubes.

Skewer

The Boeshield T9 that I use also claims that it cleans and lubes, but I still prefer to thoroughly clean chains with a powerful solvent every three or four hundred miles and apply T9. I had about 7,700 miles on my last chain before I replaced it, and even then, I only replaced it because I was changing to a new wheel and new cassette, not because the chain measured as needing replacing. I assume that the Boeshield T9 does a good job of penetrating to the areas that it needs to go and relubes these areas that I have previously cleaned with powerful solvents, but I could be wrong.

Geoff326

wouldn't it cost less just buying a new chain? do u need to replace all those pins that you've pushed out? I tried pushing an old pin back in once and I just ended up with a super stiff unusable link.

Daytrip

The web page is Sheldon Brown's idea of a joke.