Originally Posted by
jethro56
I know you didn't ask this but I have to say that motor oil has no use on a bicycle. It's too thick for chains,cables and shifters and it's too thin for cranks and wheel bearings. Leaving excess lubricants on external parts can only introduce dirt into the internal surfaces you're trying to maintain. So clean the parts before and after applying the proper lubricant.
How do you define "proper"? There's enough holy-war debates on chain oil here to realize that there's no one "right" lubricant. One of my requirements is longevity of drivetrain and I can get 7000-10000 miles out of a chain before 1/16" stretch.