Originally Posted by
GaryPitts
I've searched, but I'm not sure I have found THE best way to lube a chain. What I do is clean it with degreaser and a chain cleaner (Finish Line model)to get things nice and clean and then put copius amounts of Tri-flow on the chain while rotating the pedal. After allowing it to 'soak' for a bit, I put a rag around the chain and rotate the pedals to remove the excess oil. This seems to work OK at the expense of using a lot of oil. I've seen that some take the time to put a drop of oil on each link which seems the most efficient at the expense of time. What do y'all do?
Also, it seems that even though I've used the degreaser and chain cleaner, after lubing it I'll still get black on my calves if I touch the chain on the next ride out. Do I have to pull off the chain and soak it to get rid of this, or is there no way to really clean a used chain well enough that it doesn't get black on you if you touch it?
I'm still kinda new at all this, so I'd appreciate your advice and experience!
In the olden days there were two approaches: 1) remove & soak the chain in kerosene & scrub dirt off...hang up chain & let dry or wipe dry then spray lube/drip oil & let it soak thru, then wipe off excess OR 2) use motor engine degreaser with chain on bike--brush chain to loosen crud & spray off with garden hose & then spray on lube (pro racer style). Only problem now is that (at least in USA) the degreasers sold are not as powerful & seem to leave chain a bit grimy. Plus relubing with chain-on-bike wastes some often-expensive lube which winds up on rear rim unless one removes the rear wheel & uses a hub gadget to allow chain rotation.
For a pristeen chain I'd recommend removing the chain (pretty easy with the special links), putting the chain into a plastic bottle with kerosene & swishing it around (soaking time doesn't hurt either) & put it into a pan to brush scrub...& then swishing the chain in another bottle to remove dirty residue--hang up chain, wipe dry & add lube then wipe clean. (When putting the chain into the kero bottles tie fishing line to enable easy removal.) Perhaps this is too anal but with the EZ links & perhaps a spare chain to use while the other is being cleaned...it's gonna give a clean chain.
Not sure if it's scientific but I think that a chain that has bigger grit removed but with micro-grit remaining (ie still leaving black stain) is still going to get wear. Chain maintenance is a PITA but pays off, the more the better IMHO. I'd love to see when IGH hubs/belt-drive become cheap & standard for all non-racers. A motorcyclist friend traded in her chain-drive motorcycle for a shaft drive specifically to end pesky chain maintenance.