Originally Posted by
Dave Cutter
and listening will tell you when it's dry [because you will hear it]. Poor shifting lets the cyclist know the chain might need some sort of attention...
If a person proceeds to lubricate his or her chain only upon hearing it make "noise", they have waited too long before lubricating the chain. At the point when a chain is making noise a lot of wear is already happening. It is best not to wait this long. Just adapt a more frequent /regular interval for lubrication, and if your chain sees any water during this interval you have also reached the end of the lubrication cycle.
If I waited to hear a "noise" before lubrication, It would possibly mean the end of a chain at every point my chain started squeaking. At 250 pounds, being 20 miles away from home, with a chain squeak setting in, and with non stop hills to grind up before I reached my lube would spell the end of that chain.