Originally Posted by
woodysroad
I'm no mechanic and those who are will probably say "overkill", but my morning routine is to first hold the chain in a mechanic's rag as it emerges from the bottom pulley and crank the chain in reverse 50 times. Then I use a small brush and place it in the same position and again crank it in reverse 50 times on top and then the bottom of the chain. Then I hold the brush on the rear gear cogs and crank in reverse the same number of turns. Then I repeat for the front chain rings. I also wipe the chain rings with the rag. I then apply Rock & Roll Degreaser/Lubricant daily, lightly, then hold the chain in the rag and crank backward several times to remove excess. I then put just a couple of small drops of Finish Line Cross Country lubricant on my thumb and forefinger and turn the chain thru them several times. Then I run it thru the rag a few turns. Once a week I use pipe cleaners to clean the inside of the chain links. On a 10,000 mile tour I had the first chain checked several times and it didn't need replacing until 3,500. The second was changed at 2,000, the third at 2,000, and the fourth after the end of the trip, at 3,000. It's obsessive, but it sure shifted good and the cassette and chain rings stayed in good shape.
You definitely put more effort into chain maintenance than me. If my drive train gets noisy on tour, I add oil. That might be every other day in rain, might be every other week in dry conditions.
I made the comments below a year ago when this thread started, I quite frankly am unsure if I put any oil on the chain on the bike in the photo since I posted that. I might have put some oil on it in the spring?
Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
I have no experience with worn 9 speed chains, but I would expect them to wear almost as well as 8 speed. The length of the bushing that wears and the length of the pin that wears is not that much shorter than the corresponding lengths of the pin and bushing on an 8 speed chain. The reason I went with 8 speed in my builds is that there is a bit more cable pull per shift, thus the rear shifter stays in adjustment better. All my bikes that are newer than 20 years old use 8 speed. (Exception, one bike is internally geared hub.)
My utility bike is 7 speed and is stored outside, but I rarely ride that more than 3 miles per errand so that chain does not get much use. I suspect that chain life is more hampered by lack of maintenance, I think I only oiled it once last summer. Have not ridden that bike for several months now, as you can probably guess.
