Originally Posted by
azza_333
I know everyone has what works for them. But what would everyone's opinion be on a 4000km (2500mi) tour, with a chain swap at the halfway point, the drivetrain will be 11speed Ultegra Di2, all on sealed roads(might be just a couple of km on dirt)
If this was you how would you care for the chain? how often would you lube? would you go the 2000km (1250mi) without doing any chain maintenance? would I then need to swap the cassette out aswell?
My last big tour was one a 9 speed chain, I lubed every 2-3 days, but may of used to much, since black greasey crap made everything dirty, and I would like to have a cleaner trip this time around.
Too much lube is just going to make a greasy mess and wear your drivetrain out quickly. Every 2-3 days is
much too often. You are frankly better off waiting until the chain starts to squeak. The drier you keep it the less dirt it will attract. I used to lube mine maybe every 1000-1200 miles when I was riding every day. You should be able to do that whole tour with no lube, though it'd be prudent of course to bring some anyway, and oil maybe once. Getting caught in the rain or riding through a stream will generally necessitate additional oiling.
Changing your chain halfway through is just silly. Chains usually last around 5000 miles or longer - depends on how dirty they are.
As others have said, rub off the excess oil with a rag. You don't need it on the outside. Some oils attract more dirt than others. I use good old triflo, it works well enough and doesn't attract much dirt if you wipe it off.