Originally Posted by
DrRobert
I don't believe this is necessarily true.
KMC chain I recently bought was covered with some kind of sticky goop that sure didn't impress me as a lubricant. However Shimano chains feel more like oil.
More research needed but common sense tells me the chains are coated to prevent rust/extend shelf life which may or may not be on optimal lubricant.
Anyway, I stripped the goop off and lubed it myself.
I also disagree and will say using a good chain lube, it will definitely "get where it needs to go". I put a drop on every link rather than just running a chain across dripping bottle.
Regardless of debate, fact is, the factory lube is gone the first time you clean your chain, which for me is about every 100 miles so if in doubt, there is not much advantage in leaving whatever coating is on the chain new.
As I said above, chain maintenance is a religious debate. I'm not familiar with KMC chains as I always use SRAM chains. SRAM chains feel sticky when new as well. According to reps from Campagnolo, Shimano and SRAM though (see here:
Chain maintenance advice from the experts | Road Bike News, Reviews, and Photos), what a new chain comes with is "the good stuff".
As you said though -- the first time you clean the chain the factory lube probably removes the factory lube. I clean my chain once a week or so which is usually around 150 miles.