Originally Posted by
Dudelsack
Speaking of which, as I am a 2A participant and have a boatload of Balneol, would that make an OK chain cleaner? I think that would have me branded as a heretic on the ol’ 44.
Ballistol? (Balneol is a personal hygiene lubricant for ones personal area for ones personal, umm... business.) I'm not sure I've ever used Ballistol. I did use CLP years ago, especially the grease, but tended to prefer Sheath (now Barridcade) as a rust preventive because it's a polarized oil that creeps and seeps into every crevice, nook and cranny so you don't need to disassemble items to reach all the metal parts that need protection. And it didn't appear to harm any synthetics, rubber, plastic, etc.
However Sheath/Barricade wasn't much of a lubricant. The carrier evaporates leaving a very thin coat, and it's designed to avoid soaking into fabrics (as it is intended for firearms, which may be carried on the person) so I wouldn't rely on it for bicycle chains, unless I was prepared to apply the stuff every ride.
I used to hot wax my bike chains, but for the past couple of years have mostly used Rock 'n' Roll lubes -- Absolute Dry, Gold and, mostly recently, Extreme for wet/dirty conditions. It seems pricey for what it is -- naphtha carrier with powdered PTFE that needs to be shaken back into suspension, and varying amounts of light oil in Gold and Extreme. But it works so well, is easy to use and lasts long enough that I'll put up with the cost since I go through only one 4 ounce bottle a year. As the directions suggest, there's no additional cleaning step. The carrier for the lube -- naphtha -- is also the cleaner. Just squirt it on, spin the chain, wipe it off with a paper towel, done. As my back and neck, knees, etc., deteriorate, the less time I spend bent over or kneeling to clean my bikes, the better.