Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Your premise is flawed. The act of putting on lubricant drives grit into the chain. Most lubricants are largely solvent and even the ones that have a higher percentage of oil in them are still going to penetrate into the chain and carry anything on the outside of the chain into the inside of the chain. The grit that is needed to do damage is very small. Don’t worry about the boulders you can see on the outside, it’s the invisible dust that causes the damage. But just having oil…which is mobile…also pumps grit into the chain. The act of pedaling and then letting the bike sit will make the oil flow around the chain and will carry that grit with it.
The solvents in the chain lube actually serve the purpose to wash out the old oil along with any grit that has accumulated. Oil based lubricants are usually used sparingly so the benefit of the solvent is rather small.
Wiping the chain to keep it “clean” isn’t all that beneficial either. The act of wiping drives the grit into the chain because, again, it’s not the big bits of dirt you need to worry about. It’s the little stuff that gets in there and does the damage.
Grit is going to get you no matter what you do with oil based lubricants because of the nature of the lubricant. The oil serves to make a slurry out of the smallest particles of grit and then carries them into the chain where the grit can do its damage.
Wax based lubricants, on the other hand, serve as a block to the grit on the outside of the chain. Since the lubricant isn’t mobile, it doesn’t pump the grit into the chain. It also isn’t sticky so there is no mechanism for the grit and dirt to stay on the chain. Solvent wax lubricants are usually meant to flooded onto the chain…most of them instruct the user to have it physically dripping off the chain…partly to clean the chains and partly to ensure that enough wax remains in the chain after application to do the job. But…
Wax isn’t better at protecting the chain from wear than oil. However, oil isn’t better either. In oil based lubricants, you have flow so the pins on the chain doesn’t experience lubricant starvation as the pedaling pressure pushes the lubricant away from the pin. The oil flows back. But because of the grit that the oil carries, the pins get ground from that very grit. and the chain wears. With wax, you don’t have the grit doing damage but the pins experience lubricant starvation since the wax doesn’t flow. The metal on metal contact wears and the chain wears. Oddly enough, the wear is about the same for both lubricants You can’t win and you can’t break even.
The only reason I use wax lubricants is the cleanliness. Even if the application interval was shorter…it isn’t in my experience…I’d use it for that factor alone. I get to handle plenty of filthy chains at my volunteer job. I’d rather not handle them at home or on the road.
I get all your take on things, but for most of my riding, simple rag wipes on drivetrain keep things from getting gunky, and once in a while I do a really good job of cleaning the chain--but again, for nearly all of my riding, its on paved surfaces so the reality is not as dire as you make it out to be, well not for me anyway.
but I totally get the not wanting to deal with filthy chains, me too, so keep things clean and apply lube carefully to each link only at the connecting bits, and wipe off excess after rides.
I will probably try some white lightning sometime, but I suspect its like some of the other super thin stuff Ive used in past, Prolink I think, super clean, which I really liked, but I really did find I had to apply it much more often than other lubes--but fast and clean.
as you say, it seems no matter what we tend to get the same mileage out of chains, so for me, I balance some wet riding and general habits I have. Besides, I have way more important stuff to worry about in life than this, so just use the various lubes that I have.
I must have at least 4 types kicking around, so white lightning will be the next tryout perhaps.
No idea what it costs up here in the Great White North.