Originally Posted by
Jurgen
Hey folks,
Just wondering how often you're cleaning/lubing/etc. your drivetrain during these saltiest, muddiest, grimiest months?
It seems like I'm going through a LOT of lube to keep my chain from turning orange, and now I'm wondering if I should just clean and degrease the whole damn thing and start over.
Any hints, suggestions, stories, or otherwise would be appreciated.
In the Uk, the roads are often gritted during icy weather, and then when the temps rise and it then rains my bike gets full of grit and other such road dirt. So I basically clean the drive chain every week in winter (using a chain cleaning bath with Finish Lines Degreaser, which is just fantastic!), and re-lube with Finish Line Cross Country Lube...
http://www.finishlineusa.com/product...untry-lube.htm
http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/degreaser.htm
... I used to get rust spots on the chain when I used a dry lube in winter, but since switching to wet lube the problem has gone away. But it IS only for wet or extreme conditions. In summer I switch back to a dry lube assuming we don't have a summer like we had last year! Obviously I clean the bike as well, but I only do a full re-lube and repack 4 times a year.