So I dare not go into the quagmire which is what lube to use, but I'm curious when to lube chains.

I have a bunch of bikes (not all mine) that are only ridden once a week sometimes once every two weeks.

After a ride you can hear the chain needs lubing, so should I lube the chain on that day or wait till closer to the next ride which could be two weeks away? At the core of this question I guess is, does the lubricant dissipate if the bike is not ridden?

Bikes are stored in a garage which is not temperature controlled.

Thanks.

The short answer is lube when you know you need it. It should not go away.
The longer answer is to get a feel for how often you need to lube, and do it before you hear your chain.

I don't know if it matters, but some chain lube directions recommend lubing when you return from a ride. This may give time for the volatiles in the lube to evaporate leaving just lubricant.

when I used Triflow, I lubed the chain every sunday nite...would give me about a week's worth (120-150) of miles.

after switching to Chain-L, I kept a log of mileages before the chain became noisy...the avg was ~700 mi.

Yes it varies but I lube mine every two to four weeks or more frequently if my chains start to "talk" to me.

I think you should thoroughly douse the chain in oil daily, whether you ride or not.

That's especially true if you're using Chain-L. Following that daily ritual ensures that I eat well.

The Chain-l is pretty good stuff it will outlast a nasty mother-in-law in bad weather. If FB would change formula and tweek it a bit I am pretty sure it would grill up some good onions and mushrooms for to put over the steak dinner after the ride.

I just got a new KMC chain. Looks pre-oiled. My plan is to just leave it alone for as long as I can stand, and only wipe it down once in awhile. It'll be interesting to see how long I can last before giving in to the cleaning fetish.

I'll give myself until a week after the first ride in mucky puddles. I probably won't be able stand hearing the chain before I give in.

once every 100-150 miles unless undue dust or grit from wet conditions or gravel road.
Technique counts for a lot. Wipe off chain before lubing up.
I also floss the cassette with an old shoelace soaked in lube. Ahhhh...

What's the benefit of lubing the cassette beside attracting dirt?

I lube after I clean the chain

I am usually daily rotating through a half dozen+ bikes and have the wife's bike as well as another 6 for the three daughters and son-in-laws to ride when in town. All are kept in a hanger (30 to 115 degrees), 40 foot door open every day to the Southern Arizona desert winds with the nasty silca dust ever present. However, a wet ride would be a very unusual event. I find no evidence of a material lubricant dissipation and never hear noisy chains. I use a homebrew (chain and bar oil and OMS) and before a ride wipe the chain if stored for weeks w/o moving. I admit to over doing PM on the bikes that sit but still would say they go 100+ miles w/o noisy drivetrains between being re-lubed.
Unless you have difficult conditions (wet rides, sand, etc.) I would look at your lube or technique.

At the end of the week of commuting I routinely wipe down the chain and re-lube. A week of commuting for me typically runs 45 - 100 miles.

With Chain- L

I go 3000 + miles.

And I clean my chain before I lube.