If you think the factory lube attract too much dust, then wipe off the excess with a rag, since it's not needed on the OUTSIDE of the chain.

But as Sheldon Brown has said, it's an excellent lube and you ought to leave it on the interior parts of the chain, rather than uselessly remove it with a degreaser!

Yeah I clean it off, attracts too much dirt, and it just looks bad. I re-lube with homebrew.

Al

Seems to be a lot of that going around these days . . . .

One of the issues I have with the lubrication arguments is blanket statements. That wet lube in the chain gets squooze out to the outside eventually and causes all kinds of problems in dusty conditions. You, moxfyre, ride in the east where it's a whole lot wetter then here in the west. Having ridden just a bit to the north of you (Vermont), I can tell you that you guys don't have the same issues as we westerners do, nor do we have the same problems as you do. Also, the lubrication depends on the type of riding. A road bike needs a different kind of lubricant than a mountain bike, although, generally speaking, if you are riding the road bike in the same area as a mountain bike, you can usually use the same lube.

For example, in the east you guys need a lubricant that protects against moisture to keep the parts from rusting. A good oily lubricant like Phil's Tenaceous Oil is great stuff...messy... but good. It keeps water out of the chain. In the west, we can leave our bikes outside for months on end and never see a rust spot on a chain but if we go ride there is dirt and sand on every road and every trail. Just riding down the road kicks up a lot of the stuff because it doesn't stick to the road that well. You eastern guys just don't have the same problem. That sand is usually made of quartz which, on the Mohr hardness scale, is harder than the iron the chain is made of. Small bits of the sand gets into the works and wears chains very quickly if you have something that the sand can stick to...like Phil's oil. Dry lube keep the grit down to a minimum and the chains last longer.

I've tried all of the lubricants that are out there (in broad classes), like Phil's, Triflow, WD-40, White Lightening. Of them all only the WL keeps my chains clean, working well and long lasting. I would never use the stuff in Vermont. I probably wouldn't use it near the ocean (have to deal with salt there) but for the dry Great Plains and the Intermountian west, it works like advertized.

Hah! I was right! (Am I talking to myself if I self-quote?)

Funny thing is, the same things keep getting said over and over. It's almost circular.........like an unbroken chain-

+70,000

What would SRAM know about the chains they make? I would think a lot, but that is just me.

My personal preference is to remove the factory protectant. I call it a protectant because it's to sticky to be an ideal lube. My guess is that they coat the chain with the stuff so they aren't liable for someone who doesn't maintain their bike, the chain rusts and subsequently breaks. I can't see the factory protectant ever coming off without the use of a solvent so they've covered their asses.

I've tried simple green to remove the stuff but I found it lacking when it comes to tar so I ended up buying a can of brake cleaner for $2.50. If you've already put alot of miles on the bike you may want to spray off the teeth too since they're probably covered in tar and have collected grit that'll cause excessive wear.

Mmm... lube discussions. But no one has said anything about hot waxes, i.e. those that you heat up then immerse the chain in. Are these at all quiet?

I imagine they could coat the inner parts of the chain better then most other lubes, save really light oil, and probably resist dirt like a dry lube, but does that make them quieter?

Anyone have any experience?

Now arn't you glad you asked!

I agree with the "clean it" crowd here. That gunk on the chain will lube the chain for about 2-300 miles and after that it turns to tar. I've had a heck of a time removing it from sprockets and such after I finally cleaned the chain. It picks up everything and doesn't let go of it.

As for a great inexpensive cleaner, use Coleman's Fuel. Dries quickly, no odor, no residue, and removes all grease. I recommend a large mouthed bottle like the 64oz Gatoraide but that's your choice. First cleaning to remove all the gunk and then a rince cycle with fresh fuel. After that, you're good to go.

Other then Coleman fuel being toxic and very flammable. It's not always the best thing for the chain, to remove all of the factory lube from the inside, unless you have a way to replace it on the inside, a few drops of oil, may not be sufficient, to get inside the chain.

Why not put the degreaser on a rag, then run the rag down the chain before installing it, this will remove the outer layer of grease, but not the inner layer. Add a light coating of oil or a dry lube to prevent rust.

Flammable, yes. Toxic, not so much. The cut of petroleum that white gas (Coleman fuel) comes from contains noncyclic hydrocarbons that are, in general, related more to diesel fuel and waxes than to something truly toxic like say gasoline.

As for getting inside the chain, the chain isn't a sealed system. Sure the pins fit tightly in the plates but there is still enough of a gap to get lubricant inbetween them and the plate-to-plate interface is pretty sloppy so there should be plenty of lubricant in there too. The rollers don't need much lubricant because they are just along for the ride. The pins and plates do most of the hard work. The issue I have with leaving lube on the inside is that eventually it migrates to the outside where it attracts dirt and other gook.

And, in the end, we are talking about a chain here. Even if you spend the big bucks, you're looking at a consumable that costs maybe $30 for the ubergood ones. If it last only 3000 miles (which you really have to do bad things to your chain to only last 3000 miles), that works out to a penny per mile. That'll break the bank