I've been involved in cycling for 20+ years. I've always used Shimano components and always find the sludge-like grease that comes on a new Shimano chain really annoying...basically just a dirt-magnet. So for years I have simply cleaned it off with solvent, installed the new chain, and lubed with Tri-Flo.

Anyone else do this? I told a friend I do this and he said I was crazy and would shorten the life of the chain, etc. I say that I like the chain stays cleaner and doesn't collect dirt so quickly b/c that sticky grease is removed.

Opinions??? I have a new DuraAce chain in the box here, wondering....

This is one of the great philosophical debates, up there with "tastes great" vs. "less filling".

I'm with you, I hate that gunk. Last time I installed a chain (last week, as it turns out) I cleaned the gunk off, next applied a cleaner/ dry lube to get into the guts of the chain, and finally applied a wet lube (it's for a MTB). I turned the cranks a few times, then wiped off as much as I could. Wiped it down again for the first couple of rides. Very quiet and clean so far.

I don't like the stuff either, so I remove it and go to my regular lube. I can't see any reason not to do it. Won't reduce the life of the chain. bk

Sheldon Brown was of the opinion that the factory grease they use on new chains, which permeates the entire chain inside & out, is good stuff and should be left alone. If you remove it needlessly, it's likely that new oil will not penetrate as deeply into the chain and the chain will wear prematurely from lack of lubricant. Bottom Line: Leave it be until it goes on it's own volition.

I leave it on. It usually lasts for about 2-300 kms and then once it starts to wear off I just lube as normal.

I'm with Sheldon. The new grease it top quality and the chain will never perform as well again after its removed.

Anthony

Best idea, in my book.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ory+lube+chain

Chain maintenance is not that mysterious, but myths still abound. One of the most common myths is that the greasey goo from the factory is some kind of super lube that should not be removed. That is simply not true. While it certainly has lubricating properties, it's a dirt magnet and eventually oozes out, making a mess of the chainrings and cogs. Leaving it on doesn't hurt the chain, but it sure makes a mess and won't work any better than a good chain lube.

At the very minimum, I wipe the exterior with mineral spirits, but I also apply my homebrew lube to hasten the replacement of the goo with my normal lube.

The new Campy 11 speed chain is one of the gooiest I've ever seen. After only wiping the exterior of the first one I installed, I decided that the next one would be degreased and properly lubed before it was installed.

Another common myth is that a chain can be cleaned too well. That is also nonsense. Any lube will quickly become contaminated with road grit. With the PROPER solvent, like mineral spirits, kerosense or diesel fuel, you can soak a chain as long as you like and not harm the metal, but that should never be necessary. If possible, it's best to completely remove ALL of the old contaminated lube.

I fill an old water bottle about 2/3 full of solvent, drop the chain in, put the lid on and shake for 1-2 minutes. At that point, you've got a chain swimming in dirty solvent, so more cleaning is still needed. You could exchange the solvent for a clean batch, but I prefer to pour it out, saving it for reuse in another water bottle. I then use hot soapy water in the bottle to finish cleaning, followed by a rinse in hot water and a wipe dry. My regular home brew lube will displace any remaining water and relube the chain, if applied liberally. WD-40 will also work, but most people would later apply their regular lube in addition to the WD-40. Since WD-40 contains about 30% oil, applying another lube will result in a mixed lube for awhile. Someone will undoubtedly scream about rust, but I've never got a speck of rust with this process. If worried about rust, then just do a second cleaning with fresh mineral spirits, but always save the solvent for reuse. When the next chain cleaning is needed, carefully pour old solvent into your cleaning bottle, leaving the dirt in the bottom of the storage bottle.

Wiping the exterior is fine. Regards the rest, here is Sheldon:

Factory Lube

I predict the debate of factory chain lube will reach a consensus around the same time as a consensus is reached on abortion.
FYI I ran my last new chain with the factory lube for about 3x as long as my usual clean/lube interval.

I use pretty much the same routine, but I use a 50/50 mix of citrus cleaner for the solvent.
I use a Tupperware-like container for the shaking that I found at the grocery. It is ~8" round by 2" tall and is a perfect fit for a coiled chain. I use Tri-Flow for the final lube. About a year ago I realized I could get it for less than a $1/oz by buying a gallon at a time from bikeparts.com (Peak Cycles in Golden). After the cleaning/drying I dip the chain in Tri-Flow, then hang it to dry overnight in the garage. The next day I wipe it down and put it on.

Meh. It's easy for me from my Classic & Vintage perspective: If a chain is still intact on a 40-year-old bike, I leave it be. If I'm putting a new chain on a 40-year-old bike, I leave it be. I've never broken a chain.

You paid for the chain with our own hard earnt money, shouldn't you be free to do with it as you please without further validation?

.

Regards the longevity of this debate - I believe you are spot on. Best send out for pizza.

Ok....Thanks guys. After 20 years of cleaning off the grease, then relubeing I have never experienced what I would consider "premature" chain wear or any rusting (granted most chains have been DuraAce nickel plated). By the way, I have always used Brake Parts Cleaner from the autoparts store to degrease, works great!

I'll side on the "clean off that gunk" end of this argument.....I'm off to the garage to degrease my new DuraAce 10speed chain...

I have used both the Sheldon and DaveSSS methods in the past. IMHO neither seems to make a difference in performance or longevity. Sheldon's method is simpler, less messy and that is what have have done. After about 300 miles on a new Record chain, I apply Pro Gold. Seems to work like a charm.

+1 I wipe off excess and maintain as needed. Pretty simple.

The statement above is a perfect example of a common myth. It simply makes no sense at all. The original grease will be contaminated with dirt in a couple hundred miles and quickly become a grinding compound, not a lubricant. If you disassemble a chain link, measure the clearances and note how it's constructed, it's obvious that there is nothing to restrict the flow of lube to either of the critical wear areas. Those areas are the bore of the roller and the area between the pin and the bushing formed into the inner sideplate. I've used a Campy chain for 6,000 miles and measured only a fraction of the "allowable" 1/16 inch per foot elongation. This chain was degreased initially and never had the factory grease on it while in use. It was relubed very frequently with a solvent thinned (penetrating) oil, similar to ProLink (but much cheaper). The greatest wear occurs within the bore of the roller. After 6,000 miles the wear will be at least 10 times more than the wear at the pin and it's bushing.

I agree as well. The only exception I can think of is if you are going to swirly your chain around submerged in a vat of hot grease so it really does get into all of the links.
DaveSSS does however make a good point. I guess the proper question is, how far in does chain oil get with methods x,y,z?

That's why I suggested disassembling an old link and looking at it. The inner plates are formed to create a bushing for the pin and a "shaft" for the roller to spin around. There is a significant gap in the middle of this hollow shaft, so any lube that goes into the bore of the roller will have an easy path to the pin and it's bushing. As long as the lube is not real thick, it will easily run into the needed areas. Even a heavy 80/90W gear lube will work it's way in with a few revolutions of the crank. I like to use an inexpensive solvent thinned homebrew and apply it generously to aid in flushing out as much old dirty lube as possible. I always wipe the exterior of chain before lubing to mimimize the chance of washing more dirt into the wear areas.

Well, what are you going to miss out on if you remove it? 100-200 miles of 'free' chain lubrication that will also attract dirt and leave you cleaning your cassette, chainrings and jockey wheels when it is time to remove it anyway? Are we saving big money here? And what is the downside of removing it right away? None. The problem is that the sticky stuff is hard to remove. That's why I buy SRAM chains. You can get them without the goo. bk

Whatever yanks your crank.

I leave it on - wiping off any excess - and just add a drop of oil to each link as needed down the road - also wiping off the excess. Never had problems with my chains attracting large amounts of greasy muck. Might depend on where abouts you hang your helmet, though.

Speculating here; this argument is between the chain 'neatniks' who consider it a weekly chore to clean/lube, and the chain 'slobs' who feel twice a year is more than enough. bk

I always did as DaveSSS suggests for years with no real problems or issues. After reading Sheldon's advice I changed my method to just wiping the outside with a solvent rag initially and riding until the chain needs more lube. Both methods work fine, but Sheldon's method is frankly easier, and AFAIK he wasn't known for giving bad advice.