indybiker01

After our ride I took my buddies bike in to clean and lube the chain. The chain after the degreaser and water was full of grease. It looked like packing grease. He bought his bike new recently. Is this something they put on chains or did they have a way like grease on there. I use synthetic teflon.....i felt bad because his chain looked worse then when I began but he had to go. Any ideas?

cachehiker

Yep. Some people are a big fan of it, many are not. I'm a not.

I'll admit it lasts longer than the stuff I generally apply, but my chain stays cleaner if I strip the top layer of it off.

FBinNY 

This has been covered thousands of times, but here it is again.

All the major chain companies ship their chains pre-lubed with what they feel is the best possible chain lube. Most are fairly thick and resemble axle grease or very heavy oil. It's often better to wipe excess oil off the outside, especially for use in dusty areas, but you will not be able to replace it inside the chain with anything as good in terms of lubrication.

There's lots of debate about the best lube, and everyone has a favorite, but as a maker of chain oil I can tell you that most of what people use in not nearly as good as what they washed out of the chain.

You didn't detail your cleaning procedure, but I guess that your cleaning method thinned the factory oil causing it to weep out. I suggest you now clean the excess off the outside with a rag or paper towel, and with any luck some of the original oil will still be inside. Otherwise, clean the chain again more thoroughly and re-lube with whatever product you think is best.

cachehiker

Maybe I should've said outermost layer off. It attracts too much dirt and grime.

I don't use an aggressive degreaser or a chain scrubber and I'm pretty sure there's plenty of lube left between the pins and rollers.

After the initial cleaning, the chain never gets removed for a deep scrubbing or degreasing, only for replacement.

I must be doing something right: over 2000 miles out of each road chain before I get 0.5% elongation and it's almost always sparkley clean.

JonathanGennick 

FB, I know you've researched lubes far more than I have. Please permit a follow-up question. Do you know the above to be true definitively? Have you actually spoken with the technical people at a chain company and had them tell you that?

I ask, because I hear all sorts of things, from all sort of people who sound authoritative. Yet I never see anything in writing from the different brands. For example, I don't recall Shimano ever stating in their instructions that they feel the best lube is that sticky-guey stuff.

Not trying to begin a debate. I'd just like to know that you have what you say on good authority from reliable sources.

BTW, I have several bottles of your lube just waiting their chance at my bike. I am planning to swap in a new chain at the same time as I switch to your lube, mostly to avoid having to clean all the old lube from my existing chain.

Al Criner

Google "Gleitmo"

canopus 

The ShelBroCo Bicycle Chain Cleaning System

A chain that is shipped, is shipped with a lube that will stay on and will deter rust for shipping purposes and provide lube upon delivery and use. That is the OEM's lubricant requirement when shipping a chain. Because it is so thick chances are good it will last longer than any oil an end user will use because it is in the rollers and pins and doesn't wash off easily. (Its kind of like why ship a gun or cast iron part with cosmoline) Also the Manufacturer can't afford to have a light weight oil lubrication dripping off the chains all over the factory floor and in transit. They have different requirements than what the end user has for a chain lubricant.