Wanderer

To those only getting 1500-2500 miles from a chain - you aren't putting enough lubrication on your chains.....

I rotate 3 chains on each bike, and get thousands and thousands of miles on my chains - like 6 years time 8,000 miles equals 48,000 miles, and they are still good! That's 16,000 miles per chain! And, I'm still using them, they show very little wear, and sprockets still look pretty new. Not perfect, but no serious wear.

Of course, I am anal about lubing my chains.................. with my own concoction of synthetic motor oil, gear lube, and chain saw bar oil, with a little mineral spirits to make it flow faster.

lopek77

I don't think it's a problem with me and my chains. My guess is too much leg power, and too much weight to move is the problem
What chain you using? I just bought couple of KMC x8.99 and x8.93 to see if they are better than Shimano HG 40,50 and Sram PC850. HG40 seems to be made from a very soft material, but it's also very quiet...go figure...

davidad

Jobst at his finest.

> Have you considered that the nature of the very sticky oil coating
> put on chains prior to distribution may have more to do with long
> term corrosion resistance on storage in possibly humid environments
> than it does with its virtues as a working lubricant?

This a classic rhetorical question with no endorsement of one position
or another, except to perpetuate folklore. I can see it now, chains
are made in far away places, across the sea, from whence they are
shipped unpackaged and exposed to the elements on the decks of small
ships. GIVE ME A BREAK!

I can also see Trek and Cannondale rinsing these corrosion protected
chains so that they can be "properly" lubricated before installation
on new bicycles. You should be glad if you could care for your chain
with as good a lubricant as what is on it when you unpack it. The
stuff does not run or spatter, and if there's too much, you can always
wipe off the excess after installation on your bicycle.

Wanderer

Agreed, it would be nice if we knew which Glietmo product is used on bike chains.

Honestly, I never noticed which KMC chain I bought - all I ever looked for was 9 spd, and KMC.

Keep 'em oiled, baby!

Kimmo 

Yeah, I'm evil.

cale

Sorry, didn't see that you were down under... carry on.

Phil_gretz

...just, wow.

Phil_gretz

I know you're not looking for an answer, but I'll add...


...helpful, sage, conversational, thoughtful, and entertaining.



I'll bet that you're a *snappy* dresser, too. PG

FBinNY 

I hope you didn't bet big on that one. I'm basically a jeans and polo shirt fan. Never wear tee shirts, and rarely a suit and tie. (5 days/year quota).

davidad

One of these: Products A-Z - FUCHS LUBRITECH GmbH

I think it's this one: https://www.fuchs-lubritech.com/produ...o-300-630.html

Wanderer

My point, exactly!

nhluhr

Yeah I've been following the ChainL method of chain care for a while now and I'm seeing absurdly good lifetime on my chains.

cyccommute 

I have no problem explaining what is happening unlike some people here.

You are incorrect because you don't understand that this is really basic chemistry. Yes, biodegradable solvents can dissolve oil and grease. But the oil and grease are petroleum products which are only "dissolved". There is no transformation of the chemicals present. They can be separated by (fairly) simple physical means. That means that once you put those "biodegradable" products into the aqueous sewage system, the petroleum products are carried throughout the system. You are, essentially, putting the petroleum where it doesn't belong. That's pollution.

And, considering the amount of a biodegradable degreaser...it's surfactant (aka soap) really...that is needed and the need remove that degreaser with water after use, you have increased the amount of water contaminated with the petroleum product several fold.

I disagree with FBinNY on lubricants and I also disagree with others on the need to use solvents on their chains to clean them regularly. I also disagree with keeping the soft wax...that's what is really used on a chain...initially. But using a petroleum based solvent to remove oil and grease requires far less solvent than biodegradable degreaser. The petroleum based solvent can carry a lot more grease and oil than the biodegradable ones can so you end up using far less of it. A quart of petroleum based mineral spirits can be used for dozens and dozens of cleanings before it is more oil than solvent and, even then, can be used as a lubricant if you so desired.

Personally, I clean a chain once, when I install it and then use a wax based lubricant (which has soft waxes in it like the ones from the factory) and never have to clean a chain again. I have a quart of mineral spirits that I bought a couple of decades ago and I don't expect to run out of it for several more years. How long will a quart of biodegradable solvent last you? Further, how much oil and grease are you dumping into the sewer system with that degreaser? I'm not dumping a single molecule into the sewer system.

nhluhr

Maybe you could better rationalize the use of products like One Ball? I can't find their MSDS sheet.

If they are anything like Simple Green, it's far from 'environmentally friendly'. Simply Green Washing: Are You Using This Toxic Cleaner?

cale

@cyccommute, I don't have discussions with people that start reply by saying I'm wrong because I don't understand, etc.

Good luck.

cyccommute 

So you only have discussions with people who agree with you? Good luck with that.

You are still wrong. And closed minded.

skoda2

+1, I always leave new chains as they come from the factory, wipe them with a rag, and lube often with whatever chain lube I'm using at the time. Bicycle maintenance is not rocket science!
Cheers

springs

I'm now in the paraffin wax camp after using it on my current chain for 5500 miles and 400k+ feet of climbing with no measurable wear. I measured three or four times because I thought I must be doing something wrong, but it is literally unmeasurable. My previous petro-lubed chains would be gone after 5k miles.

And everything stays so clean. I can go for hundreds of miles between re-waxings. As cyccommute says, you only have to clean it once.

nhluhr

Hundreds of miles? So, like, a couple weeks and you have to melt wax again?

asmac

Thought I'd sum it up for you. No need to thank me.

cyccommute 

I tried paraffin wax long ago and found it almost as bothersome as oil based lubricants. It's much less messy but it does require more attention and more disassembly of the chain. I would suggest that you try one of the wax lubricants. The solvent "melts" the wax without heat and puts the wax where it needs to be. Most of the wax lubricants have a little oil and/or softer waxes to keep the lubricant mobile enough once the solvent evaporates. You get similar results without having to deal with hot wax.

The wax lube is difficult to apply to a cold chain, however. It's saturated at room temperature and will precipitate out of solution when it touches a cold chain. I've had discussions recently about that and the solution (not mine) is to warm the lubricant in warm water before putting it on a cold chain. It's a brilliant solution to the problem.

And how often do you reapply oil based lubricants? Above someone said 800 miles which is about the frequency that I have to reapply wax based lubricant. Others put it on before each ride. I know many people who drown their chains weekly. Yes, melting wax is a hassle but so is taking a chain off every week or so to clean it.

nhluhr

Who the hell takes the chain off every week to clean it? That's absurd. Hell, I just dribble on a bit of ChainL every couple weeks and I'm good. Over 5000mi on the current CN-7901 and I'm in the "bigger/stronger" class riding in some very hilly terrain. Current measured chain wear is below 1/32" over a 12" span.

I know there are those out there who love to masturbate over their clean drivetrains but honestly if you are graceful (i.e. don't get Fred Tattoos) it's a non-issue for the most part. I maybe clean a drivetrain bi-monthly at most.

cyccommute 

Yes, I agree that it's absurd. But, if Bike Forums is any indication, it's an obsession that far too many people have. Personally, I think that cleaning the drivetrain bi-monthly is obsessive.

nhluhr

I wouldn't disagree with you but as you may have noticed above I said I "dribble on a bit of ChainL...and I'm good" - as in, I typically never get around to wiping off excess. I realize this creates my excess goop on parts like the pulleys but for the most part it's not a performance issue and it does lead me to clean the drivetrain because of that. It's a shortcoming I know I have

One tradeoff is that using wax you don't really need to clean your drivetrain at all so in a way, the excess labor pays for itself but personally I can't be prevented from riding because my wax has worn off and I don't have time to melt and dip. That and the "cleaning the drivetrain" for me is just a quick backpedaling through a Park Cyclone cleaner and a swiping with a Park GearClean brush - I never remove the chain to do this so it's about a 5min job.

noglider 

What is the latest word on his health? I haven't seen anything recently.