kshapero

Just the chain as I have a sealed Shimano Nexus rear hub.



Wet, Dry, Ceramic, Wax?
Climate is sunny Florida with occasional rain and quick run off.

itsthewoo

I've never had a problem with the tri-flo (regular wet) lube. I'm sure wax would work great, but it won't last as long.

nashcommguy

Here's what I do every week or after a wet commute. 3 n 1 oil w/a rag to completely clean the chain. Wipe it as dry as possible. Apply Marine grade grease in a moderate amount. Done.

Btw, you don't have use Marine grade grease. Wallyworld carries some clear Super Tech for cheap.

What kind of commuter is your bike? It's real nice.

kshapero

It is a Globe Live 2 (made by Specialized). came with a really sturdy Portage type front rack. Took it off. It made it too hard to track. BTW not too worried about the rain, more just everyday lube.

theroller

Guys should I clean my chain everytime it gets wet? What if it gets wet at school? Should I dry it at school or wait till I get home? What if it rains all week? Lube it all week? BTW I use triflow sold by the LBS.

itsthewoo

I clean/lube maybe once every two months or so. However, I keep my bike in my apartment so it gets nice dry A/C air after getting wet. I'll give the chain a random wipe-down with an old pair of boxers every so often just for the hell of it.

nashcommguy

IMHO it depends on how hard it rains and the distance of your commute. Do you have a multi-geared deraileur type or single strand chain(single-speed, fixed gear or IGH)? Personally, I clean and re-lube my drivetrain after heavier rains and once per week as explained in my earlier post. My rt commute is 40 miles and my drivetrain picks up alot of grit whether it rains or not. Rain will strip one's chain of lubricant, but doesn't necessarily add grit. Grit will dramtically shorten the life of one's drivetrain if left on for weeks at a time consistantly. If one adds lubricant w/o cleaning the drivetrain it's to the effect of greasing a grinding stone. Not good. Get a book on basic maintenance: Zinn and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance is very good and Park Tools has one as well.

Fenders help keep alot up upwash from splashing on the drivetrain. I recommend getting some if one commutes daily. They keep your feet drier for longer, too.

Btw, unless you ride to school in a torrential downpour waiting until you get home is probably enough. If you're really concerned about it carry a small tube of lube in your seatbag along w/your toolkit.

buzzman

I have a 20 mile RT commute and carry a small container of Tri-Flow, which I apply after riding in the rain. If the chain is starting to look gritty I'll spray with an orange degreaser, wipe the chain down with a wire brush first, then a plastic brush then a rag. I'm much more obsessive about the chain on my road bike than on my commuter, folder or mountain bike.

wolfchild

I use automotive oil. It works very well for me. Bike specific chain lubes are a waste of money.

kshapero

another issue: After a really hard and dirty ride, I clean the chain with degreaser which always gets all over the lower part of the bike. I then wash the whole bike and rinse with the garden hose, let it dry off and lube the chain. trust me this is not an everyday thing, but does anyone else follow the degrease, wash, rinse, lube order?

CCrew

Ahh, the great chain lube threads...

It's like a Ford vs Chevy war

CCrew

I use these newfound contraptions called SRAM powerlocks and don't have to worry about the whole dirty bike thing.

itsthewoo

Automotive oil is very thick and sticky. It turns your chain into a dirt/grit magnet.

As for degreasing methods, I read on here some time ago about taking off your chain and putting it in a tupperware filled with degreaser. Shake well, remove, rinse, dry, and lube.

fietsbob

Dry lube better if there is grit being blown around... less for it to stick to..

daijoubu2k8

You are all lazy! Here's how a real bike lover cleans and lubes their chain:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

Really, you should use the lightest oil you can that stays in place until the next time you have an opportunity to clean and re-apply. Wipe the outside surfaces of the chain clean after application. Only the inside of the rollers need lubrication. If it's too heavy, it'll come off the chain in little sticky strings making a mess of your wheel and chainstay. Any excess oil on the surface of the chain will collect dirt turning black and accelerating wear.

This is the process I currently use as the supplies are cheap and it's quick.
https://www.nordicgroup.us/chain/

AsanaCycles

Dumonde Tech
https://www.dumondetech.com/

I quit using anything else.

1242Vintage

I keep a small bottle of tri-flow with my bike stuff at work. Use it after a couple of days of wet weather commuting.

I also pull the chain off every month to degrease and knock the grit off. Only takes a few minutes and keeps my commuter rolling along smoothly.

nashcommguy

Omg, I completely forgot about this. When I started taking my own bike mechanic skillset serious it took me about half way thru to realize I'd been HAD! Really miss SB, alot.

Bubba Zanetti

Same here

rekmeyata

Chain L #50 I think is the best, it's certainly the best I've ever used over the last 40 years and I tried a slew of them including Dumondetech, couple of the Finish Line Products, though their Ceramic lube was the best before I tried the Chain L, various wax crap lubes, and so many others I forgot. I've only been using it since April when I put two new chains on two of my bikes, so far it has worked as advertised, chain wear is still not known, but one of the chains has 1200 miles and no wear indicated by the Park chain checker. Read about it here: https://chain-l.com/

Rhodabike

I think it really depends on the climate where you live. Wet climates call for different lubes than dry dusty ones. Here we have dry and dusty, so dry wax type lubricants are best - less gunk building up on the links. Wet climates probably call for more a marine type lubricant that won't wash off in every rain shower.

rekmeyata

But climates change in most areas. Thus you would have to switch from one lube to another as the climate changes, but then what happens if your caught in a rain storm with dry lube? Dry wax lubes are all garbage. Wax does not make a good lubricant, that's why a waxed lubed chain makes noise after just 60 to 75 miles of riding, and where there is noise there is wear. Would you let your engine in your car make noise due to lack of lube and say, "gee it's ok because I just put oil in it!" Of course you wouldn't because common sense would tell you that as soon as the noise is heard to shut the engine down to prevent further damage, yet we don't bat an eye if our chains are noisy. And why on long rides of over 50 miles I had to be bothered with carrying a bottle of wax lube so I could apply it as soon as I heard the least bit of chain noise? I never had to that with any other lube; then on top of that reply after every ride!! And wax based lubes do not protect against rust. Even Sheldon Brown doesn't have anything good to say about wax.

We've all been taught that we need to replace our chains every 1500 to 2000 miles, so when you use a wax product and get that kind of mileage you think, gee it lasted as long as the LBS said so wax must be good. Problem is that if you don't use wax you can easily double that!! In fact my chains routinely last 5,000 to 6,000 more miles since I've stopped using wax some years ago.

If you read the Chain L site you will discover that you don't need two lubes for different climates and it works equally as well in dry or wet climates and works better then any other lube in those environments. I wish Chain L would go public offering, I could make a fortune. Anyway I've rode my Chain L lubed bike in the rain and it stays put, I rode it in a dry dusty desert on a vocation and it did great there too. It works as advertised.

mihlbach

I second the Chain-L #5 recommendation. It lasts far longer than any other lube I have ever tried and keeps the DT ninja-silent for hundreds of miles. The claim of 1000 miles between lubings is exaggerated, but I still get far more miles per lubing than with any other lube I have tried (and I've tried quite a few). Its a bit more trouble to apply and you have to wipe your chain a few times after the first few rides to remove the excess gunk, but after that the DT stays relatively clean and silent until the next lubing. Overall it results in less time spent on chain maintenance.

irwin7638

Yep, I have used oil, triflow, Boeshield but like LPS 1 best. It's cheaper, doesn't attract dirt and is available at most hardware stores.

LeeG

the best lube is the one you use and wipe the excess off. If I"ve ridden through a downpour I'll run some WD-40 through the links when I get home then the next morning if I remember I'll wipe it down and relube if needed. Riding in hard rain regularly sure wears chains out.