guybierhaus

So what I'm reading is my new chain that is now 1 year old, with over 2500 miles, should have been cleaned and lube by now. Next you will be saying I should check tyre pressure every week. This is way too much stress.

maddmaxx 

Under pressure (caused by the load on the chain) inside the roller/pin the wax liquifies in a manner similar to the way ice liquifies under an ice skate blade. This is enough to maintain a thin film of lubrication. As long as the load bearing capacity of the lube is not exceeded then no metal to metal contact will happen. In the meantime, the wax on the outside of the roller seams keeps dirt from entering into the inside of the chain. Grit inside the assembly will exceed (because of its very small contact area) the load bearing ability of the lube and damage the metal.

knotty

Thanks maddmaxx, got it. I may try the wax, what the heck, I have a new block of paraffin wax and everything needed. That oily black paste that covers the chain now is bothersome.

I just was searching and found this site.

Garfield Cat

Boeshield T-9 has the oil and wax like characteristics.

knotty

That's what the LBS mechanic tells me too. I haven't tried it yet because I have two gallons I can't find somewhere in the basement my machinist dad had.

knotty

Spiduhman

IMO, the factory stuff is too sticky&messy; I may or may not run it... it doesn't matter much, for I clean&lube after each ride, excepting when the dust is down, then every other ride, for I ride off road.

Usually not, though, because the chain becomes a club with all the dirt and yuck.

Since we run three or four chains per sproket set on our chain saws, I do the same on my mountain bike. I think three chains is about right, but, since I'm lazy, the next drivetrain refresh I might run four.

The first time I replaced a chain (having returned to biking after some 25 yrs...), it "stretched" a lot faster than the first one; the third chain "stretched" all the faster. So, when the cassette was "toast," hence time to replace the whole setup, thought it made sense to wear out three chains and the gears all together instead of one chain at a time.

I've no idea what an appropriate chain/gears ratio would be on a road bike, where there is much less grit, and, perhaps less stress, on account of the hills being generally less steep and rough.

Jt seems to be working well; the current set has > 3K on it, and although showing signs of wear, it has a way to go yet.

I wash, brush, rinse, and repeat with Simple Green, then rinse in alcohol to hasten drying before applying ProLink Gold. It seems to persist better than FinishLine and Purple Extreme, but they both have strong points, IMO.

Conserving the Simple Green by allowing the dirt/grit to settle out, then pouring off to reuse is "green," eh? At least for the first wash.

I'll advise against cleaning/washing on the bike - water is bad! Get the link.

knotty

Well, I asked a couple more mechanics at the LBS's about the factory chain coating. They both told me the original coating that comes with new chains is basically a protective coating that also has lubricating properties but it's main function is to preserve and keep looking new the chains while in storage. In fact, one of them told me, shifting difficulties are possible with the thick factory coating which is exactly what happened to me.

So, I used multiple applications of brake cleaner and took off every bit of the old lube whatever it is/was, blew it dry with compressed air and applied sparingly, Boeshield T-9 which was highly recommended by more than a few LBS mechanics. (thanks for reminding me Garfield Cat about the T-9 properties)

knotty

Bud Bent

I'm agreeing with the mechanics, but it could be that different manufacturers use different stuff on new chains, so we may all be getting carried away with our recommendations. In my own case, though, the few new chains I have seen were covered with something so thick and sticky, I assumed it was cosmoline, which is commonly used to prevent rust and corrosion on new metal parts, and if it wasn't, it was still way thicker and stickier than anything I want on my chains.

speedlever

My chain cleaning tool of choice: a can of WD40, shop towels and newspapers to catch the drips. Let it dry a couple of hours and give each link a drop or two of ProLink Gold. After each ride, soak a shop towel with PLGold and wipe down the chain.

I've heard good things about that Boeshield T9 product too... but am not sure where to find it.

For those of you who use one of those chain scrubbers... does it tend to gunk up your cassette with the cleaning solution?

zonatandem

Knotty: re: hot wax method.
If you wax your auto, your hand will slip over the surface oh-so-smoothly after you're done. Eventually that smoothness will disappear due to exposure to the elements.
Same with the hot wax method; the wax allows frictionless movement of the roller pins. Yes, eventually you have to re-wax.
Riding a tandem puts more stress/torque/wear on chain and we normally will get 6,000+ miles out of drivechain and even more on the cross-over chain.
We do live in the desert southwest with less rain/crud, but we do have lots of dust/grit than will shorten chain life. We can go 1,000 to 2,000 miles between re-waxings, or at the slightest 'squeak' from the chain(s). We are a bit fussy about cleanliness and chains do get wiped down with plain rag occasionally.
Even used the hot wax method when we lived in Michigan and had to do a bit more frequent re-waxing, depending on weather conditions.
A side benefit is to be able to handle/grab a chain and not end up with cruddy/greasy hands!
However, lots of choices for lube$ out there!
Just our preference/experience.
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatadenm

BluesDawg

Boeshield T-9 is good stuff for all sorts of uses, like protecting airplane components as Boeing originally developed it to do. I have used it to protect the inside of steel bike frames.
It does make good chain lube/protectant. I've been using Pro-Link for a few years and it works very well for me at keeping the chain clean and quiet. I'm sure wax works great, but it seems like an awful lot of hassle when there are easier ways that work well. I'm not very anal about chain care. I just want it clean and quiet. The less I have to work to keep it that way, the better.

Pamestique 

I do recommend ProLink as a lube. Tried everything else but ProLink seems to work the best. Most of my bike shop mechanic friends swear by ProLink.