Ok, I just got a new bottle of chain lube and am frustrated that when I use it, too much comes out and I waste what seems like half the bottle until the fluid level gets down to around halfway. Anybody have a solution for this?

What brand of lube do you have and what type of container is used? I'm using Tri-Flow in the plastic bottle and I haven't had problems with using this brand. I hold the bottle at a shallow angle with no pressure in it to cause any sudden flow of lubricant. This works well for me.

Bill

I don't like that mine squirts sideways and wastes lube that way

I have an old ProLink chain lube bottle with a 4" long thin tube stuck into the nipple. This allows controlled application and I have just kept refilling it with whatever chain lube I'm using.

I use ProGold ProLink in a 4oz bottle. My method is slower, but it has worked for me. Basically, I hold a rag in one hand under the chain link I'm putting the lubricant on and back pedal, allowing one drop on each link, one at a time. A 4oz bottle is good for about 20 lubes for me, or roughly 9 to 10 months.

I also apply one drop at a time right in the pin. I don't squeeze the bottle unless the tip is dry. I wipe the outside of the side-plates and try to avoid removing oil from the inside of the plates or near the pin. After the first ride, I'll wipe down again and clean the rear rim with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil from the brake track.

I use a home brew lube, and a ketchup bottle to apply it. At least half falls off the chain, on the the cardboard underneath. But since it cheap I don't really care. But it does require lots of wiping.

What I do as well. The ProLink bottle is a good design. You can really control flow... Unfortunately since I ride alot and use 3 different bikes (one road - 2 mountain) the lube goes alot faster for me. Usually 3 - 4 months... I lube the MTB bikes after each ride.

I use Boeshield T-9 in the 4 oz. bottle. I have to be very careful with it as it will run quickly. I don't like bottles that you need to snip the end of the bottle to open it. The first cut inevitably isn't far enough in to open it and the second cut is too wide...next time I'll snip and then use a pin to open it!

Another vote for ProLink. And for one drop on each link. On a fixed gear with a 1/8" chain and master link, it's a lot easier to see when to stop, as you generally start and end at the master, and there are only about 96 lnks. For a road bike you need to know how many links (usually it's 110-114 on a short-cage derailleur). I usually count four links at a time so I don't get lost or confused. No idea how many uses I get out of a bottle, but I usually relube every 400 km under dry conditions, and as required during the wet season.

Luis

Dumonde Tech Lite, dropwise, as noted. Lasts a long time. Best you can use. Stinks. You'll get used to the smell.

I'm using Chain L.

I got a 1CC hypodermic from the drug store for $.50 and 1/2 drop at a time right where I want it.

Hole to big or just hard to put even squeeze pressure? The method I use is to hold the nipple on the chain, spin the cranks not too fast and then try to apply the lube. If too much comes out the moving chain catches it. The lube tends to grab onto the moving chain and not drip off. I can even press the nipple to the side of the moving chain and lube that. To even it out press the chain between thumb and forefinger. Oh, using Finish Line Dry. So after lubing I wipe the excess off the chain and let it dry till my next ride. When this bottle is gone, I'll try a different brand, maybe ProLink.

Dang, I apparently do not lube enough.

Have not used any chainlube in over 30+ years!!!
I use the old fashioned hot/liquid wax method.

Pro-Link Gold. I never squeeze the bottle, just a gentle tap on each link and only one drop comes out. This stuff does not attract dirt on either road or mountain bike chains--amazing.

This is what I'm using now: https://images.oreillyauto.com/parts/...ge/val/982.jpg
It's synthetic gear oil, thick stuff that takes a while to soak in. I poked a hole in the bottle tip with a safety pin, and it's been really easy to dispense a drop at a time. One drop per pin, let it sit a while, spin the chain around a bit then wipe off the excess. I only have about 300 miles with it(only applied it once so far), but I'm liking it as well as anything I've ever used. The quart I have of it should last a loooong time. Has a sulfurous odor, but the smell is tolerable.

ProLink is what I've used the most in the past although I've also used Rock and Roll Absolute Dry, Boeshield T9, White Lightning(original--think it may be called Clean Ride now), Tri-Flow, air tool oil, and probably at least a couple of other things over the years.

I use ProLink, but buy a big bottle (quart size?) and refill the 4 oz bottle. I've stopped doing the 'drop per link' thing though. What I do, every couple or three rides, is to:

a) wet a folded up 'paper rag' with lube, and then run the chain through that to get all the junk off I can.
b) hold the rag against each of the RD pulleys to clean them
c) hold that same rag under the chain as I lube it, applying lube to the whole chain.
d) refold the rag, and run the chain through it again, to remove more junk and excess lube.

With this method, I never have to use a degreaser thingie, and the chain stays pretty clean (and quiet). It uses up some lube, but that cleans things. I know there is still some grit in there that could be removed by degreasing with a 'bath' tool, but my chains last several thousand miles, so I'm okay with that.

Use a little more finesse! Less tilt? Less squeeze? I don't understand how it's the bottle's fault?

I use ProLink. I tear the corner of a kitchen towel (that I use to wipe the chain afterwards), twist it and place it between 2 links so I can be sure of where to stop - saves me from lube-ing links I've already oiled.

teflon drylube user here. i have used it for many years on motorcycle oring chains and found after a few hundred miles the rollers become polished rather than frosted in appearance.

I have not seen my friend do this, but he has quick links and removes the chain. After cleaning the chain, he hangs it vertically. He then lubes it from the top and let the lube run down the chain. No mess and less lubricant.

This is the most anal retentive thread I've ever seen. So you waste a few drops, big deal. Put some lube on it, wipe off the excess and ride.

Would help to know what type of lube you are using. With some lubes you are supposed to squirt a lot onto the chain, to wash out the dirt. (And of course, it's all good profit to the manufacturer). Some bottles are easier to squeeze from than others. Rock-n-Roll lube bottles make it easy -- imho -- to waste lube.

These days I'm using an oil lube (Chain-L, but that doesn't matter). Those are best applied drop by drop.

Save the old, empty bottle and when you get a new one, pour half of it into the old one.