I had a puncture and when my bike was upside down saw and was surprised at how much rust there was on the chain and jockey wheels and some on the chain ring / cassette.

I last cleaned the bike / chain a couple of rides ago (and didn't notice any rust at the time) with a thorough scrub / degrease before wiping as much excess water off as possible.
I re-lubing with Bike Hut Wet Lube, turning the pedal and changing up and down through the gears as I did so and then leaving it to soak in for a while before giving it a light rub with a cloth to remove any excess.

I know it's been awful wet recently but I would have thought the oil would give some protection, both times I've used that oil I've noticed it's extremely "stringy" and as you're turning the pedal the chain leaves a trail of strings hanging off of it ... I don't know if this has any affect / could be anything to do with it.

Interested to see what people say and where I may be going wrong or if that's to be expected when the weather's been as wet as it has recently.

I'd use a solvent like WD40 or something other then water. If I do use water, I make sure to have compressed air handy to immediately remove all traces of it, then religiously lube the chain.

There's no good reason to use water, I just apply the lube then wipe the chain, maybe repeating once.

If you want to remove rust, you will need a solvent like WD40. After applying the solvent, clean well. Then lube. I know that some people NEVER use WD40 and I would agree that you should not use it as a lubricant; but you need it as a rust remover. If the chain is badly rusted, replace it.

Chain hasn't gone too far .... I hope :-) .... I've think I've caught it i time so it's to stop it happening / being damaged in the future.

I haven't specifically aimed to use water on the chain, it's more gotten wet when just cleaning the bike and then I scrub the chain with a brush / degreaser (EDIT actually I use water to wash the degreaser off ... maybe I shouldn't be doing this **********? ) but the chain has got wet when I'm cycling as you can't always avoid the puddles.

Must admit I've steered clear of WD40 as I've seen some saying it shouldn't be used, I've seen others say after a wash use WD 40 to repel any water and then lube, maybe I'll get into this and have also just bought an air compressor so will dry off the chain after a wash in future with that.

Is it normal that wet lube's really stringy?? I was wondering if maybe I#d done the job correctly but the oil wasn't staying on there so as soon I go out in teh wet I#m cyclig with a chain that has no protection.

I have brought rusty chains back to life many times. Chains that are rusted stiff. A little surface rust isnt anything to be alarmed about.

Other than wiping the crud off my chain I never degrease it. Its a chain its supposed to be well lubed.

What kind of bike is this that it has steel chainrings? And jockey wheels are plastic. They dont rust.

I wouldnt turn my bike upside down to fix a flat. Take the wheel out and rest it on the nondrive side.

NFS is the best chain lube.

This may just be where the rust from the chain has come off onto the other surfaces and left reasonably significant marks, I wiped some that was on the jockey wheel with a finger and it came away easily.

There's your problem.

In a word, no. More words below.

WD40 gets a bad rap for various reasons. It's not that great a chain lubricant...in my opinion not many oil based lubes are...but it also oversprays a lot. The solvent in the WD40 is actually a very good solvent. You need a whole lot less of it to clean a chain and you don't have to do elaborate rituals to clean it off once you use it.

Put the chain in about a cup of mineral spirits (the solvent in WD40 but without the oil). I use a wide mouth 500 ml Gatorade bottle. Shake it for about 30 seconds and fish it out. You can let it dry or you can put it right on the bike and relube. Chain lubes usually have a carrier solvent which evaporates anyway so the excess won't hurt.

That's it. You are done. No rinses, no drying the water out of the chain, no ultrasonic baths and, most importantly, no chicken sacrificed in the elaborate rituals people perform to clean a chain. And, on the plus side, you can reuse the mineral spirits for about a dozen chains.

The "green" degreasers that people have been convinced to use require a lot more volume and generate a lot more waste. They aren't really all that "green".

It sounds like you are using a thick oil. That's actually good if you ride in the wet since the oil has a higher viscosity which means it stays on the chain better and doesn't mix as easily with water. On the downside, it's very, very, very messy.

A quibble. WD40 doesn't remove rust. You need much harsher chemicals to do that. It just lubricates the rust/metal interface so that when the chain moves, the rust can spall off.

Whenever the time comes to replace your current chain, you may want to consider one with a more rust-resistant finish if your bike gets used in wet conditions.

KMC, for example, has traditional black/brown chains, plated chains, and even a 'Rustbuster' line of chains.

Right after I wash and lube my bike I try to do a quick ride to spread the lube around and air dry any excess moisture. I have a compressor, but hesitate to use it around sensitive bearings, etc. for fear of blowing moisture or road debris in places that I don't want it. It only takes a few minutes. Then give the chain a good wipe to remove excess lube.

When I used chain oil I'd wet clean about once a month with a spinny brush reservoir doodad, then follow up the water based solvent with WD-40, then oil (Park CL-1 or Tri-Flow). No rust. Lots of gunky grit accumulation.

I switched to wax -- melted Gulf paraffin -- last year. No more cleaning to speak of. Once in awhile I'll wipe down the chain with a dry paper towel, leftover napkin, whatever I have in my pocket.

Once a month I swap chains, between two identical KMC Z72 chains with Missing Links. The "old" chain goes back into the crock pot of melted wax. Then hang to drip dry.

There was always a residue of wax, so no rust problems -- although we don't get a lot of rain and I don't ride much in heavy rain.

Recently I was curious to try reducing the wax residue, so after the freshly waxed chain cooled enough to handle I wiped it down with a rag soaked in mineral spirits. The chain felt like bare metal, no waxy residue, and it has less friction on the bike. I was concerned about whether it would rust and whether I'd need to swap chains more often than once a month/every 400-500 miles.

So far, so good, although it's been only two weeks now. But I've ridden in light rain and through puddles. No rust. Feels like a bit less drag on the drivetrain than when I left a heavy wax residue, but I'm not actually any faster. It just *feels* less draggy on hill climbs. But I'm a slug on climbs so anything that feels better at least gives me a psychological boost. I'll take it.

So you take the oil off with degreaser and make it wet and wonder why it rusts?

I cannot get mineral spirits in California. What's a good alternative degreaser?

A very helpful and positive contribution .... thank you so much for that

Once you get the chain properly lubed, check it for elongation. If it hasn't exceeded the 1% limit, it's still usable.

Another way to quickly remove water from a chain is to place it in a low-heat oven (~200 degrees F) for 30 minutes. It helps if the chain is relatively free of lubricant so there won't be excessive fumes.
Steve

I bought from OSH a couple of years ago... maybe 3 years ago. I guess there are new rules. Might be easier to purchase a firearm than mineral spirits in So CA. Make a run to Bakersfield.

You're correct.....you have to jump through some hoops but you can purchase a firearm here.

Mineral Spirits are simply not available in California. There must be a good substitute.

You are welcome. Here is my drivetrain cleaning:
1. after every ride wipe chain down with a shop towel (cleans off most dirt and sticky excess oil). Use some force and use the towel multiple times to get the chain from all directions.
2. every few days or weeks as needed I add some wet-lube. wipe of excess, and wipe it again before the next ride.
3. Every few rides I wipe off the little mud that collects at jockey wheels (should not be much if you follow step 1)

no water, no degreaser etc. Stays somewhat clean all the time and is always lubricated.

Only time I use water if it got muddy. Then I hose it down with garden hose (no pressure washer) and plain water before wiping with shop towel. But this is when the whole bike needs a wash anyway.

IMHO the chain is a cheap wear item ($14 for an 11-speed!) that you replace at 0.5% elongation. Which may be 3,000 miles or so depending on conditions. Even if all that religious chain cleaning would extend the life by 500 miles, is that really worth the time and cost of all the chemicals?

What you do with the degreaser is get all the lube out from where it is needed (the pins, rollers.. all wear surfaces). Then you add water. Unless you cook it out, the water stays and leaves a very thin micro-film. New oil may have a hard time migrating back where it is needed (no, it is not needed on the visible surface). Unless you do a 100% perfect job, you likely end up with more wear because water is a worse lubricant than oil. i know many people here swear by chain cleaning and rotating procedures. no one has to agree with me and to each their own. but IMHO at best it is a waste of time and material, at worst it shortens chain life.

Do you really think your chain had a longer life because you had it exposed to degreaser and water to the point it rusted?

Once you have rust, your chain is basically toast. Rust and any kind of lube is a cutting oil.

I don't do much chain maintenance.

When my chain starts making noise I spray a little WD40 onto a rag and wipe it down with that. Then I put the smallest drip of Chain-L that I can manage onto each link and let it set. After some period of time (sometimes over night, sometimes only a 1/2 hour or so) I try to wipe all all of the excess oil off with a clean rag. The whole process, minus the waiting time, probably consumes 5 minutes.

If you're the clean chain police don't bother posting, cause I already know what you are going to say. I don't know how many miles my chains last, but the replacement interval time is measured in years so I don't care. Also, while I never let my chains get all caked and yucky looking, if I brush up against it, it will leave a mark. That's OK with me. A bicycle is for riding not polishing.

Chipmunks actually work better.

I said I would never get involved in another chain thread but..
I use "Blaster" Cable and Chain spray in the 11oz spray can. One can last me about 1.5 years for $5. Process is wipe down, spray, wipe down again. Takes 2 minutes. I do this every couple rides or after a particular wet/dirty ride. Lasts several hundred miles. Leaves marks if you touch it.
I've used White Lightning EPIC ride with Silicone and various silicone/teflon lubes. They don't promote the eventual black film but damn if they sometimes don't even make it a single 50 mile ride before I am hearing noise.

I was recently made aware of this problem in southern California. There are some alternatives, although I'm not sure of else is banned there.

Kerosene has been mentioned. I'm not the biggest fan since it doesn't evaporate as cleanly but it can work.

I'm not sure if California's ban is on "mineral spirits" or "paint thinner" or both. If not, paint thinner is the same stuff. White gas for camp stoves is similar enough to work, although you should be more careful handling it than you would mineral spirits because stove fuel has more aromatics in it which have more long term toxicity associated with its use. Wear gloves when handling most any organic solvent but be especially careful with "white gas". Lighter fluid is also similar enough to be used.

Finish Line makes Speed Degreaser which may be available but it is expensive and somewhat wasteful due to its aerosol nature.

As far as I understand, the ban on mineral spirits and/or paint thinner is only in southern California/Los Angeles area. If you go outside that area, you might be able to bring some back (I wouldn't suggest putting it on a plane).

Hope this helps.

I'd bow to Stuart!

This post should be a sticky and eliminate all chain lube threads.
I bugged out from work early today because it is sunny. What am I gonna do? Ride my bike or take the chain off and soak it in solvent?

Interestingly no one comes up with brake pad maintenance since they accept those are consumables.