RyanReid

I just rode to Canadian Tire and bought some "Easy-off BAM" to get rid of some rust on my chain. It says it removes soap scum, lime scale and rust stains so I though it deserves a try.

Now to my question...
Is it okay for me to use it on my chain? I want to wipe off the lube, spray it, let it sit ten minutes, wipe that off and then relube

Shiznaz

WD-40 might be a better choice... takes off rust, forces out water, and won't mess up your lube. I have no idea whats in the stuff you're describing

piwonka

you planning on taking your chain off your bike to clean it?




just making sure.

Shiznaz

From his description it seems like he is leaving the chain on

eddiebrannan

i find an oily rag gets rid of minor surface rust on chains perfectly well. for the price of the easy-off you could have probably bought a new cheapo chain

phoenix

Have you considered buying a new chain?

RyanReid

I dont want to buy a new chain because I just spent $850 on the bike last Saturday. I used WD-40 and a toothbrush and all the rust is gone (:

blickblocks

Wah? I heard you should NEVER use WD-40 on a bike. Plus chains are cheap as hell.

AfterThisNap

BAM is a detergent/sufacant, not really a solvent , thus not a good mechanical parts degreaser. Save the BAM for your kitchen.
Just lube regularly, wipe off the excess. If a grimy chain bothers you, degrease with real degreaser (simple green, citrus, etc) and switch to a dry or self cleaning lube.

RyanReid

Well, WD-40 attracts dirt but really cleans it up so I took the risk and wiped it down so there wasn't alot of resedue

mander

I hate the WD. IMO it should not touch bikes or anything bike related (particularly locks) unless you have a means of cleaning it off completely when you're finished.

RyanReid

That is what I did. I don't mind, the rust is gone and that is what I wanted. I am getting a solvent and proper lube tomorrow

threy

I always use WD40 on my chains. But thats all I use it on. And I make sure it doesnt get anywhere else especially the rims on my mtn bikes because then i cant brake for like a week. After the wd40 i always lube it up real nice with some phils tenacious oil or whatever chain wax lube i have.

RyanReid

Okay, well does anyone have any chain lube suggestions. I have a MTB so I know this is a bit off topic now.

mander

White Lightning works nice for me. It breaks down fast in really wet weather but as long as your chain stays wet it won't be a problem.

JeffS

A search for "lube" found 240 threads.... probably the single-most discussed topic here. Here's a hint. Ask ten people and you'll get ten different answers.

sweep242

As said above i like phils tenacious oil but everyone has a opinion. Hell i used to use pledge to shine my frame, i now don’t due to i don’t care.
So your from canuckville don’t suppose your from NFLD, HA HA. All in good fun.
Cheers.

potus

WD-40 is a degreaser. The common mistake is using it in the place of grease. it'll work in the short-term but all it is doing is cleaning up and removing the old dirty grease. eventually you'll end up with metal against metal.

my ritual for cleaning a chain is to soak it in a can of kerosene for a few days, hang it up, shoot it with the garden hose for awhile, dry it with a heat gun or torch, once it's cooled down, lube it with pro-link.

12XU

To clean the chain off the bike, simple green and a big mouth plastic bottle work wonders...or you could use your own Park industrial-sized parts cleaner with proprietary solvent.

To clean on the bike, just use prolink to lube and rub vigorously. A little surface rust isn't going to hurt anything.

fixedgnar

chains cost ****ing 3 dollars just take off the dirty one ane get a ne w one.

BoozyMcliverRot

WD-40 stands for Water Displacement-40. desinged during WW1 or 2,not too sure. but it was designed to clean and and lube tracks on our tanks. i would never use it to lube a chain,but i do use it to clean heavy grime off of them before i degrease them.

diff_lock2

I paid 12eu... for a ****ty shimano 6-8 speed chain....

AfterThisNap

It's funny, when I used to ride only to race or MTB recreationally I was very religious about lubing my chains. Now that I ride almost every day to commute/play, I'm really sloppy about chain maint.

Really, pick almost any decent lube of your choice and relube as it wears out. The new lube will flush some of the old gunk out so wipe that off. Done.

I only lube my chain nowadays to make it STFU, and they last a long long long time.

polara426sh

WD-40 was developed in 1953 to remove water and prevent corrosion on electrical circuit boards.

seaneee

If you put down $850 on the bike, a few more bucks won't kill you for a descent chain. Better than busting you old ****y one while you're riding. Chains are cheaper than doctors.