'Black Chain' indicates Too much Lube, Too long between cleaning, Very Dirty riding conditions.
To avoid 'Black Chain', use a very thin oil such as Home Brew, Rock'N'Roll, Boeshield, or Dumond Tech Light.
Apply liberally to the rolers, but wipe and wipe until no stain on your rag.
You want the Lube to penetrate deep inside the Rollers/Pins, but none on the outside to collect dirt.
I lube and Wipe Down my chain the night before every ride.

Why not try this:

https://prollyisnotprobably.com/2009/...r_tutorial.php

C'mon tarck-sters, it's yet another oppourtunity for color coordination!

Srsly though, I wonder if this might casue more problems than it's worth. I'm thinking increased friction in the drivetrain, the cut edges getting jammed up w/ the chain....

No I don't see any adverse side effects, aside from slightly added noise
The cover is thin plastic, your drive train is all metal. Your drive train will cut through your finger without breaking a sweat.
Plus the whole "gaurd" moves with the chain.
Pretty nifty idea actually. It's basically a very slimmed down version of a dutch bike chain cover.

All that said, I would never use one, proper chain maintenance is the way to go.

I just got a black chain, so not really an issue.

srsly. personally i hate all that 'colourways' and matching-rims-and-bartape stuff but this actually looks both clever and practical...

Oh wait I know I know!

give it a job and take it off welfare?

Doesn't this verge on scraper bike territory?

Although it doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.

1) if they have already cut through your u-lock, why would the opt to cut the chain and not the disc lock?
2) have there ever been any reports of stolen chainrings? is that even an issue?
3) if loctite can secure your pedals, why not loctite the chainring? how are your saddle / bars / stem secured from these misc part thieves?

there may not be such a thing as overkill for locking, but when your locking method causes you other problems I think its time to consider what is really needed for your situation.

if you're worried about the space in the lock, you can upgrade the lock to one with less space to fill for around $10.

Read this....
Depending on the bike, he recommends two of the best lubes imo!https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lube.asp

I admit I only skimmed most of the thread but I don't think anyone mentioned letting the lube soak and evaporate before doing anything else. I think this is or was one of the "250 tips" from Bicycling magazine. Even with a high viscosity "dry" lube there will still be some water content. Before you wipe and certainly before you ride you need to let it sit about 12-24 hours in a fairly dry, non-cold environment to evaporate and soak in.

And of course it will do no good if you aren't cleaning right to begin with. If you want to get rid of black gunk you have to clean thoroughly, not just wipe it off and add more lube on top. Use a degreaser and get the whole chain, cogs, pulleys, etc. degreased, then dry it as much as you can, then let it sit for a day so it dries even more, THEN you can apply new lube (and do use the right stuff for the job, you aren't greasing an axle or bearings or a squeeky door hinge). You'll need some stiff brushes to get between some of your cassette rings. Once you've done a really thorough job, however, you won't have to go through all that again for a while (unless you over-lube and don't let it evaporate and/or don't wipe excess).

But even with all that, if you're riding in a dusty environment (like mountain biking as opposed to road biking on clean, dry pavement), or given enough time, lube will still attract dust and become gunky if you don't take care of it regularly.

I like to soak in acetone, wipe it down until it leaves no more black, then heat up some chainsaw lube and let it sit.

Take it out, wipe it off, good as new.

Perhaps you may intentionally use Molybdenum impregnated machine oil. The your chain would be so dirty looking, you would feel wrong to have clean chains. Hehe.

i agree. works great, been using it for years.

1. apply
2. wipe off excess
3. enjoy your beautiful clean chain

I've got a black & white chain and White Lightning works pretty well at keeping it clean and quiet.

I'll echo what others have said. Clean (I run my chain through a chain scrubber with mineral spirits, refilling until the solvent is relatively clear), then lube with your favorite lube. Let it soak in and dry, then wipe off the excess. You can keep wiping the dirt and lube off the outside of the chain after every ride until it's time to lube again.

Wiping after a ride is a one minute job

I am currently using an SRAM PC-1 Nickel Plated chain (got it for 10 dollars local) and it has stayed cleaner than any other chain I've used. Still nice and shiny after several months. My KMC chain turned black only after a week or so.