Chain Oils Lubes?

[Jerry LM]

Hey all my bike has a SS chain and mid drive, can someone give me suggestions as to the best chain lubricant to use? Cleanest for example and how often to use it? thanks in advance.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

If you have a local bike shop, go there and ask them what they use. Chances are they won't recommend anything wildly overpriced and what they recommend will be well-suited to your local conditions. The most important thing is to use actual bicycle chain lubricant and not some general-purpose "lubricant" like wd-40.

I ride in very dirty and dusty conditions so I find myself wiping down the chain and re-lubricating it every three days or so, or about 60-100 miles of riding. Every 400-500 miles I remove the chain and soak it for a while in diluted citrus solvent, then lovingly re-lubricate the chain and put it back on the bike.

After you clean or just hose down your bike, or it gets seriously wet, it is also a good idea to lubricate the chain.

 

[Feliz]

Hey all my bike has a SS chain and mid drive, can someone give me suggestions as to the best chain lubricant to use? Cleanest for example and how often to use it? thanks in advance.

I prefer the dry lubes, I use a DuPont product called Chain Saver. It sprays on and then the carrier evaporates and leaves the lube which is mostly Teflon. I used it for years on my motorcycles and had longer chain and gear life than anyone I know. I quite riding my motorcycles when I turned 80 but I'm using it now on my bikes. The trouble with most chain lubes is they're sticky and attract and hold sand and grit which isn't food for sprockets or chains.

 

[indianajo]

5W non-detergent oil like type F or Type A ATF from the grocery store, soaks into the chain and gets between the rollers and the pins. But it is not clean, my chain will pick up seeds if I ride through high grass. I keep the chain wet looking, since I leave the bike out in the rain frequently when I'm out doing errands. Don't use dexron ATF, it is 35% detergent. If you can't find type F or A ATF use air compressor oil from the home store. I use a pump oiler. WD-40 evaporates in a week, is the main problem with it.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Wax.
Once my can of wax based spray (expensive) runs out I'll shift to paraffin in a small slow cooker. Or I'll find a cheaper spray.

 

[christob]

There'll be almost as many replies and options as there are ebikes, I suspect! I'm a fan of the Rock 'n Roll Gold. I tend to do a cleaning/application with it, twice a month. (Mostly riding on pavement; no real dirt trails in my travels.)

 

[DaveMatthews]

http://www.lillylube.com/uploads/Link_to_Velo_Article.pdf

 

[Jerry LM]

thanks guys gals I knew I would get some good info here!

 

[rich c]

WD-40 evaporates in a week, is the main problem with it.

The main problem with WD-40 is that all the solvent washes out the lubrication from inside the parts of the chains, causing them to run dry and wear faster.

 

[Nova Haibike]

Chain lube is a religious topic among cyclists; there are dozens of options and an endless supply of opinions on what is best. What to use depends on the conditions you ride in, the frequency that you ride, how fastidious you are in your maintenance, and where you store your bike. Generally, if you ride in a lot of muck, choose a wet lube; if you ride in dry conditions, choose a dry lube.

You'll hear a lot about waxing. I used to do it years ago. It runs clean and is low friction. But in my experience, it doesn't last long, and it is a bother to apply. You really need to have two or three chains to rotate in and out of service if you wax. There are ready-to-use wax lubes; I have not tried it, but Squirt has a great reputation. The original, White Lightning, I don't like...too much build up.

I use Rock 'n' Roll Gold. I primarily only ride in dry conditions, and I store my bike indoors. My bike has a Yamaha mid-drive, and the chain now has 2300 miles on it; the chain looks new and I have yet to reach 0.5% wear. I also like that it runs quietly.

 

[elliot friedman]

 

[harryS]

I use Boeshield T9, supposedly developed by a Boeing engineer. Enough folks cared to review it well, so I went by that. One of three or four brands carried by Performance Bike (now bankrupt).