Chain sizing.

[ruffruff]

Searched for awhile and didn't come up with anything on what chain is actually on the bike stock.

I have a BH Rebel Lynx 27.5 full suspension.

How do you size a replacement chain? Count links? Go by number of gears?

What's a good chain for this bike?

 

[indianajo]

Number of sprockets on rear will tell you which width. Chains come in 6,7,8 (3/32"), 9 speed, 10 speed, 11 speed, I think 11 speed fits 12. Look at modernbike.com (IA) or thebikeshopstore.com (NY) stock list.
Yes you should count links. The narrow one plus the wide one is one link. Use a bread tie to mark origin.
KMC & Connex both get respect on here, FSA & camagnolo are premium for racers. sunlite & sunrace are second rate. Schwinn is low grade. There is ebike specific chain, but one user reported his didn't get any longer life than the regular kind.
Buy extra master links, the part tends to shoot off into space. The snap ones would work better with a special tool, but I used a snap ring expand tool.

 

[ruffruff]

So you recommend putting in a quick link? I think that sounds like a good idea.
I'm thinking about taking the chain off once a month and cleaning, then lubing with paraffin wax with teflon in it.

I have snap ring pliers, I'll try them out! Thank you.

 

[indianajo]

I'm thinking about taking the chain off once a month and cleaning, then lubing with paraffin wax with teflon in it.

The chain comes with one master link. Buy longer than you need, pop pins of the excess & take off. Pin popper has to match chain, the industrial Phelps-dodge one I have doesn't work on bike chain.
I got 2 1/2 year out of the last chain, ~5000 miles. I use generic sus 32 hydraulic fluid from the ag supply, or type F ATF. NOT DEXRON An eagle pump oiler, every 2 weeks. Wax doesn't lube between pins & rollers. I clean the chain only when it gets grass seeds or stems or string in it.I take it off only to replace it. Mostly I scrap oily sludge off the takeup wheels and sometimes the sprockets with a screwdriver.

 

[smorgasbord]

How do you size a replacement chain?

As usual, Park Tool has good information.

Even a Video:

Wax doesn't lube between pins & rollers.

Actually it does. You have to melt it to get it in. The problem is that it doesn't hold up to water and doesn't flow once applied. Melting makes it a royal pain to apply. But, it does have a nice property that once dried it's not sticky so dirt isn't as much of a problem

A little while back I started a thread on Chain Care and Maintenance: Feel free to add to it.

As for ATF, there's no a lot of data on it as a bike chain lube that I can find. The venerable Sheldon Brown says: "Automotive automatic transmission fluid instead may continue to lubricate for long enough and be easier to clean -- though long-term experimentation results are not yet in..." It's low viscosity, so it seeps in and with its additives might act as a cleaner-lubricant (like shampoo-conditioner?).

 

[indianajo]

As for ATF, there's no a lot of data on it as a bike chain lube that I can find. The venerable Sheldon Brown says: "Automotive automatic transmission fluid instead may continue to lubricate for long enough and be easier to clean -- though long-term experimentation results are not yet in..." It's low viscosity, so it seeps in and with its additives might act as a cleaner-lubricant (like shampoo-conditioner?).

Been using type F ATF for 50 years, since I quit buying 3 In 1 oil @ $2 for 4 oz. My father used that for bicycles & lawnmower cables. Wore a chain & sprocket out in 12 years on my Schwinn MTB, never heard of a chain stretch tool. Chain was skipping, looked at sprocket, was shocked to see tips of 3rd gear sprocket worn off. That never happened on Mother's 1946 Firestone single speed, but I didn't ride it 24 miles a day either.
Detergent in Dexron compatible ATF sucks water out of the air, same as auto engine oil. Don't need water on the chain. Was pleased to find factory I worked in 2000-2008 was also using sus 32 non-detergent oil on chains. Called "rock oil", used to lubricate air drills for mining & tunneling in Kentucky.

 

[ruffruff]

I bought a little dedicated crock pot to melt the paraffin and throw the chain into. I saw a video on youtube somewhere.

I couldn't get any powder teflon out of china so i bought this to mix in with the paraffin.

Amazon.com

 

[misteracng]

I bought a little dedicated crock pot to melt the paraffin and throw the chain into. I saw a video on youtube somewhere.

I couldn't get any powder teflon out of china so i bought this to mix in with the paraffin.

Amazon.com

I too do the same thing, Melted paraffin wax in a small crock pot. After thoroughly cleaning the chain, I put it in the wax with some teflon powder. The biggest benefit is it just doesnt get dirty at all. Its so much cleaner then a greasy chain. I think its almost clean enough, that you could usually just drop it back in the wax for a recoat without cleaning.

 

[Nova Haibike]

The narrow one plus the wide one is one link.

No. A narrow one plus a wide one is two links. For example, this image shows five links: