How should I oil my chain by myself?

[Bigal1463]

I bought bike chain cleaner and lube and it says to pour the oil onto the sprocket and turn the pedals backward, then wipe off the residue. is this the proper way? I’ve never done it before. Your thoughts and the type of oil that you use. Thanks in advance.

 

[indianajo]

See this thread: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/the-ultimate-mid-drive-chain-care-thread.32918/unread
I use an eagle pump oiler and put a coupla drops on every joint when the chain is new.Make sure it drips down inside to lube between pins & rollers. Pedal backwards to get access to every part of the chain. After that every 2 weeks I oil the exposed part of the chain, not going to every part routine. I got 5000 miles out of my first chain on bike left, pedaling 90% of the miles.
Use type F or A ATF (not Dexron with detergent) or non-detergent sus 32 machine oil or sus32 (5 W) hydraulic fluid (not the kind compliant with OEM brand specifications, that has detergent). Same as the factories use on drive chains.
Also lube shifter pivots, steering pivot, cable entrances, brake pivots & shifter controls, latches for seat, axle nuts. Every 2 weeks.
Never clean chain except scrape oily grunge off sprockets and takeup wheels every 3 or 4 months. use flat blade 3/16" screwdriver. Usualy when grass stems & seeds or a piece of string get wrapped up in them.

 

[justforfun]

I put the bike upside down and spray lube ( WD-40® Specialist®) onto old sock over my hand. Back pedal the chain, while gripping it with sock hand. Apply as needed.

 

[Oberst]

Problem with most electric bikes is pedaling backwards does not move the chain.

 

[Browneye]

You can ziptie the crank arm to the chain ring - voile! It turns backwards.

Oh, and yeah, you can clean and oil a chain, but not from what your description is. Clean with WD40 and a rag first, then very lightly oil with chain lube - my go-to is TriFlo, but there are others, wipe off excess. Do this when it gets dirty again. I always clean the derailleur idler gears as well, they seem to get caked with dirt compounded with chain lube.

 

[Bigal1463]

Thanks for the help, very much appreciated.

 

[Gordon71]

You can ziptie the crank arm to the chain ring - voile! It turns backwards.

Oh, and yeah, you can clean and oil a chain, but not from what your description is. Clean with WD40 and a rag first, then very lightly oil with chain lube - my go-to is TriFlo, but there are others, wipe off excess. Do this when it gets dirty again. I always clean the derailleur idler gears as well, they seem to get caked with dirt compounded with chain lube.

Why backwards when cleaning and lubing a chain? How does the direction make a difference?

 

[Browneye]

Spinning the crank in reverse spins the chain and cassette but not the wheel - you can do it with the bike parked on its wheels. Otherwise it makes no difference.

 

[Deacon Blues]

If you want to turn your ebike upside down so you can clean and lube the chain I'd recommend a set of handlebar jacks.

The Original Handlebar Jack Ultra Portable Bicycle Repair Stand

The Original Handlebar Jack is a portable bicycle repair stand. Protect your handlebars, expensive accessories, ebike displays, carbon fiber handlebars, break levers and more.

www.handlebarjack.com

I bought a set and really like them.

 

[smorgasbord]

@Deacon Blues that's way too nice of a place to clean and oil your chain!

 

[Deacon Blues]

That's just a section of old flooring I have in my shop instead of throwing it away.