Chain Lube

@Geoff 77872 wrote:

I have long taken as a given that chain lube attracts crud to the chain. Different types of lube attract in differing degrees, but lubing your chain and needing to clean the chain go hand in hand.

At the LBS recently, looking at the types of lube for sale, there’s the wet, the dry, stuff for extreme conditions, stuff I couldn’t categorize. Here’s what threw me: stuff that claims to lube and CLEAN!

What’s this mean? Is it possible for chain lube to clean your chain? Is that like running your car engine on tap water? Anyone have experience with this type of lube?

In general, the stickier a lube is, the better it survives in wet conditions and the more it attracts crud. It seems like a basically impossible problem to create something that lubricates well and can’t be washed off, except when you want it off. (Note that every manufacturer will advertise how well their lube performs in all conditions, how it won’t get dirty, etc. This is the same phenomenon as every car manufacturer and brewer producing ads to let you know their product will get you laid.) So yes, you’ve got that right. That said, there are some products which combine some sort of lubricant with a volatile component. The idea is that the volatile component will get the thicker lube into the chain better, then evaporate off and let the remaining component do its job without washing away as quickly. As an added benefit, the volatile component will also dissolve the road gunk and clean the chain. This is basically the same thing as using a volatile chain cleaner and then lubing the chain, except in one step. It’s not magic, and it won’t continue to keep the chain clean in use. Those products, in my experience, fall in the middle of the lube spectrum: they don’t attract as much dirt as true wet-weather lubes, and they won’t wash off as fast as dry lubes. They will wash off quicker than wet lubes and attract more dirt than dry lubes. No free lunch.

I’ve pretty much given up. I use wet lube all the time and clean my chain weekly. A chain cleaning tool and some degreaser makes it a simple job.

This issue is one of the reasons why I’m adding a FG/SS to my stable (aside from joining the cool kids). I HATE all the drivetrain required by riding in wet/muddy conditions, and I really want to simplify.

Also, FWIW, I tried “wet” lube on my commuter and had to throw it out…it attracted so much crap and was so messy and hard to clean. Frankly, it’s easier to just do a quick wipe and re-lube with standard lube after every ride in the rain.

@consularrider 77874 wrote:

I’ve been using the Rock N Roll brand (gold on the road bike, blue on the commuters) for a couple years now. Put lots on and wipe off pretty much cleans the chain. I haven’t noticed much difference in performance or wear over using chain cleaner and lube separately.

+2. Yeah, as Phatboing mentions it does dribble; I only lube chains outside. (Well, I do almost all of my bike work outside.) I love this stuff. I use the blue one on my commuter (especially when it’s wintery or rainy). I do *not* separately clean my chain. I used to spend far more on drivetrain maintenance. Now I spray on the lube once every couple weeks (or more if it’s been nasty) and wipe it off. Done & done. 30 seconds. I haven’t noticed any decrease in performance or longevity of drivetrain. It does cost more, but I value my time.

Velo did a study comparing the wattage costs of different lubes; that was interesting. I think the Gold Rock-n-Roll was right below pure paraffin was in terms of performance. Prolink is one of the worst. Of course we’re only talking a handful of watts here (up to 6, I think), but it is more significant than the improvement brought by upgrades like ceramic BB bearings.

so let me tell you about a little experiment I’m conducting. After years of on-again, off-again wrenching at numerous lbs’s, from mom and pops to regional big box-ish shops, i’ve always wondered wtf do all these bike commuters do to destroy their bikes? i mean, from a wrench’s perspective, how could you keep riding when your bike makes that much awful noise??? so, after commuting on a SS for a couple years, i decided i was going to build up a brand spanking new shifty-gears commuter bike.

and then ride it and nothing else (sort of).

i wanted to see if i could destroy a drivetrain like some of my customers have. what does it take? how much of the equation is sheer negligence, and how much is “riding style”?

well, i built up a surly crosscheck running a full sram apex kit, save shimano chain and cassette. i cleaned off the packaging grease from the chain, soaked it in rock and roll blue and rode it for about 600 miles before it even started making noise. it looked like sh!t, but it shifted fine. so that became my routine: if it starts making squeaky noises, drown it in rock and roll blue. nothing more, no wiping down, no goofy on-the-bike chain cleaners, just pedal backwards 10 revs and spray 1/3 of a bottle of rock and roll blue. then walk away from the bike.

I did, however, keep tabs on chain wear with a Rohloff chain checker. Rain or shine, 20 miles a day, 4-5 days a week, and i got about 3000 miles out of a shimano ultegra chain (stretch measured at the 0.075mm mark so i was being a bit “conservative”) merely dousing the chain about once a month or two.

At about 5400 miles i replaced the chain, cassette, chainrings, and pulleys, but nothing else (partially simulating that one time the customer brings his commuter bike by for service in january, when labor’s cheap). One more chain at about 7600 miles, and i’m now at 8,900+ and haven’t washed the bike once, just replaced some parts and used a generous helping of rock and roll blue. and it doesn’t squeak.

so, to answer your question about chain lube, rock and roll blue. but more generally, grease is cheaper than steel. if it squeaks lube it.

and to answer my question, i still have no idea wtf happened to half the commuter bikes i’ve seen roll into any shop i’ve worked… i tried killing my surly and it didn’t work. i have no idea what you guys are doing out there…:p

Well, I have a new bike as of early December that I put studded tires on for winter use. According to Strava, I have 160 miles on it. The chain has been a rusty mess four times already and at each time I’ve lubed it. My conclusion is that road salt is not good for drivetrains.

I’ve been using the EcoVelo waxed chain method for the past couple of seasons on my commuter. It’s been effective for keeping the drive-train quiet and is the cleanest system I’ve found. Clean is of paramount importance, since my bike lives in our living room.

The hierarchy of expenses goes something like this in my experience: grease < steel < dress pants < my wife's favorite rug!