Is it actually possible…

[Rod Smith]

I never remove my chain until it’s time to replace it and I never use degreaser. You don’t need to do that stuff unless you really want to. Wipe it real good, at least 20 crank rotations. You don’t need a clean rag, just use a part of the rag that isn’t black yet. Put a little lube on, work it into the lower run of chain with your hand as you back pedal. Wipe off your hand. Wipe the chain again, same way, except with a rag instead of your hand, at least twenty rotations. Put a little more lube on, run the chain through your hand. Look at your hand. Notice it’s not as black as it was the first time. Wipe off your hand, wipe off your chain, add a little more lube, work it in. Look at your hand. You hand isn’t very black at all. Wipe off your hand, wipe off your chain thoroughly. It’s clean enough now. If it’s a silver chain, it looks shiny. It’s just going to get dirty again. There’s no reason to sterilize your chain as though it is a surgical instrument. Some people like to do that, but it’s not necessary. Wash your hands and you’re good to go!

[Riley Casey]

Chain oil. Just like on a chain saw. I resisted this for years, believing the various voodoo nostrums about too sticky, not sticky enough, hyper slick blah, blah, blah. I finally tried real honest to goodness chain oil and it works like a champ. That and the fact that it’s a fraction of the cost of bike shop chain lubricant. Having a never ending supply of worn out cotton socks helps with the wipe off and re-oil ritual too.

Just thought I’d muddy the waters but of course this has been a religious war since time immemorial. Protestants & Catholics, Shia & Sunni? bah – it’s chain lube wars that really count.

[hozn]

I agree with Rod. I used to do all sorts of things — remove the chain, soak it in degreaser, or use one of those chain cleaners. Now I never remove my chain until it’s time to throw it away and I never degrease it. I use Rock-n-Roll gold lube on my road bike and blue lube on my commuter (because it gets ridden in the rain). That stuff works fantastic at cleaning and lubing and now I spend effectively zero time and effort on this most boring part of the bike. And my chains last just as long or longer than when I did all the cleaning. I’m sure other lubes would work fine too, but I am a convert to the Rock-n-Roll stuff (and I went into this relationship pretty skeptical because it ain’t cheap).

[Vicegrip]

Having a 5 gallon heated high power ultrasonic cleaner and an air compressor in the home shop I tend to clean the chain once a month or so or after it gets run for a while in the rain. It comes out at 190 deg and flash dries in a few seconds. I follow up with a air jet blast to knock out any remaining water. I too use rock n roll gold and after a full on dunk cleaning I put the chain in a zip lock bag and squirt in some lube. I will roll it around from time to time while doing other things. this makes a little go a long way and lets the lube soak in and around the pins and rollers. You can clean a chain for 20 min and once you dunk it in a ultrasonic cleaner and flip the switch you will see a bloom of funk come off it. is this level of cleaning needed? Likely not.

When I am just oiling the chain I drip lube on the links as I move the chain along with a rag. the rag soaks up excess and cleans the chain as it goes. I have to say I like the sound of a clean, lightly oiled drive train running big ring the middle of the cogs. SSSSSSSSSSSSSS. On the other hand there are better things to do and focus on while on a bike ride.

[DismalScientist]

Sheldon Brown says this: http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

[Riley Casey]

Anyone ever notice how “Sheldon Brown says” is sort of the bike equivalent of quoting the Constitution or the old testament of the bible?

@DismalScientist 54271 wrote:

Sheldon Brown says this: http://sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

[rcannon100]

Hum. I might try one of the environmental lubes. Behind the Label: chain lube, Ecologist 2009

Once in the environment, PFCs (TEFLON) have been shown to accumulate in organs like the liver, gall bladder and thyroid gland. In primates, including humans, exposure to one of Teflon’s breakdown products, PFOA, has led to an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). A prolonged state of hypothyroidism is a risk for obesity, insulin resistance and thyroid cancer.

[Dickie]

A quote from Sheldon himself:

“New chains come pre-lubricated with a grease-type lubricant which has been installed at the factory. This is an excellent lubricant, and has been made to permeate all of the internal interstices in the chain.This factory lube is superior to any lube that you can apply after the fact.Some people make the bad mistake of deliberately removing this superior lubricant. Don’t do this!The factory lubricant all by itself is usually good for several hundred miles of service if the bike is not ridden in wet or dusty conditions. It is best not to apply any sort of lube to a new chain until it is clearly needed, because any wet lube you can apply will dilute the factory lube.”

[jabberwocky]

I tried leaving the factory grease on once. Once. The problem is, that stuff is sticky as hell, so every speck of dust/dirt/pollen/insect/etc that gets anywhere near it sticks to it. Forever.

[Tim Kelley]

@jabberwocky 54315 wrote:

I tried leaving the factory grease on once. Once. The problem is, that stuff is sticky as hell, so every speck of dust/dirt/pollen/insect/etc that gets anywhere near it sticks to it. Forever.

I made the mistake of taking a mountain bike with the factory grease on the chain out in sandy conditions for it’s first ride ever. Never again.

[Dickie]

Never had a problem myself, but I guess I am just cleaner than you guys I also use only Campy chains so maybe the Italians aren’t that greasy… Ugh, I’m gonna get flack for that right?

[Rod Smith]

@rcannon100 54297 wrote:

Hum. I might try one of the environmental lubes. Behind the Label: chain lube, Ecologist 2009

I should have said to wear a rubber glove when working the lube into the chain with your hand. I don’t but maybe will after reading this. Not just to avoid contact with toxic chemicals that may be absorbed through the skin, but also to avoid a lot of scrubbing when you wash up after lubing. It’s sort of impossible to get all the black off your hand otherwise.

[brendan]

I’ve moved into the “just lightly clean and relube the chain, infrequently, until it (and probably my cassette) needs to be replaced” camp. This is usually indicated by my chain breaking.

Next issue: what do you do with old chains and cassettes?

Brendan

[TwoWheelsDC]

@brendan 54458 wrote:

Next issue: what do you do with old chains and cassettes?

Brendan

http://www.etsy.com/listing/130836925/reclaimed-bicycle-chain-link-earrings?ref=v1_other_1

[consularrider]

@brendan 54458 wrote:

… Next issue: what do you do with old chains and cassettes?

Brendan

Mine go in the recycling bin after being wiped off.

[Author]

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