How to (properly) lube a chain
November 30th, 2006 by Tim GrahlFirst off, you need some proper chain lube. I cringe everytime I see someone pull out the ol’ WD-40 to lube up the chain. Please pick some proper lube up at your local bike shop or buy some from JensonUSA.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make (including myself in days past) is being in a hurry while lubing their chain. I’ll see one of two things… either they are quickly backpedaling the crank with their hand while dripping the lube on the chain or just running the bottle of lube quickly across the chain while squeezing.
The problem with these methods is that it doesn’t get the chain lube in all the proper places. You want to make sure you get the lube in all the “joints” of the chain… as pictured:
Move from link to link applying a drop of lubricant to each joint of the chain. My suggestion is lubing the inside of the chain, i.e. the side that actually touches the gears. Once you’ve hit every link, take a spare towel and wipe off any excess lube from the chain and bike.
By taking your time and ensuring you are properly lubricating in all the right places, you’ll both increase the life of your chain and improve your shifting.
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I use Finish Line Wet lube. Stuff works well in all conditions..and lasts forever. WD-40 is good to clean your chain/bike.
Prolink works great.
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=10729&srccode=2047&cm_mmc=Froogle-_-Datafeed-_-null-_-null
30-50 in the summer
10-30 wt in the winter……..
Triflo for the bike chain.
WD-40 is a solvent / lubricant / water repellent, like Tri-flow but without teflon. If you use it, you have to pretty much spray the chain down at least once a week (depending on conditions) to keep it from binding. Tri-flo is great, its thin and that makes it easy to get in the important parts, which wd-40 does well in the short term. Graphite or teflon are usually the important lubricating components.
lubing my chain with Liquid Wrench SPRAY-ON. True getting lubricant all over your bike is a bad idea, however holding a rag (cupping it actually) beneath and behind the rag catches all the overspray, therefore you dont get any lube on your bike or the floor. Furthermore I think blasting lubricant onto every link helps further remove grit and residual water left from the ride or cleaning.
I should further clarify I clean and lube my chain after every ride, so almost daily.
Rock n’ Roll Lube is great. You apply it, let it penetrate for a few minutes and wipe it off with a towel. It says right on the bottle that you can’t wipe off too much and it lasts just as long as any other lube without attracting quite as much gunk as similar “wet’ lubes. Since you should clean and lube your chain every ride, it saves a little time scubbing the chain and pulleys.