Lube it up REAL Nice Like.

So somebody out there was askin' about how to get that there chain on yer bike all lubed up proper like, what to use and how often to do it so I'm gonna give all y'all a little premiere on lubing up yer bikecycle real nice like.

• What should you use to lube your chain?
  • Any product labeled as bicycle chain lube.
    • Wax or dry lube is going to be more resistant to washing out and, depending on the lube, stay cleaner.  It usually requires more dwell time when applied (more on that later.)
    • Wet lube is going to go on faster but be more prone to washing out and collect more dirt.  It is, however, easier to clean off the chain.
    • There are some REALLY thick wet chain lubes out there, and I recommend staying away from them as they combine the worst aspects of the two above into one single crappy lube.
    • Some people like to use paraffin or bees wax.  F that noise; lots of work and I am not sure it works all that well.
  • NOT WD-40, it is not a lubricant it is a light oil used for water displacement and may not even be better than nothing at all.
  • Make up your own mind here, there are quite a few people out there who care much more deeply than I do what kindof chain lube you use.  Me, I just want you to use something on it.
• When should you clean and lube your chain?
  • After 1-2 weeks of regular riding.
  • After significant riding in rain or snow.
  • It gets loud and squeaky.
  • It turns orange.
  • It gets really dirty.
  • You want to.
• How do you lube your chain?
  • First thing you need to do is clean your chain.  That filthy thing is covered in all sorts of yuck and grit that if they get worked into your chain and speed up wear.  Different folks have different ideas on how to clean and how often to clean, they type of lube you use also makes a difference in how you clean.  Y'all'll find your own happy place but this is what I do...
    • Wipe the chain down with a dry but not to dirty cloth. If you use dry lube you may want to skip this step because there is not going ot be much to wipe off.
    • Saturate the cloth with rubbing alcohol (or the solvent of your choice) and wipe the chain down until it pretty much stops getting the rag dirty.
    • Let the solvent dry off the chain
  • Apply the lube.  Now, people get all fancy here telling you to put one drop on each roller or to put it on the inside so centrifugal force pushes it into the chain and all sorts of other stuff.  Forget that junk and just liberally apply the lube to the chain on the rear cogs as you spin the wheel through.
  • Cycle the gears both front and rear to get the lube all up in there on all the cogs and chain rings.  Honestly I think this matters not at all but lots of customers think you need to spread lube all over everything so I do it to humor them.
  • Wait. This is the most important step.  See the lube on your chain does not actually need, or want, all that lube on the outside.  It actually needs and wants it inside the little rollers, and it gets there via capillary action when the lube sits on the chain for a bit so you need to leave that stuff on there for awhile. How long?  Depends on the lube.  Wet lube a few minutes, wax lube I like to let sit as long as overnight.  your lube of choice may, or may not, have a time specified in the instructions if it does follow them and if not use common sense and remember you can't really leave it on to long.
  • Clean off the extra lube with a clean cloth.  Extra lube on the chain will just attract dirt that works it's way onto the chain and accelerates wear.
  • Ride yo damn bike.
• Bonus round! Here are some fun extras to try while your at it.
  • Put a drop of lube at all the pivot points on your brakes and derailleurs.  Chain lube works great for this but a think lube with a long applicator like Tri-Flow or Dri-slide is best.
  • Lube your cables up by putting a drop or two of lube in each housing end and letting it run down the cable into the housing.  Once again chain lubes works ok but Rock-N-Roll Cable Magic is made for this.
  • If you have it toss some lube into the cable guide on your bottom bracket shell.

Any questions?