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?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Drewbacca on September 25, 2013 at 6:25pm

tl:dr :p

correct (short) answer: that nifty park tool followed by pro-gold.

drew's approach: hose'r down with water and wipe with a rag, spray'r down with wd-40 (good for cleaning and bad for lubricating) then wipe with a rag, then apply some sort of proper lube (and wipe with a rag); reapply if necessary. 

Why you should lube: b/c it will save you money in the long run when you wear down your cassette due to neglecting the chain. 

But seriously, thanks for taking the time to type this up (all good info)... and actually, the format is good. 

Permalink Reply by Hey! Bike Shop Guy on September 25, 2013 at 8:29pm

Ah geeze der, I fergot one important step y'all should be including in yer lube 'em up procedures, checking yer chain fer ware!

So here's what you do:

Go get one of these at your local bike shop.

Now use it according to the directions.

Here's why:

When a chain passes a certain amount of stretch it will wear the cassette out so bad a new chain will not properly ride on it and the chain will 'skip' causing you all sorts of trouble.  Check your chain with that $12 tool and you will save yourself tons of money in the long by replacing fewer cassettes and chain rings.

Oh, and yeah you can buy the damn thing cheaper on-line but hows about ya fork that extra 3 bucks over to yer LBS for keeping people like me paid decent so's we got time to share all sorts of good info wit ya.


Drewbacca said:

Why you should lube: b/c it will save you money in the long run when you wear down your cassette due to neglecting the chain. 

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on September 26, 2013 at 2:44am

Funny, I have heard those instructions before . . . .

And, they are good and they work and it is really not hard at all!

Permalink Reply by Gopher Biker on September 26, 2013 at 3:18am

As a quick check, use a dollar bill until you are able to get to the LBS for the real tool - just line up the corner of the bill in the center of one of the link pins and then the other corner should end up in the center of another pin. This method doesn't tell you how much the chain has stretch like the tool does, obviously.

Hey! Bike Shop Guy said:


Go get one of these at your local bike shop.

Now use it according to the directions.

Permalink Reply by Hey! Bike Shop Guy on September 26, 2013 at 3:30am

I've never heard that trick, ever.  Where did you hear that?

I would trust that trick about as far as I can throw the worn out cassette you end up with...

Gopher Biker said:

As a quick check, use a dollar bill until you are able to get to the LBS for the real tool - just line up the corner of the bill in the center of one of the link pins and then the other corner should end up in the center of another pin. This method doesn't tell you how much the chain has stretch like the tool does, obviously.

Hey! Bike Shop Guy said:


Go get one of these at your local bike shop.

Now use it according to the directions.

Permalink Reply by Davo on September 26, 2013 at 3:40am

a 12" ruler does the same trick. Put one link pin on the 0 and a good chain should land on the 12" line.

Permalink Reply by djm on September 26, 2013 at 3:49am

I dont think that is correct.  Modern bike chains are 1/2" pitch and US bills are 6.14" long.

Gopher Biker said:

As a quick check, use a dollar bill until you are able to get to the LBS for the real tool - just line up the corner of the bill in the center of one of the link pins and then the other corner should end up in the center of another pin. This method doesn't tell you how much the chain has stretch like the tool does, obviously.

Hey! Bike Shop Guy said:


Go get one of these at your local bike shop.

Now use it according to the directions.

Permalink Reply by Drewbacca on September 26, 2013 at 4:32am

I disagree that a ruler works, you need to measure the wear on the rollers more than the elongation of the links... it's too precise for a ruler and you end up with a false reading. If you wait until the ruler trick works, then most likely the chain has already been shot for a while. For that matter, I'm even skeptical of the proper tool, but it's better than a ruler. 

Permalink Reply by Gopher Biker on September 26, 2013 at 4:39am

It would have to be an older dollar bill which are 6" long, not the new ones which are 6.14". Again this would only be a quick check, you really need the tool to get a accurate sense of your chain wear.

djm said:

I dont think that is correct.  Modern bike chains are 1/2" pitch and US bills are 6.14" long.

Permalink Reply by Gopher Biker on September 26, 2013 at 4:41am

I don't remember. Again, this is just a quick check (I do have the tool BTW).

Hey! Bike Shop Guy said:

I've never heard that trick, ever.  Where did you hear that?

I would trust that trick about as far as I can throw the worn out cassette you end up with...

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on September 26, 2013 at 5:05am

Nice write up, learned a few great tips!

2 Questions:

1. Any specific lube recommendations for various seasons?

2. Any specific lube recommendations for those who prefer a single gear since our chains don't have to flex as much?

Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Hey! Bike Shop Guy on September 26, 2013 at 5:45am

No recommendations, there are to many variables regarding type and amount of riding, where you're riding and how often you actually lube the chain.  

I use a wax lube all year round but your mileage may vary.

Tom Dworzanski said:

Nice write up, learned a few great tips!

2 Questions:

1. Any specific lube recommendations for various seasons?

2. Any specific lube recommendations for those who prefer a single gear since our chains don't have to flex as much?

Thanks!

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