Discovery Cycle
Best Bike Shop in Austin, Texas
(512) 452 4225
Clean and Lube Chain
Chain maintenance is extremely important for the happiness of your bicycle, kind of like regularly changing oil in your car. As a bicycle chain is used, it stretches. As the bike chain stretches, the gears are honed out to conform to the growing length of the chain. Eventually the chain starts skipping. Not only will the chain need replacement, but so will the front and rear gears.
A clean and lubricated chain lasts longer and works better.
Clean the Chain
The simplest method to clean a chain is to hold a rag tightly on the chain and rotate the pedals to force the chain through the rag. To do a better job, apply some wet chain lube or a degreaser to the chain first, and than run it through a rag. We often spray a chain with Triflow, let it soak a minute, and then run it through a rag. The more care you take with each link the better.
Clean Chain with a Rag
Using a special brush helps.
Drive Train Brushes
A more complex and thorough process requires removing the chain. First, take the chain off the bike. Pour some degreaser in an empty, clean plastic soda bottle. Drop the chain in the bottle, cap it, and shake it like crazy. Fish the chain out, rinse it in water, and reinstall it. Don't consider this process unless you are really in to cycling. It's a lot of trouble, requires knowing how to break and reinstall a chain, and--hey, new chains don't cost that much!
Clean the Rest of the Drive Train
A dirty drive train makes for awful shifting and re-dirties a cleaned chain.
Clean the jockey wheels on the rear derailleur.
Jockey Wheel
Clean the Jockey Wheel
Clean the chain rings.
Brush Off Chain Rings
Clean the cassette. It is hard to get the cassette very clean without removing it, but it is useful to do your best without removing it. Use a thin brush.
Clean Cassette
Lube the Chain
What Lube?
Use a bicycle-specific lubricant. Do not use WD-40--that stuff is a degreaser and penetrate, not a lube, and it will hurt rather than help. Do not use motor oil. The majority of our mechanics prefer teflon-based wet lubes, like Triflow and Prolink. The minority prefers wax-based dry lubes, which are discussed in a separate section.
Wet Lubes
How Often to Lubricate
Many people over-lubricate, resulting in a residue of greasy stuff that attracts filth to the chain and makes the situation worse. How often to lubricate depends on riding conditions. The wetter, the more often. The more off-road, the more often. The harder the riding, the more often. We lube every 3 to 5 rides in dry weather. But we do not glob on the lube.
How to Apply the Lubricant
The quick way is to spray an aerosol lube on the chain while rotating it with the pedals. Keep the lube away from your brake pads and wheels. Let it soak in a few minutes, so it will seep into all the crevices, then wipe the lube off the exterior parts of the chain. To reemphasize--WIPE THE LUBE OFF THE EXTERIOR PARTS OF THE CHAIN. Failure to remove excess lube will leave your chain coated with a wet oil which will attract dust, and the oily dust will harden and accumulate on your chain, jockey wheels, chain rings, and cassette, making a nasty, destructive mess.
Spray Aerosol Lube from behind the Cassette
The best way to apply the lube is to place a drop of lube on each chain pivot. Apply one drop per pivot on the side of the chain which touches the gears. This is easiest done by applying the lube to the top of the chain as it exits the rear derailleur. Rotate the chain a few times. Let the lube soak in. Then wipe off the excess lube.
Apply Squeeze Lube a Drop to Each Pivot
Dry Lubes
Some cyclists prefer dry lubes. Dry lubes are basically wax and alcohol. After application, the alcohol evaporates away, leaving only the wax. As the chain is used, the wax chips off, taking road grime with it, resulting in a cleaner drive train. We prefer Krytech and White Lightning.
Dry Lubes
The advantage of dry lubes is a cleaner drive train. There's no buildup of nasty lube and dust. When the wax chips off, it takes grime with it.
But there are several disadvantages. First, wet lubes penetrate better into the crevices (and are therefore preferred by everyone in wet weather). Second, the consequence of using too much dry lube is an awful waxy buildup that interferes with the drive train and is hard to clean off. The second disadvantage is easily remedied by refraining from using too much. Don't apply a dry lube until you need it, don't apply very much, and remove any buildup. But because dry lubes make for a cleaner drive train in dusty conditions, some mechanics prefer them for Austin conditions.
When to Buy a New Chain
Better sooner than later. As the chain stretches, it ruins the chain rings and cassette. Cyclists training to race install new chains as often as monthly. A commuter should change chains at least several times a year. You should check for chain stretch every several hundred miles. It is a simple procedure your mechanic can handle in minutes. To check at home, remove the chain and stretch it on a flat surface. Each pivot on a new chain is one half inch apart. Using a ruler, measure from center of pivot to center of the pivot one foot away. If the measurement is approaching one sixteenth of an inch longer than a foot, replace it. If it is one eighth inch too long, your chain ring and cassette are probably ruined.