# Best Drive Train Oil?



## Lovacott (28 Nov 2020)

Once a week, on Saturday mornings, I give the bike a clean and I pay special attention to the drive train.

Afterwards, I oil it up with bog standard 3-1 oil.

However, if it's a wet week, by Wednesday, I find my drive train misbehaving itself and I end up giving it a clean and a fresh coat of 3-1.

I've heard about special winter waxes which reduce the need to constantly oil the chain.

Are they any good?


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## Joffey (28 Nov 2020)




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## PaulSB (28 Nov 2020)

You'll get a million opinions. Personally I like Chain Juice Ceramic. The key though is to be sure your chain cassette and rings are clean. Use a minimal amount of dry non-sticky lube and wipe your chain clean with an oily cotton rag after every ride.

https://images.app.goo.gl/XY6nytFD5TaSyPYH6


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## Nebulous (28 Nov 2020)

There are probably as many different answers / opinions as there are members. 

I clean and oil my chain once a week on my commuter, for a very short commute and on my other bikes more or less every time they are out. With the length of your commute and dirty roads I’d think a mid-week wipe of your chain and relube would be worth it. 

I’ve never used the dry waxes, but they are for summer, dry weather use, not the winter. 

I use this stuff. It is a pump, not an aerosol and has a very concentrated jet, meaning you can get it into the precise spot you want it. Big can as well, lasts me a long time. 

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-maintenance/bike-lube/bikehut-spray-lube---250ml-164370.html


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## Lovacott (28 Nov 2020)

Nebulous said:


> I clean and oil my chain once a week on my commuter, for a very short commute and on my other bikes more or less every time they are out. With the length of your commute and dirty roads I’d think a mid-week wipe of your chain and relube would be worth it.
> 
> I’ve never used the dry waxes, but they are for summer, dry weather use, not the winter.
> 
> I use this stuff. It is a pump, not an aerosol and has a very concentrated jet, meaning you can get it into the precise spot you want it. Big can as well, lasts me a long time.



That looks like good stuff. Is it oil based or PTFE?

I did try PTFE spray earlier in the year because that was all I had in the house at the time but it didn't seem very effective.

3-1 is what I use normally, but it seems to mix very well with dust and grit to become a grinding paste.

On Wednesday, I tried WD40 on its own which seemed to work well but by Thursday evening (20 miles later), I had to reapply.

That said, with WD40, the chain has stayed pretty clean and it's only taken me ten minutes this morning to clean the whole bike.


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## Nebulous (28 Nov 2020)

Lovacott said:


> That looks like good stuff. Is it oil based or PTFE?
> 
> I did try PTFE spray earlier in the year because that was all I had in the house at the time but it didn't seem very effective.



It says “highly refined mineral oil with Teflon” 

Most oil becomes a paste at this time of year, with crud from the road. I wipe that stuff off with baby wipes and relube to prevent it grinding down my chain and gears. I also spray all the pivot points on the derailleurs which is where the jet comes into its own.


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## Lovacott (28 Nov 2020)

Nebulous said:


> It says “highly refined mineral oil with Teflon”
> Most oil becomes a paste at this time of year, with crud from the road. I wipe that stuff off with baby wipes and relube to prevent it grinding down my chain and gears. I also spray all the pivot points on the derailleurs which is where the jet comes into its own.



I'm going to get a can later this morning.


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## CanucksTraveller (28 Nov 2020)

If the drive train is playing up, I'd say the choice of oil is neither here not there... It's far more likely to need some slight adusting. 
Lube is lube, they pretty much all work.


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## Spiderweb (28 Nov 2020)

I spray WD40 or GT85 on to a rag to wipe the chain clean and then apply Finish Line Ceramic wet lube on to each roller, best lube I’ve used.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/finish-line-ceramic-wet-lubricant-120ml-bottle


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## Paulus (28 Nov 2020)

Spiderweb said:


> I spray WD40 or GT85 on to a rag to wipe the chain clean and then apply Finish Line Ceramic wet lube on to each roller, best lube I’ve used.
> https://www.wiggle.co.uk/finish-line-ceramic-wet-lubricant-120ml-bottle


I do something similar, but use white spirit. It takes all the gunk off. Then wipe with clean ish rags and then lube the chain. I personally use finish line wet this time of year, and the dry lube in spring/summer .


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## Lovacott (28 Nov 2020)

CanucksTraveller said:


> If the drive train is playing up, I'd say the choice of oil is neither here not there... It's far more likely to need some slight adusting.
> Lube is lube, they pretty much all work.


It's hard to see what's going on, but the chain takes a few moments longer to settle onto its selected cog when it's not well lubricated. Bit of a pain when going up hill and shifting.

I've got the indexing bang on (after many hours of watching you tube and taking advice from others on here).

The lube I use (3-1) is good but I just wanted to know if there was something better?


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## CanucksTraveller (28 Nov 2020)

Lovacott said:


> It's hard to see what's going on, but the chain takes a few moments longer to settle onto its selected cog when it's not well lubricated. Bit of a pain when going up hill and shifting.
> 
> I've got the indexing bang on (after many hours of watching you tube and taking advice from others on here).
> 
> The lube I use (3-1) is good but I just wanted to know if there was something better?



Ah I see, I misunderstood what you meant by it playing up, thanks for clarifying.


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## mjr (28 Nov 2020)

I think it depends what crud you're riding through. I found that the ceramic wax mixed very easily with fen silt and fell off, leaving a squeaky chain in less than 20 miles. I now use either Green Oil or Weldtite Pure Bike Oil so even if it still drops off quick, at least I'm not shooting PTFE pollution all over the countryside. https://www.bikepure.co.uk/our-product-range/bike-oil/


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## Lovacott (28 Nov 2020)

mjr said:


> I think it depends what crud you're riding through. I found that the ceramic wax mixed very easily with fen silt and fell off, leaving a squeaky chain in less than 20 miles. I now use either Green Oil or Weldtite Pure Bike Oil so even if it still drops off quick, at least I'm not shooting PTFE pollution all over the countryside. https://www.bikepure.co.uk/our-product-range/bike-oil/


It may sound dumb, but chain lube to me was always either the local hardware shop 3 in 1 or a spray of WD40.

Doing more miles on shitty country roads has made me question that.

I'll get some of what you suggest as well and run a little experiment.

Cheers for the link.


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## Drago (28 Nov 2020)

Prepare for a thousand different answers from a thousand different posters. None will be wrong - ultimately the difference it makes to drivetrain life and performance is minimal, just some long as _something _goes on there and its kept moderately clean. The only significqnt difference is that different ungents have different characteristics that appeal to different riders.

For my own part I use hypoid diff oil, just a minimal amount. It's cheap, minimal flinging, and is designed not to flow away from high pressure metak on metal interfaces. The downside is that it smells umpleasant and that puts some people off, but I get around this by making a point of not getting doen on my hands and knees and sniffing the chain.


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## Lovacott (28 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> I get around this by making a point of not getting down on my hands and knees and sniffing the chain.



I find that licking the chain is far more indicative.


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## fossyant (28 Nov 2020)

Lovacott said:


> Once a week, on Saturday mornings, I give the bike a clean and I pay special attention to the drive train.
> 
> Afterwards, I oil it up with bog standard 3-1 oil.
> 
> ...



You need to oil and clean after every wet ride. Simple solution.


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## Lovacott (28 Nov 2020)

fossyant said:


> You need to oil and clean after every wet ride. Simple solution.


So far I have managed six hours of wet miles between cleaning and all I am asking is for something which might help me to extend it to 10 hours.


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## DRM (30 Nov 2020)

In a pinch when I’ve been on holiday, a bit of extra virgin olive oil has done the trick, if it’s oil and it’s slippy, it’ll be reet


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## oldworld (30 Nov 2020)

From time to time I'm tempted with some new type of purpose made lubricant but have never found one that makes chains last longer than chainsaw oil. 
Like diff oil it does pong a bit. What makes a difference is the cleaner you get the chain, the longer it lasts,
I used the, put the chain in a bottle of white spirit and shake method for years. 
I've now bought a small ultrasonic cleaner and use a water based detergent from Screwfix. 
Cheaper and better.


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Nov 2020)

Unless you are doing mega miles every week then oiling a chain once a week is overkill. Why not just oil the chain when it needs it?


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## slowmotion (30 Nov 2020)

I use Finish Line Wet. I've no idea how it stacks up against the rest but it seems to work.


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## Profpointy (30 Nov 2020)

To be honest any vaguely reasonable light oil will be fine and there's really no need to overthink this or pay too much for the stuff. Currently I'm using car engine oil as I have a load left over in the wrong grade for my car. Maybe it's a bit too thick, but it means I can use the "Mickle method" (basically just clean the chain with lubricating oil and a rag, then keep going till its clean and oiled) without worrying about how much oil i'm using. Back in the day we all used 3-in-1 as a handy light oil for this sort of thing


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## Dan77 (30 Nov 2020)

I have been really happy with Rock'n Roll gold. Have only tried it briefly in the wet but it performed well when I did.

It also cleans and lubricates when applied so reduces the need for cleaning. When wiping off after application it tells you to wipe it thoroughly...you can't overdo it.


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## Lovacott (30 Nov 2020)

YukonBoy said:


> Unless you are doing mega miles every week then oiling a chain once a week is overkill. Why not just oil the chain when it needs it?


I'm doing muddy miles so I clean the drivetrain once a week and pop on some fresh oil.


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## rockyroller (30 Nov 2020)

Drago said:


> smells umpleasant


fwiw - Muc-Off Bio Dry Lube smells like apples


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## andrew_s (30 Nov 2020)

I use Finish Line Ceramic Wet, which I find a bit cleaner (or less mucky) then the basic Finish Line Green (^ @slowmotion), but just as long lasting.

My experience is that there are wet lubes, which don't wash off in the rain, but pick up muck and give a chain that leaves indelible black marks on anything that touches it, and dry lubes, which are nice and clean, but which wash off at the first sign of rain, giving a squeaky chain.,


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## Scottish Scrutineer (1 Dec 2020)

Lovacott said:


> It's hard to see what's going on, but the chain takes a few moments longer to settle onto its selected cog when it's not well lubricated. Bit of a pain when going up hill and shifting.
> 
> I've got the indexing bang on (after many hours of watching you tube and taking advice from others on here).
> 
> The lube I use (3-1) is good but I just wanted to know if there was something better?



Have you checked that the chain isn't worn/stretched? I've found that poor changes are often a sign of a worn chain


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## Johnsco (1 Dec 2020)

The oil can in the cellar sits next to a 5-litre container of car engine oil.
When the oil can is empty, it gets refilled.
I use this for the chain, DR pivots and other general pivot points.
When I need a good penetrating oil, I use Unicorn Unilease.
For packing bearings, I use Millers Millergrease WG2 waterproof grease or Castrol LM.
Anything that I'm going to have to unscrew or take apart, I coat with Rocol "Never-seize" on assembly.
WD40 is wonderful for what it was designed for .... as a water dispersant. It does have some penetrating properties and can be used for *VERY-LIGHT *lubrication.
For chain lubrication, it's not a sh*ts-worth of use.
[My dad was the UK agent for WD40 when it was first introduced into the UK, having been developed for keeping dampness out of the electronic systems in the Atlas Missile program].
For chains ... Oil it - Use it - Clean it (when it needs it).
Don't be too-precious about it.


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## LJR69 (2 Dec 2020)

I'm currently using a hydra carbon based lube. I initially didn't like it when I was applying it to the chain as it's very thin, and you do have to leave about three hours before you go riding with it, but bloody hell it doesn't half make your chain quiet and lasts a couple of mtb trail rides and washes (you can test as it shines under a uv light), and about week's worth of riding on my road bike - probably more tbh but I just tend to only let it go that long. Great stuff (imo). I also have PTFE and wet lubes because...well, there's no such thing as having too much oil, spray, grease stuff in your bike shed


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## RichardB (2 Dec 2020)

Drago said:


> For my own part I use hypoid diff oil, just a minimal amount. It's cheap, minimal flinging, and is designed not to flow away from high pressure metak on metal interfaces. The downside is that it smells umpleasant and that puts some people off, but I get around this by making a point of not getting doen on my hands and knees and sniffing the chain.



Diff oil (EP90 etc) smells like cat urine. Children, just don't.

What you need is THIS:







(For those under 60 who have never owned a motorbike - it's a large tin of black wax that you put on the stove. Heat it until liquid, drop the chain in, wait for filth to float off, hang chain to cool, allow to set. It gets wax into all the rollers and over all the plates, but is a massively messy and smelly exercise.)

Serious note, most lubricants will be fine; more important is that you wipe the chain clean regularly. It's the dirt/oil grinding paste that damages your chain and sprockets. I've used motorcycle chain wax (sprays on and solvent flashes off, leaving a dry wax coat, lasts for ever) and WD-40 (thin, so needs reapplying almost daily, but works fine) and everything in between. Finish line Wet seems to work best for me overall.


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## Gravity Aided (2 Dec 2020)

3 in 1, the actual bicycle chain oil. It looks like a paraffin wax based product.


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## All uphill (2 Dec 2020)

The Best Drive Train Oil is whatever is to hand. Engine oil, gear oil, 3 in 1, but not WD40. Wipe, oil, wipe after every wet or mucky ride.

Even 11 speed chains last a year and are not _that _expensive.


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## johnblack (3 Dec 2020)

Whatevers to hand when it needs it, especially after its been jetwashed, it's really not a big deal.


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## Fab Foodie (3 Dec 2020)

slowmotion said:


> I use Finish Line Wet. I've no idea how it stacks up against the rest but it seems to work.
> View attachment 561015


Me too!


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## Ridgeway (3 Dec 2020)

Castrol GTX


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## Ajax Bay (3 Dec 2020)

LJR69 said:


> I'm currently using a hydra carbon based lube. . . . lasts a couple of mtb trail rides and washes (you can test as it shines under a uv light


Aren't all oils "hydrocarbon based"? What exactly (the chain, the oil, the dirt,) shines when you expose the oiled, ridden and washed chain to UV light?


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## 12boy (3 Dec 2020)

Haven't oiled a chain for 15 years. I keep a crockpot with a mix of paraffin wax, oil, and more recently, toilet bowl wax ring. The toilet stuff is very sticky and ensures the other stuff doesn't flake off. The waxy gloop also coats sprockets and chainrings as the bike is ridden and that I think reduces their wear as well. I heat up the crockpot until all the wax is liquid, drop the chain in for 15 minutes, pull it out to cool for a bit and slap it on. Not counting the waiting, five minutes and since I rotate through several bikes, I can do them all at the same time, if my elderly short term memory loss allows me to remember which chain is for what bike. The wax is fairly clean to handle, unlike chains with dirty oil.


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## LJR69 (4 Dec 2020)

Ajax Bay said:


> Aren't all oils "hydrocarbon based"? What exactly (the chain, the oil, the dirt,) shines when you expose the oiled, ridden and washed chain to UV light?


I 'think' the polymers they've built into the oil, but I'm guessing tbh.

https://muc-off.com/products/hydrodynamic-lube


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## Jimmy Welch (4 Dec 2020)

Lovacott said:


> Once a week, on Saturday mornings, I give the bike a clean and I pay special attention to the drive train.
> 
> Afterwards, I oil it up with bog standard 3-1 oil.
> 
> ...


Hi get yourself a proper wet lube , especially made for chain and drive get a fee drops on each link top on bottom go up down the gears to coat cassets then run a rag on chain take off excess no red chain or grinding


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## Gunk (4 Dec 2020)

Jimmy Welch said:


> Hi get yourself a proper wet lube , especially made for chain and drive get a fee drops on each link top on bottom go up down the gears to coat cassets then run a rag on chain take off excess no red chain or grinding



I use the Muckoff wet lube for both bikes and motorcycles one small bottles lasts about 5 years


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## SkipdiverJohn (5 Dec 2020)

Motorcycle chain spray. It's designed for much more demanding operating conditions than it will ever see on a push bike with a half a horsepower engine propelling it.
I use it not only on chains, but as a non-invasive lube top up on wheel bearings, headsets, BB's, and I also spray it down my seat tube/seat post interface with the clamp bolt slack, so it penetrates between the surfaces and stops the seat post getting stuck in the fame.


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## itboffin (5 Dec 2020)

12boy said:


> Haven't oiled a chain for 15 years. I keep a crockpot with a mix of paraffin wax, oil, and more recently, toilet bowl wax ring. The toilet stuff is very sticky and ensures the other stuff doesn't flake off. The waxy gloop also coats sprockets and chainrings as the bike is ridden and that I think reduces their wear as well. I heat up the crockpot until all the wax is liquid, drop the chain in for 15 minutes, pull it out to cool for a bit and slap it on. Not counting the waiting, five minutes and since I rotate through several bikes, I can do them all at the same time, if my elderly short term memory loss allows me to remember which chain is for what bike. The wax is fairly clean to handle, unlike chains with dirty oil.



I'm coming around to this approach what oil do you mix with the paraffin wax?


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## 12boy (5 Dec 2020)

I've used most any oil such as 30 weight. The purpose of the oil is to keep the wax pliable and to stick on the chain. However, the toilet bowl sealer wax works really well. You can use beeswax with the paraffin wax as well, but beeswax, here at least, costs a huge amount more than the $4 I paid for the tolet bowl wax. This will probably sound like rank heresy, but I don't clean the chain before dunking it in the wax because.......
The waxed chain doesnt pick up grit like oil, and
Any grit there is sinks to the bottom of the crockpot.
Definitely recommend getting a used crockpot at a thrift store and dedicating it to this purpose. So much easier than the double boiler route. 
Just let it warm up until all the wax is liquid and insert chain with a bit of wire to pull it out with. After 15 minutes or so remove it, let it cool and throw it on the bike.


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## froze (18 Dec 2020)

When you buy lube you have to be rational, are you racing professionally? then get some of that real expensive baked on ceramic lube, but if you're that type of racer your team already has that for you, but the really expensive super duper low friction lube that cost $100 to apply is a waste of money, you never save enough time on a ride to make it worthwhile, nor make the chain last forever either.

I use to do the hot wax stuff, and personally, I didn't like it, it didn't last on the chain long, the chain life was shorter than with oils, nor does wax prevent rust. Wax does not adhere to metal well at all, it has gaps and those gaps traps water and that's where rust will first occur. After every rain ride, you have to redo the hot wax, a time-consuming messy event. And liquid wax in a bottle is even worse, that crap holds up for about 45 to 65 miles then you have to reapply it. The problem with using any wet lube like automotive oil, is that dirt and bugs are attracted to it like a powerful magnet, and dirt will grind metal off the chain, and that metal will also stick to the oil and compound the grinding away at your chain and gears.

I have yet to find the golden angel of wax. The best I've found so far is one of two, and I haven't figured out if the one is better than the other. The first lube is Rock n Roll Ultimate Dry, this stuff is a bit weird, you have to literally squirt it on the chain while pedaling backward, seems like a big waste of lube but the lube does work really well. What really struck me about this lube is that after a very strong downpour the lube was still intact, with no noise from the chain whatsoever, which is really strange for a dry lube. Just follow the directions and it's good to go for a long time between applications, I can go for at least 300 miles between re-lubing. I use this stuff on my road bike and commuter bike. On my road bike the original chain has around 8,000 miles on it and after measuring it the gauge showed 50% wear.

The other lube I just started using on my touring bike is Dumonde Tech Lite, I applied it according to the directions and then reapplied it, then reapplied it after about 50 miles, since then I haven't reapplied it all, it's been over 800 miles and still no noise from the chain, and the chain stays clean, a lot cleaner than the Rock N Roll chains. I'm waiting to see how long my chain will last, but the last measurement I did at the 800-mile mark showed no wear. Time will tell about this stuff, but so far I really like it, without the chain wear factored in it would be my favorite lube.


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## SkipdiverJohn (18 Dec 2020)

Whatever lube regime you follow, the important bit is the lube needs to coat the surfaces that actually move relative to each other. Those are mostly the bits you can't see, whereas the most visible bits of the chain, the outward-facing sideplates are subjected to a tensile load but not movement. The pins and bushings are where the lube needs to be along with the rollers that engage the sprockets. The outside of the links can be wiped off with a rag to stop too much dirt sticking to them and it will make no difference to the lubrication effectiveness.


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## Lovacott (18 Dec 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Whatever lube regime you follow, the important bit is the lube needs to coat the surfaces that actually move relative to each other.


That would be where the pins go through the links and as they wear away at each other, the chain gets that little bit longer until only one or two pins are bearing on the sprocket teeth causing them to wear away until they become useless.

My current strategy is a weekly clean followed by a squirt of WD40 to get right into the tiny gaps. A couple of hours later, I back pedal and drip 3 in 1 onto the whole chain over the freewheel. I also use my chain wear checker to see how things are.

The whole job takes me less than ten minutes (cleaning, WD40 then 3 in 1 and chain checking).

I don't mind spending ten minutes a week and a few pence on the job but with my freewheel and chain combo coming in at less that £30, spending any more time and money on protecting it doesn't seem worth the effort.

My theory is that my very cheap chain checker (everyone should own one), will tell me when to replace my £7.98 chain and if I have to do it once every six months, it's still a lot cheaper than spending a fortune on fancy lubes and the hours of my time it would take to apply them.

I bought two new chains last week and pre shortened them so that they are ready to go next time I need to swap.

I am coming around to the idea that a chain is a consumable much like a brake pad and should be treated as such.


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## SkipdiverJohn (19 Dec 2020)

Lovacott said:


> I am coming around to the idea that a chain is a consumable much like a brake pad and should be treated as such.



They are consumables, but I only bin chains that are rusted solid or are knackered, and I mean absolutely knackered not less than 1% elongated.
My strategy is to run everything into the ground before it gets scrapped. Bikes with decent mechanicals deserve decent chains, to slow down the wear rate, but if i need a replacement chain for a hack bike that is already well worn in the freewheel and chainring department, I always use a secondhand one that I've kept hold of. No point putting a new chain on a tired drivetrain, the reclaimed part-worn chains actually seem to run better!


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## MichaelW2 (19 Dec 2020)

WD40 is only a lube in extremis. It is a solvent and washes out easily. I have used it to revive dead rusted chains. My spray of choice for convenience is GT85. On very cold, wet days it gets inside the links better than viscous oil. Where I can use oil I do. I think my current bottles are from aldi.


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## Lovacott (20 Dec 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> They are consumables, but I only bin chains that are rusted solid or are knackered, and I mean absolutely knackered not less than 1% elongated.
> My strategy is to run everything into the ground before it gets scrapped. Bikes with decent mechanicals deserve decent chains, to slow down the wear rate, but if i need a replacement chain for a hack bike that is already well worn in the freewheel and chainring department, I always use a secondhand one that I've kept hold of. No point putting a new chain on a tired drivetrain, the reclaimed part-worn chains actually seem to run better!


On an MTB with 21 gears, chain slip gets pretty bad on the smaller cogs to the point where the bike becomes almost useless on anything other than a flat road at a gentle pace. If I let it go on, the freewheel gets knackered pretty quickly.

I use a cheap Clarks chain with a quick link. £7.99 on Amazon and I bought a cheap chain checker as well.

I bought a few chains and reduced them in length at the same time ready to be popped onto the bike as soon as I get near 0.75%.

My route is pretty muddy and I have put in a lot of mitigation like mudguards and flaps and a fairing to protect the drive train. But some still gets through and although I give it a weekly clean and oil up, the chain still wears pretty quickly.

I'm now keeping track of my mileage in excel and I am noting when I replace parts so that I can see in future how many miles I get from each component. I've just gone through my receipts and I can see that I bought a chain splitter on 4th July which is when I installed the last chain. I got just over five months or 1757 miles out of that one.

When I was in London though, I had a five speed racer for about six years and never once changed any part of the drivetrain. I'd only oil it up about twice a year and it was left outside against a wall with just a carrier bag over the seat to keep it dry.


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## Gunk (20 Dec 2020)

Lovacott said:


> On an MTB with 21 gears, chain slip gets pretty bad on the smaller cogs to the point where the bike becomes almost useless on anything other than a flat road at a gentle pace. If I let it go on, the freewheel gets knackered pretty quickly.
> 
> I use a cheap Clarks chain with a quick link. £7.99 on Amazon and I bought a cheap chain checker as well.
> 
> ...



Interesting you say this, my most troublesome bike is my mountain bike with its 3x10 drivetrain, it seems to constantly need attention and reindexing


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## Lovacott (20 Dec 2020)

Gunk said:


> Interesting you say this, my most troublesome bike is my mountain bike with its 3x10 drivetrain, it seems to constantly need attention and reindexing


My old five speeder wasn't indexed other than the top and bottom gears and selection of the other three was done by feel.

With "many geared" bikes like a 3x7 etc, getting everything to marry up in harmony is pretty exacting. A tiny bit of cable stretch and the whole thing goes out of kilter.

I use my control end barrel adjuster quite a bit on the fly, especially when it goes from 1 or 2c in the morning to 15c in the afternoon. That little bit of expansion / contraction can be taken out with a quick quarter turn.


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## SkipdiverJohn (20 Dec 2020)

Lovacott said:


> When I was in London though, I had a five speed racer for about six years and never once changed any part of the drivetrain. I'd only oil it up about twice a year and it was left outside against a wall with just a carrier bag over the seat to keep it dry.



That sounds a lot like the way my hack machines get treated, although I am rather more frequent with the lube regime. Outside with a plastic bag over the saddle is exactly how they are kept though!  I don't believe in molly coddling beater bikes. They are there to be used and abused, not washed and polished every Sunday - and all they get is a pump of air and a squirt of something oily.


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## Lovacott (20 Dec 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> That sounds a lot like the way my hack machines get treated, although I am rather more frequent with the lube regime. Outside with a plastic bag over the saddle is exactly how they are kept though!  I don't believe in molly coddling beater bikes. They are there to be used and abused, not washed and polished every Sunday - and all they get is a pump of air and a squirt of something oily.


I live in one of those Devon terraced cottages with a front door which opens straight onto a narrow public footpath next to a single track road.

So when I get home, I have to carry my bike through the house and out the back door to my lean to shed.

I wanted to fix some hanging brackets in the living room but the missus won't let me .


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## figbat (20 Dec 2020)

LJR69 said:


> I 'think' the polymers they've built into the oil, but I'm guessing tbh.
> 
> https://muc-off.com/products/hydrodynamic-lube


I took a look into this. They claim it contains “no petroleum” which I infer means no mineral oil, so presumably uses a synthetic hydrocarbon like PAO. I found an old safety data sheet which listed zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate as a hazardous ingredient - this is a common anti-wear component used in engine oils, and others. However it is, in my opinion, not suitable for chain use since it requires a reasonable temperature to ‘activate’ and start working. I wonder if this oil is simply a repackaged oil from another industry, perhaps a hydraulic oil; cheap to make/buy but punt it out in little bottles for lots of £/ml.

The inevitable pedant in me also smirks at the name of it. In the lubricant world, the word “hydrodynamic” has a specific meaning - it defines a particular lubrication regime. It is the regime you achieve when two surfaces are fully-separated by the oil film as a consequence of high relative speeds, low applied loads and/or high viscosity. It is the very opposite of the lubrication regime I would expect a chain to operate in - very low/zero sliding speed, high local load and low viscosity leading to something resembling “boundary lubrication” - that being significant surface-to-surface contact with little load borne by the oil film.


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## Lovacott (20 Dec 2020)

figbat said:


> The inevitable pedant in me also smirks at the name of it. In the lubricant world, the word “hydrodynamic” has a specific meaning - it defines a particular lubrication regime. It is the regime you achieve when two surfaces are fully-separated by the oil film as a consequence of high relative speeds, low applied loads and/or high viscosity. It is the very opposite of the lubrication regime I would expect a chain to operate in - very low/zero sliding speed, high local load and low viscosity leading to something resembling “boundary lubrication” - that being significant surface-to-surface contact with little load borne by the oil film.



Lubrication of a drive train is a trade off of a solid grip between meeting metals and wear reduction of those meeting metals.

Whatever oil you use, it will compromise one for the other.







It is the regime you achieve when two surfaces are fully-separated by the oil film as a consequence of high relative speeds, low applied loads and/or high viscosity. It is the very opposite of the lubrication regime I would expect a chain to operate in - very low/zero sliding speed, high local load and low viscosity leading to something resembling “boundary lubrication” - that being significant surface-to-surface contact with little load borne by the oil film.
[/QUOTE]


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## Paul_Smith SRCC (21 Dec 2020)

I dare say many have their personal favourites; some like wax based, some prefer more traditional style lubricants; by the same token many will have their own preferred cleaning then lubricating regime.

I have personally used ProGold Pro Link for years, their 4oz chain lube to be precise and I use it all year round. My preferred cleaning then lubricating regime is little and often, keeping the transmission clean as apposed to letting it get dirty and then having to resurrect it back to clean. I believe little and often saves time overall and I much prefer both how a clean transmission feels, and looks, versus a dirty one. At the end of a ride I drip lube onto the chain, back pedalling for a full rotation with a rag under it to catch the drips, after one 'pass' I wrap the rag with the overspray/drips around the chain with my fingers and back pedal to work it into the side plates then a few 'passes' top and bottom, plus a few to clean the jockey wheels; I then repeat that with a clean bit of rag to remove residue. Less frequently I use the 8oz Aerosol to squirt some into the jockey wheels bushes and into both mech' pivot points to keep everything clean and running freely.

I get about 5 thousand miles before my chain wear necessitates replacement.


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