chain lubes.

[beanzontoast]

My chain cleaning routine has worked for me, which I suppose is the only recommendation anyone can give! -

Once a week, wipe chain with dry cloth, then run it through a wet oily cloth (3-in-1 or similar) holding to sides, then top and bottom of chain).

If chain gets wet, do the above as soon as possible at end of day.

Once every couple of months (or more often if roads have been mucky), run chain through a chain cleaner with a degreasing agent and repeat the above.

 

[HJ]

When I was a student, I used to have a very irritating flatmate, so when she was out I would borrow her rather expensive Extra Virgin olive oil and use that to lube my bike chain. Worked a treat, but did tend to smell a bit when the weather got warmer

 

[Peyote]

When I was a student, I used to have a very irritating flatmate, so when she was out I would borrow her rather expensive Extra Virgin olive oil and use that to lube my bike chain. Worked a treat, but did tend to smell a bit when the weather got warmer

Ha ha! I've used cooking oil to recover several of my friends neglected steeds.

It's suprising how little effort is required to revive those £40 Halfrauds Specials that get left to rust over winter in the shed, a quick squirt of sunflower oil on the chain and down the cable inners and they're good-as-new (though they're still Hafrauds Specials so that isn't really saying much!).

 

[HLaB]

I use Finish Line Wet lube on my winter and commuter bikes. When I bought my new summer bike the lbs suggested I try a Wax Lube but after reading negative reviews, Ive swithched to Finishline Pro Road.

 

[Tynan]

all new to me but it seems to me that all these oils trade cleanliness against interval/protection

so the waxes/summer ones run clean while the winter/off road one are last better in the wet but are dirtier

running dry at the mo and nice it is although any sort of rain and it wants redoing

 

[barq]

Ha ha! I've used cooking oil to recover several of my friends neglected steeds.

There are people who swear by cooking oil in their suspension forks. Wouldn't recommend it myself - I could imagine it foaming up. Besides given the importance of using the correct weight of oil to the feel of the fork, some random sunflower oil is unlikely to work!

No word of a lie though, someone I know tried using sunflower oil in his 500 quid Fox forks. People like that should have their bikes confiscated and, erm, given to me!