mickle method

[shouldbeinbed]

Say it loud, say it proud

I'm a Mickler

 

[arch684]

I have always used the mickle method but i just did'ent know it was the mickle method

 

[sittingbull]

I have always used the mickle method but i just did'ent know it was the mickle method

The arch684 method dosn't have quite the same ring to it

 

[gbb]

if you think about it, there is no other reasonably easy method of oiling a chain, there never has been, there are only SO many different ways of doing it.
'Mickle' method which ive been doing since the early 1970s as a young teenager, long before the internet was even an idea in my head. Drop of oil on each roller, let it soak in as you do the next roller...and so on. By the time you've done em all (which only takes a minute), wipe off the excess with a rag...its always been that way. Mickle refines it perhaps and re-inforces the method, clean, oil, wipe...and wipe again and again to get that excess off (forgive me Mickle if i'm not quoting it verbatim).

Its worked since the 70s...and probably long before that.
No point in oiling anything other than the rollers, side plates don't need oil, sprockets and chainrings will be lubed lightly by the oil exuding from the rollers.

Other methods ?...chain off, clean, soak in a bath of oil, drip excess off, wipe, wipe, fit. Ive used that method, makes no difference really.

Or lather oil over all the chain, wasteful and messy.
Or use an aerosol lubricant, ditto above.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

if you think about it, there is no other reasonably easy method of oiling a chain, there never has been, there are only SO many different ways of doing it.
'Mickle' method which ive been doing since the early 1970s as a young teenager, long before the internet was even an idea in my head. Drop of oil on each roller, let it soak in as you do the next roller...and so on. .

might not have been in your head, but it was around.

 

[top-tube]

Sorry to butt in. I am an adopter of the Mickle method, and find it works fabulously in the summer. However, in winter I do get rusty side plates, and think that the mickle method is too sparing of lubrication when there is rocksalt around. Is it just me?

 

[thatname]

Sorry to butt in. I am an adopter of the Mickle method, and find it works fabulously in the summer. However, in winter I do get rusty side plates, and think that the mickle method is too sparing of lubrication when there is rocksalt around. Is it just me?

Rocksalt screws the drive chain of your bike no matter what you have used to clean and lube it. In London we dont get much of that stuff on our roads over the winter however in the past when its been required i've had to replace the chain and cassette at the end of winter. No amount of wiping down after a wet ride and clean/lube on the weekend could save it.

 

[gbb]

Rocksalt screws the drive chain of your bike no matter what you have used to clean and lube it. In London we dont get much of that stuff on our roads over the winter however in the past when its been required i've had to replace the chain and cassette at the end of winter. No amount of wiping down after a wet ride and clean/lube on the weekend could save it.

As an ex all weather commuter i agree, there's little or nothing you can do to prevent rusty sideplates. That said, its light rust, its never going to weaken the chain.
As someone said earlier...oil your chain, ride your bike....don't overthink it.

 

[Michael86]

How often do you guys mickle your chain

 

[vickster]

How often do you guys mickle your chain

That's a euphemism if ever I heard one @Fnaar

 

[Nigelnaturist]

How often do you guys mickle your chain

Every time its been wet, dry at least once a week.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

I ride a lot off road, the bike encrusted in mud and grit by the end of the week, the so called mickle method just isn't up to the job. I use a chain bath and degreaser, wash off with detergent soapy water then hose down. Approx once a week in winter, less in summer. I keep the same chain/casette/chainrings for a year, approx 5,000 miles, then replace the lot each spring. Sometimes I can get away with reversing the chainrings so keep these going for 2 years.

 

[Doyleyburger]

So the mickle method is basically lube up and wipe, wipe, wipe ???

 

[Turbo Rider]

No...it's wipe, lube, wipe, wipe, wipe

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I never clean my chain or cassette - they are kept well lubricated and that's it. Mind you it is rare for me to ride in the wet.

Too much angst can be generated by the care of low value components.