Chain lube

Jane

Think my 'newbie cyclist' status wore out just before Christmas when I got tired of lubing my chain after every ride and started using 'Stealth' (recommended by Trisports) instead.

I've been degreasing and reapplying about every 200 miles, so it's definitely saved me time. However, my chain's showing signs of stretch (0.5%) already and it's only done 1000 miles. Admittedly that's been in winter conditions and the cassette wasn't new, but it's much faster wear than I've had on previous chains.

Does anybody else have experience with Stealth? Any problems?

I'm tempted to go back to a wet lube for summer riding. So at the risk of starting a thread of 'tub-like' enormity, can anybody recommend one?

Senecio [Daniel D]

The best, and perhaps only, lubricant is oil. 'Dry' lubricants are based on stuff like PTFE, but these will be acting more like boundary lubricants than forming a proper hydrodynamic film between the moving parts. So you need oil in some form. To keep it on a chain it needs to be sticky enough to stay there. However this very quality means dirt will stick to the chain and potentially cause wear.

I’ve come to the conclusion that you should use an oil which you can easily clean off and reapply. I think any of the bike wet lubs fulfil these criteria and the key for long transmission life is regular cleaning and re-lubrication. (Think of the opening sequence of the classic film ‘A Sunday in Hell’.)

Incidentally grease is made from two key parts; a soap and an oil. It is the oil which is doing the lubrication. Grease is well suited for rolling element bearings but not chains (as it would retain the dirt too well).

James D

i was sold Stealth with the usual promises of it being the next best thing and interestingly including it would make my bike silent. i have to say i found it to be rubbish. orrible gloopy consistency and made the chain and cassette look filthy. Have gone back to Finish Line products - green top for winter/wet and gold top for dry

i was also sold some awful foam chain cleaner and a sponge. The Stealth laughed at the foam and whilst i have carried on using it to try and use it up have found it to be so poor i has to get the Finish Line degreaser out to remove the Stealth gunk.

Never again will i buy something which a bike shop says they 'use in their workshop all the time' Sales rubbish at its worst IMO.

Cant beat the smell of GT85 though.....

wilburtrump

I use "Epic Ride" from White Lightening. Apparently it's an all conditions Light Lube.

Oiling a bike has never sounded so much fun.

Theo-saurus

Wet lube. Dry lube we have found doesn't work.
For track racing soak the chain in paraffin wax over heat then leave to dry. Maybe a little more hassle.
Some people used to use grease on the spring classics but I'm not sure in the logic of that one.
I saw a report on chain friction and basically it said the lowest friction came from the paraffin wax but the difference is so little it doesn't matter at all.
Having a regularly cleaned and lubed chain should prolong the life of the chain but having it clean (no dirt particles) makes a huge difference in shifting and a mentionable difference in chain friction.
For winter I give the chain a wipe with a sponge and with a dry jay cloth then apply the lube.
For race bikes and every no and again on the winter bike I highly recommend a chain bath.

LukeDanckert

I may offend people here...... I just close my eyes and spray GT85 from a distance until I become faint from the fumes! Love that smell. I'm still waiting for Glade to bring out a plug in air freshener in this smell.....

Theo-saurus

Sacrilege! The title read 'Chain Lube' not 'Water dispersant (which is in no way a lubricant)'

Stef

having recently trapped my thumb between the chain and sprocket whilst cleaning my fixed , i can recommend not doing it regardless of what lubricant you use, it really hurts

wilburtrump

stef, as the chairman of a cycling club, should one be admitting to things like that?

Vam Polecat

GT85 does smell good though.

Wet lube for road use. Dry lubes for muddy rides only. I like the White Lightning stuff too.

Nathaniel Rosa

For what it's worth after reading that ^ I use finish line dry (red cap) after every degrease/wash, which is (ideally) after every ride. (just waiting for the hurling of abuse from will now;)

FD

White Lightning on your chain?! Seems unconventional.... read on......

White Lightning was a brand of English white cider originally manufactured in the early 1990s by Inch's Cider of Winkleigh. Inch's Cider was bought out by Bulmers in 1995, and in spite of initial assurances that production would continue in Winkleigh the cider brewery there was shut and all production moved to Hereford. Bulmers was in turn acquired by Scottish Courage in 2003.

White Lightning was soon recognised in a highly competitive marketplace by its distinctive large deep blue coloured thin plastic bottle's design, ultra low price and high strength, making it popular with those seeking strong alcohol with minimal money to spend.

On its release its strength was 8.4% alcohol by volume, which, after pressure from government over the gathering evidence of its adverse social effects that were becoming apparent, was later reduced to 7.5%, then finally to 5.5% in May 2009.

At the end of 2009 Heineken International, which now owned the White Lightning label having inherited it when it bought out Scottish Courage, decided to discontinue its manufacture due to its brand image problem in the United Kingdom as having become synonymous with under-age drinking linked to anti-social behaviour, homelessness and impoverished alcoholism, in an echo of the Gin Craze of the 18th Century. [2]

(Alcohol illicitly produced in USA prisons by inmates is also colloquially sometimes referred to as white lightning).

Jane

Bring back the Gin Craze, that's what I say

BTW Sturmey Archer Cycle oil (in an old tin that my Dad bought around 20 years ago) is what I was using ... until it ran out and I was charmed by the silvery liquid that is Stealth

Not so charmed anymore. Definitely going back to wet lube for my summer bike

Stef

will - apparently everyone who rides fixed does it at some point... but only once, its not a mistake you are likely to repeat, the results are quite dramatic.

i also use epic ride, white lightening.. its a much more macho name than finish line and seems to work better too

Shaun

I don't think it matters much what lube you use, as long as you wipe the chain down and reapply the lube reasonably regularly. For what it worth, I use Rock 'n' Roll lubes which are wax based. I prefer these over wet lubes. The R'n'R winter lube lasts really well and doesn't get overly dirty.

Jane, your increased chain wear might not have anything to do with the Stealth lube. You're right that chains (and other components) have a harder time during the winter. Also manufacturing tolerances are not exact. It can mean that a individual chain could measure slightly 'long' against the standard length from new and hence would get to 0.5% faster.

tduckett

I rarely degrease chains. wipe dirty chains with a rag, use any cheap, thin wet lube. Repeat regularly.

Shelton

Hmm Gt85! is that a brand of motor vehicle? out here on the fens we drink white lightening and a damn good moonshine at that ;-) red diesel makes a mighty fine degreaser and dirty oil out of the tractor makes a good all year lubricant for the drive train :-)

Jon.c

i must be the only one who tries to clean my bike after every ride listening to these...not aceptable. luke GT85 jesus christ, at least use loctite 8201 for a water dispersant.

all the secrets are about to come out now.
how i wash my bike
1.scrub your white bar tape to keep that prestine white euro look.
2.degrease chain-spay on then run though the gears to loosen up the grime
3.attach the chain keeper then the chain cleaner device to the chain. run the chain tough the chain cleaner.
4.now everyhting is loosened up
5.use a floor brush to scub the cassette then the chain (scrub the sides of the chain when it is on the chainring then the top and bottom in the gap between the chainrings and the rear deralier)
6.rinse with water
7.luke you can now use your loctite 8201 water dispersant.
8.srub brake pads with different brush
9.spunge down everything else.
10.look fresh, feel fresh, stay fresh

Jon.c

p.s all loctite products can solve the world problems

Vam Polecat

GT85 does make a great polish though. And makes your bike smell fresh

wilburtrump

I think this is better than the tub thread

James D

Courtesy of Sheldon Brown are all of the following pearls:

'One of the great controversies of chain maintenance is whether you should oil a chain or not.'

'I usually run the oil along the left side only, in hope that the clean oil will be able to flush through the bushings from left to right. I have used many different oils, my favorite is Phil Wood Tenacious oil.'

' Wax is flammable and should be heated in a double boiler or a warm oven.'

Lubricants Not to Use!

While it's hard to say which lubricants are best for chains, some lubricants are real no-nos:

Automotive motor oil contains detergent, to wash away combustion products, and is made to be renewed constantly under pressure from the motor's oil pump. I rode once with someone who had used it the day before, and her chain was already squeaking.

"Household" oil, such as 3 in 1, is a vegetable oil and is acidic. It tends to gum up. (It's really bad news inside internal hub gears, too...)

WD-40 and other thin sprays are intended more as solvents than lubricants. They evaporate quickly.

James D

Sadly according to the data sheet Phil's Tenacious Oil doesn't smell

Nathaniel Rosa

Does anybody know what lube kmc etc use? "they always say" straight-out-of factory lubed chain is the best

"New chains come pre-lubricated with a grease-type lubricant which has been installed at the factory. This is an excellent lubricant, and has been made to permeate all of the internal interstices in the chain. This factory lube is superior to any lube that you can apply after the fact.

Some people make the bad mistake of deliberately removing this superior lubricant. Don't do this!

The factory lubricant all by itself is usually good for several hundred miles of service if the bike is not ridden in wet or dusty conditions. It is best not to apply any sort of lube to a new chain until it is clearly needed, because any wet lube you can apply will dilute the factory lube."

Does anybody here take each link apart to degrease/regrease? Jon you must..?

Theo-saurus

Nat I have been looking into this myself.
The Finished chain is run through a bath of hot Oil/grease solution, it seems to set like wax on the chain but it's not waxy which makes me think it's some type of grease.
(I'm sure there is some sought of loctite product to solve our problems)

wilburtrump

Jon, do you iron your pants?

Nathaniel Rosa

Thanks theo

I bought this loctite from b&q this morning to give it a try



it's supposed to have gel in it aswell, I spose to keep things slick

geoffg

Nat...I don't think glue is the right solution!!!! Loctite do a vast range of products....Jon has an inside track on this.

Will.....:-) not nice. Play fair

Robbie L

.

mwyer

Robbie,

I'm sure it's just slipped your mind that we are an inclusive club with a large youth membership. Can you please remove the above post.

A gentle reminder to everyone else to keep in mind that our youth members use the forum as well.

Thanks,
Mark.

Jon.c

my bad...i ment to say after using the 8201 water displacer then you can apply the super lube general synthetic multi pursope.

now this is a mix between a greese and a solvent, once applyed the solvent flashes of then you are left with grease in the joint and your chain is looking fresh remember its all about looking fresh