Lube how often?

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 14:19:59 GMT, "OughtFour" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I use a "dry" lube (Teflon Plus) for my chain and cables (road bike).

Is there any sort of rule of thumb about how often or after how many miles
to reapply this lube to the chain? I usually do not ride in wet conditions.

Since I'm sure you've already consulted the rec.bicycles FAQ, you know
that chain lubrication is a somewhat religeous issue. My rule of
thumb, when it starts to squeek it's time to lube; but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

OughtFour said:

I use a "dry" lube (Teflon Plus) for my chain and cables (road bike).

Is there any sort of rule of thumb about how often or after how many miles
to reapply this lube to the chain? I usually do not ride in wet
conditions.

Thanks!

I wouldn't really sweat the cables--once per year is probably enough, or
every few months when the mood strikes.

I use a teflon dry lube on my chain and reapply whenever I start to hear
the chain getting noisier and shifting becoming more difficult. I've a
sensitive ear so I end up lubing about once per week. I do ride in sloppy
conditions, albeit with fenders.

I've found that lubing immediately before a ride with these types of lubes
is not the best idea, as you need to give the carrier agent time to
evaporate. I use cheapo super-lube and give the chain a good soaking after
cleaning, then back pedal a few times and let the bike sit an hour or so
before I vigorously clean off the outside of the chain with a rag.

Everybody's got their own voodoo on this, I'll just sum up my thinking.
noise=bad. 😉

John Everett said:

Since I'm sure you've already consulted the rec.bicycles FAQ, you know
that chain lubrication is a somewhat religeous issue.

Yes, actually.

Just wanted to consult the oracles.

Thanks for your advice!

Quoted message said:

My rule of
thumb, when it starts to squeek it's time to lube; but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

John Everett said:

(...); but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.

By the way, how and how often do you recommend cleaning the chain ?

I ride quite a lot (~5000 miles /yr) in all weather, and my chain is
usually quite dirty. 2-3 times a year I take everything apart, meaning
chain, cassette, rear derailleur, and brush the whole mess in a
petroleum jar. It comes out reasonably nice and clean, but not as clean
as the pro's bikes on a Sunday morning. And it takes me at least a
couple of hours. And it is a real pain.

So is there a more efficient way to do it ?

Turtle

cyclingturtle said:

So is there a more efficient way to do it ?

Turtle

As I've posted [many times] before, I use a toothbrush & safe solvent
(simple green) and lather up the drivetrain on the bike, then flush out
the grit with a high pressure garden hose, air dry and lube. Takes 5 to
ten minutes depending on my thoroughness and looks "race-day" when done.
Some folks use enclosed plastic gizmos with a couple round brushes in
them, which are less messy.

Certainly removing your chain and soaking it might get a better result,
but I promise I can re-shmutz such a chain in a single ride. LOL

Perhaps I'd spend more time if I used chains more expensive than the basic
Srams, but I don't see the need to. 😄

"cyclingturtle" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

John Everett said:

(...); but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.

By the way, how and how often do you recommend cleaning the chain ?

I ride quite a lot (~5000 miles /yr) in all weather, and my chain is
usually quite dirty. 2-3 times a year I take everything apart, meaning
chain, cassette, rear derailleur, and brush the whole mess in a
petroleum jar. It comes out reasonably nice and clean, but not as clean
as the pro's bikes on a Sunday morning. And it takes me at least a
couple of hours. And it is a real pain.

So is there a more efficient way to do it ?

I've settled on a rainy-season routine of weekly spraying with citrus
degreaser, going over it with a rag and toothbrush, and then re-lubing.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

In article said:

John Everett said:

(...); but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.

By the way, how and how often do you recommend cleaning the chain ?

I ride quite a lot (~5000 miles /yr) in all weather, and my chain is
usually quite dirty. 2-3 times a year I take everything apart, meaning
chain, cassette, rear derailleur, and brush the whole mess in a
petroleum jar. It comes out reasonably nice and clean, but not as clean
as the pro's bikes on a Sunday morning. And it takes me at least a
couple of hours. And it is a real pain.

So is there a more efficient way to do it ?

I use 3 chains on my commuting bike. After about 300 km I switch from chain #1
to #2. After another 300 km I switch to #3 and so on.

While one chain is on the bike, the two other are being cleaned using a
petrol-based cleaner.

After one year, I buy a new cassette and new chains.

--
Jørn Dahl-Stamnes

maxo said:

OughtFour said:

I use a "dry" lube (Teflon Plus) for my chain and cables (road bike).

Is there any sort of rule of thumb about how often or after how many miles
to reapply this lube to the chain? I usually do not ride in wet
conditions.

Thanks!

I wouldn't really sweat the cables--once per year is probably enough, or
every few months when the mood strikes.

I use a teflon dry lube on my chain and reapply whenever I start to hear
the chain getting noisier and shifting becoming more difficult. I've a
sensitive ear so I end up lubing about once per week. I do ride in sloppy
conditions, albeit with fenders.

I've found that lubing immediately before a ride with these types of lubes
is not the best idea, as you need to give the carrier agent time to
evaporate. I use cheapo super-lube and give the chain a good soaking after
cleaning, then back pedal a few times and let the bike sit an hour or so
before I vigorously clean off the outside of the chain with a rag.

Everybody's got their own voodoo on this, I'll just sum up my thinking.
noise=bad. 😉

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as you
can likely tell.

dgk said:

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as you
can likely tell.

My brother--king of toys--gave me a gift a few years ago . . .

Click: http://snipurl.com/ahi4

. . . and look for "Motion Pro Cable Luber" and "Champions Choice Cable
Luber" on the page. Two different versions of the same thing. They're
incredibly neat gadgets that make cable lubrication a 15 second process.
Cheap, too!

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 17:35:09 GMT, "Neil Brooks" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

dgk said:

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as you
can likely tell.

My brother--king of toys--gave me a gift a few years ago . . .

Click: http://snipurl.com/ahi4

. . . and look for "Motion Pro Cable Luber" and "Champions Choice Cable
Luber" on the page. Two different versions of the same thing. They're
incredibly neat gadgets that make cable lubrication a 15 second process.
Cheap, too!

Very cool. I think that I won't bother though. Some things I have to
leave for the annual LBS overhaul. I think that this will be one of
them.

Neil Brooks said:

Quoted message said:

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as
you can likely tell.

Quoted message said:

My brother--king of toys--gave me a gift a few years ago...

Quoted message said:

Click: http://snipurl.com/ahi4

Quoted message said:

... and look for "Motion Pro Cable Luber" and "Champions Choice
Cable Luber" on the page. Two different versions of the same thing.
They're incredibly neat gadgets that make cable lubrication a 15
second process. Cheap, too!

I don't understand why you need such a device. When assembling a
cable you lubricate the cable with a shot of 30W motor oil into the
housing, insert the cable into the same end while holding the other
end shut with the finger and that's it for the life of the cable. The
aspect ratio of cable housing diameter and its length is such that the
lubricant would be difficult to remove with intent.

Jobst Brandt
[email hidden]

Jobst Brandt said:

Neil Brooks said:

Quoted message said:

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as
you can likely tell.

Quoted message said:

My brother--king of toys--gave me a gift a few years ago...

Quoted message said:

Click: http://snipurl.com/ahi4

Quoted message said:

... and look for "Motion Pro Cable Luber" and "Champions Choice
Cable Luber" on the page. Two different versions of the same thing.
They're incredibly neat gadgets that make cable lubrication a 15
second process. Cheap, too!

I don't understand why you need such a device. When assembling a
cable you lubricate the cable with a shot of 30W motor oil into the
housing, insert the cable into the same end while holding the other
end shut with the finger and that's it for the life of the cable. The
aspect ratio of cable housing diameter and its length is such that the
lubricant would be difficult to remove with intent.

True enough . . . for those assembling new cables and following your sage
advice, but what about when the cable is already on the bike?

I find this little gizmo greatly facilitates "routine cable lubing" (if
there is such a thing), especially for those cables with only one accessible
end (e.g., brifters). It's also a good tool for displacing moisture (e.g.,
with WD-40, after mtb slogs through water or long road rides in the rain)
from, and re-lubing cable housings that took a bath en route.

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 20:02:51 GMT, "Neil Brooks" <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

True enough . . . for those assembling new cables and following your sage
advice, but what about when the cable is already on the bike?

Remove cable
Treat as per Step 1

HTH...

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

dgk said:

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as you
can likely tell.

I just put a drop of lube at the end of each cable housing and let it work
in.

It's my understanding that modern cable housings contain some sort of
slick plastic or Teflon-based liner which don't need routine lubing.

See http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cables.html

If so, then some petroleum-based lubes may actually contribute to the
liner deterioration. I prefer to use a dry-type silicone spray on the
cable at installation and then perhaps once or twice a year.
The rear brake cable on my road bike tends to build up a coating of
dried sweat or some sort of corrosion inside the short housing under
the saddle, since I drip sweat like crazy onto my top tube in the
Texas heat. Consequently I prefer to use a slightly more expensive
teflon-coated cable for the rear brake, and replace the cable and
housing about once a year.

"OughtFour" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<Ym4kd.171$Pu6.100@trnddc04>...

Quoted message said:

dgk said:

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as you
can likely tell.

I just put a drop of lube at the end of each cable housing and let it work
in.

Claire Petersky said:

I've settled on a rainy-season routine of weekly spraying with citrus
degreaser, going over it with a rag and toothbrush, and then re-lubing.

I've totally surrendered. If it starts squeaking, I wipe the chain down
and give it some oil, then I wipe it again. Other than that, I just
change it more often. It's not worth my time (opportunity cost) to
fiddle with it, versus just buying another $12-14 chain.

SortaOnTopic: I used my first Shimano chain this week. Previous to this
all my chains have been SRAM. My impressions:

1. The lube on Shimano chains is offensive - noxious smelling, sticks to
your hands, doesn't wipe off the chain.
2. Breakable pin is a dumb idea. I much prefer the SRAM hyperlink
thingy. Also I couldn't get any of my old hyperlinks through the
verdmant chain either.
3. It was $2 cheaper than an SRAM chain. Bah, I'll stick with them SRAM.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"If crime fighters fight crime, and firefighters fight fire,
what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part
to us, do they?" - George Carlin