Rusted Chain

Art Harris said:

I hadn't ridden my "backup" bike for about three weeks. So I took it
out for a quick after-work ride the other day, and when I tried
pedaling, the chain was so rusted that the cranks wouldn't
turn. Some of the links were so frozen they couldn't even be flexed
by hand.

Quoted message said:

The last time I'd ridden this bike there was no problem at all, so I
was shocked at how badly rusted the chain was. The chain is a
Shimano HG-?? 9-speed, and I've been using Pro-Link for lubrication
(though not all that often). The bike is stored in a damp basement,
and the weather has been warm and humid.

Quoted message said:

I've been riding bike a long time and don't ever recall a chain
seizing up like this. The chain only has about 1500 miles, so I
tried agitating in in mineral spirits, to clean it up but the links
are still very stiff, so I guess it's toast.

I haven't used Pro-link so I don't know how thin it is or whether it
is like WD-40 or LPS-x but these thin oils are easily displaced by
road water and if you park the bicycle with a wet chain it will rust.
I have some chains that I removed after a wet ride and tossed in a box
that fit your description. I think 30-W motor oil is a better lube
in that kind of service.

Jobst Brandt

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 20:53:40 GMT, [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

I haven't used Pro-link so I don't know how thin it is or whether it
is like WD-40 or LPS-x but these thin oils are easily displaced by
road water and if you park the bicycle with a wet chain it will rust.
I have some chains that I removed after a wet ride and tossed in a box
that fit your description. I think 30-W motor oil is a better lube
in that kind of service.

Pro-Link is quite thin but way better than WD-40. But yes it is thin.
It has to be applied often, and to do that right it means the chain
must be cleaned often. I get the feeling it is some reasonable oil
dissolved in a solvent. In fact, I used Pro-Link for about half a
year and liked it so much, but disliked the rate I was using it up,
that I tiried to "make my own" -- I got some odorless mineral spirts
and put in some motor oil -- about 2/3 spirits to 1/3 oil. And it
seems to be just like Pro-Link.

The OP shold apply it often and clean the chain often.

JT

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"Art Harris" (clip) the chain was so rusted that the cranks wouldn't turn.
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Are you familiar with the expression, "It was rode hard and put away wet"?

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

Quoted message said:

I hadn't ridden my "backup" bike for about three weeks. So I took it
out for a quick after-work ride the other day, and when I tried
pedaling, the chain was so rusted that the cranks wouldn't turn. Some
of the links were so frozen they couldn't even be flexed by hand.

The last time I'd ridden this bike there was no problem at all, so I
was shocked at how badly rusted the chain was. The chain is a Shimano
HG-?? 9-speed, and I've been using Pro-Link for lubrication (though not
all that often). The bike is stored in a damp basement, and the weather
has been warm and humid.

I've been riding bike a long time and don't ever recall a chain seizing
up like this. The chain only has about 1500 miles, so I tried agitating
in in mineral spirits, to clean it up but the links are still very
stiff, so I guess it's toast.

Anyone else ever experience this?

Art Harris

One of my sons put his bike away in the fall, wet I guess, and the
chain rusted into shape. (Raleigh M80, I yr old, don't know what chain)
I found out about it in May when we cleared the garage for a new door.

WD40, time to soak in, mainipulating links, repeat a few times.
Chain works again. Took about 3 days.

JP

Jobst Brandt said:

I haven't used Pro-link so I don't know how thin it is or whether it is like WD-40 or LPS-x but these thin oils are easily displaced by road water and if you park the bicycle with a wet chain it will rust. I have some chains that I removed after a wet ride and tossed in a box that fit your description. I think 30-W motor oil is a better lube in that kind of service.

Yes, Pro-Link is pretty thin, but at least it contains some lubricants
unlike WD-40. I have some 10W40 motor oil in my garage, but I suspect
that's probably still a bit thin. I plan to pick up a quart of 30W oil
which should last a lifetime as a chain lube.

The funny thing is that the last real ride I'd done on this bike was in
fair weather. I did ride it once after that (less than a mile) to test
a cleat adjustment on my shoes. The roads were just a little wet in
spots from rain earlier in the day. I guess it doesn't take much.

Thanks for the advice.

Art Harris

Happened to me a few weeks ago on my rain/beater bike. And a week
after cleaning it, it broke.

This bike is stored inside and generally kept clean. However, it's
possible conditions were wet the last time I'd ridden it (probably in
June) and that I didn't wipe the chain down enough. BTW, the chain
that rusted was a Sedis PC-48. I think the nickel-plated PC-58 and
PC-68 are more corrosion resistant.

That said, I'm a fan of Pro Link and it does work well in wet
conditions. But this experience suggests it's especially important,
with these light lubes, to dry the chain and relube if it gets really
wet.

(P.S. Art, thanks for your helpful inputs re my question about spoke
washers last week.)

Mike Yankee said:

Happened to me a few weeks ago on my rain/beater bike. And a week
after cleaning it, it broke.

This bike is stored inside and generally kept clean. However, it's
possible conditions were wet the last time I'd ridden it (probably in
June) and that I didn't wipe the chain down enough. BTW, the chain
that rusted was a Sedis PC-48. I think the nickel-plated PC-58 and
PC-68 are more corrosion resistant.

That said, I'm a fan of Pro Link and it does work well in wet
conditions. But this experience suggests it's especially important,
with these light lubes, to dry the chain and relube if it gets really
wet.

(P.S. Art, thanks for your helpful inputs re my question about spoke
washers last week.)

From an old retro:

My chains never rust, and they have been ridden in the rain. My commuter
bike's chain is rust free and it has been rained on quite a bit while
chained to a bike rack. I usually run a dry rag over one that has been
wet as part of the after rain-ride clean up, but I sometimes forget. I
cook my chains in a cheap deep fat fryer filled with paraffin when I
first take them out of the box, and never touch them again until they
are replaced.

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

"Bob Wheeler" (clip) I cook my chains in a cheap deep fat fryer filled with
paraffin when I first take them out of the box, and never touch them again
until they are replaced.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Hear! Hear! Wiping down a rain soaked chain with a rag can hardly be
expected to get water out of the spaces within the links. That's where the
rust forms that is going to hurt you. If the inside of the chain is filled
with paraffin, water won't go in.

Art Harris said:

Quoted message said:

I haven't used Pro-link so I don't know how thin it is or whether
it is like WD-40 or LPS-x but these thin oils are easily displaced
by road water and if you park the bicycle with a wet chain it will
rust. I have some chains that I removed after a wet ride and tossed
in a box that fit your description. I think 30-W motor oil is a
better lube in that kind of service.

Quoted message said:

Yes, Pro-Link is pretty thin, but at least it contains some
lubricants unlike WD-40. I have some 10W40 motor oil in my garage,
but I suspect that's probably still a bit thin. I plan to pick up a
quart of 30W oil which should last a lifetime as a chain lube.

Quoted message said:

The funny thing is that the last real ride I'd done on this bike was
in fair weather. I did ride it once after that (less than a mile) to
test a cleat adjustment on my shoes. The roads were just a little
wet in spots from rain earlier in the day. I guess it doesn't take
much.

I doubt the rust came out of the air in the garage. That chain must
have been wet to be internally rusted to immobility. I have old
bicycles in my clammy garage that haven't been ridden in 20 years but
whose chains show no rust, or for that matter lubricant.

Jobst Brandt

Bob Wheeler said:

My chains never rust, and they have been ridden in the rain. My
commuter bike's chain is rust free and it has been rained on quite a
bit while chained to a bike rack. I usually run a dry rag over one
that has been wet as part of the after rain-ride clean up, but I
sometimes forget. I cook my chains in a cheap deep fat fryer filled
with paraffin when I first take them out of the box, and never touch
them again until they are replaced.

I don't see how your ministering to external moisture on your chain
can have any benefits. External chain rust has no effect on its
function and only bothers some observers. Paraffin treatment, to
which you refer, must be something other than canning wax. That such
a coatings chip off and do not re-flow after displacement from bearing
areas, has been discussed here at great length.

Jobst Brandt

Leo Lichtman said:

Quoted message said:

"Bob Wheeler" (clip) I cook my chains in a cheap deep fat fryer
filled with paraffin when I first take them out of the box, and
never touch them again until they are replaced.

Quoted message said:

Hear! Hear! Wiping down a rain soaked chain with a rag can hardly
be expected to get water out of the spaces within the links. That's
where the rust forms that is going to hurt you. If the inside of
the chain is filled with paraffin, water won't go in.

However, because paraffin is a solid and the chain articulates,
clearance between chain and wax is a capillary that will hold water.
The bearing surfaces are devoid of wax as we have seen from reports of
squeaky paraffin treated chains after even light exposure to wet roads.

Jobst Brandt

Art Harris said:

I hadn't ridden my "backup" bike for about three weeks. So I took it
out for a quick after-work ride the other day, and when I tried
pedaling, the chain was so rusted that the cranks wouldn't turn. Some
of the links were so frozen they couldn't even be flexed by hand.

The last time I'd ridden this bike there was no problem at all, so I
was shocked at how badly rusted the chain was. The chain is a Shimano
HG-?? 9-speed, and I've been using Pro-Link for lubrication (though not
all that often). The bike is stored in a damp basement, and the weather
has been warm and humid.

I've been riding bike a long time and don't ever recall a chain seizing
up like this. The chain only has about 1500 miles, so I tried agitating
in in mineral spirits, to clean it up but the links are still very
stiff, so I guess it's toast.

Anyone else ever experience this?

I haven't had any problems with rusty chains after I started to use
this: http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/cross-country-lube.htm
it last a lot longer in the rain than ordinary motor oil. I have
heard that oil used to lubricate the chains on chainsaws have
similar properties, but I have never tried it.

Per D. Sørensen

Leo Lichtman said:

Are you familiar with the expression, "It was rode hard and put away wet"?

'ridden', but that was, I think, originally meant for leather (which
really doesn't like being put away wet).

Jasper

Jasper Janssen said:

Leo Lichtman said:

Are you familiar with the expression, "It was rode hard and put away wet"?

'ridden', but that was, I think, originally meant for leather (which
really doesn't like being put away wet).

Horses actually, and "rode hard" is part of the colloquial charm.

What were we talking about?

Ron

"Jasper Janssen" wrote: 'ridden', but that was, I think, originally meant
for leather (which really doesn't like being put away wet).
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I know it would be "ridden," if I wanted it to be correct. I was quoting
the street version. I believe it originally referred to bad treatment of
horses. Well, that's leather, in a way.