Extending lubeing periods

Paul said:

I have been using Finishline Cross Country lube on my chain which has worked well and lasts but
tends to attract dirt and leaves a lot of black gunk through the drivechain. I have recently
switched to using Finishline Teflon Plus which claims to be a dry type lube. Apart from the
drivechain sounding a little more tinny is works well, shifting is really good and it doesn't
attract much dirt.

One downside of it though is that it doesn't seem to last that long, a couple of 40 mile or so
rides and it needs relubing. As with the Cross Country, after a hard ride there is always a black
reside on the chain which I assume to be lube squeezed out from the rivets/rollers and as with the
Cross Country I wipe it off after each ride.

I was wondering though whether not wiping down the chain after each ride (the chain tends to be
clean as the Teflon Plus doesn't seeem to attract dirt) might extend the time between lubing
periods. Does any of the lube squeezed out like this during riding penetrate back into the inards
of the chain if left, say overnight? The lube itself, out of the bottle, is a clear non-viscous
fluid whilst the residue on the chain after riding is black and rather more viscous.

Just a thought.

Kind Regards Paul

I stopped using FinishLine Cross Country because it loaded up with dust too quickly and my chain
life was much shorter than when using the teflon.

The teflon goes on thin to penetrate, but the thin carrier evaporates leaving behind a much denser
lube. I usually put 2 coats on 10 or 15 minutes apart. The double coat helps it last a lot longer. I
also sometimes use their wax lube as the 2nd layer -- this is even dryer and helps alot in wet
conditions. I also wipe off as much of the lube as possible. Any lube that I can wipe off isn't
where it'll do any good and will only act to attract dust, grit, etc. and may carry it into the
chain via reflow.

Using the above technique, my chain stays clean enough that I don't need to wipe anthing off between
rides. With a wetter lube like Cross Country, I would. This crud is full of grit, dust, and chain
metal. If the oil reflows back into the chain links, it will also carry this cutting paste back in
-- where it will do the most harm.

David

Thanks, I'll give that a go.

Kind Regards, Paul