Paul' may have said:This might be a pretty basic question but I'm a fairly recent convert to the cycling scene so here
goes. Is there a rule of thumb about how often a chain should be cleaned and re-lubed? Is it as
simple as when it looks dirty?
Opinions vary. Based on your comments below, in your case, I'd say the appropriate answer is "more
often than you've been doing it."
Quoted message said:I've always wiped off my chain with a rag when it looks grubby
This may make you feel better, but accomplishes very little. The dirt on the outside isn't what
causes the wear, and you won't get the inside dirt by wiping down the chain with a rag. You might
even end up shoving some of the dirt into the load-bearing parts of the chain and making the wear
problem worse in the process, in fact.
Quoted message said:and cleaned it with a chain bath and degreaser thoroughly when it sounds in need of some more oil
(every few weeks) before ru-lubing.
Depending upon how much and where you ride, this may not be often enough. Once again, the
replacement rate that you've been experiencing seems high, and that would be the biggest clue to me
that your chain needs more cleaning, or different cleaning, than it's getting.
Quoted message said:Despite this a chain only seems to last me about 1000miles and I needed the cassette replaced with
my 3rd chain after about 3100miles which seems a bit too often to me.
Three chains to a cassette seems fairly typical from what I've heard. Three chains and a cassette in
3100 miles is too much in my opinion.
Quoted message said:I prefer the quietness and shifting qualities of a wet type oil (Finishline Crosscountry) over dry
type lubes (I've tried both Finishline Teflon Plus and Weldite Smax) so I do need to clean more
frequently.
Opinions about lubes are plentiful.
Various contributors here have reported good results *for them* using plain motor oil, paraffin wax,
a number name-brand chain lubes with varying and sometimes opposite properties, various other
products, and even automatic transmission fluid. After reading a good many of these posts, the
conclusion that I've personally extracted from the debate is that in general, the presence of lube
is more important than its nature, with certain exceptions for a small number of lubes and lube-like
things that are known to be of little value, such as WD40. I have also concluded that the extraction
of dirt before it has a chance to cause wear is at least as important as the lube. That said, I will
note that a Google cruise through the posts in the past two months looking for the chain lube and
cleaning threads should get you an ample supply of reading material on the subject.
Quoted message said:A final question, the degreaser I use (Finishline Citrus) recommend a 5:1 dilution with water.
After degreasing the chain I usually spray it with GT85 to disperse the water and leave this to
evaporate before oiling. Does this sound ok or should the degreaser by washed off with water before
using the GT85 and oil?
I see no problem with the technique you describe, as long as it's actually getting the grit out of
the chain. Have you ever dismounted the chain after cleaning, and checked to see if it felt gritty
when flexed? This would be your best indicator of your technique's effectiveness.
Like the opinions about lubes, opinons about the best methods of cleaning chains, and the frequency
to do so, are as varied as the people posting them. Good results have been reported with a number of
remarkably diverse techniques. My personal method involves the use of a spray degreaser that's
commonly available from auto parts stores, followed by hitting the chain with my pressure washer.
You probably don't have access to that equipment, so my method is likely to be of no value to you.
Others have reported good results from a variety of techniques. One that seems to be easy and
effective is to drop the chain into a plastic soda bottle with a pint or two of mineral spirits or
degreaser solution, and shake it until the chain comes out clean and grit-free; the spirits or
solution can be allowed to settle out, decanted off the dreck and used again several more times at
least. In my experience, discolored cleaning materials are OK to re-use as long as the chain comes
out of them with no grit hanging on. (Most automotive repair shops use mineral spirits in their
parts washers, and some replace it only when the washer gets to the point that the crud collected in
the bottom of the tank is deep enough to interfere with the operation of the pump. This does not
appear to cause any important reduction in the effectiveness of the cleaning process.)
My advice, given what you report: Increase the frequency of cleaning first, and experiment with
different lubes if you want to. If you're riding an mtb on dirt, and your chain gets mud and crud on
it a lot, then a little hosing down after each major muddy or heavily dusty ride would probably be a
good idea. Additionally, for an mtb, the hot-wax method described in a previous thread may be
useful, since the wax seems less likely to collect crud and more able to keep the crud from getting
in between the plates and rollers of the chain.
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