precleaning new chains?

Boatman said:

Does anyone clean the wax or whatever off new chains before
installing them?

Some do; some don't.

Bill "HTH, YMMV, IMO" S.

Boatman said:

Does anyone clean the wax or whatever off new chains before
installing them? What is that stuff?

Boatman

It's the factory grease, and it's good stuff. You don't need to clean it.

Jacobe Hazzard said:

It's the factory grease, and it's good stuff. You don't need to clean
it.

I like to keep my chain clean and fairly grease free... at least on the
outside of the chain. The problem is that it's hard to just clean the
outside. I might take a little Simple Green on a cloth to it.

Boatman

Boatman said:

Jacobe Hazzard said:

It's the factory grease, and it's good stuff. You don't need to clean
it.

I like to keep my chain clean and fairly grease free... at least on
the outside of the chain. The problem is that it's hard to just clean
the outside. I might take a little Simple Green on a cloth to it.

Boatman

It would be best to run the chain backwards and gently rub off excess
grease with a clean rag. If simple green is a degreaser of some sort, then
it's probably best to keep it out of the chain, or you may lose grease
from where it protects and lubricates.

quote='Jacobe Hazzard'Boatman said:

Does anyone clean the wax or whatever off new chains before
installing them? What is that stuff?

Boatman

It's the factory grease, and it's good stuff. You don't need to clean it.[/QUOTE]

😕 it's actually a thick rust inhibitor for long term storage... should definitely be removed and lubed with a quality lube before use, otherwise the stickiness of the inhibitor will result in a dirty and clogged chain in no time.

dorkpants said:

Quoted message said:

confused: it's actually a thick rust inhibitor for long term

storage... should definitely be removed and lubed with a quality lube
before use, otherwise the stickiness of the inhibitor will result in a
dirty and clogged chain in no time.

I contend that you are WRONG.

Jacobe Hazzard and Dorkpants disagreed
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It seems to me if the manufacturers used preservatives that look like
grease, but which need to be cleaned off to insure good chain life, the
chains would come with instructions that say that.

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

Quoted message said:

Jacobe Hazzard and Dorkpants disagreed
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It seems to me if the manufacturers used preservatives that look like
grease, but which need to be cleaned off to insure good chain life, the
chains would come with instructions that say that.

Clearly, you should slap your mammy down, slap your mammy down again. No
instructions needed.

Are we not men? We are Cheto.

Boatman says...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone clean the wax or whatever off new chains before installing them?
What is that stuff?

Boatman

No, don't clean it. Wipe the outside as best you can and use it.

Leo Lichtman said:

Jacobe Hazzard and Dorkpants disagreed
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It seems to me if the manufacturers used preservatives that look like
grease, but which need to be cleaned off to insure good chain life,
the chains would come with instructions that say that.

Further to that, is there actually any evidence that the factory grease
collects dirt and clogs more easily than other lubricants? Is there any
evidence that ordinary lubricants + adequate packaging won't ensure
rustproofness of stored chains?

The factory grease provides very long lasting lubrication that works well
in many conditions.

Boatman said:

Does anyone clean the wax or whatever off new chains before installing them?
What is that stuff?
Boatman

The stuff is cosmoline. Yes it's a rust inhibitor, yes it's a grease. As chain lubes go, I don't think it's especially good stuff, but it won't hurt. It won't be long before you're cleaning and relubing anyway. I always clean the chain at installation, but that's just because I use wax-based lubes.

Jacobe Hazzard said:

Further to that, is there actually any evidence that the factory grease
collects dirt and clogs more easily than other lubricants?

I've got anecdotal evidence that the factory stuff is rather good.

I changed chains on both the racer and my momma's old three speed a while
back. I cleaned mine and relubed with teflon dry lube. I left hers as is,
except for wiping down the outside.

The factory lube is very durable and still strong on her ride after
several hundred miles. I'll never pre-clean another chain, just wipe the
outside. 😄

from Jobst Brant @ Sheldon's site:

quote

A myth that is difficult to dispell it the story that grease on a new
chain, fresh out of the package, is not a lubricant but rather a
preservative that must be removed. This piece of in bicycling myth and
lore thrives despite its illogic. The largest chain customers are bicycle
manufacturers who ship bicycles ready to use. They can order chains with
any desired lubricant and this is what they use. If there is too much of
it on a chain, the excess can be wiped off with a rag.

/quote

Boatman said:

I might take a little Simple Green on a cloth to it.

I use simple green and a toothbrush on my chain, then a high pressure hose
to blast out the grit. Works great, though you need a nice sunbeam to dry
out the chain afterwards, a hard thing to find this time of year. :P

maxo said:

Boatman said:

I might take a little Simple Green on a cloth to it.

I use simple green and a toothbrush on my chain, then a high pressure
hose to blast out the grit. Works great, though you need a nice
sunbeam to dry out the chain afterwards, a hard thing to find this
time of year. :P

Stick it in the microwave.

Bill "high setting, 6 mins." S.

Boatman said:

Does anyone clean the wax or whatever off new chains before installing them?
What is that stuff?

Boatman

The stuff is called cosmolene. You can leave it on, but if you want to
use your own brand of lube you're better off removing the cosmolene
first so your stuff can get where it needs to go.

--
My bike blog:
http://diabloscott.blogspot.com/

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

maxo said:

Boatman said:

I might take a little Simple Green on a cloth to it.

I use simple green and a toothbrush on my chain, then a high pressure
hose to blast out the grit. Works great, though you need a nice
sunbeam to dry out the chain afterwards, a hard thing to find this
time of year. :P

Stick it in the microwave.

Bill "high setting, 6 mins." S.

Are you kidding? I hope you're kidding...

-B
....let's see, was that 6 minute on high, he said?...

Badger_South said:

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

maxo said:

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 03:54:09 +0000, Boatman wrote:

> I might take a little Simple Green on a cloth to it.

I use simple green and a toothbrush on my chain, then a high
pressure hose to blast out the grit. Works great, though you need a
nice sunbeam to dry out the chain afterwards, a hard thing to find
this time of year. :P

Stick it in the microwave.

Bill "high setting, 6 mins." S.

Are you kidding? I hope you're kidding...

-B
...let's see, was that 6 minute on high, he said?...

Reuters-- Pennsylvania

A Badger exploded, today, in the hotly contested swing state of
Pennsylvania. Nobody else was hurt; however, several neighbors were
overcome with fur . . . .

neil0502 said:

Badger_South said:

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

maxo wrote:
> On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 03:54:09 +0000, Boatman wrote:
>
>> I might take a little Simple Green on a cloth to it.
>
> I use simple green and a toothbrush on my chain, then a high
> pressure hose to blast out the grit. Works great, though you need a
> nice sunbeam to dry out the chain afterwards, a hard thing to find
> this time of year. :P

Stick it in the microwave.

Bill "high setting, 6 mins." S.

Are you kidding? I hope you're kidding...

-B
...let's see, was that 6 minute on high, he said?...

Reuters-- Pennsylvania

A Badger exploded, today, in the hotly contested swing state of
Pennsylvania. Nobody else was hurt; however, several neighbors were
overcome with fur . . . .

That would be Virginia, dumbass... oh...uh...I mean.

-B

no, wait, wasn't me...<smoke rising>...putting out tail...

Boatman said:

Does anyone clean the wax or whatever off new chains before
installing them? What is that stuff?

Boatman

Thanks for all the interesting replies. What I ended up doing is plopping
the new chain in a water bottle with Simple Green: shake, shake, shake and
rinse. Then I layed the chain out, sprayed with WD40 to help remove the
water, dried for a bit, then put on some Finish Line Dry Lube, dried for a
bit, and wiped clean. The chain looks clean and looks like it will stay
clean for a while. I didn't like the looks of that sticky, greasy gunk that
the chain came with. Then I found that the SRAM PC-48 I put on had 1 fewer
link then the chain I took off! Bike works great, though, and shifts through
all the gears fine.

Boatman