Chain lubrication advice

Got chatting to a mate of mine recently. He's well versed in all matters of mechanics, bikes and cars. We got to discussing chain lubrication/maintenance as I was moaning about how the lube flies off the chain onto the wheels and with the repsol theme it looks worse than most. He reckons that in 30 years riding he's never 'lubed' his chain. He claims that with modern o ring chains there's not a need to lube the external parts. He recommends regular cleaning to remove road dirt and grime and then use a cloth loaded with silicone (WD40) wipe all surfaces of the chain clean - job done. The chain then retains that out-of-the-box look.

Any views?

I did advise that my bike is not used for commuting and I do relatively limited miles mostly in clean weather.

 

Never heard that one before!!! I clean chain with paraffin, dry it off with brake cleaner on a piece of towel and when chain dry I use Muc Off ptfe dry lube on it. I also use the dry lube after every 200 mile ride. My DID Gold X ring has done over 25,000 miles. Some people think WD40 has something it than can damage O rings, but I doubt it as it's 90% paraffin!

 

Same after washing I WD the chain and clean off any excess, give a good clean with a WD rag and then use Wurth dry lube the rest of the time, he says to you that he never lubes his chain so what does he think the WD is doing? Also no matter what chain you have and I agree you will be hard pushed to get lube into the O/X rings where ever you have a metal to metal contact you need lube!

 

WD 40 is great for removing oil etc.. WD stands for water displacement. If you use it too much on the chain it will remove the lub from between the "O" rings, so it's best just to spray it on a cloth and clean the plates. I use a wax on my chain. It's best to lub the chain after a ride out, as the chain will still be warm. You don't need much.
NEVER lub the chain with the engine running and the bike in gear. I saw some horrific pictures of an experianced rider who did, he lost 3 fingers when the cloth caught and he hand went into the rear sprocket

 

Another thing worth mentioning is be careful how you clean the chain!!! Use soft not stiff brushes to remove the crud. Be gentle with the O rings and they will last. If you damage an O ring, you will need to replace it by fitting one or two new rivet links and possibly another chain link. If you get caught in the rain, spin off the H2O, wipe with a dry rag and lube the chain. If you only ride in the dry, wash dust off the chain with paraffin on a soft brush, dry with brake cleaner on an old towel and use a dry ptfe lube!

 

Thanks gents - lots of good tips! Being fussy about appearance, I like the clean look rather than the well oiled look. Seems I have a few different methods to try out. Never knew the WD in WD40 stood for water displacement - you learn something new every day!

Cheers

Mick

 

yep and 40 is the 40th attempt at getting it right..

 

Very true. I got it as a trivia question a few years ago. Sad eh

 

Thats makes two of us then....lol

I also use TruBlu 303 spray.....? Not got a clue what it means....lol

 

Another vote for Wurth.
Excellent stuff.

 

I clean with with degreaser etc and lube with wd40 to as I only do dry miles and hate sling and oil on my lovely chain

 

Out of the Box Chains are already lubed mate