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#21
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Yet another thread on chain cleaning
On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 23:45:33 +0000 (UTC), "asqui"
may have said: There's also the potential that the existing chain may not be as good as the ones you can buy as replacements. Hm? It's a brand new (/was/ a brand new) SRAM 9-Speed chain.I assume this is as good a chain as I'm going to get (for a reasonable price). I won't disagree with that, based on what I've heard; I haven't used an SRAM chain long enough myself to say for sure, but people whose opinions I value say they're good. -- My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail. Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy. |
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#22
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Yet another thread on chain cleaning
Snip
!!! Now this is why I am so shocked to see my chain wearing so rapidly, when someone tells me that they have no measurable wear with 2000 miles on, when using heavy oil for lubrication! Motor oil is an excellent lubricant. But it gets dirty on the chain and it is the dirt that does the damage. So, the trick is to decide how dirty is too dirty. For me it's 200 to 500 miles or so depending on where I've been riding and, frankly, the weather. If it is nice out, I'll ride, if not, I may do maintenance work on the bikes. The exception is if the bike gets muddy. Then it gets hosed and brushed off at the end of the ride. Hmmm, well I'm afraid to say that any polluted traces of the original lubricant are now nowhere to be seen on my chain. If you like it so much why don't you find out what it is and buy yourself an industrial size vat of it from SRAM or their supplier? I've never seen it advertised for sale but that's a poor excuse. I'll email SRAM and see what they say. Regarding Simple Green, it is a brand of cleaner available here in the USA. It is the least expensive one I've seen, but it does not smell as nice as citrus cleaners. Steve Shapiro |
#23
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Yet another thread on chain cleaning
Ok, I wonder if anyone has tried the following method. After you clean your chain by your preferred method, you smear some grease on it (while on the bike) and then gently use a propane torch to melt and liquify the grease so that it penetrates into the chain. Of course, you would put something behind the chain to protect the bike. This method is attractive to me because the grease, when cool, will not fling off the chain at all, and it would seem to be an excellent and durable lubricant, especially if using a water-proof grease. Anyone ever try this? Ed Chait |
#24
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Yet another thread on chain cleaning
"Phileas" wrote in message
... I have two chains either of which at any given time is "in cleaning/lubing". Cleaning just means shaking the chain in solvent which is then filtered and used again with the same chain. Filtering is unnecessary, anything that a filter will catch will settle out quickly. I've used the same solvent for years, doing more than a dozen cleanings/year with the same quart or so of paint thinner. Lubing means leaving the chain in bath of oil for a while and then hanging it up for the excess to drain off, following which the chain is wiped with a cloth and is then ready for use. I don't see where soaking a chain in lube does anything that simply oiling a chain on the bike does. Sounds messy. Having said this, I don't know how clean my chains really are (inside) after all this and whether they will last longer but I like putting a "fresh" chain on every week or so! I find that if I flex a chain after a solvent shake, if there's any grit left on the pins you can easily feel it once most of the lube is washed out. |
#25
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Yet another thread on chain cleaning
Hmmm, well I'm afraid to say that any polluted traces of the original
lubricant are now nowhere to be seen on my chain. If you like it so much why don't you find out what it is and buy yourself an industrial size vat of it from SRAM or their supplier? I checked with SRAM about the factory applied lube on their chains. They responded promptly, something I sincerely appreciate. Here is what they said, "Thanks for contacting SRAM. We do not sell Gleitmo (SRAM's name for the lube) aftermarket, and it is intended for a one-time use during the manufacturing process. This is not something you would want to use on your chain after it has been in use. Besides, it is extremely expensive and is only available in 55-gallon drums." So, I'll continue to have fun experimenting with chain saw bar oil to see if I like it better then motor oil. It's a thing to do on rainy days when I prefer not to ride. A poster mentioned the idea to heat grease to lower the viscosity for better penetration into the chain. I've never tried to burn grease, but I think a tourch would ignite it so I would not do it. Besides, lubes like white lithium grease are stable at higher temperatures...we are not talking about Crisco here. But one could mix in a solvent that reduced the viscosity of the grease or oil. When the solvent evaporated, it would leave thickened lube behind. This is how the white lithium grease spray cans work. The spray is downright runny until the propellant or solvent evaporates and it thickens up. It works on car door hinges. I've not tried it on a chain. I think this is the idea behind some of the specialty bike chain lubes. They have a strong odor of heptane (rubber cement) and similar solvents. So, the instructions say to pour the stuff on the chain and it cleans and lubes. Actually, much of it evaporates and leaves some oily, waxy or fluorocarbon residue behind. These products are not for me. I find it is too easy to clean chains thoroughly without volatile solvents and then lube them with very effective, inexpensive motor oil or bar oil. Steve Shapiro |
#26
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Yet another thread on chain cleaning
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