A basic question

I know this seems overly obvious to most here. What is a good
lubricant for your chain. I also have some minor rust on my chain, how
do you clean this off?

StephanieM wrote:
I know this seems overly obvious to most here. What is a good
lubricant for your chain.

Actually, there are more opinions about chain lubrication than about
the other big controversy I won't mention. On the other hand, people
tend not to be as polarized about it. The ideas vary from "never lube
the chain" to "clean with xyz solvent and lube with abc solvent every
123.4 miles or after every full moon."

About the only thing you'll find universal agreement on is never use
motor oil. It is sticky, messy, attracts dirt, grime, and gunk, and
isn't an appropriate chain lubricant.

Austin

In article . com,
"AustinMN" writes:

It is sticky, messy, attracts dirt, grime, and gunk, and
isn't an appropriate chain lubricant.

You just described barbecue sauce :-)


cheers, & mmmmm ... spareribs ...
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

AustinMN wrote:
StephanieM wrote:
I know this seems overly obvious to most here. What is a good
lubricant for your chain.

Actually, there are more opinions about chain lubrication than about
the other big controversy I won't mention. On the other hand, people
tend not to be as polarized about it. The ideas vary from "never lube
the chain" to "clean with xyz solvent and lube with abc solvent every
123.4 miles or after every full moon."

About the only thing you'll find universal agreement on is never use
motor oil. It is sticky, messy, attracts dirt, grime, and gunk, and
isn't an appropriate chain lubricant.



While I agree with you using "uncut" motor oil on a chain, there is
far from "universal agreement" on this.

And, other than being messy, why do you think motor oil "isn't an
appropriate chain lubricant"?

StephanieM wrote:
I know this seems overly obvious to most here. What is a good
lubricant for your chain. I also have some minor rust on my chain, how
do you clean this off?

There are so many hundreds of threads about this already that it seems
pointless to rehash the issue for such a basic question. Google Groups
has a wonderful search function that can answer questions instantly:

http://groups.google.com/groups/sear...nt&qt_s=Search

AustinMN wrote:


snip
About the only thing you'll find universal agreement on is never use
motor oil. It is sticky, messy, attracts dirt, grime, and gunk, and
isn't an appropriate chain lubricant.

Austin

Not nealrl universal agreement. While I've never used it a fellow club
member does. He rides ~8,000 miles a year and has been doing that for
over 50 years so I give his opinion high credibility.

gds wrote:
AustinMN wrote:


snip
About the only thing you'll find universal agreement on is never use
motor oil. It is sticky, messy, attracts dirt, grime, and gunk, and
isn't an appropriate chain lubricant.

Austin

Not nealrl universal agreement. While I've never used it a fellow club
member does. He rides ~8,000 miles a year and has been doing that for
over 50 years so I give his opinion high credibility.

Mea Culpa; my use of the term "universal" was definitely wrong.
Perhaps "broad agreement" might have been a beeter choice of terms. In
any case, it proves there isn't anything about chain lube that has
achieved universal acceptance - that even things that appear obvious
have differing opinions.

Austin

AustinMN wrote:
gds wrote:
AustinMN wrote:


snip
About the only thing you'll find universal agreement on is never use
motor oil. It is sticky, messy, attracts dirt, grime, and gunk, and
isn't an appropriate chain lubricant.

Austin

Not nealrl universal agreement. While I've never used it a fellow club
member does. He rides ~8,000 miles a year and has been doing that for
over 50 years so I give his opinion high credibility.

Mea Culpa; my use of the term "universal" was definitely wrong.
Perhaps "broad agreement" might have been a beeter choice of terms. In
any case, it proves there isn't anything about chain lube that has
achieved universal acceptance - that even things that appear obvious
have differing opinions.

Austin

But I can imagine that motor oil is a very inexpensive alternative. At
least here in the desert southwest we don't often get lube washed off
by weather. I'd guess that a quart would last ~10 years ;-)

landotter wrote:
StephanieM wrote:
I know this seems overly obvious to most here. What is a good
lubricant for your chain. I also have some minor rust on my chain, how
do you clean this off?

There are so many hundreds of threads about this already that it seems
pointless to rehash the issue for such a basic question. Google Groups
has a wonderful search function that can answer questions instantly:

http://groups.google.com/groups/sear...nt&qt_s=Search

I'm not sure the rust issue has been addressed in such depth, so I'll
throw in an opinion on that: don't worry about it. Any oil will lube
the chain, and if you rub the excess off with a rag, either the rust
will come off on the rag, or the oil will seal the rust so it doesn't
spread.

Pat

Austin Cooper writes:

I know this seems overly obvious to most here. What is a good
lubricant for your chain.

Actually, there are more opinions about chain lubrication than about
the other big controversy I won't mention. On the other hand,
people tend not to be as polarized about it. The ideas vary from
"never lube the chain" to "clean with xyz solvent and lube with abc
solvent every 123.4 miles or after every full moon."

About the only thing you'll find universal agreement on is never use
motor oil. It is sticky, messy, attracts dirt, grime, and gunk, and
isn't an appropriate chain lubricant.

I don't know on what you base that assessment but I know of many
riders who use 30W motor oil as I do. I think the reason it doesn't
appeal to contributors on wreck.bike who write about arcane methods of
lubrication and cleaning, is that it is not packaged for bicycles nor
sold in bicycle shops in small expensive containers.

Rust does not affect the operation of your bicycle unless you ride it
so rarely that the rollers get rusty. Hand pedal the chain backward
while running a small stream of oil down the middle of the chain while
steadying your oil can hand against the chainstay. After the first
ride, wipe off any excess oil with an old t-shirt rag.

Jobst Brandt