Rusted Chain

Bob Wheeler writes:

My chains never rust, and they have been ridden in the rain. My
commuter bike's chain is rust free and it has been rained on quite a
bit while chained to a bike rack. I usually run a dry rag over one
that has been wet as part of the after rain-ride clean up, but I
sometimes forget. I cook my chains in a cheap deep fat fryer filled
with paraffin when I first take them out of the box, and never touch
them again until they are replaced.

I don't see how your ministering to external moisture on your chain
can have any benefits. External chain rust has no effect on its
function and only bothers some observers. Paraffin treatment, to
which you refer, must be something other than canning wax. That such
a coatings chip off and do not re-flow after displacement from bearing
areas, has been discussed here at great length.

Jobst Brandt

Leo Lichtman writes:

"Bob Wheeler" (clip) I cook my chains in a cheap deep fat fryer
filled with paraffin when I first take them out of the box, and
never touch them again until they are replaced.

Hear! Hear! Wiping down a rain soaked chain with a rag can hardly
be expected to get water out of the spaces within the links. That's
where the rust forms that is going to hurt you. If the inside of
the chain is filled with paraffin, water won't go in.

However, because paraffin is a solid and the chain articulates,
clearance between chain and wax is a capillary that will hold water.
The bearing surfaces are devoid of wax as we have seen from reports of
squeaky paraffin treated chains after even light exposure to wet roads.

Jobst Brandt

Art Harris wrote:
I hadn't ridden my "backup" bike for about three weeks. So I took it
out for a quick after-work ride the other day, and when I tried
pedaling, the chain was so rusted that the cranks wouldn't turn. Some
of the links were so frozen they couldn't even be flexed by hand.

The last time I'd ridden this bike there was no problem at all, so I
was shocked at how badly rusted the chain was. The chain is a Shimano
HG-?? 9-speed, and I've been using Pro-Link for lubrication (though not
all that often). The bike is stored in a damp basement, and the weather
has been warm and humid.

I've been riding bike a long time and don't ever recall a chain seizing
up like this. The chain only has about 1500 miles, so I tried agitating
in in mineral spirits, to clean it up but the links are still very
stiff, so I guess it's toast.

Anyone else ever experience this?


I haven't had any problems with rusty chains after I started to use
this: http://www.finishlineusa.com/product...untry-lube.htm
it last a lot longer in the rain than ordinary motor oil. I have
heard that oil used to lubricate the chains on chainsaws have
similar properties, but I have never tried it.

Per D. Sørensen

On Fri, 19 Aug 2005 02:49:08 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:

Are you familiar with the expression, "It was rode hard and put away wet"?

'ridden', but that was, I think, originally meant for leather (which
really doesn't like being put away wet).

Jasper

On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 09:59:16 GMT, Jasper Janssen wrote:

On Fri, 19 Aug 2005 02:49:08 GMT, "Leo Lichtman"
wrote:

Are you familiar with the expression, "It was rode hard and put away wet"?

'ridden', but that was, I think, originally meant for leather (which
really doesn't like being put away wet).

Horses actually, and "rode hard" is part of the colloquial charm.

What were we talking about?

Ron

"Jasper Janssen" wrote: 'ridden', but that was, I think, originally meant
for leather (which really doesn't like being put away wet).
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I know it would be "ridden," if I wanted it to be correct. I was quoting
the street version. I believe it originally referred to bad treatment of
horses. Well, that's leather, in a way.