Lube how often?

I use a "dry" lube (Teflon Plus) for my chain and cables (road bike).

Is there any sort of rule of thumb about how often or after how many miles
to reapply this lube to the chain? I usually do not ride in wet conditions.

Thanks!

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 14:19:59 GMT, "OughtFour"
wrote:

I use a "dry" lube (Teflon Plus) for my chain and cables (road bike).

Is there any sort of rule of thumb about how often or after how many miles
to reapply this lube to the chain? I usually do not ride in wet conditions.

Since I'm sure you've already consulted the rec.bicycles FAQ, you know
that chain lubrication is a somewhat religeous issue. My rule of
thumb, when it starts to squeek it's time to lube; but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.


jeverett3ATearthlinkDOTnet http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 14:19:59 +0000, OughtFour wrote:

I use a "dry" lube (Teflon Plus) for my chain and cables (road bike).

Is there any sort of rule of thumb about how often or after how many miles
to reapply this lube to the chain? I usually do not ride in wet
conditions.

Thanks!

I wouldn't really sweat the cables--once per year is probably enough, or
every few months when the mood strikes.

I use a teflon dry lube on my chain and reapply whenever I start to hear
the chain getting noisier and shifting becoming more difficult. I've a
sensitive ear so I end up lubing about once per week. I do ride in sloppy
conditions, albeit with fenders.

I've found that lubing immediately before a ride with these types of lubes
is not the best idea, as you need to give the carrier agent time to
evaporate. I use cheapo super-lube and give the chain a good soaking after
cleaning, then back pedal a few times and let the bike sit an hour or so
before I vigorously clean off the outside of the chain with a rag.

Everybody's got their own voodoo on this, I'll just sum up my thinking.
noise=bad.

John Everett wrote:
Since I'm sure you've already consulted the rec.bicycles FAQ, you know
that chain lubrication is a somewhat religeous issue.

Yes, actually.

Just wanted to consult the oracles.

Thanks for your advice!

My rule of
thumb, when it starts to squeek it's time to lube; but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.


jeverett3ATearthlinkDOTnet http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

John Everett wrote:

(...); but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.


By the way, how and how often do you recommend cleaning the chain ?

I ride quite a lot (~5000 miles /yr) in all weather, and my chain is
usually quite dirty. 2-3 times a year I take everything apart, meaning
chain, cassette, rear derailleur, and brush the whole mess in a
petroleum jar. It comes out reasonably nice and clean, but not as clean
as the pro's bikes on a Sunday morning. And it takes me at least a
couple of hours. And it is a real pain.

So is there a more efficient way to do it ?

Turtle

On Sat, 06 Nov 2004 18:36:15 +0100, cyclingturtle wrote:

So is there a more efficient way to do it ?

Turtle

As I've posted [many times] before, I use a toothbrush & safe solvent
(simple green) and lather up the drivetrain on the bike, then flush out
the grit with a high pressure garden hose, air dry and lube. Takes 5 to
ten minutes depending on my thoroughness and looks "race-day" when done.
Some folks use enclosed plastic gizmos with a couple round brushes in
them, which are less messy.

Certainly removing your chain and soaking it might get a better result,
but I promise I can re-shmutz such a chain in a single ride. LOL

Perhaps I'd spend more time if I used chains more expensive than the basic
Srams, but I don't see the need to.

"cyclingturtle" wrote in message
...
John Everett wrote:

(...); but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.

By the way, how and how often do you recommend cleaning the chain ?

I ride quite a lot (~5000 miles /yr) in all weather, and my chain is
usually quite dirty. 2-3 times a year I take everything apart, meaning
chain, cassette, rear derailleur, and brush the whole mess in a
petroleum jar. It comes out reasonably nice and clean, but not as clean
as the pro's bikes on a Sunday morning. And it takes me at least a
couple of hours. And it is a real pain.

So is there a more efficient way to do it ?

I've settled on a rainy-season routine of weekly spraying with citrus
degreaser, going over it with a rag and toothbrush, and then re-lubing.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

In article , cyclingturtle wrote:
John Everett wrote:

(...); but always remember
rule #1) NEVER lubricate a dirty chain.


By the way, how and how often do you recommend cleaning the chain ?

I ride quite a lot (~5000 miles /yr) in all weather, and my chain is
usually quite dirty. 2-3 times a year I take everything apart, meaning
chain, cassette, rear derailleur, and brush the whole mess in a
petroleum jar. It comes out reasonably nice and clean, but not as clean
as the pro's bikes on a Sunday morning. And it takes me at least a
couple of hours. And it is a real pain.

So is there a more efficient way to do it ?

I use 3 chains on my commuting bike. After about 300 km I switch from chain #1
to #2. After another 300 km I switch to #3 and so on.

While one chain is on the bike, the two other are being cleaned using a
petrol-based cleaner.

After one year, I buy a new cassette and new chains.

--
Jørn Dahl-Stamnes

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 15:53:59 GMT, maxo wrote:

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 14:19:59 +0000, OughtFour wrote:

I use a "dry" lube (Teflon Plus) for my chain and cables (road bike).

Is there any sort of rule of thumb about how often or after how many miles
to reapply this lube to the chain? I usually do not ride in wet
conditions.

Thanks!

I wouldn't really sweat the cables--once per year is probably enough, or
every few months when the mood strikes.

I use a teflon dry lube on my chain and reapply whenever I start to hear
the chain getting noisier and shifting becoming more difficult. I've a
sensitive ear so I end up lubing about once per week. I do ride in sloppy
conditions, albeit with fenders.

I've found that lubing immediately before a ride with these types of lubes
is not the best idea, as you need to give the carrier agent time to
evaporate. I use cheapo super-lube and give the chain a good soaking after
cleaning, then back pedal a few times and let the bike sit an hour or so
before I vigorously clean off the outside of the chain with a rag.

Everybody's got their own voodoo on this, I'll just sum up my thinking.
noise=bad.

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as you
can likely tell.

dgk wrote:

Where do you lube a cable? You take it off, lube it, and thread it
back through the housing? I've never taken a cable off before, as you
can likely tell.

My brother--king of toys--gave me a gift a few years ago . . .

Click: http://snipurl.com/ahi4

. . . and look for "Motion Pro Cable Luber" and "Champions Choice Cable
Luber" on the page. Two different versions of the same thing. They're
incredibly neat gadgets that make cable lubrication a 15 second process.
Cheap, too!