# Cleaning bike & Chain lube question



## bzillmer (Apr 2, 2014)

The wife and I took our new road bikes out for the first ride yesterday. We live in Michigan so the warmer weather as of recent has the melting snow leaving sporatic puddles on the roads. While we didnt arrive back from the ride soaking wet and covered in mud, but the unavoidable puddles left some water and residue being thrown from the tires. My question is whether or not it's necessary to clean the bike's components after every ride that may have left it a bit dirty? I'd like to take proper care of the bike but also trying to avoid being OCD about it.

Lastly, how often is it necessary to lube the chain? Again, after each ride/cleaning? Every few months? Once a year?

Thanks in advance for the feedback!


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## ibericb (Oct 28, 2014)

You will probably gets lots of varied answers. Opinions vary widely. My guiding principle is clean and lubed lasts longer, has fewer problems, and is more reliable. It doesn't need to be showroom clean, just get the crud out of moving parts.

My riding conditions are typically dry. My routine is to wipe down the bike with damp rag / towels after each ride, then lube and wipe the chain. The total time is about 10-15 minutes. IF I do run into mud or crud (rarely) then I bring out the hose, wash it, dry it, and then when everything is well dried do a complete relube of all the exposed lube points. 

Under normal riding conditions with 3-4 rides per week, totaling ~8 hours, I plan on a complete wash and relube once per month if I haven't needed to wash in between, which I usually don't need to.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

bzillmer said:


> I'd like to take proper care of the bike but also trying to avoid being OCD about it.


Good plan!

A lot depends on 1) your riding environment, and 2) miles logged. 

Dry conditions generally mean less maintenance. Conversely, wet/ gritty conditions mean more. 

I tend to focus more on the mechanics than aesthetics, because I view a bike as more a tool (and don't like getting stranded), but you need to decide how much time invested for yourself.

Re: the chain, as an example, if I lubed it and rode once in the wet, it would get wiped down and lubed again. I've found that they rust/ wear prematurely when I don't do that. Again, conversely, if I log maybe 150 miles in the dry, the chain would likely get lubed once. 

In the conditions you described, I'd probably wipe the drivetrain down, lube the chain and call it a day, but that's just me. 

Also, when applying the brakes, if the pads sound like they're grinding grit into the rims, check the pads for bits of aluminum/ foreign matter, remove and clean, then check the rims and clean if needed.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

bzillmer said:


> My question is whether or not it's necessary to clean the bike's components after every ride that may have left it a bit dirty? I'd like to take proper care of the bike but also trying to avoid being OCD about it.
> 
> Lastly, how often is it necessary to lube the chain? Again, after each ride/cleaning? Every few months? Once a year?


As noted by others you will get lots of responses to this because "it depends." You will develop a "calibrated eyeball" after a while that tells you when it's appropriate to clean and when it's OK to wait. General rule of course is that clean stuff lasts longer and works better, but how clean it needs to be comes from experience and personal preference.

Regards chain lube, once a year is just fine if you average less than 10 miles per week. If you don't ride at all then you probably only have to lube the chain when visible rust starts to show after a few years. But for people who actually ride their bikes, it comes down to the riding conditions and the lube you use. If you use a wax lube like White Lightning, you have to relube any time it gets wet - the squeaking chain will tell you. A quality chain lube, properly applied might easily give you 300 miles in dry weather, and some claim much more than that.

While I have a regular riding schedule and therefore a regular clean/lube schedule I have also found that the sound your chain makes can be a guide to the need for lube. Obviously if it is squeaking then lube is required, but if it starts to make a sound like a rope being pulled over a small pulley, then it's time. Basically if the chain sounds different then when you first lubed it, then it's probably time.

Chain lube gets a lot of discussion, and here is a post I make frequently on the topic:

Assuming we're talking road riding, use the following technique for successful ProLink or homebrew lube (1 part motor oil to 3-4 parts odorless mineral spirits) application and use:

1 - wipe the chain, cogs, pulleys, and chain rings clean with a rag. If there is gunk on the cogs, floss between them with a rag wet with OMS. 
2 – shift to the big ring and the smallest cog and drip on lube while pedaling slowly so that the chain just starts to drip lube. Aim the lube between the side plates and between the bushings and the side plates. 
3 - keep pedaling the cranks for a minute or so to loosen all the dirt on the chain and to get full penetration of the lube. 
4 - thoroughly wipe the chain, cogs, pulleys, and chain rings clean with a rag. 
5 - repeat steps 2-4 if the chain was really dirty 

Do this AFTER a ride, as you want to allow time for the solvent to evaporate before you head out on the road. If you do this every 300 miles or so (or when you get caught in the rain or other dirty conditions), you will not get any significant gunky buildup, and you won't have to remove the chain or the cassette to clean it , and no separate cleaning is ever required. This leaves lube on the inside parts, and wipes it off the outside parts, minimizing dirt pickup.

No lube is "perfect." A bright shiny chain that is clean to the touch but is well lubed and gives long mileage is still not possible. IMO, ProLink/home brew is the best compromise among commercial lubes. Other people have different opinions.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

I have found I get much better chain life, and a cleaner chain, with real chain lube vs homebrew.

I lube and clean the chain on road bikes about every 10 hours. I fold a rag under the chain, covering the rim, so I don't drip lube on the braking surface. Then turn the cranks backwards while applying lube. No need to apply so much that it drips, that's way too much. Enough to dampen the chain all over is fine. Turn the cranks for 30 seconds or so to distribute the lube. Then I wipe down each section of chain with a rag, back and forth three or four times, trying to get the side plates.

It takes less than a minute.

Yesterday I measured the chain on my race bike. I replaced the chain in August. When I used home brew it'd be about time to replace it now- I was replacing three times a year. But it's only at .25mm! (.75mm is where I replace them) I've never even seen a used chain at .25mm.

The lube I use is supposed to save a few watts too.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

ericm979 said:


> I have found I get much better chain life, and a cleaner chain, with real chain lube vs homebrew.


I have found no difference between home brew and ProLink, though I do find that ProLink lasts longer between relubes. Funny that you don't mention the brand of lube you use.


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## drstawl (Mar 17, 2015)

When my bike still had a stainless steel chain from Sedis, I'd remove it, toothbrush it off submerged in mineral spirits, wipe it down, let it dry and relube with a dip in a saucepan of 85-90W gear oil at 220 deg. F.

But now that I'm using SRAM disposable chains, I simply wipe the chain down with a rag while still installed and relube with 1 ml of 85-90W oil and then wipe off the excess. How long this treatment lasts depends on how far short of new chain performance you are willing to accept. It easily goes 50 - 100 miles.

A SRAM PC-850 chain lasted >9900 miles.


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## Mandeville (Oct 18, 2014)

Here's a video on YouTube from GCN that's a combo five minute total bike wash as well as chain clean and lube. 

Regarding the chain clean it is a bit different and as the rider and presenter states somewhat controversial. Interesting though. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0

GCN also has several videos that are detailed specifically to the cleaning of the chain and the gears. 

Of all the video sources dedicated to all aspects of bike riding I personally find CGN the best or most useful broad general source AND most enjoyable in their presentation. YMMV. 

For the specific more detailed to clean and lube chain just go to YouTube and search for CGN chain clean.


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## drstawl (Mar 17, 2015)

Mandeville said:


> Here's a video on YouTube from GCN that's a combo five minute total bike wash as well as chain clean and lube.


I suppose it is my desert environment that makes me cringe when that guy sprayed water all over that bike. 

But we definitely focused on very different things in that ritual cleanup. I do a daily PRE ride clean up. He does a post ride washdown. 

I use oil as the cleaner and lubricant so we're on the same page there- but the viscosity of WD-40 is just wrong for chains. Gear oil (85W-90) is ideal. When mostly confined to the space between the rollers and the pins on the chain, it doesn't attract much dirt to the side plates.

The technological convenience of the spray is not reason enough to use the wrong lube. Get a plastic syringe (1 ml) like those used to squirt liquid medicine into a cat's mouth. Once filled with gear oil, just touching the tip of the dispenser to each pin while forcing the barrel gently will dump 1 ml on the whole chain. Wipe off the excess with a clean rag.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

I have no problem at all w/ anything he does in that video...right up until he shoots a bit of WD on the brakes. 

Derp. Fail. Works for him?


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## drstawl (Mar 17, 2015)

cxwrench said:


> I have no problem at all w/ anything he does in that video...right up until he shoots a bit of WD on the brakes.
> 
> Derp. Fail. Works for him?


He was just being sloppy. WD-40 is great for the hinges and cable guides on those brakes, but as you noted, not so keen for the pads.


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## BikeLayne (Apr 4, 2014)

Rock and Roll chain lube. Keep the bike clean and adjusted properly. It's an ongoing process if you ride regularly.


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## Father Guzzi Obrian (Jan 31, 2015)

Just be sure to avoid high pressure water, sure way to get a new hubs or bb, water is not near as slippery as grease.


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