Keeping chain clean in winter
Discussion
I MTB throughout the year and being in Cumbria we usually come back in a s
tty mess!
My chain comes off ever 3rd ride or so and is laid out on a plank of wood and then brutalised with a pressure washer, then dried with an airline, then a liberal coating of GT 85 and then put overnight in a kerosene bath, drip dried then refitted.
Probably heresy but I just use 20/50 mineral engine oil out of a squirty can which seems to do the job just fine.
tty mess!My chain comes off ever 3rd ride or so and is laid out on a plank of wood and then brutalised with a pressure washer, then dried with an airline, then a liberal coating of GT 85 and then put overnight in a kerosene bath, drip dried then refitted.
Probably heresy but I just use 20/50 mineral engine oil out of a squirty can which seems to do the job just fine.
That's admirable but filed in the who's got the time for that? category.
Over here, I kept my old drivetrain, past its best but still viable & put it on the bike for winter. I'll swap it for my newer one around March & repeat. Otherwise, a clean with GT85 & a rag every ride & a do over with dry lube each time plus a regular go with the chain checker keeps it all going well.
The chain checker is the key thing. By design, you're fighting a losing battle with derailleur systems, they'll always wear but the key thing is chain stretch. Once that starts, it will take cassette & chainring sprockets with it. Changing chains once they start to stretch will significantly extend the life of other, way more expensive components in the drive train.
Over here, I kept my old drivetrain, past its best but still viable & put it on the bike for winter. I'll swap it for my newer one around March & repeat. Otherwise, a clean with GT85 & a rag every ride & a do over with dry lube each time plus a regular go with the chain checker keeps it all going well.
The chain checker is the key thing. By design, you're fighting a losing battle with derailleur systems, they'll always wear but the key thing is chain stretch. Once that starts, it will take cassette & chainring sprockets with it. Changing chains once they start to stretch will significantly extend the life of other, way more expensive components in the drive train.
frisbee said:
I've started hot waxing my chain. The part I like is the wax actually gets properly into the joints.
I can be selective about which days I commute to the office so I've only been caught in downpours a few times but its held up pretty well. I dry it off with a rag if it does get wet but it withstands the conditions better than drip waxes.
I only clean then with solvents when first hot waxing them.
If it is dirty when I need to rewax it I pour a kettle of boiling water on it and it comes up spotless. I would try that with a drip wax.
Another vote for waxing chains. My friends has been a chain vax apostle for years, I've never bothered.I can be selective about which days I commute to the office so I've only been caught in downpours a few times but its held up pretty well. I dry it off with a rag if it does get wet but it withstands the conditions better than drip waxes.
I only clean then with solvents when first hot waxing them.
If it is dirty when I need to rewax it I pour a kettle of boiling water on it and it comes up spotless. I would try that with a drip wax.
He then opened a bike shop and when I took one of my bikes in for a service, he through in a chain waxing FOC. 2 months on and it's amazing. Smooth, never dirty, top it up every 1000km or so (takes 2 minutes), really easy. Even in filthy weather, a quick rinse and the chain is spotless*.
I've now had all my bike chains done.....alas not FOC those ones.
(*interestingly, on the only bike I have that is properly painted, I got the guy who ceramic coated my car to do the same thing to the frame. It works beautiful and the frame almost never gets dirty, and any dirty that stick just rinses off.)
Edited by Julian Scott on Tuesday 21st November 11:53
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