Chain cleaning

[JohnInStockie]

Does anyone have any tips for chain cleaning on the Twist. I bought one of those 'attach to chain and turn the wheel' types, it didnt quite fit, and I ended up covered in the cleaning fluid.

Also, what other parts should be greased/oiled, should I put grease on the hub bearings for example?

(Note - I have bought a big tub of the Teflon Grease).

 

[flecc]

The hubs should run for years without attention on a bike John, the rotational speeds not high enough to severely stress the grease. You could separate and grease the front hub bearings at around three year intervals though. Nothing to do at the bottom bracket as it's part of the sealed motor unit.

The hub gear largely looks after itself, but it's worth laying the bike down on it's left side twice a year, then in second gear removing the actuator housing, tube and rod, and dripping in a few drops of light oil. Don't flood it though, only a few drops and a drop on the tube and rod as you replace them. That will keep the change running correctly. Make sure the housing is remounted correctly with the lug on the red plastic piece engaged with the slot on the actuator tube, and the housing locking screw engaged with the groove on the end of the spindle.

Finally put it in third gear and re-align the two red lines if necessary.

P.S. Chain cleaning is always a mucky job, and on hub gear bikes I never do, just grease regularly and let the old grease flaking off carry the dirt with it. That gives me up to 6000 miles, and cleaning fanatics who take the chain off four time a year don't seem to get much more, if any, so I don't think the hassle is worth it
.

 

[derrick7]

What should I use?

I have used a spray lubricant(Teflon?) for my chain up till now for my Lafree Twist.
What would you advise, both for cleaning & lubricating?

Derrick - Llanberis

 

[flecc]

There's no one accepted right answer Derrick.

The least work intensive with a hub gear is as I posted before, using grease, but some object since it makes for a slightly messy chain.

Your spray Teflon is good also, penetrates well, but doesn't have the same retention property, especially in wet weather, so it needs applying more frequently. However, grease isn't suitable on derailleurs so the teflon spray is better then.

The purist method is to regularly remove the chain and soak it in a paraffin bath, changing the paraffin preferably to make the chain as clean as possible. The chain is then hung to throroughly drain.

Once dry, it's then placed in a tray with grease or one of the specialised chain greases and gently heated in an oven to melt the grease and let it flow into the chain internals.

Finally the chain is hung to allow the surplus hot grease to drain off. The end result is a chain as received from a manufacturer, lightly coated throughout with grease. The chain will last a bit longer when this is done every few months, but the expense and immense amount of additional work duriing a chain's life makes it not worthwhile in my view.
.

 

[Jeanette Morgan]

Hi,

I have been lubiricating the chain on my Ezee Sprint with an oil I have used on my other bikes (supplied by a bike shop so it is for bikes), however, would grease be better? I have a tube of some sort of grease which I have to confess I have never actually used.

Should I be lubricating (and or greasing) any other parts on my bike, other than the chain?

Thanks a lot
Jeanette

 

[flecc]

Hello Jeanette,

Oil is fine and has the advantage that it "seeks" better than grease, getting right into the chain parts. Against that is the fact that it needs applying more frequently. As there's not much difference in chain and sprocket life, if any, with either method, it's more a matter of personal preference than anything else.

You can apply a drop of oil onto the minor moving parts of the bike like the brake lever pivots and the gear hub actuation point where any part moves against another, but in general, the bearings in hubs and bottom bracket are all greased so are best left.

Some people oil the pedal bearings by laying the bike down on each side respectively and putting a few drops into the pedals at the inside ends, allowing time for each to soak in before turning the bike over for the other side. I've never seen any proof that this actually does any good or makes the pedals last longer though, and it can make a mess on the cranks as it dribbles out again.
.