Historically as an unassisted occasional cyclist I have cleaned my chain, derailleur and sprockets now and then with WD40 and a toothbrush, and kept them oiled with 3 in 1 or car engine oil. I have never changed a chain for wear reasons, although I probably should have.
I once tried some Finish Line wet lubricant and all I can say is you need a serious commitment to chain cleaning if you want to use that.
Now I have an e-bike, mainly so I can cycle more. It’s for fun and keeping active so I’m a fair-weather man. I won’t use it much in the cold months and maybe for 50 miles a week from March/April to October.
It occurs to me that the chain, chainwheel and sprockets will likely wear faster on an e-bike since my puny torque will be augmented.
I dislike filthy chains and cleaning them, so I have instigated a new regime. I’ve prepared the ground a bit by adding a front mudflap to the just-too-short front mudguard to keep muck away from the engine and guarded chainwheel.
After a few miles with only factory grease on the chain, I wiped off the surface dirt and applied a dry wax lubricant in a volatile carrier – actually White Lightning Clean Ride. The idea I think is that the carrier takes the wax, in more of a suspension than a solution, into the nooks and crannies. Then the petroleum distillate, which smells a lot like lighter fluid, evaporates leaving the wax where it can do the business.
I applied it outside at about 12 degrees C, in a gentle breeze. Within a few seconds, the wax had set in globules on the chain. The globules were mostly on top of the chain where I had applied the substance, rather than hanging underneath, so I had my doubts about just how far it had crept and how much had actually got inside the rollers and between the plates. After a bit of thought I heated the chain gently with a hot-air gun while turning the pedals, enough to melt the wax so it could flow but not so much that it dripped off to any material extent. I applied more lubricant and repeated the warming. I now have a thin layer of wax all over the chain and presumably in between the pins and rollers.
I’ve done maybe 30 miles since then, and the chain doesn’t seem to be hanging on to dirt to any noticeable degree. It’s running very quietly and changing gear better than it did on the factory grease.
I haven’t quite decided where to go from here, if all goes well I’ll probably just put some more on in 100 miles or so. My riding is all tarmac, no mud-plugging or dusty tracks. I’ll see how mucky it gets but I expect I will have to clean it occasionally, so I’ll contemplate whether to deploy the WD40 and toothbrush, or run it through a chain cleaner with some citrus degreaser I have never used.
I admit the instructions for Clean Ride don’t actually mention using a 2kW paint stripper to warm the chain (a hair dryer would probably be safer) but I’m feeling pretty smug about this for the moment. Have I found the secret of eternal chain life, or lost my marbles?
I once tried some Finish Line wet lubricant and all I can say is you need a serious commitment to chain cleaning if you want to use that.
Now I have an e-bike, mainly so I can cycle more. It’s for fun and keeping active so I’m a fair-weather man. I won’t use it much in the cold months and maybe for 50 miles a week from March/April to October.
It occurs to me that the chain, chainwheel and sprockets will likely wear faster on an e-bike since my puny torque will be augmented.
I dislike filthy chains and cleaning them, so I have instigated a new regime. I’ve prepared the ground a bit by adding a front mudflap to the just-too-short front mudguard to keep muck away from the engine and guarded chainwheel.
After a few miles with only factory grease on the chain, I wiped off the surface dirt and applied a dry wax lubricant in a volatile carrier – actually White Lightning Clean Ride. The idea I think is that the carrier takes the wax, in more of a suspension than a solution, into the nooks and crannies. Then the petroleum distillate, which smells a lot like lighter fluid, evaporates leaving the wax where it can do the business.
I applied it outside at about 12 degrees C, in a gentle breeze. Within a few seconds, the wax had set in globules on the chain. The globules were mostly on top of the chain where I had applied the substance, rather than hanging underneath, so I had my doubts about just how far it had crept and how much had actually got inside the rollers and between the plates. After a bit of thought I heated the chain gently with a hot-air gun while turning the pedals, enough to melt the wax so it could flow but not so much that it dripped off to any material extent. I applied more lubricant and repeated the warming. I now have a thin layer of wax all over the chain and presumably in between the pins and rollers.
I’ve done maybe 30 miles since then, and the chain doesn’t seem to be hanging on to dirt to any noticeable degree. It’s running very quietly and changing gear better than it did on the factory grease.
I haven’t quite decided where to go from here, if all goes well I’ll probably just put some more on in 100 miles or so. My riding is all tarmac, no mud-plugging or dusty tracks. I’ll see how mucky it gets but I expect I will have to clean it occasionally, so I’ll contemplate whether to deploy the WD40 and toothbrush, or run it through a chain cleaner with some citrus degreaser I have never used.
I admit the instructions for Clean Ride don’t actually mention using a 2kW paint stripper to warm the chain (a hair dryer would probably be safer) but I’m feeling pretty smug about this for the moment. Have I found the secret of eternal chain life, or lost my marbles?
