After applying Hypoid 90 to my brand new chain X8 two weeks ago, it hasn't slipped on the old cassette - it's obviously a better chain lube than the 4 in 1 sewing machine oil I was using.
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Mid-drive chain and drive train wear measurements
- Thread starter matthewslack
- Start date
I have just rotated the chains on the Roadrat and the Ute, the Ute needing several links added to the length on anew chain. I washed both in spirit and dried them then laid them both in a separate tub of oil to soak for a couple of days, then hung them on a nail to drip of the excess before flaming them with heat gun to get excess oil off. Both ready now for fitting at the next clean and swap.
That sounds very thorough, but I'm not sold on the heat gun, because some high carbon steels can soften with the application of high heat, followed by a slow room temp cooling. If the same metal is quenched instead, it becomes hard and brittle. Mind you, people used to boil motorbike chains in wax on gas stoves, and they were ok. I'm not entirely sure what sort of steel bicycle chains are made of. Alloys likely vary by manufacturer and model.
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Low carbon steels (Mild Steel) is annealed at approximately 550° to 700° C to allow further cold processing. Higher carbon steels need slightly higher temperatures. Grease and waxes tend to melt at much lower temperatures so will not weaken you chain while soaking on the stove.
I clean my chain and cassette in a ultrasonic cleaner using eco detergent (using manufacturers dilution ratio) and white vinegar -2ml of each in a litre of water.
I am currently using thinned motorcycle suspension fork oil (15W) I bought for my MTB suspension forks.
This is a good discussion NB on home brew chain oil.
www.roadbikereview.com
I am currently using thinned motorcycle suspension fork oil (15W) I bought for my MTB suspension forks.
This is a good discussion NB on home brew chain oil.
Share your Homebrew Chain Lube recipe
For those that concoct their own chain lube cocktail, please share your successful recipe. I know most use motor oil + OMS. Some mentioned gear oil and ATF too. What ratio do you guys end up using? Do you mix for high viscosity or go for light oil? I'll start: 200ml 75w90 semi-syntheic gear...
www.roadbikereview.com
Preparing for my next long ride, and a possible move from 9 to 11 speed, I'm fitting chain number 3 at 12,100km. Chain number 2 has done 6,150km and measures at 0.5% elongation. Much less than chain 1 which was 0.8% at similar mileage. Main difference in use is summer for this chain, winter for the first. Far more muddy puddles exposure for the winter chain.
New chain 3 sits nicely on cassette number 2, which has also done 6,150km, so low cost Shimano Altus all steel cassette does not need changing. First cassette was fine, but the freehub bearings had failed, so whole wheel replaced under warranty.
I'm finally fitting an 11-42T 9 speed cassette, so new chain with it, and if all parts arrive in time, that will become 11-50T 11 speed in a few days time.
Chains are KMC X9.
New chain 3 sits nicely on cassette number 2, which has also done 6,150km, so low cost Shimano Altus all steel cassette does not need changing. First cassette was fine, but the freehub bearings had failed, so whole wheel replaced under warranty.
I'm finally fitting an 11-42T 9 speed cassette, so new chain with it, and if all parts arrive in time, that will become 11-50T 11 speed in a few days time.
Chains are KMC X9.
Hi, I came across this eBay site and noticed they sell oil in large bottles.
This caught my eye.
They also do 2 chain oils, one contains black moly 2nd one.
The first one might be the same as the lubricating oil listed or the same with PTFE added,. You can buy PTFE seoerately and add it ourself.
Black moly can be bought in liquid form
Description of black moly
www.millersoils.co.uk
General description from internet search.: Ideal mixing ratio is at around 5% (50 mL per liter of oil). The product is self mixing and can be added at any time. Shake well before use.
Their chain oil may be the listed above oil mixed with the black moly.
I suppose you could add the black moly and / or PTFE to their general purpose lubricating oil ( it's cheaper in 5 litre tubs)and see if it has the same effect, no guarantee though.
This caught my eye.
Pardon our interruption...
www.ebay.co.uk
The first one might be the same as the lubricating oil listed or the same with PTFE added,. You can buy PTFE seoerately and add it ourself.
Pardon our interruption...
www.ebay.co.uk
Pardon our interruption...
www.ebay.co.uk
Description of black moly
Black Moly MM2
Black Moly MM2 is a multi-purpose lithium grease with molybdenum disulphide solids for the industrial and automotive sectors.
www.millersoils.co.uk
Their chain oil may be the listed above oil mixed with the black moly.
I suppose you could add the black moly and / or PTFE to their general purpose lubricating oil ( it's cheaper in 5 litre tubs)and see if it has the same effect, no guarantee though.
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Back in the 1970s and 80s when I used to do around 10,00 miles a year, on a road bike. Racing and training. I used to buy 2 new chains and change them over every week. The one I wasn't using I would leave soaking in diesel for 5 days I would then hang it over the soaking can to drip for 2 days before changing over. Using this system 2 chains would last 20,00 miles. However blocks ( cassettes to you young ones) were either 5 or 6 speed. My advice would be keep your chain as clean as possible and use a thin oil for lubricant.
Hub gear and Gates belt drive here, all the gearing nicely lubricated away from the dirt wet etc; well I am impressed so far on several counts, durability & cleanliness being majors. From a user point of view the powering compensates for these being credited with somewhat lower drive efficiency.
Our non electric road bikes are derailleurs and in comparison, are way more hassle with the need for cleaning to lubricate. Here as we power the bike, achieving best efficiency takes on a greater significance.
Our non electric road bikes are derailleurs and in comparison, are way more hassle with the need for cleaning to lubricate. Here as we power the bike, achieving best efficiency takes on a greater significance.
There's quite enough PTFE being thrown into my lungs by vehicle turbochargers etc, I don't want to add to the problem by wafting it from my bike chain. This coating will be broken down
Bought a new rear cassette, but I think the situation is improving with the old one... started slipping again when the cold weather arrived, a bit on gear 5: more on gear 6 (of 8), possibly due to cold shunk metal. I appear to be succeeding in wearing newish chain and old cassette to suit through use, again.
Very mid-drive:
www.core77.com
Very mid-drive:
Stephan Henrich's "Infinity"-Wheeled Bicycle Concept - Core77
Stuttgart-based designer Stephan Henrich describes his firm's specialty as "Robotic-design and architecture in physical realisation and speculation." Given that description, perhaps it's unsurprising that his concept for an all-wheel-drive bike is pretty outside-of-the-box: "The INFINITY beach...
www.core77.com
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My drive train gets more neglected than others in this thread perhaps with the exception of guerney. I use Muc Off wet lube. My Haibike Hard tail is off road every ride, so doused in all sorts every ride. The Muc off wet lube stays on longer than others in the conditions I ride in. There is a lot of sandy sub strata in my area so mud and grit making it a harsh grinding paste like environment. I don't wash it, de grease it, or clean it etc any where near as much as I should or if I am honest hardly at all. I have rotated 3 chains on my cheap 9 speed steel Shimano cassette. Basically running a new chain up to the .5 ish wear point and putting another new one on, doing the same with the second, likewise the third. The chains taken off are de-greased in petrol and hung to dry, lubed and then put back on once the third chain has reached the .5 ish wear point. I am on my last part worn chain now, and it looks like fulfilling my hope that it would see me through the Winter. When I reach the end of this saga, then there is a thorough clean and change of the whole lot including Jockey wheels. My laziness has partly been encouraged when I bought quite a few cassettes off Amazon when they had dropped to £12.50 delivered a few years ago. I only have one left to put on in the Spring. I do get a bit of jumping in the top two gears when I rotate a part worn chain back on but this disappears quite quickly after around a hundred miles as the part worn chain wears into the cassette top two gears. My current cassette has completed 2,701 miles so far. It is not a purist approach but has worked for me.
Motorcycle chain wear was revolutionized by O ring chains. They last a very long time. I have a heavy duty one on a 100bhp Honda VFR I bought second hand. The chain must have been put on by the previous owner. I have now ridden over 42,000 miles and the chain is still good.
I have a crf230 Honda dirt bike that I rode on Friday with a friend on a 90 mile circuit taking in as many legal rights of way as possible. The first track was one my friend had heard about but not ridden down. We won't be doing it again as we encountered deep muddy water, above the wheels on our bikes. The air intake is under the seat, and the bikes pulled through it with no problems, but the water was too deep for comfort. My friend was in front so if he had fully submerged I could have tried to turn round! We run O ring chains on those bikes and after washing the bikes off and spraying on some lube they are good to go again. Simple air cooled Honda's. I picked mine up for £1,500. Fantastic build quality that makes most of the full suspension ebikes look very expensive.
Motorcycle chain wear was revolutionized by O ring chains. They last a very long time. I have a heavy duty one on a 100bhp Honda VFR I bought second hand. The chain must have been put on by the previous owner. I have now ridden over 42,000 miles and the chain is still good.
I have a crf230 Honda dirt bike that I rode on Friday with a friend on a 90 mile circuit taking in as many legal rights of way as possible. The first track was one my friend had heard about but not ridden down. We won't be doing it again as we encountered deep muddy water, above the wheels on our bikes. The air intake is under the seat, and the bikes pulled through it with no problems, but the water was too deep for comfort. My friend was in front so if he had fully submerged I could have tried to turn round! We run O ring chains on those bikes and after washing the bikes off and spraying on some lube they are good to go again. Simple air cooled Honda's. I picked mine up for £1,500. Fantastic build quality that makes most of the full suspension ebikes look very expensive.
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I tend to forget when exactly I change chains and cassttes, but lookig at this thread my KMC X8 has lasted about a year - that chain is showing 1% wear, which might mean it'll snap in use, especially now I've increased the controller limit by 3A to 18A. So, I've just now ordered another from Amazon directly (dispatched and sold by Amazon), which turned out to be a strange process... because the Amazon website kept recommending a seller with only a 88% positive rating above their own listing. Amazon's own price was £12, the crappy seller's was £15.80 (dispatched by Amazon but sold by the crappy seller)... and before I added Amazon's X8 to my basket, it stated a delivery time of over a week for it's X8, but after payment it promised a delivery date before Wednesday, plus it gave me 40p off something else for no reason I could see. Fearing I'd been signed up to Prime somehow via one of Amazon's Dark Patterns, I removed that food item from the basket (also made sure I hadn't been subscribed for a monthly delivery, through another Dark Pattern), and the 40p discount was applied again. Er... thanks? Amazon don't seem to be pushing items they sell themselves anymore. Another example is SSDs that they sell themselves. It's preferable to buy "dispatched and sold by Amazon", because they're less likely to be fake, grey market factory rejectss, retuned items sold as new etc. Anyway, I've finally last night replaced the old cassette, with the new one bought in Feb this year. The newish chain did sortof wear into the old cassette, but not as well as I'd hoped. In warmer weather matters improved, but in my case the chain needed replacing before enough progress was made - it only slipped every so often on a couple of gears (the ones I use most), wasn't too annoying.
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I fairly often take out the free months Prime when offered. As soon as I claim free Prime and make the order I cancel; you still get the rest of the month anyway.
Isn't it an arduous task cancelling Prime? I hate subscriptions, waiting to see if I've finally managed to escape Vermin Virgin Media. I'll take legal action if they bill me next month...
" It also said Amazon put customers seeking to cancel through a cumbersome "four-page, six-click, fifteen option" process, which the FTC said was known internally as "Iliad" in a nod to the Greek epic about the "long, arduous Trojan War". "
Amazon accused of tricking Prime customers
The US has sued Amazon for allegedly manipulating customers during the Prime sign-up process.
www.bbc.co.uk
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