Interval for cleaning/lubing chain?

[mrsilv04]

After how many miles should I be cleaning and lubing the chain?

On road use only, this bike does *not* go out in the rain. (This is my Specialized Allez 105).

Noticed on my morning ride, that the chain had that "I'm dry" sound. Before heading out tonight, I wiped the chain down with some WD-40 on a rag, let it sit, and then lubed it with chain lube that I had soaked a corner of a rag in. After letting it sit a while, I wiped off the excess oil.

Wow, did tonight's ride sound a lot better...

So.... it appears that I'm waiting too long. Is every 200 miles a good number?

 

[flanso]

I clean my chains by soaking in mineral spirits, lube with Chain-L chain lube and then repeat the process when a chain gets very black or 200 miles, whichever comes first. I rotate 3 chains, switching every 800 miles.

 

[skyactiv]

I lube by appearance. I use Castrol chain wax on my motorcycle and bikes. 200 sounds good to me.

 

[ABerns]

The manual of my 2007 FZ6 calls for lubing the chain every 500 miles, or after riding in the rain.

200 miles seems plenty low.

 

[whizbyu]

Step 1: I use a Park Tool Chain Cleaner. CM-5. I fill it with diesel and clamp it on the chain and clean it that way. Diesel fuel dries with some film that acts as a little lubricant.
Step 2: After using the chain cleaner, I let it sit overnight, the next day wipe it clean (usually dried up), and put some ProLink oil or TriFlow to it, let it sit and wipe dry. I suggest using an oil bottle, and not a spray can because the spray puts oil in places other than the chain ( on your rims, the rim/brake interface, the frame).

After every ride, I wipe down the chain with a clean cloth. Usually after 100 miles, I repeat steps 1 and 2. Allowing the chain to go dry is almost similar to letting your crankcase run dry.

 

[supton]

I like the idea of every 200 miles, and rotating with another chain. My chain lube is changing color around then. But I don't, it is lucky if I lube it every 200, and a cleaning in mineral spirits every 500. I replace around every 1k, on a 9 speed.

 

[AHC]

Road
Wet lube, clean conditions = 200 miles
Wet lube, dirty conditions = 100 miles
Dry lube, clean conditions = 100 miles
Dry lube, dirty conditions = not recommended


Mountain
Wet lube, clean conditions = 100 miles
Wet lube, dirty conditions = after each ride
Dry lube, clean conditions = after each ride
Dry lube, dirty conditions = not recommended

 

[Saab9000]

I clean the chain every time I ride it. I grab the lower rung of the chain with with a rag in my hand and turn the pedals back wards. Every couple of hundred miles, I lube the chain and then do the same procedure as above. Chain is always visually clean and silent, shifts perfectly.

I never take the chain off to clean it, I just always measure the chain for wear, once it has reached the limit, I get a new one. If you leave the chain on past the wear limit, you will ruin the cassette. Chains is cheap, cassettes, not so much.

 

[UG_Passat]

A full blown clean is annual, where I remove the chain and clean the chain, and scrub the jockey wheels on the rear derailleur and chain rungs.

Other than that:

MTB: using TriFlow wet, I relube after each ride
Road: when I was using White Lightning Clean Ride, also after every ride (not impressed with it)....trying Boeshield T9 this season.

 

[bogan]

I ride 200 km per week.
I lube my chain once a week.. I seems to work well.

I like prolink lube....

 

[Surestick]

Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
A full blown clean is annual, where I remove the chain and clean the chain, and scrub the jockey wheels on the rear derailleur and chain rungs.

Other than that:

MTB: using TriFlow wet, I relube after each ride
Road: when I was using White Lightning Clean Ride, also after every ride (not impressed with it)....trying Boeshield T9 this season.


I used to like the original White Lightning but the newer formulas don't seem to last as long. For mountain biking in the dry dusty conditions where I live a real dry lube (vs a "dry" lube that is really a thick paste) makes a big difference. I find Squirt Lube seems to last and stay clean. It's better than most dry lubes in the wet too (though not stellar). I find I get about three hours of riding out of an application.
One of the things about dry lubes like Squirt or White Lightning is the self cleaning action takes that extra step out of re-lubing. Of course you do need to scrape the accumulated wax out of the nooks and crannies every once in a while (which, strangely enough isn't mentioned in the advertising

) but it's a lot cleaner of a job than with oil based lubes.

 

[buck91]

I used to ride enough to need to clean and lube my chain regularly...