3-In-One Oil

[Eden]

Not having laid any other goop on my chain, I'm not worried about it being lifted off by 3-in-1 oil.

Your chain comes with a really nice lube job done by the manufacturer - that's what your taking off (or really rather out - of all the hard to reach places) if you put a degreaser or a solvent (like 3 in 1 or am I thinking of WD-40?) on it.

I heard, and this made a fair amount of sense to me, that scrubbing your chain and/or soaking it in a degreaser really isn't that good for it. It is better to put enough lube on the chain to float the grit out and then to wipe it off very thoroughly. Leave the factory lube intact as long as you can. I've started following this method of chain cleaning and I do think they stay cleaner, smoother and in better shape longer. I like Boeshield T-9 myself. It doesn't attract as much gunk as some lubes, but it does need to be applied fairly often.