Chain cleaning challenged

[Catrin]

I use a dry lube on my chain to reduce the amount of gunk that gets all over me, my car, etc. The guys at the shop told me to reapply it after every 2 rides. In practice I generally do it after 3-4 rides.

I used one of those chain cleaning gizmos that you put around the chain and the brushes turn when you turn the pedals. It seems to work well enough and it only uses a little bit of cleaner each time.

Dry lube? My trainer tells me that he tends to use either a very light oil, a dry lube, or a dry silicone in a spray can. hmmmm, this might be the way for me to go.

[withm]

I lube every 100 - 200 miles or so - or when I hear any noise from the chain. Pro link is good, not too messy. Be sure to apply to the inner part of the chain - by that I mean the part that contacts with the gears. And be sure to wipe off any excess. There is a good video on how to do this at the Terry Website.

http://www.terrybicycles.com/videos

Scroll down to the one called Cleaning and Lubrication your Bike Chain

I clean the chain with one of those chain cleaning gadgets a couple times a year, filled with chain cleaner. Warning - do this outside - spinning the chain through the cleaning gadget invariably sends droplets onto the floor, or walls, not to mention your shirt. In reality I do this when I notice that the chain is looking pretty bad, shifting poorly, making noise or otherwise calling attention to itself. This may not sound like much, but my riding is split among 3 bikes, and when I do one, I do them all.

[crazycanuck]

Umm..so i'm doing all wrong then??

I remove my chain & cassette every couple of weeks and give them a good clean. We get an old plastic container, thow some kero and leave it for a few hours. Old cloth, some water etc etc.. It comes out darned clean ya!

We use Squirt lube or rock n roll & apply it once or twice a week. http://www.squirtlube.com/

[HillSlugger]

I use the Rock n Roll lubes that claim you don't need to degrease or anything. Just wipe down the dirty chain, apply RnR liberally, and then wipe until the chain is clean. My chains are all in very good condition, even after 1000's of miles.

[Catrin]

Thanks for the good discussion and advice. My chain is now pristine clean once again and sporting Rock and Roll Gold dry lube I will endeavor to have better chain-cleaning habits

[Melalvai]

What really matters is the weather & road conditions. Whether it's 5 miles or 25 miles in the rain, I'll have to clean my chain. By "clean" I mean, I lube each link and run the chain through a rag for a long time. Theoretically that is "until the chain runs through the rag cleanly" but in reality it is "until I'm tired of turning the pedal by hand".

I was very proud when I got my new cassette because the mechanic said my diligent chain-cleaning really prolonged the life of the old cassette (4500 miles). He said some people come in after 1000 miles and their cassette is already trashed. Ultimately what matters is how smoothly the chain goes onto different cogs, and whether it is wearing down your cassette.

[wavedancer]

For those of us who want to be sure our chains are exceptionally clean Sheldon Brown provides clear instructions