Should i lubricate my bike chain

Motorcycle chains, like any other chain-driven vehicle need the proper tension on the chain for quiet safe performance. If a chain is too tight it will quickly stretch and wear the teeth down on the sprockets. If a chain is too loose it will flop as your drive and could shear off teeth or break due to the slack.

The two top reasons a chain stretches prematurely is either too much tension or inadequate lubrication. Each time the chain wraps around one of the sprockets the pins holding the links together pivot in the linkage. Never Use : Too much grease.

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Boeshield amazon. Phil Wood Waterproof Grease. Ceramic chain lube forms a protective nanoparticle barrier on the chain. It is available for wet and dry versions. It reduces friction and increases riding efficiency, which makes it more appealing than regular lube. Ceramic lube contributes to a longer chain life, but it is significantly more expensive than regular lube. I know that I did. In reality the amount of lube needed to keep your chain running smoothly is very little and it is only needed for the connection between two links to reduce friction and thus minimize wear.

Unnecessary oil or lube only attracts dirt and builds up grime. Step 2: Remove oil and grime from your chain and cogs.

You can scrub off the grime with a brush and a clean cloth, but this can get quite messy. To keep the black stuff away from your clothes and the surroundings you can use a chain cleaning tool, which keeps everything contained and easy to dispose of.

You can check it out on Amazon here. Step 4: Apply chain lube on your chain links. Come, pedal with me and be a HERO! Whether you're a commuter and you want better air ventilation and less weight on your shoulders or you're preparing for an upcoming bike tour, adding a rack to your bicycle opens up new Wiping is not always best thing to do, because you can unintentinally take dirt from outside where it is harmless to the inside.

The chain might look clean, but a lot of dirt would be inside. Best thing to do, IMO, is to remove it, submerge in some solvent I use kerosene , and shake vigorously. I did some longevity testing and found solvent bath and relubed chains had a noticeable shorter life compared to wipe-lube-wipe. To clean your chain you can either use a chain cleaning tool, I use this one from Park Tool which is excellent: source: parktool.

Glorfindel 1 1 gold badge 5 5 silver badges 12 12 bronze badges. Richard Tasker Richard Tasker 1, 12 12 silver badges 16 16 bronze badges. So I can minute bike ride to the local shops then spend 30 minutes cleaning the chain? I agree if you have been out in the mud, or a long trip on dust roads. If you like me are commuting to work each day on dry asphalt I think cleaning it each day is a bit of overkill.

Thanks for the powerlink tips. Note that many of the powerlink-type gizomos aren't reusable! Show 7 more comments. Kevin Kevin 2, 4 4 gold badges 29 29 silver badges 31 31 bronze badges. Can't specifically damage it, but if you oil a chain etc just before you ride- it will attract more dirt, which will cause more damage.

So, I'd suggest oiling after a ride, rather before. Mindcontrol Mindcontrol 1 1 silver badge 5 5 bronze badges. I think maybe pushing it for wet lubes. By that point there probably are dried caked on bits of dirt that could do things like cause chain suck, etc. Tude Productions Tude Productions 2, 3 3 silver badges 24 24 bronze badges. Very thorough answer, thanks!

Any ideas what might be causing the rust with this care routine? Chris Chris 6 6 silver badges 14 14 bronze badges. If your advice is followed the chain and cogs will wear out much sooner than they would with a well-lubed chain. True, but does that mean they wear out after 5 years instead of 6 years?

Of course they will wear out sooner, but is it really going to be a noticeable amount? My experience suggests that chain life would be cut in half, or worse, if you apply this minimal maintenance "strategy".

Once the rollers looks perfectly dry and shiny, it's time for a few drops of oil. Of course, I use car oil, so I can actually see the effect of lubing, it's harder to see if you use a perfectly clear oil. So, basically, your advice is to consistently wait until your chain is telling you it should have been lubed days ago, and then lube it.

That's pretty terrible advice. Show 1 more comment. There are two reasonable chain care strategies, depending on the type and price of the chain. This strategy works as follows: Wait until there's a bit of squeaking from the chain Remove the chain from the bicycle, pushing a pin halfway with a chain tool Clean the chain in a bath of degreaser carefully Dry the chain Oil the chain Remove excess oil Put the chain back to the bicycle, driving the pin back with a chain tool What made the strategy reasonable was the high expense of bushing-type chains, cheap labor and the ability to reuse the same pin when putting back the chain.

Because of these reasons, the current reasonable chain care strategy is: Wait until the chain squeaks Clean away the surface dirt from the dry chain Oil the chain on the bicycle Remove excess oil There is no reasonable chain care strategy that is based on oiling every N miles whatever the value of N is. The Goat The Goat 1. Welcome to Bicycles TheGoat. We recommend that new members take the tour to make best use of the site, and since you're answering see How to Answer also.

Unfortunately, there are two severe issues with this answer: 1 Blasting a bike with a high power jet wash is dangerous advice: This may easily force water where it does not belong, inducing corrosion. An under-lubed chain will wear quicker, it will reduce efficiency, and it will damage chain-ring s and sprocket s , but it won't snap.