We met by chance, or so it seems. I suppose there really is no such thing as “chance”. I was ready for it, and it was there. I wasn’t really looking but, you see, it had been a while since I’d been happy. I’d even strayed about some, trying a bit of this and a bit of that, but nothing really filled the void I felt within. But Love is a real thing and it can belong to each of us; we just have to be willing to see and we need the courage to grasp it while we can.
My chain and I share a tumultuous relationship. Mostly, we get along just fine, but my demands are high and it is but a simple thing. There are times when it simply doesn’t behave as I’d like. Not only do I expect it to shift properly and propel my bike without impeding my forward progress more than I already do myself, but I expect it to be absolutely silent, only allowing it a triumphant chirp when coaxed onto an adjacent cog.
In my quest to observe the Principle of Silence, I tune my drivetrain and bike more often than is reasonable, often when it requires neither tuning nor cleaning. But I do it anyway, and it feels good. Few things delight me as much as hearing the hum of the back wheel as it spins on the stand, my left hand spinning the drive-side pedal while my right hand pushes the levers on the shifters while watching the chain skip flawlessly from one cog to the next. A daily ritual, I never – under any circumstances – throw my leg over a bike without first cleaning at least the chain. I find it is unbecoming of a Velominatus to ride a soiled machine; we are not barbarians, after all.
You need to know all this in order to understand what I will say next. I have experimented with synthetic lubes and with waxes, and none are the equal of an oil-based product. Sure, oil attracts more road grit, but for those of us who clean our chains every day, that hardly matters. More importantly, it’s lubricating qualities are far superior to the synthetics. As for providing a solid platform for the Principle of Silence, no product I’ve come across has managed to rival the noise-dampening qualities of Dumonde Tech BCL, made right here in Seattle, no less. All it requires is a single drop on each link and chain noise virtually disappears. If you are lucky enough to ride well-tuned Campagnolo mechs, you’ll find that the only sound you hear is the hiss of your wheels cutting through the breeze. And, in my case, that of belabored breathing.
When first we met, I was skeptical. I’d been hurt in the past and I needed assurances that it wouldn’t happen again. The bottle caught my eye as it stood coyly on its shelf. I picked it up and discretely read the label which said all the right things – a bit about low friction and a bit re-applying only when chain noise becomes audible. I took the first step, and it has rewarded me with silence.
And, dare I say, it smells strangely pleasant.
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All your chain lube are belong to us.
Six months ago, I went into my LBS, not satisfied with my current relationship. There were a lot of "pretty" lubes hanging around, vying for my attention, but I was looking for something more substantial. Then the LBS customer service extrordinaire Velomihottie, knowing my tastes, steered me toward Dumonde Tech. Knowing She was always right about these things, I hooked up with a bottle. Since that first night, I've never looked back, though she does get a little dirty, sometimes, for me...
I've long been a Finish Line Dry Lube man myself, lube every week or two (when I clean the whole bike). I typically go about 4500km between chains, and I go two chains before I replace the cassette... seems to work for me. Although I just threw a new (Record) chain on a couple weeks ago and have developed a really annoying creak when I put the hammer down... tightened the chain ring bolts, checked skewers, no effect. Going to do a full on deep lube on the chain this afternoon. PoS must be maintained!
@kishan I have a simple training plan which was given to me by a woman over 50 years old who broke the hour in a 40k TT. This is a very good result. Her coach was someone famous and reputable and I really don't remember his name. Anyway a couple years ago when I was learning php, I put a version of it online. It assumes some basic cycling knowledge, but here it is http://pdxvr.com/training.php
I fancy Rock n' Roll Gold after most every ride. It cleans and lubes in one process -- apply liberally, wipe clean, and re-wipe before the next ride. It takes less than 5 minutes. My Chorus 11 mech has been shiny and silent for a good 3000 km.
I am w/nate, Rock-n-Roll gold is the down and out. I do mine every 100k.
How does the Dumonde compare frank?? I am always open to new lubes because it just seems everyone i change to is superior to the last, albeit, the Rock-n-Roll gold has been good, it can be out-done.
A ride after which I don't clean my entire drive train, degreaser and relube is a ride incomplete... It leaves me unsatisfied, irritable, wretched. Sitting there with my pint of post-ride recovery carbs in my V-chalice, cleaning each cog on my rear mech with an old tea towel and degreaser, degreasing the chain, then reassembling is a pleasure of which I'll never tire... I've recently switched from finish line wet to dry... But I shall now try and source some dumonde... Is it available in the UK?
Frank, agree on Campag... Shimano components wear out... Campag ones wear in... A timeless classic, as true as the principle of silence. There it is.
@Frank - nice use of the Molteni jersey as backdrop.
Chains, fuggetaboutit. I've learned the hard way and now replace my chain once a year. And I've tried dry lubes, motorcycle chain lubes, semi-dry and now I'm using some extremely light something-gold(??), it's OK but requires frequent reapplication. I'll try dumonde if I can find it.
Can I upload a pdf? I've got an interesting one on chain wear. What chain last longer, sort of document.
@john
While interesting, the results are worth very little because how many of us actually ride at 50kph all the time? I'm certainly not Faboo and can't put out nearly that kind of power. I wonder what the chain wear is for speeds like the 30-35kph at which I normally ride.
That Connex chains are the best in this figure, and the speed under which the testing occurred was completely unreasonable leads me to believe there's a serious bias in these results.