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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Ok, so you folks that lube your chains (har) on almost every ride, do you also degrease the chain first, or just give it a quick wipe with a rag, lube, then wipe the excess off?
I am but a young Velominatus and need to learn these things from elder disciples. It would seem to me that a simple wipe/lube/wipe would leave all sorts of crap embedded inside the chain, which would continue to wear on your cassette and chain rings. This is why whenever I lube my chain, I do an entire drive train cleaning, which takes me an hour or more to do it properly, thus I don't do it as often as I should. I want to RIDE, not CLEAN!
I must confess I used to feel the same way, but I've developed a deeper appreciation not just for the tool but also the ride since I took more time working on the bike. I'll spare you the Zen comparisons, but they're there.
Just back from the LBS, where I got my son a Specialized Hardrock mtb. It's a nice machine and I'm looking forward to getting out on the trails with him before the rain and snow make that impossible (I won't contribute to erosion of local trails by riding too late into the season"”that should be a rule). But spending some time on Sunday afternoon to clean is going to become a part of our father-son time together, which should be good. Hard ride and then quiet reverence.
As an aside, while he was testing a variety of bikes, I hopped on a Specialized Tricross to keep him company. They only had a 52 for me to ride (I typically ride a 56), but this thing wanted to take off underneath me"”beautiful piece of work, that. I got back to the shop and asked if they would trade it for my son. Sadly, see above, I came home with son and bike for him rather than new cross bike for me. C'est la vie...
@mcsqueak
The more often you wipe/lube, the less you have to do a deep cleaning. And the more stuff you wipe off after you lube, the cleaner everything stays. Here in SoCal, we're lucky weather-wise, so we don't have to clean as much.
And if you don't already do your own wrenching, start. Invest in some basic tools and a stand, get advice from more knowledgeable mates, and treat yourself to more tools with the money you save wrenching your own shit. You'll hopefully discover that wrenching will help you bond with your steed, make you a better rider, and open up all new topics of conversation on group rides. It will also make you a fanatic about having a perfectly tuned ride. Fun!
@mcsqueak
As a frequent lube-er -- I find I don't need to degrease. It has the disadvantage of sucking the lube out of the chain. Degreasing is a last resort. The beauty of the regular lube and wipe is that if you find a lube that works the chain won't get to the point that it needs to be degreased.
Having said that, if you want to convert to the lube and wipe, and your chain still has life in it, you'll probably want to give it a thorough degreasing first to remove any built up gunk.
@kishan
Is it hot in here, or am I blushing? As Brett hinted at, we don't really write much about actually training, or actually being good a riding a bike. I mean, we are good at riding bikes, but it really came about more by accident than anything else, just through falling in love with the machines, focusing on making sure we look good all the time, and mimic the Pros whenever in doubt.
As it happens, we really don't in any way regulate what the conversation shapes into here - and we happen to have a load of members in our community who can help you out, like Michael. We even have nutrition experts in our ranks, so you'll be well handled by the community. Just chuck some specific questions up, and I'm sure you'll get some helpful answers. If no one response, just post it again somewhere else - we get some posting traffic going sometimes and not everyone catches all of them.
So, welcome aboard, and fire away!
@Nate, @Souleur
I shall try this magical elixir and get back to you on it. I have to ask, how does it taste?
@Roadslave
You have arrived. You are one of us, my son.
@sgt
Check your cassette as well - I routinely take it apart and clean the grit from between the sets of cogs, and make sure it's nice and tights. This can definitely lead to a difficult-to-diagnose creaking sound.
There is nothing more maddening than noise coming from your bike while riding. Noise = energy loss = not forward momentum = not all suffering making bike go faster
@sgt, @mcsqueak
Sqt really has it nailed here, regular cleaning keeps things in great order, and prevents too much buildup of any problems.
I also do a weekly or bi-weekly cleaning with the cyclone. Admittedly, it's distressingly phallic, but it's also amazingly effective. A few times a year, I buy the expensive Park degreaser which really, REALLY cleaning the fuck out of it.
I was getting worried about my chaine after about 5000ks on it and brought it into the shop to check it (I should just buy the tool, but I like the excuse to have a "reason" to go to the shop and talk to my boys) and there was virtually no wear on it.
An ounce of prevention.
Aside from that - @John's got the ticket. Replace your chain before it wears out, and you don't have to also replace your expensive cassette.
@Steampunk
Wow, the first bike I bought with my own money was a Hard Rock. I still have it - or at least my parents do. It's an amazing bike, a bit heavy, but an amazing bike.
This is what my dad - my cycling sensei - and I did as well. Just, please, when your son overtightens the bolt on your new Campag MTB group (they made one, briefly) and strips it - go easy on him, ok?
Nice try on Rule 11, but it seems you were foiled. Keep trying.
After reading this, I've done some further reading on the chain-cleaning subject and it really shows how many pig-ignorant lazy bastards there are out there. And that highlights the point of this site which is about showing people how things should be done.
I've always done a fairly good job of chain-cleaning and care, but I have still learnt a few things. Such as putting the lube on the inside of the chain, which attracts less than lubing the outer. That hot water is probably better than bikewash/degreaser things and that there doesn't seem to be one best way of doing things.
Personally, as a tree-hugging hippy type I'll try to stay away from oil-based lubes and solvent degreasers though, especially as the outside drain is a surface-water only that ends in the river about 500m away.