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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just wanted to second the dumonde tech lube. gave it a try after running into this article a while back. works great and smells fantastic! i'm going to try the green variant once this bottle is out. my chain maintenance seems to be the same as described, by the way: wipe down gently between rides (preferably a couple hours later, after dinner and with beer in hand) and re-lube once the chain starts to make noise any louder than the blissful song of it humming through the rear derailleur, echo-ing off of parked cars, mailboxes and concrete barriers.
also, regarding creaks... i recently developed an annoying creak coming from the BB area. specifically at the 5-6 o'clock position on my drive side crank when climbing. i'd recently gotten new bottle cages and heard they could cause this; riding without for a few minutes ruled that out. moving on, i removed, greased and tightened the chain ring bolts; no joy. pedals had been changed out recently as well; these were removed, re-lubed and re-tightened yet the problem persisted. finally, i tried the obvious solution i'd feared: pull the crank set and re-grease the BB area. with BB30, this was actually incredibly easy and required no more than a 10mm hex key, a gentle tap from a rubber mallet, grease and about ten minutes of my time. the creak is absolutely gone. guessing some damp winter rides on bike #1 washed some of the grease away. anyway lesson is: pulling a BB30 crank is easy and i should have tried this first.
@Roadslave525A 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.Is it available in UK? Google doesn't find much.
@meursault
Nice to hear that you're looking after your bike however degreasing the chain after each ride is not very smart.Clean chain looks wonderful I know but chain degreased often will not last for long.Rub the outside plates of the chain in the clean rag and re-lube.Wipe off excess.When the chain gets a bit more dirty and it's time for a bigger cleaning overlube it slightly and go for a ride.While riding all the dirt from inside the rollers will surface on top and then when you get home again rub the chain into a clean cloth/rag.This way what stays inside between the rollers is a lube/oil rather than degreaser.Once you learn this method cleaning the chain will be easier and your chain will last long.
You can find dumonde on ebay,some shops will ship to uk so search ebay.