Bike Maintenence

Usjes

Hi,

I got a new bike six months ago and as it was quite expensive I would like to know the best way to take care of it. I'm specifically concerned about the chain and gear cogs etc. See the attached photo, when new the chain and most of the unpainted metal components were a shiny metalic colour but over time grew dull and grimy. It lives indoors at home and at work but being Ireland its going to get wet frequently so I find if I use no oil on the chain etc. they will start to rust. On the other hand if I apply oil then it seems to attract dust etc. from the road and turn into black gunk. So currently my cleaning routine is:
1. Hose it down with water and then dry it.
2. Apply 3-in-1 oil liberally to the chain and cogs and then taken it all off with a rag to try to get rid of the gunk that the hose didn't remove.
3. I would then apply oil again but a much sparser coating to try to prevent rust.
This seems to work okay but its a bit of a balancing act trying to figure our how much oil to apply in the final step after cleaning.

So, does anyone know what the best way to care for a bike is? I can remember being mountain biking in an adventure centre in the West a couple of years ago and at the end of the day they had us just hose down the bikes and I remember wondering if they would not rust to death in no time, but maybe bikes don't need any oil to prevent from rusting as long as they are kept dry ?

Any ideas ?

redmaxi

Water will clean the bike but not the chain.
You need to de-grease the chain thoroughly and then oil it.
You can get specific de-greasers but diesel or parafin will do the job just as well.

Slydice

I'm a total amateur but from what I gather, it's not a good idea to use oil like wd40 or 3in1 because they can gather dust (and maybe wash off... anyone confirm?).

Anyway, after reading a bit here, I got it into my head that people recommend washing with a degreaser to get the dirt and old oil/lubricant/dirt off and using a lubricant for the chain, cogs and other moving parts.

I went to halfords and found some products there. I went for some special offer under the muc off brand name for degreaser and lubricant.

It came with this degreaser:
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_160859_langId_-1_categoryId_212648

not sure which lubricant but this is the only muc off one on their website and looks a little like the one i have:
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_250192_langId_-1_categoryId_212645

The degreaser is awesome for removing crap. The lubricant seems good enough but I'm not exactly sure how to tell if it's working good or not (anyone care to explain?).

I also bought some bristly brushes in halfords which help to shift the crap off.

Tonyandthewhale

You need a de-greaser. A chain has to be clean before you put any oil on it. Fairly liquid and a sponge and a rag and rinse afterwards works for me (don't use any spray stuff for either oil or degreaser as you want to control where it goes) although recently I've acquired one of those park tools chain cleaner yokes that you run the chain through and it's nifty.

I wouldn't really bother putting too much oil on the cassette since the chain should already be oiled when it runs over them.

3 in 1 is ok (WD40 is not a lubricant though) but dedicated bike lubes such as white lightening are arguably better. Any chain will get dirty after a while but if it's going completely black very quickly then maybe you're using too much oil. You'd be surprised how little you need.

superlav

3 in 1 is ok, but I find it a bit sticky and it seems to attract more dirt and grime than the others I've used.

Any bike shop will be happy to sell you a can of bike specific teflon based lube which you can spray on your chain/cassette and then remove the excess by running the chain through a rag. You don't need very much. A 400ml can spray can will probably last you at least a year, I think I normally get about 2 yrs.

gman2k

Ok folks, for the last time.....


Do not use WD40 on a bike, unless some part is seized.

For your chain, cassette and jockey wheels on the rear mech, keep them spotlessly clean. Use a chain scrub tool for best & easiest results.
Keep the lubrication light. Less is more, as lube attracts dirt. Dirt eats chains. Dirty chains eats cassettes.

Lemag

I was told of a guy who, after having cleaned his chain, dips it in to melted candlewax..

07Lapierre

Lemag wrote: »

I was told of a guy who, after having cleaned his chain, dips it in to melted candlewax..

That sounds like a job for "mythbusters"!!

raindodger

the same as Usjes new to this game have new bike for about three months and have done about 700 k on it.Without doing anything to it is there a set period like a car for servicing it , presume from reading this i should have lubricated and cleaned the chain by now.

gman2k

raindodger wrote: »

the same as Usjes new to this game have new bike for about three months and have done about 700 k on it.Without doing anything to it is there a set period like a car for servicing it , presume from reading this i should have lubricated and cleaned the chain by now.

Only if it needs it! A new chain has the best form of lubrication on it, and should not be removed unless the chain has become very dirty.

Lemag

07Lapierre wrote: »

That sounds like a job for "mythbusters"!!

lol. Yeah. In the meantime I'll be sticking with a more conventional method of lubing my chain.