Lube me up, baby!

Jawgap

On the question of chain lubrication, I've some queries:-

1. 3-in-1 Oil - Yay or nay? Sheldon says nay, but I know others may disagree.

2. Post-cleaning, should lube be applied on the inside of the chain or the outside. Again Sheldon and others suggest on the inside but some other stuff I've read says on the outside while back-pedalling the cranks

3. What's a good, run-clean lube? I've been trying to get my hands on some Rock 'n' Roll Gold but it seems no one ships it to Ireland.

thanks

Seve OB

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/triathlon-bike/Progold-LUBES-OILS-DEGREASERS-Progold-Bikewash/PROGLUBE100

langdang

1) personally - nay
2) persoanlly - it's all the one (as long as you meant inside or outside of rollers and not* the side plates)
3) Still searching:(

*important edit

Murph100

Pro Gold is very clean, but almost completely solvent, one spin in heavy rain and its gone, so then you have to reclean and reapply. I did this for over a year before switching to Chain L, lasts forever, almost as clean if you follow the instructions properly.

http://www.urbanhunter.biz/acatalog/chain_L_bike_oil.html

stevieob wrote: »

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/triathlon-bike/Progold-LUBES-OILS-DEGREASERS-Progold-Bikewash/PROGLUBE100

Seaswimmer

I know I have said it before but diesel is a great man for cleaning and keeping the chain lubed..

The diesel leaves a film of oil on the chain (unlike petrol)

After you have used it pour the dirty diesel back into a container and when you go to use it again all the sediment will be on the bottom and the diesel will be clear to be reused.

Works for me and I have been using it on chains since the early 80's...

tomasrojo

http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

The claim there about 3-in-1 being a vegetable oil is a puzzling lapse on the part of Sheldon Brown. It's a mineral oil, though it does contain a little citronella oil.

Its main defect as a chain oil is that it's very thin and is washed out by anything more than a short shower. If you've nothing specific for a chain, it'll definitely do, provided you re-lube a lot. I still use a few drops for locks, on exposed screws and bolts as anti-corrosion (very occasionally), and on locks and hinges around the house.

tomasrojo

Seaswimmer wrote: »

I know I have said it before but diesel is a great man for cleaning and keeping the chain lubed..

The diesel leaves a film of oil on the chain (unlike petrol)

After you have used it pour the dirty diesel back into a container and when you go to use it again all the sediment will be on the bottom and the diesel will be clear to be reused.

Works for me and I have been using it on chains since the early 80's...

I think the use of petrol is cautioned against because of its volatility and propensity to explode. I don't know whether diesel has similar problems; I assume it doesn't, as it has longer-chain polymers, IIRC.

el Bastardo

tomasrojo wrote: »

http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

The claim there about 3-in-1 being a vegetable oil is a puzzling lapse on the part of Sheldon Brown. It's a mineral oil, though it does contain a little citronella oil.

Its main defect as a chain oil is that it's very thin and is washed out by anything more than a short shower. If you've nothing specific for a chain, it'll definitely do, provided you re-lube a lot. I still use a few drops for locks, on exposed screws and bolts as anti-corrosion (very occasionally), and on locks and hinges around the house.

The 3-in-1 that I used as a kid was some sort of common household lubricant with added graphite. The spray 3-in-1 stuff I have now is not the same; It's still thin oil, but it's meant to be used on bikes (but maybe not bike chains?) and it's got teflon rather than graphite. It's also a lot handier than using drip dispenser oil (e.g. finish line lube).

Anyway, I lube the whole chain with finish line wet lube after I clean it and then put it back on the bike. Otherwise, it's 3-in-1 spray on the top/bottom of the rollers as often as it starts feel a little rough.

Mycroft H

This is whats in 3 and 1 these days;



I use it, its fine.

piston

I always use 3 in 1 (or the pound shop equivalents tbh) on my chain. I've tried all sorts and find no difference in chain life. It may need to be applied more often than some of the fancy chain lubes but it's cheap enough. Run the chain through an rag with diesel or WD40 on it to clean of the dirt, a drop of 3 in 1 (the dripper tin, not the aerosol) on each roller from the inside, and then run it backwards a few times and run it through a clean rag to soak of the excess so dirt doesn't stick. Only takes a few minutes, costs peanuts and seems to work fine.

I won't comment too much on chain life as I realise that all my bikes (I have a lot) are fixed gear, hub gear, single speed freewheel or 6 speed freewheel block and my chains will outlast any of the modern 9 or 10 speed systems with any kind of reasonable care.