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- Lubricating your chain is not necessarily
as easy as it may sound,
certainly not for everybody out there.
So the purpose of lubricating your chain
is basically to have more efficient drivetrains,
that means a lower friction,
as well as reducing the chance of any corrosion,
plus the chance of wearing out prematurely.
So today we're gonna look at various methods
of lubricating your chain,
as well as different lubes for it.
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Well firstly let's talk about Wet Lube.
So as the name says, it's wet when you apply it,
and basically it's designed for poor weather conditions.
So it does attract generally a little bit more dirt,
grime, dust, that kind of thing.
But importantly, it stays in place
when the heavens open and the rain starts coming down.
Doesn't wash off,
therefore giving you a squeaky bike.
Well worth it for the winter.
Then for dry conditions, we've got Dry Lube.
All sounds logical, doesn't it?
Although it's not strictly dry is it,
because look, there's some liquid in there.
Although if you apply it properly onto your chain,
after a few hours basically it leaves
a dry film-like coating across the chain links
and also the rollers too.
If you don't apply it properly,
it's just gonna attract a lot of extra dirt on there.
Now if you use this in the wet,
it is going to wash off pretty easily
giving you a loud squeaking noise,
and basically annoying everybody as well as yourself,
and importantly not giving you the efficiency you deserve,
as well as possibly wearing out too fast.
Now there are various different specialist lubricants
out there on the market.
Basically the purpose behind them is exactly like
the previous two we've just mentioned,
but generally they are gonna give you
a lower friction when you're pedaling along,
therefore allowing you to go a little bit faster
but for less effort.
So for example, you've got UFO Drip from CeramicSpeed,
you've got TS Bicycle Chain Lube,
Race Day Spray from Rex,
Chain Lube from Rex as well,
plus all importantly that chain waxing video
I did a little while ago where basically
I submerged a chain in some melting wax,
revealed it,
and the results speak for themselves.
But how to apply it?
This is probably where I'm at my absolute fussiest
when it comes to bike maintenance.
So important to remember is to basically have
your drivetrain as clean as possible,
so wipe away any excess lubricant,
use a degreaser and get it absolutely spotless.
Then find your joining pin,
or link,
and then rotate the chain backwards
until essentially you find that joining pin
in the bottom run of the chain,
that's quite important to remember.
And then I prefer to use a lubricant from a bottle,
because I find it easier to apply,
don't have the steadiest of hands.
That way as well you can also control
how much comes out as you're going along.
And then I start at that joining pin,
and basically only apply lubricant
to each individual roller.
And then as I'm going along,
just turn that pedal backwards,
and then so forth,
until that joining pin comes all the way back round,
then you know you've completed a full revolution.
Allow it to settle in for a little while,
so just 20, 30 seconds,
and then pedal it backwards
maybe for about 30 seconds this time,
and allowing the lubricant to work its way
fully into those rollers and pins.
Then in a couple of hours,
just wipe away any excess that you may well
have gotten outside of the chain links
because you don't need it there.
The only place you need that lubricant
is inside of the rollers and pins.
Let's not forget though about aerosols,
because they are a very, very popular choice
out there for lubricants.
Personally I don't find them as easy to use
as that of something in a bottle,
that's probably just because I've always tended
to use a drop-on type roller rather than an aerosol.
But with a little bit of caution,
they can work just as well.
But firstly, what are we gonna do.
Well if you've got disc rotors
or calipers on the bike,
you're gonna wanna try and protect them
from any wayward spray from the aerosol.
So get yourself some cloth
and basically cover them up.
And the same goes for braking surfaces too,
so try and work away from a rim brake
so basically you don't have poor braking
after you've lubed your chain.
Now there's a couple of different techniques here
that we can use.
The first one, and my preferred one,
is find yourself a friend
and essentially get them to backpedal
whilst you loosely grasp the chain with a cloth,
and then with the aerosol you spray each roller.
And then they're doing the hard work for you really,
pedaling that backwards.
Again, just like with the lubricant from a bottle,
start and finish at the same place
on the lower run of chain.
The other method is to do it yourself,
it's slightly more labor intensive,
although let's face it,
it's not really much work there is it.
So again you would just hold it and spray, spray, spray,
and then backpedal, spray, spray, spray,
and so forth.
Does take a little bit longer,
but hey, it's not that fun is it.
Now some of you out there will be wondering
why on earth I'm not just spraying
backwards and forwards,
and spinning the cranks around,
and using up half a can or half a bottle at a time.
Well, it's for that exact reason, wastage.
And also, you're not knowing where exactly
it's going that way, are you?
Be accurate, and that bottle of lubricant
or that aerosol of lubricant is gonna last you a lot longer.
Now just like the other methods,
spin the cranks round a couple of times
before wiping away any excess,
and then you're good to go out riding again.
But what I want to know is how do you oil your chain?
What's your preferred method,
from a bottle, from a can,
or do you wax it, who knows?
Let me know in the comments section down below.
Also, remember to like and share
this video with your friends,
especially if you ride with someone
and they've got a squeaky chain.
My pet hate.
Now remember as well to check out the GCN shop
at shop.globalcyclingnetwork.com.
And now for another video,
this time when I waxed a chain,
that's right, I dipped a chain in hot wax,
click just down here.