Author Topic: how often do you lube your chain  (Read 2687 times)

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Offline cb650 bobber

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how often do you lube your chain
« on: July 21, 2008, 11:26:50 AM »
how often you spray your chain up with some good oring chain spray.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2008, 11:47:02 AM by cb650 bobber »
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Offline scondon

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Re: how often do you lube your chaing
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2008, 11:41:46 AM »
Never ;)  I use RK oil applied with a brush every time I remember to do it(not any better than spray that I know of, just what I like to use). Early on I tried to adhere to the "every time I walk past the bike" schedule but over time this has evolved in to once every 200-800 miles.
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Offline Senna27

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2008, 12:26:18 PM »
I use Chain Wax and lube it every time I fill up. Gas/Lube Gas/Lube Gas/Lube... Easy to remember! ;)
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Offline Tower

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2008, 01:33:36 PM »
Never.  The autolube works well on my bike.  But I do clean off excess oil every 500 miles or so.

Offline BobbyR

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2008, 01:50:26 PM »
I do it about 3 times during the season. I coat it with wheel bearing grease and melt it with a heat gun before I put it away for the winter.
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Offline bwaller

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2008, 01:55:47 PM »
Is this a conventional wisdom type deal? If so I don't want to play. ;)

Otherwise I use chain wax too, apply it to a warm chain and turn the wheel by hand for a minute or so afterwards. Probably apply a little every 4 or five hundred miles on average. Maybe not the best lube but have had good luck with it and it's not as dirty as a lot of lubes out there. Each spring I clean all the crap off the chain and sprockets and start the year fresh.

Offline scondon

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2008, 02:18:09 PM »
Is this a conventional wisdom type deal? If so I don't want to play. ;)

 :D :D :D
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Offline Frankenkit

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2008, 02:33:36 PM »
A friend of mine (regular long-distance tourer type) advised me to carry a block of beeswax in my saddle bag, and at every fillup, run the wax over the (hot) chain.  I think I might do this unless otherwise instructed... ;)
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Offline BobbyR

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2008, 05:56:11 PM »
I think we could call this personal practices rather than conventional wisdom.
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Offline cb650 bobber

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #9 on: August 05, 2008, 01:21:00 PM »
last year just bought oring chain lube at the autoparts store...never thought of bearing grease. I work at a bearing shop so we have all kind of chain oil ..bearing grease and oring grease. but no oring chain oil.
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Offline BobbyR

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #10 on: August 05, 2008, 05:55:11 PM »
A friend of mine (regular long-distance tourer type) advised me to carry a block of beeswax in my saddle bag, and at every fillup, run the wax over the (hot) chain.  I think I might do this unless otherwise instructed... ;)
I used beeswax on thread for stitching leather. It seems a bit sticky as a lube, but if it is a coating to prevent rust, it will not fly off for sure.
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martino1972

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #11 on: August 05, 2008, 06:01:59 PM »
A friend of mine (regular long-distance tourer type) advised me to carry a block of beeswax in my saddle bag, and at every fillup, run the wax over the (hot) chain.  I think I might do this unless otherwise instructed... ;)

well,first off,my bike leaks so bad from the headgasket,it keeps everything well oiled,and i mean everything..
and in case of need,i plow trough a row of bee hives..... ;D ;D

Offline friedfish80

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2008, 06:13:29 PM »
A friend of mine (regular long-distance tourer type) advised me to carry a block of beeswax in my saddle bag, and at every fillup, run the wax over the (hot) chain.  I think I might do this unless otherwise instructed... ;)

how well does this work?

Offline Frankenkit

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #13 on: August 06, 2008, 06:53:02 AM »
I have no idea, that's why I posted it, to see if anyone else did it, before trying myself. 

I'd think the sheer heat of the chain would liquefy it and pull it into the inner rings (if it's like a bike chain, really) and heat would keep re-liquefying it, but I'd be concerned about the wax gathering grit...  that said, a lot of bicycle chains use wax lube, so I dunno.
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Offline donny

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #14 on: August 06, 2008, 02:17:40 PM »
A friend of mine (regular long-distance tourer type) advised me to carry a block of beeswax in my saddle bag, and at every fillup, run the wax over the (hot) chain.  I think I might do this unless otherwise instructed...

I buy beeswax, as an addition to harden various bullet lubes. I wouldn't think the beeswax would have that great of a lube effect.  now a stick of Crisco.......or chicken grease...
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Offline lone*X

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #15 on: August 06, 2008, 03:06:09 PM »
"Chicken Grease"  -  Every dog in the neighborhood would be on your tail.  :D :D
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Offline WFO

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #16 on: August 06, 2008, 03:33:47 PM »
About every two weeks on a warm chain but you can look at the chain and see if it needs lube, i have been trying fuchs (silkolene race) for o-ring chains and iam pretty impressed it stay on very well but i do need to run a rag around the rim after application because i put in on with the bike on the centerstand and run the bike in 1st but after that it stays on real well.
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Offline Trevor from Warragul

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #17 on: August 07, 2008, 02:30:33 AM »
I've been using chainsaw oil...
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troppo

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #18 on: August 07, 2008, 02:32:29 AM »
I've been using chainsaw oil...

Would 2 stroke chainsaw oil only effect two links in every four? ;D ;D

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #19 on: August 07, 2008, 04:06:13 PM »
I assume by chain saw oil you meant bar oil and not mix oil?

I can see where bar oil would work well as it includes "sticky stuff" that causes it to stay on the chain at the high speeds. And modern chain saws really have a high speed (some up to 4000 feet a minute or so)

I generally use an aerosol chain oil. A can lasts me a long time at the rate I use it.

Offline feliz

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Re: how often do you lube your chain
« Reply #20 on: August 07, 2008, 04:45:25 PM »
I use one of the spray-on waxes, preferably a clear one, on a warm chain every 4-500 miles.
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