Quick Question: Is it safe to lube chain with motor oil? Valvoline SAE 5w30 oil.

My dad just gave me a big 32 fl oz bottle of Valvoline SAE 5w30 motor oil for my bike. He, a chemical engineer (non-bicyclist) says it'll be ok to use on my bike. What do you think? This stuff is really cheap.

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There is better stuff.If you are really into cheap, tell him to get you a quart of synthetic moror oil and it 1 part oil to 3 or 4 parts mineral spirits. It's a cheap lifetime supply.

I`m using motor oil because we have some old one at home, but there are sprays and oils specially designed for bicycle chains and a lot better too! They are cleaner and dirt doesn`t stick on the chain! I don`t care for that because I must clean my bike approximate once a week (races, repairs, a lot of km, ...), but if you don`t need to clean it often, I recommende them a lot!

Yes, it's safe to use 5w-30 motor oil to lude a chain. It works quite well except that the chain will tend to get dirty quicker than with some other lubricants.
Make sure you wipe off the chain well after lubricating to remove the sticky oil layer from the outside of the chain to reduce dirt buildup.

Motor oil will not hurt the chain or bike. It isn't a light viscosity so it may not penetrate down inside the chain where it is really needed very well, but it won't hurt it.

What it will do is gunk up the chain, cogs and derailure pullys quite nicely. Be prepared to clean it more frequently.

I've been using 3in1 oil as it is a lighter weight oil and I'm cheap. It's messy too but I just spray a little Simple Green on an old rag and wipe the chain down every couple of days. That way I don't have to do a thorough cleaning as often.

I'm cheap too, but a good chain lube like FinishLine or Prolube doesn't cost much to use and isn't nearly as messy as oil. I've used about 2/3 of a bottle of Finishline Dry Lube in 5000 miles this season...that's maybe $5 worth, or $1/1000 miles. Compared to the cost of tires, entry fees or convenience-store drinks, it's nada.

Besides, what do you figure you spend on Simple Green to clean off the oil every few days? (Sorry, couldn't resist that one).

Motor oil is a magnet for dirt. I use White Lighning Race Day on mine. It's expensive, but you don't need to use much of it, and it stays clean a lot longer.

I use the homebrew Pro-Link lube. Motor oil plus mineral spirits to aid penetration. The mineral spirits evaporate to leave the oil. Then wipe down the outside and oo-la-la. Quiet and smooth.

I'm also cheap and use Pedros IceWax.
Its damn easy to use, simply wipe down the chain and re-apply the goo evey 100 miles or so.
Pedros website claims that useing the wax on a new chain should extend its life by a factor of 2, tat makes the wax a cheap solution.

Oil traps all the grit and crap off the road and makes a rather good grinding paste. Gets all over your clothes and skin.
Wax washes out of skin and clothes easily, also helps keep the grit out of the chain.

???It's no easier to use than other lubes in a bottle....one small drop on each bushing every 100 miles or so does the trick for any lube.

No chain lube should get on your clothes or skin, unless you're hosing it all over the chain.

I've tried Ice Wax, but find the noise and friction is higher than with other lubes. Got to love the claim of 2-to-1 life...bet Pedro has some really good test reports to back that ad claim up!

[QUOTE=dhk]???It's no easier to use than other lubes in a bottle....one small drop on each bushing every 100 miles or so does the trick for any lube. <

I buy it in bulk and use a paintbrush to poke it down into the links.

>No chain lube should get on your clothes or skin, unless you're hosing it all over the chain. <

True but then you often wind up with a nice chainring imprint on your leg when you fall off :-)

Malcom