J
John Morgan
Guest
There is a thread over at rec.bicycles.tech that gives some interesting data about chain wear that
some of you might want to check out. To my knowledge, it's the first experiment performed of this
kind, and the conclusion is that washing a chain in solvent reduces chain life. Instead, wipe down
with a rag and re-apply lube of choice.
On a side note, they seem to all agree that you should not wash off that icky packing grease on your
new chains, as doing so can remove essential lubrication from the internals of the chain-- and that
can be difficult to replace by regular lubing.
I have always washed my chains when they got really dirty-- and I've always washed off the initial
goop too. It sounds like it's time to make a few changes in my maintenance habits.
If you are not interested in the techie aspect of bikes and maintenance, you may now go back to your
regularly scheduled BS'ing.
-John Morgan
some of you might want to check out. To my knowledge, it's the first experiment performed of this
kind, and the conclusion is that washing a chain in solvent reduces chain life. Instead, wipe down
with a rag and re-apply lube of choice.
On a side note, they seem to all agree that you should not wash off that icky packing grease on your
new chains, as doing so can remove essential lubrication from the internals of the chain-- and that
can be difficult to replace by regular lubing.
I have always washed my chains when they got really dirty-- and I've always washed off the initial
goop too. It sounds like it's time to make a few changes in my maintenance habits.
If you are not interested in the techie aspect of bikes and maintenance, you may now go back to your
regularly scheduled BS'ing.
-John Morgan