Neil Brooks writes:
>>>> Zinn recommends simply wiping the chain off and re-lubing, as
>>>> opposed to shaking the chain in solvent.
>>> I have been doing the same for years, after I read an article in
>>> TOUR magazine in which chains were cleaned with solvents and then
>>> examined in a lab. They stated that cleaning with solvents is very
>>> harmful for your chain, "since it destroys the original layer of
>>> grease inside your chain".
>>> The article had illustrations of chains that had been taken
>>> apart. It was clear that the chains that had been cleaned with
>>> solvents had far more wear.
>> Whoa, that worries me. But what is the chain is soaked in lube
>> after the solvent cleaning?
> I think we're getting pretty close to my "conclusion" the last time
> this all came up.
> The way I figure, if you clean OFF the bike, you need to lube OFF
> the bike (lube bath).
> If you clean ON the bike, you should lube ON the bike.
> If the only way to truly get the grease, gunk, ****, and grime out
> from the innards is a soak/agitate method, then it seems likely
> that's the only way to get the lube IN there, too.
Oil flows and prefers small gaps, called capillaries. Grit is a solid
and does not flow... unless oil is added to make it enter inside the
chain links to get on the link pins and wear them out.
> Just my $0.02. Academic, too. I've only cleaned off the bike a
> time or two. Even with quick-links, more work than I wanted to do.
So don't tell others how the don't care lazy guy does it. That
doesn't help folks who want to know what causes chain wear and how to
clean a chain.
Jobst Brandt
