Chain maintanace while on tour.

White lightning

sebbysebby said:

How do you keep your drivetrain in good condition while touring?

I don,t usually like applying lube to a dirty chain but proper cleaning is difficult while on tour.

How do you approach the problem?

On a long tour, years ago, I had an MSR stove that had a metal cup. It ran on white gas, kero or unleaded petrol. So I could use whatever fuel I had in the cup for chain cleaning.

Nowadays, although I haven't been on tours longer than a week or so, I use Prolink lube which is meant to be applied liberally and then the excess wiped off along with most of the gunk. So it's just a matter of carrying a rag to do it, though old newspapers might work as well.

sebbysebby said:

How do you keep your drivetrain in good condition while touring?

I don,t usually like applying lube to a dirty chain but proper cleaning is difficult while on tour.

How do you approach the problem?

Front fender with extended mud flap helps keep the front tire from throwing road grit/rain onto the chain. It will extend the life of the chain some and also keep you feet "drier" while riding in the rain.
Prolink Gold in a small plastic drip bottle applied every couple of days. One drop per roller, worked in by back pedaling about 20 complete chain revolutions. Wipe off any excess with clean cloth or whatever you can get your hands on at the time that won't put any dirt/contamination on the chain.
Wipe/brush off any build-up from the chain rings and cogs too as they would just put the stuff back on the chain as it passes by.
Rmember that grit builds up on brake pads too. You don't want to use the cloth that you just used to clean your chain, but wipe/brush them off too especially after rainy riding.