My fairly new (late July) Dawes Horizon has developed a squeaky chain. No doubt this is the result of my daily 14 mile commute along grubby and often wet roads.
So, what now? Remove it, and leave it in hot candle wax for 15 minutes? Use some proprietary compound?
I've done the melted candle wax thing with what seems like good results before, but it's far from obvious to me that paraffin is in fact the best kind of lubricant for a chain, even if the idea of heating it to boil the moisture (and with it the dirt) out of the chain makes sense.
So, what now? Remove it, and leave it in hot candle wax for 15 minutes? Use some proprietary compound?
For a very thorough cleaning, remove it and soak it in white spirit for as long as you can be bothered and give it a good work-over with a rag when it comes out. That's the cleaning bit, now replace and then lube with the potion of your choice. Apparently chainsaw oil is good though I'm using some expensive concoction from the LBS at the mo, "Synlube" IIRC.
Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
Why not buy a cleaning machine thingy from your bike shop or decathlon? Costs about ten quid. All you do is fill it up with a cleaning solution that is supplied and run the chain through it for five minues whilst you turn the cranks by hand. You do not have to take the chain off the bike and it comes up lovely. RS
"D.M. Procida" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
My fairly new (late July) Dawes Horizon has developed a squeaky chain. No doubt this is the result of my daily 14 mile commute along grubby and often wet roads.
So, what now? Remove it, and leave it in hot candle wax for 15 minutes? Use some proprietary compound?
I've done the melted candle wax thing with what seems like good results before, but it's far from obvious to me that paraffin is in fact the best kind of lubricant for a chain, even if the idea of heating it to boil the moisture (and with it the dirt) out of the chain makes sense.
Why not buy a cleaning machine thingy from your bike shop or decathlon? Costs about ten quid. All you do is fill it up with a cleaning solution that is supplied and run the chain through it for five minues whilst you turn the cranks by hand. You do not have to take the chain off the bike and it comes up lovely.
In my experience these don't work very well, and it's also quite hard to thoroughly rinse detergent out of the chain. Take the chain off and do the Sheldon Shake[R][TM] - much quicker and easier.
So, what now? Remove it, and leave it in hot candle wax for 15 minutes? Use some proprietary compound?
I've done the melted candle wax thing with what seems like good results before, but it's far from obvious to me that paraffin is in fact the best kind of lubricant for a chain, even if the idea of heating it to boil the moisture (and with it the dirt) out of the chain makes sense.
Chains are cheap. I dribble chain saw oil onto my road bike chain every ride or two (depends on the weather) and ignore it besides.
On my mountain bike I clean the whole bike with Mucoff, the chain with Gunk (every third ride) and drizzle chain saw oil on the chain. If the chain is dirty and I can't be bothered I just lube it with chain saw oil. I bought a chain cleaning device but I don't think it's worth the bother. Just lube it in C S oil and buy a new chain every 6 months or so - 3 years if it's a road bike. (I made up the bit about 3 years because I've only had my road bike 2 years - I do expect to put a new chainon it next year whether I need one or not).
Why not buy a cleaning machine thingy from your bike shop or decathlon? Costs about ten quid. All you do is fill it up with a cleaning solution that is supplied and run the chain through it for five minues whilst you turn the cranks by hand. You do not have to take the chain off the bike and it comes up lovely.
In my experience these don't work very well, and it's also quite hard to thoroughly rinse detergent out of the chain. Take the chain off and do the Sheldon Shake[R][TM] - much quicker and easier.
I agree with that. I got one a few years back, I used it half a dozen times before it broke. -- the.Mark
Go to Asda's buy engine oil apply to chain. Give it loads. Leave the Cardiff Post under the chain and block in the hallway where you keep the bike. Ride through winter. Take block and chain off in the Spring, soak in white spirit and re-assemble and apply oil. Do that every year until its totally shagged. Throw away and buy new chain and block.
Go to Asda's buy engine oil apply to chain. Give it loads. Leave the Cardiff Post under the chain and block in the hallway where you keep the bike. Ride through winter. Take block and chain off in the Spring, soak in white spirit and re-assemble and apply oil. Do that every year until its totally shagged. Throw away and buy new chain and block.
I've just spent 5 minutes wondering what a Cardiff Post was, thinking it was something like a Sheefield Stand ;-P
I never bother cleaning chain beyond just wiping or brushing off gunge. Theory is that clean chain picks up new grit which wears faster than the oily black paste which was on the chain before cleaning. Just oil whenever it looks a bit un-oily.
