[g_5706]

Hi,

I do 50-60 miles a week commuting. I clean my chain once every three months.
I live in England which means min 50% of the time I'm out in the rain.

The chain is pretty bad after a week, but I just cant bother. :mad2:

How bad is that?

 

[bayAreaDude]

Hi,

I do 50-60 miles a week commuting. I clean my chain once every three months.
I live in England which means min 50% of the time I'm out in the rain.

The chain is pretty bad after a week, but I just cant bother. :mad2:

How bad is that?

Just makes every part of your drivetrain that touches the chain wear out quicker and probably doesn't shift too smoothly.

 

[Oxtox]

if your bike is a POS, it doesn't really matter...

 

[g_5706]

The bike is a charge juicer steel frame, full fenders and DA 7800 groupo, mavic aksium wheels

 

[Oxtox]

altho what you describe doesn't seem like a POS, if you continue to ride in the rain and don't do any maintenance, there's a good possibility that it can end up becoming one.

your question is somewhat vague. it's not exactly clear what you asking...

are you trying to determine if you are lazy or if you are damaging your bike...?

 

[erik1245]

I'm lazy with drivetrain maintenance on my commuter as well. But I only ride about 20 miles a week commuting in the desert, and my commuter is a fixed gear. There's really no reason to treat a commuter differently from a training/racing bike. You're still riding outside in the elements.

 

[Doc_D]

I lube my chain every 80 - 100 miles. I clean it maybe once or twice a year. In the summer I'm riding 40+ miles a day 5+ days per week. I've never had any chain issues. I run a Dura Ace chain which I believe is nickel or chrome plated.

 

[Kerry Irons]

I do 50-60 miles a week commuting. I clean my chain once every three months.
I live in England which means min 50% of the time I'm out in the rain.

The chain is pretty bad after a week, but I just cant bother. :mad2:

How bad is that?

No need to do a separate chain cleaning. Use the following technique for successful ProLink or homebrew lube (1 part motor oil to 3-4 parts odorless mineral spirits) application and use:

1 - wipe the chain, cogs, pulleys, and chain rings clean with a rag. If there is gunk on the cogs, floss between them with a rag wet with OMS.
2 – shift to the big ring and the smallest cog and drip on lube while pedaling slowly so that the chain just starts to drip lube. Aim the lube between the side plates and between the bushings and the side plates.
3 - keep pedaling the cranks for a minute or so to loosen all the dirt on the chain and to get full penetration of the lube.
4 - thoroughly wipe the chain, cogs, pulleys, and chain rings clean with a rag.
5 - repeat steps 2-4 if the chain was really dirty

Do this AFTER a ride, as you want to allow time for the solvent to evaporate before you head out on the road. If you do this every 300 miles or so (or when you get caught in the rain or other dirty conditions), you will not get any significant gunky buildup, and you won't have to remove the chain or the cassette to clean it , and no separate cleaning is ever required. This leaves lube on the inside parts, and wipes it off the outside parts, minimizing dirt pickup.

 

[rcharrette]

I'm pretty lazy and impatient with this as well and hesitant to post my solution
When mine gets nasty to the point of getting my attention I hit the chain, cassette and rings with 2 cans of this:
http://www.zorotools.com/g/00039908/k-G1352145?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google_Shopping_Feed&kw={keyword}&gclid=CM6R_ayvqrQCFYl7Qgodg3EALg
It will blast them perfectly clean. Down side is you must be careful what you hit as it will take paint off. Blast the chain/cogs and hose of bike to be safe!
This stuff really works well but follow safety instructions!
Lazy mans cleaning!

 

[froze]

I'm lazy too, I did it the old fashion way for years, taking the chain off and cleaning it in a solvent tank (I have a solvent tank so no need for the 2 liter bottle trick). But I got tired of doing it that way, so I tried the Finish Line Chain Cleaning Machine and I love it. It can be messy the first time because people have a tendency to back pedal too fast spraying solvent all over the place, you have to go slow. But that machine cleans it as well as taking it apart does and it works faster, about 10 minutes, of course you do have to wipe it with a rag real well, and let it dry for about 8 hours before applying lube. Sometimes it make take two cleanings if the chain is really dirty, but I find that because of the simplicity of it I clean my chain more often so it only needs one time.

Lube is another one of those personal things, like saddles. I hate wax based lubes because wax just doesn't last, nor protect the chain well. I shouldn't have to relube my chain on a ride because I rode for 70 miles or so on a 100 mile trip like I have to with wax crap. I use two different lubes, one is the Finish Line Teflon Dry, this stuff lasts a long time, about 300 miles then clean and relube. The other is Chain L, little tricky to use it right but it lasts about 500 miles. The only question I can't answer is chain wear issue, I know on the Finish Line Teflon Dry I get an average of 13,000 miles on a chain (vs 5,000 on wax crap!); I'm not sure yet about the chain life using Chain L since I have only about 3,000 miles on that chain since I started using Chain L.

Also with any lube you have to wait at least 8 hours before using the chain to make sure the carrier is gone. So I clean the chain wait overnight, relube and ride it the following day, giving the lube plenty of time to set up. I have several bikes so it's not a big deal to wait.

 

[metoou2]

I lube my chain every 80 - 100 miles. I clean it maybe once or twice a year. In the summer I'm riding 40+ miles a day 5+ days per week. I've never had any chain issues. I run a Dura Ace chain which I believe is nickel or chrome plated.

you are me.

 

[metoou2]

I'm pretty lazy and impatient with this as well and hesitant to post my solution
Down side is you must be careful what you hit as it will take paint off.
Lazy mans cleaning!

you're joking right? takes paint off and you still use it?
wait I got it! your frame is Ti right?
maybe bare alloy or steel (no paint)?

some newb is going to read this post and then be a very sad newb when they destroy their bike.

 

[Fogdweller]

Put some effort in, doesn't take that much. Clean it every two weeks with one of those strap-on chain cleaner things that people around here hate so much. They're quick and do a decent job. Especially if you're riding in the wet, your chain is picking up a ton of snot and the cassette wont hold up to it.

 

[Lelandjt]

I probably clean 10 greasy/filthy chains a day and 10 that are just a little dirty and dry. It takes only a few minutes and makes the drivetrain quieter, smoother, and shift better. Everything also lasts longer.

 

[looigi]

Lube frequently, don't worry about cleaning. Superficial cleaning does nothing of value anyway, except perhaps make you feel better and imagine better shifting.

 

[Lelandjt]

Lube frequently, don't worry about cleaning. Superficial cleaning does nothing of value anyway, except perhaps make you feel better and imagine better shifting.

Gritty sand and dirt get suspended in the greasy old oil on a chain. That causes extra friction that results in drag, wear, and slow shifting. Removing the grit and the grease that attracts it certainly makes a difference in performance. When a customer gives me a bike with a shifting issue the first thing I do is clean and lube the drivetrain and cable/housing. It would be a waste of time to set off making adjustments when the parts I'm working with are gummed up and gritty.

 

[looigi]

Gritty sand and dirt get suspended in the greasy old oil on a chain. That causes extra friction that results in drag, wear, and slow shifting. Removing the grit and the grease that attracts it certainly makes a difference in performance. When a customer gives me a bike with a shifting issue the first thing I do is clean and lube the drivetrain and cable/housing. It would be a waste of time to set off making adjustments when the parts I'm working with are gummed up and gritty.

Sounds good, and plausible. However dirt on the outside of the chain does nothing other than look bad. It's dirt and grit between the plates, under the roller, and between the pins and bushings that "gums up" and wears out the chain. Wiping the outside of the chain (superficial cleaning) pushes dirt and grit into the links and joints, which as I said, does no good except to make the misguided feel better. To functionally clean a chain, you need to do something that removes the grit from inside the chain.

 

[froze]

Lube frequently, don't worry about cleaning. Superficial cleaning does nothing of value anyway, except perhaps make you feel better and imagine better shifting.

Not true. You need to get the grit off the links and rollers, as well as off the cogs and chain rings, you can't do that by simply keep applying fresh lube. That's like saying you never have to change your oil in your car, just keep adding new oil when it gets low; or maybe never change the filter just drain and refill.

 

[FBinNY]

Hi,

I do 50-60 miles a week commuting. I clean my chain once every three months.
I live in England which means min 50% of the time I'm out in the rain.

The chain is pretty bad after a week, but I just cant bother. :mad2:

How bad is that?

It's a personal decision. if you're obsessive about chain car, you should see better chain life. OTOH if you value your time, you might decide that the added chainlife isn't worth the effort.

Someone else mentioned Chain-L (which I make). I developed it because, like you, I ride in all conditions and don't have the patience for babying chain.

Chain-L isn't magic or 100% maintenance free, but it lasts a long time and tolerates rain as well or better than anything else. (consider the source, and/or check reviews here). You'll have to wipe your chain down after every few rides early on, but after about 2-3 wipe cycles, there's none left on the outside and the chain takes pretty good care of it's self for a long time.

 

[looigi]

Not true. You need to get the grit off the links and rollers, as well as off the cogs and chain rings, you can't do that by simply keep applying fresh lube. That's like saying you never have to change your oil in your car, just keep adding new oil when it gets low; or maybe never change the filter just drain and refill.

Disagree. Changing your car's oil is not cleaning or hosing down it's exterior. You warm the engine and change the oil to remove debris from inside the engine and it's working parts. That's what a thorough chain cleaning can do. Simply wiping a chain with solvent does nothing to remove grit and debris from between the plates, under the rollers and around the bins and bushing, but rather pushes dirt into these areas of the chain, possibly doing more harm than good.