A reminder to look after your chain

[Geebee]

I loaned one of my trikes to a mate as his recumbent was out of commision, I put it on the trainer a couple of nights ago and could not believe how low a wattage I was getting at the back wheel.
I cleaned the chain as it had been left dirty also I cleaned the cogs and idlers and the next night all was well.

The chain was dirty enough to be using an extra 50 watts average so bear in mind that a poorly maintained chain can steal a huge chunk of your power and significantly affect range.
I have always maintained my chains but had no idea that the power loss could be so substantial.

 

[Mussels]

How long did your mate have it for?

 

[Geebee]

About a month and a half, his commute is a killer though about 1 1/4 hours and 1000' of climbing each way. He didn't use it the whole time though.
I assume he rode in the rain and that the dirt set in the links you could feel the links were not as free as they should be.
I normally keep my chains super clean and lubed so it did not occur to me at first that the chain was the culprit.
I was absolutely astounded at the amount of power lost.

 

[Lloyd]

I have never tested for efficiency, and those figures are quite shocking! I do know that over-lubrication can halve a chains (and the entire drive train) life.

 

[Mussels]

I have never tested for efficiency, and those figures are quite shocking! I do know that over-lubrication can halve a chains (and the entire drive train) life.

Do you mean lubricating too often or using too much oil when lubricating?

 

[Lloyd]

Sorry I should've made that more clear

Too much lube on the chain itself. The only part that needs lubricating are the moving parts (internal). What happens if you over-lubricate is that excess lube sits ontop of the links, and then acts as a magnet to dirt and grit. This then sticks to the chain and creates a grinding paste that just destroys chain and sprockets. You can tell if you have over-lubed as if you run your finger down the side of the chain it should be relatively clean afterwards, not covered in a thick black line. If it gets really bad you can twist a chain side to side and you will feel it grind as though sand is in there. This is more evident in coastal areas due to sand eveywhere. When down south running a workshop I used to have to do full drive replacements for some people every 6-12 months! They were astounded as they always kept their bikes well oiled A little too well-oiled.


I use a thinner lubricant and lubricate more often, as opposed to using a thick lube and leaving it on all season. GT85 is OK, Finish Line dry lube (the red top stuff, NOT the green) is better, or recently I have been using Halfords own brand wax, which is surprisingly good (although it looks like ectoplasm ). Wax is great as it has the perfect consistency. Most chains come pre-waxed from new.

The method I use is to ensure the chain is clean and dry first. Don't jet wash your chain, this just forces any lube out of the pins and replaces it with water, which will sit and corrrode, causing stiff links. If you do jet wash, use a water dispersant like WD40 first, then lubricate. The best way to clean a chain is good old fashioned degreaser (they do citrus stuff if you like your bike smelling fairy fresh ) and a brush.

Once your chain is clean and dry, put the bike in bottom gear and turn the chain over slowly whilst applying your lube (this may seem painfully obvious but make sure it doesn't drip onto brake pads/rims here). Make sure it is on the top of the chain so it gets down into the links, where it is needed. Leave it to penetrate for 5 mins. The next bit is the bit everyone gets wrong. Get a clean rag, and cycle the chain round removing the excess lube. This can also take up to 5 mins to do properly. Your chain should be left looking clean and almost un-lubed, but its there, doing what it needs to where it is needed most.

The result will be no more black lines on your calves when you lean on your bike, longer lasting drive train components, and a more quiet ride.

 

[Geebee]

Close to my procedure, I use Prolink Gold and do as you state to put it on but then after the first ride wipe it down again, then it stays clean for quite a while.
Relubing basically cleans off the dirt etc. assuming it is not to bad and every now and then off with the chain and into a plastic bottle with some turps or kero, shake, empty and repeat until clean, dry refit and go to above.

My last trikes chain had between 20.000 to 30.000 km on it when the trike was sold and was still inside wear limits, this was a recumbent trike so the chain is about 2.5 chains in length that helps spread the wear. We don't salt the roads where I live and I try, not always successfuly, to not ride in the rain, my bikes and trikes live in the house as well, these all tend to help with chain life.

 

[Lloyd]

That's an impressive life for your chain, even given the circumstances!

Out of interest is your trike running a single speed type chain or a narrow derailleur type? I have found single speed width chains to last much longer.

 

[Geebee]

That's an impressive life for your chain, even given the circumstances!

Out of interest is your trike running a single speed type chain or a narrow derailleur type? I have found single speed width chains to last much longer.

Standard 27 speed derailleur setup. (narrow chain).

 

[Barnowl]

Good post Lloyd and quite shocking. I use one of those chain cleaner gadgets from Halfords with the orange citrus degreaser. The stuff I'm very allergic to (rubber gloves and well ventilated area). I then spray the chain and cogs with dry lube (also from halfords). I leave it for a bit to soak in then hold a rag to to the chain and turn the pedals to remove the excess.

 

[Lloyd]

That is very good going then and truly illustrates the advantages of running a clean, well lubed drive train.

Those chain cleaning gadgets are good too, never tried the Halfords one, but the Park one that is virtually the same thing worked well when I tried it. Saves about an hour of scrubbing too

Sometimes though I just can't help but break out my old toothbrush

 

[CeeGee]

So used sump oil poured over everything is not the best thing to use? That could explain why my chain and gears keep seizing up all the time.
Good, informative post Lloyd.

Colin

 

[Dynamic Position]

I use a thinner lubricant and lubricate more often, as opposed to using a thick lube and leaving it on all season. GT85 is OK, Finish Line dry lube (the red top stuff, NOT the green) is better, or recently I have been using Halfords own brand wax, which is surprisingly good (although it looks like ectoplasm. Wax is great as it has the perfect consistency. Most chains come pre-waxed from new.

I was advised similar to this by a bicycle mechanic with 40+ years experience, but he also recommended that if the bike was used for commuting during winter months and parked outside then it was better to apply wet-lube until winter had passed. Different lubes can be confusing but they have been developed for the purpose of keeping our bike parts in good condition for as long as possible.

 

[z0mb13e]

If it gets really bad you can twist a chain side to side and you will feel it grind as though sand is in there. This is more evident in coastal areas due to sand eveywhere. When down south running a workshop I used to have to do full drive replacements for some people every 6-12 months! They were astounded as they always kept their bikes well oiled A little too well-oiled.

I can relate to that - riding on Bmth prom everyday the chain regularly sounds gritty. It is much worse in the wet as the water throws the sand onto the chain, the disc brakes, the rims, the peddles - the bike sounds awful by the end of the prom!

I use a thinner lubricant and lubricate more often, as opposed to using a thick lube and leaving it on all season. GT85 is OK, Finish Line dry lube (the red top stuff, NOT the green) is better, or recently I have been using Halfords own brand wax, which is surprisingly good (although it looks like ectoplasm ). Wax is great as it has the perfect consistency. Most chains come pre-waxed from new.

The halfords dry wax seems to help but it still gets a bit gunky after a couple of weeks - must pay more attention to wiping the chain clean!

I use the halfords chain cleaning gizmo but the citrus cleaner doesn't go far and its expensive but found that engine degreaser works just as well and is a hell of a lot cheaper!

On the subject of wear - how do you know when the chain/freewheel is nearing the end of its life?

 

[Lloyd]

The easiest way to check a chains life is on a chain wear guage, but not all bikeshops have one let alone us mere mortals. Put the chain on the biggest chainring on the front and try to pull it off the chainring at the furthest forward point. If the chainring was a clock face this would be 3 o'clock. If you can pull the chain more than 3mm off the chainring it is worn. 5mm and you're in trouble!

As for the sprockets they wear along with the chain. I tend to leave mine and replace it with the chain, but some prefer to change chains frequently. If this is the case have a close lok at your sprocket teeth and you will see that they will be hooked if worn. This means that the individual tooth will be worn at an angle, and not symetrical any more. It is easier to see this effect on the larger front chainrings than the smaller rear sprocket.

As a rough guidleine this is what I worked to for drive train replacements on standard bikes.

Chain and sprocket approx 1600-2000 miles (dependant on the spec of chain, remarkably not always the higher specs last longer!)

Front chainrings every second chain/sprocket change.

If ou have really killed your chain/cassette you may well need to do front sprockets also.

NOTE: with the Panasonic system this is slightly different due to extra sprocket on the front (motor). That wears more in line with the chain and rear sprockets, sometimes faster as it is so small and therefor has a higher wear rate.

z0mb13e I am truly jealous, I miss the beach soooooo much.

As much of a component-eater as that prom is, you simply can't beat an evening ride from Sandbanks to the head and back, watching the sun setting and the waves crashing, with not a car in sight.

I used to do this ride almost daily, and enjoyed sitting on the wooden bench at the top of evening hill on the way back from Sandbanks to Canford Heath just watching the sun set and the boats coming and going in the harbour below.

You simply don't get that in Nottingham, you just get run off the A52 by grumpy van drivers.

 

[Geebee]

You just need a ruler to check chain wear.
From Wikipedia:
"Twenty half-links in a new chain measure 10" (254 mm), and replacement is recommended before the old chain measures 256 mm (0.7% wear)[2]. A safer time to replace a chain is when 24 half-links in the old chain measure 121/16 inches (0.5% wear). If the chain has worn beyond this limit, the rear sprockets are also likely to wear, in extreme cases followed by the front chainrings."

 

[Mussels]

On the subject of wear - how do you know when the chain/freewheel is nearing the end of its life?

In my case either the pedals turn and the wheel doesn't or the teeth are so sharp they scare me.

 

[z0mb13e]

Some interesting information there...

Found that chain wear indicators are cheap enough. Are they worth bothering with or just go for the chain wheel method as suggested by Lloyd? (Would the wear from the chain wheel create problems diagnosing which was worn?).

Chain wear indicator

I've always kinda followed Mussels method - if the chain aint slipping or jumppin then its good to go. But then my bikes have always been much more disposable than the Wisper...

Lloyd - the ride is a nice one, especially when there isn't a soul in sight - I drop down onto the Prom at Bmth Pier and ride all the way to Sandbanks, occasionally stopping on evening hill to take in the view. Now that the weather is getting better the prom is very busy for the first mile or so - the poole side is much quieter. It's been a while since I rode from Sandbanks to Hengistbury head though - waiting for a nice weekend with no wind!

 

[flecc]

I just ride my chain and sprocket sets to the death with several thousands of miles on them, then change the lot.

As for lubrication, light lube on derailleurs, but on hub gear bikes (to Lloyd's horror), very thickly coated with grease. As that flakes away occasionally, I just tar some more on. They do many thousands of miles and I just think the thickness of the coating and the flaking away drops off the grit before it gets into the chain. A chainguard is essential with that method though.

Best of all was the old Sunbeam oilbath chaincase though, chain and sprockets for life it seemed.
.

 

[Lloyd]

I'll be honest when I was running the workshop at a large dealer down south (mmmmm beeeaaaccchhh) we had a chain wear tool, and I can count on one hand the amount of times I used it. I have always used the method I described earlier, but all the other methods work fine also. I only check mine beforehand as having a groin/crossbar interface due to your gear system slipping isn't pleasant at the best of times

Mussells your method is my personal fav though

z0mb13e you must encounter the sudden pitch black section inbetween s/banks and Bmth pier then? It's lethal at night I remember being lit up like a Xmas tree one night and only seeing a drunk party-goer at the last minute. He cleverly decided to take a short cut home (or go for a swim?) and was dressed all in black, so perfect camoflage for that little spot.

Also, just out of interest and totally off topic for a second, have you seen Gordon the tramp on your travels and if so have you asked him the time?