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Chain Facts For Bicyclists
By spokesman | September 12, 2011
Chain maintenance is often neglected by most bicyclists. A dirty and under- lubricated chain will wear out faster and will wear out your cogs more quickly. Never-the-less, most cyclists don’t regularly do routine maintenance. Chain maintenance can be quick and simple with the right tools and approach. The chain should be cleaned prior to adding lubricant. A rag and some degreaser are adequate for cleaning the chain on most road bikes. A toothbrush or some pipe cleaners are great for getting to some of the hard to clean portions of the drive train near the deraillers and between the cogs/chain rings. After a thorough cleaning, it is time to lubricate the chain. The key is to place a light layer of oil on the chain and remove any excess. Excess lubricant will just collect dirt. I recently discovered a new product that helps to put a light layer of lubricant on the chain. It is called the GreaseNinja and works with aerosol lubricants. The GreaseNinja is connected to the can of lubricant and a part of it straddles the chain. When the lubricant is sprayed though the GreaseNinja as the bicycle pedals are rotated, a light uniform coating of lubricant is deposited on the chain. If you use aerosol lubricant without a GreaseNinja, you will likely get less uniform coverage and get lubricant on other parts of the bike. After applying lubricant, use a rag to wipe any excess off of the outside of the chain with a rag. Since the GreaseNinja directs the lubricant to the chain from above, most of the lubricant gets to the inner parts of the chain where it belongs.
Chain Facts
- The bicycle chain has more moving parts then the rest of your bicycle combined
- In the Tour De France, the typical rider wears out 2 chains
- Never use WD-40 on your chain
- You don’t need to remove you bicycle chain from the bike to clean it.
- Changing the chain prior to it wearing out will increase the life of your cogs
- Sheldon Brown’s website has some of the best information on bicycle chain maintenance
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Topics: Maintenance and Repairs |