Chain suck -- $#%&*

[stratus5]

The Robertson race was an absolute blast! I had mud everywhere

 

But... after about 14 km my chain had lost all its lubrication and the small blade up front started to suck. I am heavy (95 kg), but have to use the same chain and gears as the light race snakes, so unfortunately this means my component loads are higher, normally at the top of each critical little bump or hump in the road

 

New components, so nothing is badly worn, its purely the lubrication disappearing with sticky mud then working its way in everywhere.

 

Anybody able to suggest some possible solutions? Does any particular lubrication last longer, work better in mud etc?

 

I thought of carrying some extra chain lube, but suspect that once the mud has worked its way in, its a waste of time until you clean the chain properly again?

 

Could also use a syringe filled with lube taped to your down tube with thin flexible piping to the front or rear derailleur. Every few minutes give the syringe a push to drip a bit more oil onto the drive train whilst peddling.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

[Red Zone]

A dry lube will get scrubbed off with mud and water. try using a wet specific lube.

[Johan Bornman]

This will now mutate into a this-lube, no, this-lube debate. However, lube has nothing to do with it, spot on with your thoughts.

 

Mud and grit gets in there and jams the chain onto the chainring and you have chainsuck. It doesn't matter if there is pink elephant teardrop lube underneath that mud or some fancy R120 a bottle dry stuff. The mud overwhelms the system and you're stuffed.

 

The apparent solution is to either keep clean or rinse. Neither are therefore solutions to the problem.

 

 

[Red Zone]

OK let me rephrase my reply. when I ride wet muddy rides I use a wet specific lube, I dont get chain suck. If I have left a dry specific lube on my bike I do get chain suck. This is my expierience, If JH thinks that there is no scientific basis behind this I couldnt give a continental

[Cheryl J]

 

Johan's right.

 

Best job is to find the nearest river...  which helps for a bit.   (I figure less mud grinding down the drive chain is better than water everywhere before I can get it home to sort out)

 

Or - carry water in your water bottle specifically for cleaning the drive chain off....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheryl J2008-06-09 07:19:31

[stratus5]

Thanks, but I had a wet specific lube (Finish Line). I suspect there was still some dry lube (White Lightning, wax based) lying around. Wonder if before applying wet lube it helps to remove the dry lube completely first?

 

Still, I think the Robertson conditions would overwhelm just about any lube after a while. In the vineyard regions the soil seems to have more clay (very fine particles). Its the clay that causes most of my problems rather than the more gritty stuff.

 

Foe did you do Robertson? Impressed if you got through that with no problems. Everybody around me seemed to be having hassles.

 

[Marius]

I used Squirt and also just lasted for about 20km before I started getting chain suck. Same thing happend last weekend at the Karwats. Nothing helps, I do carry lube with me on some rides but it only works ones the chain has been cleaned and that's not going to happen during a race.

[Matchstix]

Chainsuck happens easier in my experience on granny gear.

If youre a big bloke anduse your granny gear a lot it will also wear down  uch quicker than the rest of the chainring.

how new are your parts compared to each other, chain, chainrings, casette?

 

[markStockton]

 

 

OK let me rephrase my reply. when I ride wet muddy rides I use a wet specific lube' date=' I dont get chain suck. If I have left a dry specific lube on my bike I do get chain suck. This is my expierience, If JH thinks that there is no scientific basis behind this I couldnt give a continental[/quote']

 

Funny this, I've had exactly the same experience. If I think the ride will be wet and muddy, I use a very thick and gloopy Finish Line lube, the rest of the time White Lightening Epic. If I get it wrong, I suffer from chain suck.

 

I should maybe add that at last years 94.7 mtb held after very heavy rains the previous two weeks I carried a small cloth and chain lube with. At the first sight of chain suck I whipped and re lubbed the chain and had no further hassles. 

markStockton2009-04-29 04:12:49

[Elvis]

On Barberton I carried a bottle of Motorex wet lube with me. It was very muddy. Whenever I could I would clean the chain with water and give it a good squirt of wet chain lube. it worked very well in my experience. So try to clean the chain as much as possible and lube it as much as possible.

[Roders]

I agree with JB here, in mud no lube works, stick to road riding,no chain suck problems  or do like I do, and never ride in muddy conditions!!

[Heliboy]

Hello,

 

A trick that i saw the great Gary Fisher use on his bike when he was last here, was to tie a large headed zip tie on to the chain stay just behind the gears. This stops the chain from catching and chain suck is prevented, simple.

I have used this on all our bikes since including the Sabie xperence and no chain suck!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Lube will also help

 

 

Rgds

[Dirtbreath]

 

Hello' date='

 

A trick that i saw the great Gary Fisher use on his bike when he was last here, was to tie a large headed zip tie on to the chain stay just behind the gears. This stops the chain from catching and chain suck is prevented, simple.

I have used this on all our bikes since including the Sabie xperence and no chain suck!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Lube will also help

 

 

Rgds

[/quote']

 

Could you post a pic please?

 

[downhilldemon]

pic please. i presume you mean behind the chainrings, but i can't quite picture it

[Cassie]

You guys should also read this thread....

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=49151

 

on lubes and what does & does not work....

 

 

[Carbon_Kooi]

Don't know if one of you saw a little gadget they advertised on super cycling, from cycle lab. It's a small plastic clamp you can put on your bike just under your front derailleur to prevent chain suck. Think it's about 25 bucks, which is not that bad.

 

The zip tie idea is very good, it goes just behind your chainrings on the chainstay, this way the chain can't get between the chainrings and the chain stay.