Excessive chain wear. Replacement due at 1000km

[MORNE]

So last years K2C was basically a 90km swimming gala with all the rain and mud. My wife’s bike has one of these entry level coil forks on it...so admittedly a POS. But it gave a good indication of how much water can make it past the seals and into your forks once the seals are saturated/toast. The water was literally sloshing around in there. I had to take it apart and drain it. There were no water crossings or anything...just 90km odd of wind driven rain.

[ChrisF]

Its the soap that the main problem.  As long as you lube the stanchion or the top of the seal regularly you will be ok. 

However most people wash the bike and then compress the fork against a dry stanchion. The more you do this the faster you wear the wiper seal the more water gets in and the more soap gets in.

So a light brushing with a soft brush or wipe down with a damp cloth and then a bit of lube on the stanchion goes a long way to preserving the seals. 

I agree it shouldn't be a problem but we see may forks in workshops that have badly worn stanchions in the wiper seal area and also on the section of the stanchion that travels into the bush. There is also signs of corrosion indicating water got in and was there for a long time.

 

Our bikes are polished with NAM GEAR.  This gets done regularly, and the frame always feels smooth to the touch.

 

 

Getting home after a dusty ride:

- long haired brush removes the dust from the frame quickly

- Damp rag to clean off the last bit.

- check the frame is still smooth to the touch ....

- chain is checked, but only cleaned as needed

 

Our bikes stays clean, and yet minimal water on the frame and components.

 

 

After a muddy ride:

- mist spray from a Garden nozzle

- brush the frame while spraying this mist ....

- the bike is cleaned without hard spraying any water onto bearings.

- the polish helps a LOT, and the dirt comes off very quickly.

- ride around the cul-de-sac, get rid of most of the water

- take the bike into the garage, dry it properly

- clean and lube the chain.

 

 

Then again, this cleaning is typically done after the last ride of the weekend, but certainly after each muddy ride.

[Maaknplan]

So your bike can't be used in the rain either then?

 

In 25 years of riding I've never experienced that washing a bike will cause issues with a fork. You would need to soak the fork in a strong soap solution for hours for water to penetrate the seals. A simple clean with a brush and rinse really won't do that. 

You wont believe how much water can end up in a fork. Sometimes strip a fork to service and have niagra falls out the bottom

[Maaknplan]

Our bikes are polished with NAM GEAR.  This gets done regularly, and the frame always feels smooth to the touch.

 

 

Getting home after a dusty ride:

- long haired brush removes the dust from the frame quickly

- Damp rag to clean off the last bit.

- check the frame is still smooth to the touch ....

- chain is checked, but only cleaned as needed

 

Our bikes stays clean, and yet minimal water on the frame and components.

 

 

After a muddy ride:

- mist spray from a Garden nozzle

- brush the frame while spraying this mist ....

- the bike is cleaned without hard spraying any water onto bearings.

- the polish helps a LOT, and the dirt comes off very quickly.

- ride around the cul-de-sac, get rid of most of the water

- take the bike into the garage, dry it properly

- clean and lube the chain.

 

 

Then again, this cleaning is typically done after the last ride of the weekend, but certainly after each muddy ride.

Good tip, wash your bike upside down. Less water can get in the fork and down the seat tube to the BB

[arendoog]

I use a KMC 11 SL chain, just changed now and probably got over 4000km, very good chains. Wipe down every 10 rides and WD40 then wipe excess off. Take chain off say every 600km and clean in parafin, rinse with degreaser and water, dry the WD40. Also clean derailleur wheels with cloth now and then. Don’t over lube and leave it wet

WD40 for cleaning chain  .Spray on leave for 5 minutes and repeat .Then i use bike cleaning soap ext. .I prefer oil based lubrication like purple extreme .Stopped waxed  based lubes  long ago .Bike gets hosed off after every ride ,but that is it .Ten years of no issues .Bike service every like 3 years or so .My 2019 Epic bike was cleaned after the last day .Has not been serviced again 

Edited November 5, 2020 by arendoog

[TNT1]

Good tip, wash your bike upside down. Less water can get in the fork and down the seat tube to the BB

Eish. Unless you take the seatpin out, how is water getting into the seat tube?

[EddieV]

WD40 for cleaning chain  .Spray on leave for 5 minutes and repeat .Then i use bike cleaning soap ext. .I prefer oil based lubrication like purple extreme .Stopped waxed  based lubes  long ago .Bike gets hosed off after every ride ,but that is it .Ten years of no issues .Bike service every like 3 years or so .My 2019 Epic bike was cleaned after the last day .Has not been serviced again 

 

This might be schlep for most, but when commuting daily, and in the rain, I boil my chain in a candlewax/paraffin oil mixture every 3 to 4 weeks depending on the amount of rainy days encountered.

 

I make big batches of it and store it

 

It’s a 15 minute jobbie after that – heat up the wax, throw the chain in the mixture for 10 minutes, swoosh it around once or twice, take-out, one wipe, back on the bike …… get a Connex link, works great.

 

No need to de-grease/deep wash it that often, as the wax doesn’t attract as much dirt, just give it a quick rinse before submerging it in the wax.