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New Chain - To Clean first or Not


The Ouzo

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5 hours ago, Thermophage said:

Not a fan of Squirt.

Some methodical testing kinda shows some reasons why: 

But yes...new chain. Rag with degreaser and remove excess lube....done :)

This is sort of a BOCLE test (Ball On Cylinder Lubricity Evaluator) but for poor labs. But the point its scoring the wrong type of lubes high (low wear scar) and in the wrong lubrication regime. He's using splash lubrication which places a continuous film of lube between the rotating cylinder and the test piece. Bicycle chains don't work this way. A bicycle chain is a low speed device where things like bulk modulus (resistance to compression) and viscosity (higher is better) are far more important than film strength which is only important when hydrodynamic lubrication is present (e.g. in the BOCLE test)

So either this guys doesn't know what he's doing or he's got a predetermined outcome in mind.

4 hours ago, Eldron said:

Those are pretty random and scienceless tests - especially for the dry lubes....

the test are science but not applicable to the scenario of a bicycle chain operating in a bicycle drivetrain

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15 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

This is sort of a BOCLE test (Ball On Cylinder Lubricity Evaluator) but for poor labs. But the point its scoring the wrong type of lubes high (low wear scar) and in the wrong lubrication regime. He's using splash lubrication which places a continuous film of lube between the rotating cylinder and the test piece. Bicycle chains don't work this way. A bicycle chain is a low speed device where things like bulk modulus (resistance to compression) and viscosity (higher is better) are far more important than film strength which is only important when hydrodynamic lubrication is present (e.g. in the BOCLE test)

So either this guys doesn't know what he's doing or he's got a predetermined outcome in mind.

the test are science but not applicable to the scenario of a bicycle chain operating in a bicycle drivetrain

I was more  bothered by the fact that he was testing the water/volatile base rather than the actual lubricant of the dry lubes.

I'm guessing Squirt would have smashed the fling test out of the park if he had let it dry....

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This chaps video promotes the washing off of the factory lubricant. He seems to know what he is talking about and has the test results to back it up. Suppose each to their own on what they decide.

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1 hour ago, warick_wrx said:

This chaps video promotes the washing off of the factory lubricant. He seems to know what he is talking about and has the test results to back it up. Suppose each to their own on what they decide.

he is quite knowledgable and I agree with him in that if you want to apply the best possible lube then clean the factory stuff off and hot dip the chain in a paraffin wax/mineral oil mix.

in my experience and knowledge the factory lubes are pretty good lubes for the application and do not require replacing. The factory lube is good at keeping corrosion at bay, and staying in place across a wide temperature range that a chain will experience during its journey from Asia to the rest of the world, 

If you want to improve on this then the Ozman way works but it won't give you much better results so for me its not worth the faff till the chain is ready for a deep clean and re-lubrication. Everytime you deep clean the chain you will need to repeat this process which takes up a few hours on a Saturday afternoon

Edited by DieselnDust
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6 hours ago, Eldron said:

Some light reading on the matter: https://cyclingtips.com/2018/05/chain-cleaning-and-maintenance-how-to/

I am an ultra sonic clean and lube kinda guy myself but each to their own.

Ultrasonic and hot wax is a whole different ball game though, which completely negates any issues with the inside of the chain not being lubed. It's more or less how chains are lubed at the factory.

 

The average oke saying degrease with petrol is most likely going to just bosh on another layer of <insert coin> possibly before it's dry and bollocks their chain up in half the time they would have if they'd just left the factory lube on.

 

I've never had the patience for boiling a chain, but this thread may well make me try it.

 

 

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Whenever lube discussions come up I'm impressed by riders chain maintenance regime, I'm one of the lazy one's even though I know my chains would last longer if I did it more meticulously. 

New chains I just fit, ride a few times then start my 'normal' routine which consists of lubing on the inside of the chain with Squirt before every ride (yes I know what it says on the bottle ...), every now and then when I wash the bike I'll spray a bit of degreaser on and apply a brush. Other times I just wash the bike. 

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4 minutes ago, NotSoBigBen said:

New chains I just fit, ride a few times then start my 'normal' routine which consists of lubing on the inside of the chain with Squirt before every ride (yes I know what it says on the bottle ...), every now and then when I wash the bike I'll spray a bit of degreaser on and apply a brush. Other times I just wash the bike. 

Let me quote this piece of real world wisdom to ensure it remains intact forever

Well said BB

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Didn't read through everything but what works well for me is to fit the chain, then just spray wd40 on a rag

and run chain through it till you feel that sticky drag goes away.

the wd40 does not ad more "lube", it cleans the tacky lube off the outside 

Edited by Jackal355
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