New Chain - To Clean first or Not

[DieselnDust]

Is your chainring not worn?

[droo]

1 hour ago, ouzo said:

ok, so the verdict is then to clean off excess for now. 

thanks, thats quick enough to do this evening.

 

Still concerned about it being slightly noisier than the chain I took off, but that could be drivetrain wear. Although the sound is about the same as when I had the original KMC chain on

Growling under load? Probably chainsuck. Look at the bottom of your chainring while riding up a hill, if it's not letting go you'll see the bottom of the chain flapping around. Usually goes away after a few rides, if not then replace your chainring.

[The Ouzo]

7 minutes ago, droo said:

Growling under load? Probably chainsuck. Look at the bottom of your chainring while riding up a hill, if it's not letting go you'll see the bottom of the chain flapping around. Usually goes away after a few rides, if not then replace your chainring.

No, chain is just not quiet passing over the teeth on the gears. 
had it with the original KMC chain, when I changed to the last SRAM it went away. 
but that last SRAM was sold to me because it was noisy on the previous owners bike, previous owner gave it a good clean before selling to me though. 

[PVB 21]

Clean first and then pit on chain lube

[FirstV8]

Don't ever wash/clean away the OEM's lube that is put into the chain by the manufacturer. Using a wet  or dry lube  is your choice but that is all that's needed during its life . 

[Headshot]

16 hours ago, FirstV8 said:

Don't ever wash/clean away the OEM's lube that is put into the chain by the manufacturer. Using a wet  or dry lube  is your choice but that is all that's needed during its life . 

Where do you get the OEM lube from, because it sure as... doesn't stay on a chain for the life of the chain?

[Thermophage]

21 hours ago, openmind said:

I have slowly become convinced that Squirt is the best for a MTB chain - one of the most efficient (low drag) drip-on lubes on the market and it repels dirt sufficiently well that grit stays out of the chain (and it's local!). BUT: they are very clear that you have to strip the chain of factory grease first to get these benefits AND you need to lube your chain after your ride, not just before the next one. I assume that it is good enough at getting where it needs to go as I find that with this routine, I get clean, long-lasting chains.   

For my road bike however, I still use an oil (Finishline wet) - maybe I'm a traditionalist, but it just feels right, and with care (not too much; clean often) drivetrains last nearly forever.

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

[Trashy]

35 minutes 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

I'm actually very happy using Squirt after watching this...

 

[Thermophage]

3 minutes ago, Trashy said:

I'm actually very happy using Squirt after watching this...

 

Interesting....And I am happy using the MucOff ????

[dasilvarsa]

Never Wash a Chain, Just Clean the Outside with an Oily Rag.

If you Wash a Chain by Mistake Soak it in 5w30 for a couple of hours.

Squirt is very good if you Clean and lube the chain after every ride.

[Eldron]

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.

[Headshot]

Opinions on how to maintain a chain are like ...holes ???? 

[Eldron]

1 hour 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

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

[WIPEOUT 1000]

Personally I think the grease supplied with the chain is simply there to protect from rust & corrosion. It useless from a friction perspective and it attracts dirt like nothing else.    

I would clean the chain ASAP and lubricate with whatever you think works.

Personally I use hot wax on my chains and because it's a little more complicated than using normal lube I rotate my chains. It is really easy with the right chain (in my case Connex chains by Wipperman.)

If correctly applied hot wax is by far the most efficient chain lubricant. However, I think the main benefit from my perspective is improved chain life which also has a direct impact on the life of the rest of the drivetrain. For reference, I have done more than 18 000 km’s on the 2 chains I currently rotate and both are still within 0.1% elongation, measured over the total length of the chain.

Edited September 14, 2021 by WIPEOUT 1000

[MudLark]

4 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

Yes but that's not fair test of Squirt. It's not designed to be used that way. Read the instructions. One is supposed to let it dry overnight and then give it a second layer and let it dry again. How can one place any credence on a test that doesn't use the product the way it was designed to be used? All he had to do was read the label on the bottle!

And BTW, I'm not a huge Squirt fan.

[Thermophage]

4 minutes ago, MudLark said:

Yes but that's not fair test of Squirt. It's not designed to be used that way. Read the instructions. One is supposed to let it dry overnight and then give it a second layer and let it dry again. How can one place any credence on a test that doesn't use the product the way it was designed to be used? All he had to do was read the label on the bottle!

And BTW, I'm not a huge Squirt fan.

I know, he specifically mentions all that as well. At least it is a set of somewhat standardised tests to compare things. And let's be fair...the vast majority of Squirt users are not going to use it strictly as per instructions in any case.

Even with all the care Squirt still packs on *** in my experience.