TIL I was ruining my chain by cleaning it wrong

I overheard a guy at the local bike co-op in Portland mention he uses a dry lube on his chain and only wipes it down with a rag, no degreaser. I've been soaking mine in degreaser every week and he said that actually strips the factory grease from the inner pins. Switched to his method last month and my chain is way quieter and shifting smoother.

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarh1614d ago

Wait are you supposed to lube the inside of the chain too?

linda30514d ago

Oh man, yeah. A buddy of mine thought he was supposed to lube every single link from the inside out on his mountain bike. He sprayed it on so thick it was dripping down his garage floor for a week. Oscarh16, his chain started picking up so much grit and grime it sounded like a angry sewing machine within two rides. He ended up having to replace the whole thing because all that extra lube just trapped dirt like a magnet. So no, just the outside rollers and plates, keep it light.