Avoid a Rusty Chain With These Top Lubing Tips 

PLEASE!!!! More videos with Jim. These are fantastic!

This is brilliant. Never questioned my technique, was always one for smashing loads of oil on the chain.

Brilliantly explained and put together video, calm precise and without all the faff, thanks Jim.

Just love listening to Jim explaining stuff. Personally I find cleaning the chain a very Zen like work. If you get serious about it, buy a reusable quick link and take the chain off for thorough cleaning.

Its kinda crazy how many people don't take care of their bike chains. Great video, hopefully gets people doing some basic maintenance!

Thanks for the excellent video,I was really ignorant to wiping off the excess chain lube after applying it.No more splatter and mess.Thanks so much.Safe riding.💯💯✌

Great video well explained and easy to understnd. Thanks jim😊😊

Brilliant video and learned loads, Keep em coming and more please

Realy good to check simple think "lube the chain". That this video shows the improvements that I will use, thanks a lot.

Excellent video, very valuable tips for having to maintain about 6 bikes for the family...

For newbies, and especially to avoid excess oil /waste, you could have mentioned how to target a reference link, like the master link so you stop lubing exactly after one turn.

learned so much new stuff from this, thanks dude

Great video, nice format.The way you explain step by step…and English is not my native language Can’t wait for the next video. Since you seem to be sponsored by MB it would be nice to show us what product you need as a home mechanic. Hope you guys put together a video about grease and lube and where to use it on the bike. THX

Great vid first class info.. excellent addition to the channel..

Best explanation on how to lube a chain properly. BTW, i use to live in Florida and the summer was the wet season. So dry lube in winter and wet lube in summer.

I run a wax based lubricant nowadays - Since doing that, the amount of dirt picked up is negligible, and the effort in cleaning is massively reduced. I haven't needed to use degreaser at all, and my chains have lasted longer so far. I use this wax lube in the wet and in winter - The only caveat is that after a wet ride you MUST dry off the chain and re-apply. It's great stuff for regular fast riding, probably not ideal for commuting.

Well done. Thank you!

And it's time to clean my chain today. What a timing.

Good stuff Jim. Love the voice command shifting :-)

I always remove my chain to deep clean it in good de-greaser .My chains last a long time , no shift issues clean chain stay.

Thank you, Jim! 😀

One key thing to point out about checking for chain wear is you want to spot when the chain is worn out. Yes the bike will still function with a worn chain but every pedal you take on a worn chain the greater damage you do to the expensive bits of the drivetrain like the groupset. And believe me it's much cheaper to replace a chain than it is a groupset.

Great advice

I've just hot-waxed 2 new chains ready for use (yes, I did clean them thoroughly 1st!) I tried cleaning a partly worn chain to hot-wax that as well but gave up after 2 petrol baths & 2 in IPA - couldn't get it clean enough to not contaminate the wax. The problem with wet chain lubes are they definitely need wiping off any excess otherwise the accumulated grit will grind away the chain. I remain unconvinced that separate wet & dry lubes are much more that the manufacturers selling more lube. Dry lubes do wash out easily but the older unfashionable non-specific ones didn't so easily. As has been commented on - also clean the pulley wheels, cassette with Gear Floss or similar & the chainring(s).

Great video, thanks a lot for the valuable tips. One question you didn’t address though: about how often is it convenient to check the chain?

Great addition to your channel. Top notch explanation! Keep it up 👍

Thanks.. chain tool ordered.. I imagine new chains will be following very quickly afterwards.. it doesn't get easier, it just gets more expensive :D

My motto 1 when lubing cleaned chain is is to avoid letting lube to enter on sprockets. I lube chain in between rear cog and front sprockets and then dry with rag without turning cranks. I.e. Only Dry chain touches sprockets and cogs

I use Gold Rock N Roll, a wet lube all year long in Florida. How frequently this needs to get done? Great Video! many thanks

What about the chain rings at the front and cassette at the rear? If there is gunk on them then it's just going to transfer it to the newly cleaned chain no? So how do you reckon to easily clean it?

Thanks

how to avoid clicking everytime i wash/clean my chain? found out that i have to bring my bike to bikeshop and luckily after some cleaning on sprocet and freehub part those clicking disappeared. thks

Great video , part way through(at the 10 mins, 30 second mark roughly) one question on where to apply the lube.. A lot of videos suggest doing so on the top of the chain, as it returns to the cassette at the back, not at the top after It's gone through the gears(hope that makes sense). as i assume this also ensures that the lube gets on the gear cogs. is this approach wrong?

I oil on the inside of the chain. From chain link to chain link. Link for link, one drop in each. Takes 1 more min but saves oil and helps me check the chain and parts better.

Good job. Personally I switch to wax (paraffine) about 2 years ago. No lube, no dirt, no cleaning most of the time except in wet conditions, waxing every 500 km. A little bottle with a mix of methyl alcool. 20 000 km per chain. Lot of sand (silice) sea front riding

I was ridig my bike today-it was raining. Decided, I should remove summer wax (Squirt) and after cleaing the chain (thorough shaking in a jar with gasoiline), apply my winter lube-Finish Line Wet (green). It is hard to belive how much metal particles was in the "mud" on the bottom of the jar! (I used magnet to retrive Connex link). I put the magnet under the bottom of the jar and soon the benzine became clear again -the dirt was pulled towards the magnet. The grinding paste consist of dirt, sand and metal particles.

All I do is soaking a rag with motor oil (any engine oil will do) and pulling the chain through it. That's it. Repeat every week on rainy conditions and every month on dry conditions. No special expensive chain oil, no degreaser or anything else needed. Motor oil has everything needed, it works not only as a lubricant but also as a detergent and rust inhibitor, it has anti wear components, too. In winter it's thin enough and in summer thick enough due to it's viscostiy improvers it comes with when it is a multigrade oil which every motor oil nowadays is. Like I said, everything ever needed is already in motor oil included. There is no cheaper and more effective way to take care of your bicycle chain.

Didn't know about the shifting step, cheers! Shame I literally just finished cleaning my bike and drive chain ... Lol!

Hi Jim, good vid, thanks for the tips. Do you think a light viscosity fully synthetic engine oil would make a good chain lube? And could you explain why a light spray oil like 3 in 1 is a bad choice?

How do you clean that salt and sand which they put on the streets in winter.I use usually use brushes,but stilI found it's quite tricky in winter,where I live

What about WD-40 and in particular SR-80 many claim they arent a proper chain lubes but from my experience in dry conditions it's just perfect coz it wont atttact much dirt, sand paste etc.

I like your style. The oval chainring throws me off still lol

I usually have a really muddy chain, if it gets to long I just remove one link, and im good😊👍

Those videos are great, thanks! However, I have questions: - Is it not better to lube the inside of the chain? Or does it just not matter? - What‘s the opinion on wax based lubes? (Not hot-waxing the chain, but using wax based lubes). Thanks!

Is it equally important to wipe off excess lube from the cassette and front sprocket(s)? Would the front/rear sprockets ideally be dry and free of lube.... just lube the chain (in an ideal world)?

If the chain is needing replacement, how do you tell if the teeth on the cassette, chain ring or idlers are in need of replacement. I've got about 2500km on my 1x Diverge. Good video. Thanks!!

A great presenting style; clear and well paced. And some great advice too. Many thanks! As others have said, the wax based lubes now available (eg Squirt, Silca) do a great job even in winter with the caveat T Watts states. Also, most chain checkers need to be treated with caution; they may give iffy results. I personally use a steel rule to measure a foot of links. 1/16" elongation equates to half a percent "stretch". I'll change the chain at this point on a high end drivetrain. Doing this gives approx 3 chains per cassette. On the wife's commuter it's change at 1% aka 1/8" elongation over a foot.

I continue to learn things...

Which is better muc off lube or this?

How often should you do this? Is once a season ok, or once a month, or once a week?

I'm a fixed gear rider. I don't have to worry about shifting issues. My legs are my shifters

Note to self - wipe off excess. Thanks for that

i use the tool-free link of the chain as a start - stop point...only one revolution...so as to not apply excess lube...

Sorry for losing my call Buddy you're doing a great job

How about indexing mechanical shifting gears next? :)

How would you go about swapping between lubes? Between say wet lube and a wax or a dry lube. As I presume mixing types isn't good?

Working in a bike shop as a mechanic I tell customers all the while about too much oil and becoming a grinding paste but they never listen and then complain that their chains & cassettes don't last. It's a battle you can't win too many people just don't seem to have the brain capacity to understand or learn or are too lazy to do it properly who knows🤷

“…so rathe lovely bike” ???!!! Really? I would have said something like “rathe insanely gorgeous and sexy bike” 😂. Love your channel. It only took a minute or so into watching one of your videos to hit like and subscribe. Every biker should be here. Keep the good work.

I love this channel and think Jim is great. But I was looking for a little more from the Cleaning part of this video! I cannot get my chains clean. I've got the chain cleaning tool scrubber, have soaked them overnight in degreaser, etc and they invariably have the black on the cloth after. Getting rather desperate, as it actually puts me off riding.

Outer or inner part of chain ?

Well....I do have some proper bike chain specific lube - tried several in fact, but nothing held up as well as the chainsaw oil we use in our DIY bike repair shop. I use it on my Gravelbike and it holds up the longest and catches the least dirt of all lubes I ever used. My colleges report the same. Wear and tear is also where it should be. Quite amazing that stuff.

Aparte de limpiar la cadena con Anti grasa, Agua con detergente a 60°C (Temperatura optima para remover grasa o aceite viejo) enjuagar y secar BIEN la cadena, se lava el piñón, las roldanas y las coronas del volante. También no basta quitar el exceso de aceite solamente en la cadena. Hay que quitar el exceso en los costados de los dientes de la transmisión. Sobretodo si no tienen lubricante para seco en el momento pero si, tienen húmedo o hacen grandes fondos necesitando un lubricante mas fuerte. Es abismal la diferencia entre una transmisión sucia y una limpia.

Immersion wax. Done.

Hot wax!

Speaking of cleaning and lubing techniques this one is probably cringe worthy by today's standards but was rather effective at the time. Back in the 80's I used to pull chains dump them in a can of gunk carburetor cleaner for 20 minutes. Thoroughly rinse the chain off and then soak it in a can with gear oil overnight. The next day I would wipe all the excess oil off and throw the chain back on the bike.

I always thought it was better to apply lube to the inside of the chain?

Bike Ross

Great in theory but riding day in day out on wet salty roads this isn't going to cut it. Back to GT85

Sorry for losing my cool buddy you're doing a great job

My tips: don't hesitate to remove the chain from the bike since it's SOOO more effective. Always try to clean the cogs and chainrings and pulley a bit in the process and remove any excess lubes on these parts after lubing the chain. And if you can afford 3 chains, do a rotation of chains one in a while to prolong the life of your cogs since riding a chain to its end of life is what damage them. That's what I do on my bikes and I haven't changed any part except the chain in over 20k km.

Not advertising my video but wish to easily clean a chain then check it out please! I’ve used all the lubes,most are marketing hype,use what oil you have! If you have a new chain set then have three chains or more if you want (kmc sl silver) are great,and rotate these chains after a wet gritty ride or after 100~200kms of dry use,you’ll prolong the use of the chain set,I currently have huge mileage out of shimano 105,ultegra and absolute black set ups with swapping out kmc chains,using wet lube oil with regular simple fast cleaning! This video like many is why I do everything myself and do not trust shop mechanics 🤗😁👍🏻

Diesel Fuel and a scrub brush "Mic Drop"

I usually find out my chain is worn by standing up a steep climb in my little ring and having it pop off !

A clean drivetrain is a clean bike and I clean bike is a safe bike

Do bike chains actually stretch?

Where’s your tache gone Jim?

My advice is to have 2 or 3 chains and alternate them.

At 11:20 That sprocket is damaged. It’s lob sided.

It applies to almost anything in life really: ..."wipe the excess off..."😁

Surely you should lube the inside not the outside of the chain?

WAX WAX WAX WAX WAX WAX

Waxing the chain is the best way to keep it clean. Not just for marginal wattage gains.

I think your di2 bike is ghost shifting 👻

Is this only for pro racing cyclists or cyclists who have the time from a free income? ... I don't have this time, I work for a living.... I use WD40; spray it on and immediately wipe it off. The chain is smooth and shifts perfectly for hundreds of miles and never squeaks, the wiping cleans all surface areas; WD40 penetrates so quickly this is possible to clean immediately after spraying . When trying the "high tech" expensive chain lubes, (tried them all) the chain squeaks at 75 miles. As a former Ultra-Marathon pro racer, I simply got sick of a squeaking dry chain after 75 miles, since I was 100 miles from home and it was a 200 miles ride. When switching to WD40 I NEVER had a squeaky dry chain again in the middle of a long training ride. AND...it takes only a minute to complete the entire chain maintenance, clean and lube. I would think it is impossible to lube every link by dropping oil on the chain like in this video, while a spray can of WD40 and the penetrating properties of WD40 make a complete "lube" every link, possible. I understand that WD40 is a water displacement formula, but somehow it functions better than lube. IF my chains with WD40 last 1000 miles less, I don't care; I ride 8 and 9 speeds so the chain and cassette cost half or 10% of what an 11, 12 and 13 speed costs. ( a suggestion for the working cyclists who don't have the time for 1 hour chain maintenance and don't ride ridiculously expensive bikes). So decide whether a squeaking chain with dry parts causing friction, or a WD40 chain, that never squeaks, with a little dirt as a wear item wears your chain out faster. I pay about $14 for my chains, replacing them is not a big deal and I save hours a week skipping all the messy cleaning and short mileage lubing.

Hot dip wax is really the only way to go, never need to clean anything, 15000kms per chain. Drip lubes mean endless cleaning and short chain life, lucky if you get 3000kms out of a drip lubed chain.

My wife always get jealous as i regularly lubricate my bike chain...

So, I use my sand blaster to clean my chain. It's really effective! Takes the colored coating garbage off my beautiful lush Aluminum frame as well. Why do they put those dumb color coatings on beautiful natural Aluminum? Makes no sense! Oh, I use Castrol GTX, 40 weight, on my chain. I swear by it. 12,000 miles on my O.E.M. chain. My chain is now fully broken in and ready to crank on to it's 100,000 mile warranty. Eat Snacky Smores!

Just scrub your chain once a week. That'll probably be sufficient

You need a smear of lube on ALL parts of the chain otherwise it will rust.

Just a quick tip...I always use paper towels (like the ones you keep in your kitchen) instead of a rag...you don't have to keep dirty rags around. Also, when lubing the chain take your time and just add a single small drop of lube on each roller separately. The lube will last you a lot longer. And stay away from spray lube 😉

My toothbrush tastes terrible after I use it to clean my chain.

Why wouldn’t you put the lube on the inside of the chain, where the chain meets the metal? You put it on the outside, I am sure it will eventually make its way to the right places, but you can do that from the get go. Love the Morgan Blue products.

he needs an editor, ponderous

If you could take longer, that might help.

What about WD 40 as a lube

out side of the chain? are you joking?

those chain scrubbing contraptions aren't very effective, you're essentially just bathing your chain in its own grime and grit

what a bullshit, it is defintely not necessary to do that. They want you to buy these expensive stuffs, sold from a professional machanic ...

Too much lube. One drop per roller. Then wipe off all you can. Take your time. Otherwise great tutorial.

Bit of a rude title