Re: Caught in rain

On 5/7/2025 2:57 AM, James wrote:

On 7/5/25 16:49, James wrote:

On 7/5/25 06:59, Zen Cycle wrote:

On 5/4/2025 6:16 PM, Mark J cleary wrote:

So I got caught yesterday in the rain. Not a huge down pour but steady and light for maybe 25 miles. I never cleaned the bike really but was thinking, should I re-lube the chain? I went out today road 49 miles never gave it thought about yesterday. Bike road ok I just wonder how important it really is? My lube of choice is box store 3 in 1 oil rated for 1/4 HP applications. Used if for the past 17 years
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I have been refinishing my kitchen cabinets no time to do routine bike maintenance but I manage a ride in.

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This just caught my eye
https://bikerumor.com/simplyfast-123bike-lube-cube-claims-to-be- cleanest-easiest-way-to-lubricate-a-chain/
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Apparently it's a block of wax that you hold in place on the chain while rotating the pedals backwards. There aren't any real user reviews yet, seems to me it's missing a rather significant point of getting in between the rollers and pins.
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Might be worth a try though at MSRP of $10. Certainly couldn't be worse than 3-in-1.
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https://www.event-gear.com/simplyfast-s-cube-an-all-new-way-to-lube- your-chain/
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I think I'll spring for it and try it on my commuter, then report back.
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I think it will be an utter waste of time to just rub a block of wax over the outside of the chain.  The parts that really need lubrication are inside the rollers.  The pin to inside plate bearing surface, particularly, but also between the plates.
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Unless you heat the chain before rubbing the block on it, the lubricant won't reach the parts that need it.

yup. I don't know how well this product may soften and/or flow. But what the hell, I'll give it a try.

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The moaning about cooking chains taking hours with solvents and so on is complete rubbish.  Simply do not use solvents.  Dump the dirty/dry chain in the hot lubricant.

Nope. First off, cleaning a chain shouldn't take hours. Second, leaving grit in between the chain bits and sealing then there with wax is as bad as using WD 40.

It doesn't take long to remove the chain with a quick link.  I never bother cleaning with solvents.  Just immerse the chain in hot wax+oil for a few minutes, then remove it from the wax+oil and set it on a piece of cardboard or a plastic ice cream container lid to drain and cool enough for you to handle.
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Within 5 minutes you can be putting the chain back on the bike.
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I don't even bother removing the factory grease, which for Campagnolo chains is fine for at least a thousand kms.  Shimano factory chain lube is just oil.  It needs wax treatment after the first couple of rides - or prior to the first ride.
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Ok, it's not as fast as dripping oily stuff on the outside of the chain, but it's not terribly slow and does a much better job.
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I use 50/50 mix of paraffin wax (candle wax) and gear oil.  Use scented candles if you want a sweet smelling ride  ;-)

I rinse mine for a few minutes in a coffee can with brake cleaner (https://www.grainger.com/product/CRC-Brake-Cleaner-Solvent-35WT64) then drop it in an ultra sonic cleaner for 15 minutes. I can do several chains at a time.
Take them out, let them dry (the ultrasonic cleaner is heated so they dry quickly) then hot dip in the wax. I keep quite a few chains in rotation so waxing 4 or so at a time generally takes about an hour (less than 30 minutes or so for the cleaning portion of 4 chains), and a lot of that is waiting so I do other stuff.

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  I put a new Campagnolo 11s chain on my gravel bike last October.  Since then I've raced a UCI gravel race (137km) and another gravel race over terrain that was more suited to a mountain bike, with creek crossings and descents you couldn't walk down without sliding.

What race was that? We have a race up here called Rasputita. Northern Vermont in the spring -  a combination or mud, snow, ice, and big fucking hills, for 60 miles. I did it once in 2010....never again....

In addition, I haven't ridden any other bike this summer (southern hemisphere), so it has clocked up 6 months of riding.  Close to 5000km.  Maybe 30% on gravel roads.
 I measured 12 inches of chain yesterday, and there is no (zero) measurable elongation to report.  (The chain may have started undersize).
 I only bother to lubricate the chain once it sounds dry.

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