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Best way to lube a MTB chain for daily long rides through rainy muddy trails ?

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10mph

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I ride my 29er every day out here in the Pacific Northwest and go through some really sloppy trails .
The problem is I ride as much 20 miles a day and it rains a lot out here when the rainy season starts
Whats the best compromise for lubing the chain?
If go with wet Lube because it rains a lot out here, I'll pick up all the grit from the trail.
If I go with Dry Lube, I'll have to use it everyday.
Is there something I can do to compromise without doing chain cleaning and maintenance every two or three days?
Thank you in Advance.
 
#2 ·
ride in nastier conditions = maintain your bike more.

there's really no way around that. and yeah, your assessment of how the two broad classes of chain lubes work is fairly accurate. that IS your compromise. you have to choose whether you want to clean more, or lube more.
 
#4 ·
The best way is to bring a small sample-size bottle of 0w30 motor oil.

But I wouldn't do that for 20 miles, that's not a long ride IME. I do nasty muddy rides sometimes around 50 miles total (some longer than that in a few races) and on those, I take said bottle and applying it at the halfway mark makes a world of difference for the next half of the ride. If it's a short nasty muddy ride, some dumonde-tech works great, or on the cheap, just apply that motor oil. Your basic wet lube works the same. Wet lubes work far better for muddy nasty conditions, where waxes tend to wash off relatively quickly. Most of the "clean chain" lubes are waxes and they don't last very long in real wet muddy conditions.

As far as "cleaning", I just wash my bike occasionally and when I do, the chain a little bit. I try not to over-do it, I don't want to wash all the lube out of the chain. I find the chain self-cleans over times just fine when you go back to the dumonde-tech light or waxes when it dries out.
 
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#5 ·
10mph said:
Is there something I can do to compromise without doing chain cleaning and maintenance every two or three days?
.
Click to expand...
No

I live in northern Ca and ride wet trails, I use a mix of motor oil and mineral spirits 50/50.

I pressure wash chain every ride, and re lube every ride.

Using over the counter chain lubes, and all of them crapped out after 20 miles, the oil mix is getting me over 50 miles.

Also because I keep my chain clean, im not wearing out eagle gx chains in 1000 miles, they are still in spec.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Outhouse said:
No

I live in northern Ca and ride wet trails, I use a mix of motor oil and mineral spirits 50/50.

I pressure wash chain every ride, and re lube every ride.

Using over the counter chain lubes, and all of them crapped out after 20 miles, the oil mix is getting me over 50 miles.

Also because I keep my chain clean, im not wearing out eagle gx chains in 1000 miles, they are still in spec.
Click to expand...
what grade oil? I have nothing against cleaning everyday. I love my Bike
 
#8 ·
I use synthetic 10-40 motorcycle oil, pressure wash chain on bike avoiding all bearings, just to get dirt out of chain. So yes careful. I use a old locktite bottle like an eye dropper, and put a half drop of oil on each roller. Does not take long. Then use a rag to wipe clean the excess.
 
#9 ·
Dumonde Tech original. Get chain as dry, clean, and warm as you can. For me this simply means wiping it down with a terry cloth rag until it's reasonably clean then hitting the jockey wheels and maybe front ring with a screw driver(any flat edge) to remove any build up gunk where the chain rides. Apply Dumonde Tech liberally to both sides of every pin. Cycle chain many times to work in. Let sit for a bit. Wipe off all excess with Terry cloth. Let fully dry, heat will help. I ride in the PNW, 15+ years now. If there's a more effective way with less or similar effort I've yet to discover it.
*^I'd also strongly agree with Jayem's methodology and philosophy on cleaning. Furthermore, on truly big rides, nothing will work like a relube mid ride.
Sent from my moto g(6) forge using Tapatalk
 
#10 ·
I agree Dumonde Tech original. Clean as much off as you can. And I carry 0w30 oil and a rag on trips. Rarely need it but if a lot of creek crossings and such its good to have a back up. It only takes a few minutes to wipe off the chain when you get back.

The motor oil doesn't have anything that needs to evaporate so its good for during the ride.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Outhouse said:
I use synthetic 10-40 motorcycle oil, pressure wash chain on bike avoiding all bearings, just to get dirt out of chain. So yes careful. I use a old locktite bottle like an eye dropper, and put a half drop of oil on each roller. Does not take long. Then use a rag to wipe clean the excess.
Click to expand...
Any ideas on compressed air vs pressure wash ? Not always easy for me to fire up the Pressure washer everyday,, I live in a small house and development but I do have a big air compressor wired up
 
#13 ·
×3 for Dumonde tech. Pressure washing a chain every day seems excessive in several ways. To me anyway.

With Dumonde tech there's no need for solvents or frequent deep cleaning, just add more and wipe down after a few hours.

Wax (e.g. squirt) is really good too and super clean but I don't know how it lasts in wet climates.
 
#15 ·
10mph said:
Any ideas on compressed air vs pressure wash ? Not always easy for me to fire up the Pressure washer everyday,, I live in a small house and development but I do have a big air compressor wired up
Click to expand...
The only down side would be without water, you might need to place rags around brake rotors to keep oil off them when blowing clean. Just keep it in mind.

I live in the country with no one close and have a pressure washer always ready to go, so when I get back from a ride, I blow mud off from a distance, then focus close on chain and cassette and chainring.
 
#16 ·
Just did a real muddy ride. Gave it some dumonde-tech light before hand. Washed bike (but not chain) after. Even before I washed the bike my chain looked pretty much like it did before I rode. I'm not one of those people that thinks their chain needs to stay hyper-clean, IME, that tends to wash more of the lube out of the pivots and accelerate wear. I don't wash the chain and using dumonde-tech, it ends up being pretty clean. Not new-chain clean, but enough that it's not a brown gunk-fest either.
 
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#17 ·
Chains need lube on the inside.

Best to clean and lube your chain right after a ride so that it is ready for the next ride. This gives the lube lots of time to migrate into the chain plates and rollers. Wipe off just before you ride.

I don't have a recommendation on a specific lube. I used to have SynLube, and one of my buddies gave me some stuff that was supposedly formulated for farm implements, which both worked quite well in the worst conditions. Anymore I don't often ride in really bad conditions, but I just carry a little bottle of Tri-Flow if I think I am going to need it.

-F
 
#18 ·
Not much help since I pretty much ride only in dry conditions and Squirt is my go to for dry lube. If I were riding regularly in the mud and wet, I'd probably get a second chain to put into the rotation. That way it would extend my cleaning intervals and I could clean both chains at the same time when they needed it.
 
#19 ·
J.B. Weld said:
Pressure washing a chain every day seems excessive in several ways. To me anyway.
Click to expand...
Not just to you.

I have a pressure washer. It's great for getting algae and mold off my siding, for cleaning the southern red clay dust out of the concrete pores of the front porch, and for stripping the flaky old paint off of the deck.

It's way f*cking overkill for bikes. I wipe my chain off with a rag to clean it. When I wash my bike (maybe once or twice a year), I use soapy water and a sponge or plastic-bristled brush.
 
#20 ·
Harold said:
Not just to you.

I have a pressure washer. It's great for getting algae and mold off my siding, for cleaning the southern red clay dust out of the concrete pores of the front porch, and for stripping the flaky old paint off of the deck.

It's way f*cking overkill for bikes. I wipe my chain off with a rag to clean it. When I wash my bike (maybe once or twice a year), I use soapy water and a sponge or plastic-bristled brush.
Click to expand...
Yep. Even though I hate dirty drivetrains and wash my bike often I'd never use a pressure washer to clean it.
 
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