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How to Dry a Chain

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#21 ·
jeffscott said:
Geez warm soap and water, then a water rinse....the dry off and inspect with a dry rag.

Goes for the whole bike and the chain.

Off course you lube up after washing.....
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This. Honestly, i usually wash at night and next day reapply lube. Only once has it had any signs of rust (Sram 951). Lube run through and wiped next day. No more rust. My KMC 8.93 and z610 haven't had this issue and i just lube next day. Honestly, the chain will stretch out before it corrodes. I do live in SoCal where the humidity is usually pretty low though.

I will clean my chain about every 2-3 rides. I like a clean bike. Between cleanings, i will wipe the chain down with a rag and lube the rollers. I do this for both, my SS and geared. Shifts good and quiet on both. You can be lazier if you want. Like i said, it'll probably stretch out before anything else.
 
#23 ·
Chain manufacturers do not put temporary lubrication in their products but something for the inner surfaces to last as long as possible. Motorcycle chains come lifetime lubed with not O rings but X rings to keep the lube in and dirt out. Maybe we need that for our bikes, the chains we use are too road bike oriented.
 
#24 · (Edited)
eb1888 said:
Chain manufacturers do not put temporary lubrication in their products but something for the inner surfaces to last as long as possible. Motorcycle chains come lifetime lubed with not O rings but X rings to keep the lube in and dirt out. Maybe we need that for our bikes, the chains we use are too road bike oriented.
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Those sealed systems increase weight, drag and stiffness; doesn't matter to an internal combustion engine but not a great idea for a bike.
Ze Germans tend to be pretty anal about quantifying durability and performance down to the nearest hundred meters, but it's pretty much irrelevant. Chains are a consumable item and pretty inexpensive, I keep them clean and lubed for shifting performance not to maximise life. I take it off the bike and measure it fairly regular and replace it when its elongated. From a ten speed chain (I usually use Shimano as thats what the LBS sells) I get 4000Km to 5000Km - good enough for me
 
#31 ·
Since I got my new (to me) bike with XX1, I'm paranoid about drivetrain wear. I really don't ever want to replace that rear cassette ($$$). Hopefully I'm not doing more harm than good, but here's my routine. Even one good ride on a dusty/sandy trail and I'm running the chain through the gizmo with Simple Green. Then rinse with water. I'll wipe off the excess water with an old t-shirt then hit the chain with speed degreaser to displace the water. When that's evaporated, reapply lube. I wipe the pulleys, chainring, and cassette, too. When I'm done, it's not pro bike clean, but it's pretty clean.

I keep an eye on chain wear, too. I'm still using old-school dry lube, but next new chain I might try hot wax or something else.
 
#32 ·
Dunnigan said:
Since I got my new (to me) bike with XX1, I'm paranoid about drivetrain wear. I really don't ever want to replace that rear cassette ($$$). Hopefully I'm not doing more harm than good, but here's my routine. Even one good ride on a dusty/sandy trail and I'm running the chain through the gizmo with Simple Green. Then rinse with water. I'll wipe off the excess water with an old t-shirt then hit the chain with speed degreaser to displace the water. When that's evaporated, reapply lube. I wipe the pulleys, chainring, and cassette, too. When I'm done, it's not pro bike clean, but it's pretty clean.

I keep an eye on chain wear, too. I'm still using old-school dry lube, but next new chain I might try hot wax or something else.
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And you’re doing that every ride? I’d suggest invest in a higher quality lube. To be clear you’re using lube right?
 
#35 ·
Dunnigan said:
I'm paranoid about drivetrain wear. Hopefully I'm not doing more harm than good.
Even one good ride on a dusty/sandy trail and I'm running the chain through the gizmo with Simple Green.
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Remember that 'paranoid' is an unjustified fear.

I'm a bit curious why you choose to use a degreaser with every ride. I'm really unclear why using a degreaser at all given your cleaning routine. Perhaps you're over doing this. Look up Simple Green and Hydrogen Embrittlement.

Like you, I run XX1 chains and an X01 cassette and we know these are not inexpensive consumables. As such, I make efforts to keep the drivetrain clean and in peak condition. The chain gets a thorough wipe down following most every ride, and lubed. I use Rock n Roll Gold. Residual lube get wiped from jockey wheels and chain ring, but I never have a need for degreaser. There's never accumulation of residual chain lube to degrease.

Chain Rotation to minimize drive train wear.
I purchase three new chains at a time and use them in a rotation (swap) about every 500 miles. When the first chain rotation has completed three chains (each chain has been on for ~500 miles), then chain #1 goes back on for its second rotation and so on. I usually get three complete rotations (~1,500 miles each), before they are scrutinized for retirement.
At the end of the first rotation, the cassette and chain ring have now experienced a new chain for each 500 duty miles. As a result and assuming appropriate chain servicing, cassettes and chain rings will experience a longer service life.

Each chain get ultrasonic cleaning following its rotation. With a quiver of bikes, there's always a dirty chain waiting for a companion to join them in a bath.
 
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