[luvulongtime]

My general thery with anything made of metal is to douse it with WD 40 after every use. What kind of preventive maint should I be doing post ride? ShouldI spray my chain and DRs with WD 40 Thanks.

 

[scooterman]

no. unless your chain is soaking with water then i guess you could use it to displace the water then put some real lube on it. but no

 

[singlespeed1]

I have used WD-40 to clean my chain if there is alot of greese on it. Then i would put some real chain lube on after. Dont lube your chain with WD-40 unless you want alot of dirt stuck to your chain.

Chris

 

[dvspd]

I posted a similar thread, didn't get many answers tho..

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=180363

 

[anthrax]

WD-40 is NOT a lubricant it is a penitrating oil.

Deffinatly not the best for bike parts.

Do yourself a favor get a good bottle of Chain lube, a bottle of Simple Green, a parts cleaning brush, and a graden hose with a spray nozzle.

Use the Simple Green (biodegradable and non toxic degreaser/cleaner) and the parts brush to clean away all the large bits of meterail and the rinse thourly with watter from the hose, and then aftern the chain is dry use the chain lube.

No WD-40

 

[Stevirey]

Wd-40

WD stands for water displacement.I used to ues it very lightly here and there before washing or hoseing down a muddy bike.To help keep water out of suff like the bottom bracket,headset,wheel bearings,etc.But I won't ride in the mud anymore.Not on purpose.Still,even dry conditions,after enough miles,stuff stills cruds up enough to want to take a hose to it.You just don't want to get it on brake pads,rims and god forbid disc pads or roters.In an emergency,I have cleaned my chain with it.It's really only good for a few miles.The real downside of this is that you create perfect cutting fluid.Fine grit mixed with light oil.As for cleaners,I like Simple Green.Chain lube is an on going experiment for me.I've be using Dura Lube for my chain.

 

[whoda*huck]

My general thery with anything made of metal is to douse it with WD 40 after every use. What kind of preventive maint should I be doing post ride? ShouldI spray my chain and DRs with WD 40 Thanks.

No no no no! As said by others it's a penetrating oil/cleaner. Works good for a cleaner, but you have to get it ALL off before using real lube or the WD will just break it down. Don't EVER spray it around sealed bearings or it will work in and "clean" out the grease leaving the bearings dry.

 

[akitadogg]

I've never had any problems with wd40. In fact it's pretty much all I use and it seems to work great for me.

My 10 year old bike is still running strong with nothing but wd40.

 

[Jwiffle]

I use WD-40 as a threat to my bike. When she misbehaves, I scream, "Stop ghost shifting or I'll really give you something to cry about! You don't want me to pull out the WD-40 do you?!"

 

[4212darren]

WD-40 is more solvent than lube, it has its uses but it isn't the best tool for the chain. I use a homemade lube of about 10 parts low odor paint thinner and about 4 parts chainsaw BAR oil. Not 2-stroke engine oil but chainsaw chain lube. If you've ever ran a chainsaw you know what I'm talking about.

 

[BrianU]

Kind of OT, but involves WD 40.

My general thery with anything made of metal is to douse it with WD 40 after every use. What kind of preventive maint should I be doing post ride? ShouldI spray my chain and DRs with WD 40 Thanks.

I have done most of my deer hunting for the last 20 years with flintlock rifle. While home on leave in PA during a particular wet primitive arms season, I used WD 40 as an oil on my rifle, thinking it would help protect it from the weather. Halfway through the next day, rust started forming on the barrel. We are talking to the extent that it looked like it had no oil on it at all. WD 40 provided no level of protection on the blued steel, so you can just imagine what it is doing or I guess I should say not doing as a lubricant on a chain.

Brian

 

[akitadogg]

I have done most of my deer hunting for the last 20 years with flintlock rifle. While home on leave in PA during a particular wet primitive arms season, I used WD 40 as an oil on my rifle, thinking it would help protect it from the weather. Halfway through the next day, rust started forming on the barrel. We are talking to the extent that it looked like it had no oil on it at all. WD 40 provided no level of protection on the blued steel, so you can just imagine what it is doing or I guess I should say not doing as a lubricant on a chain.

Brian

Wow that's really odd - somehow farmers have been using the stuff to prevent rust for a long long time.
As for firearms...it works dandy in the jungle and pacific NW - I'd suggest it wasn't the wd40 but something else. I;m assuming you;re not in the infantry.

 

[SlowPokePete]

No.

Hell no.

 

[Stuart B]

one of my mates uses it on his chain...he has the rustiest chain of all my mates by a long way....even those who are crap at oiling their chains lol

Stu

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

wd is a mess espspecially spray (can get on rotors and contaminate pads) also attracts too much dirt

 

[Stregone]

If you know you are gunna get muddy as heck, you can spray your down tube and other mud prone spots to make cleanup easier. Other than that keep it away form your bike

 

[Jwind]

Take what you will from all the WD-40 advice -- ONE thing is for sure, KEEP IT AWAY FROM YOUR DISC BRAKES. getting wd-40 on them suckers is the quickest way to make them ineffective!

 

[donboyfisher]

it makes a good frame polish though. spray along the tubes and wipe clean, and it comes up nice n shiny.

 

[sutherland]

it makes a good frame polish though. spray along the tubes and wipe clean, and it comes up nice n shiny.

wd40 does wonders for removing adhesive and rust-jammed bolts, and is always a mainstay in my cycling pack. is it a bike-friendly tool....no, not necessarily, is it a sin to use it....not really, but it's number of uses make it a useful for maintenance. wd40 is not an oil, it's not viscose...it isn't an effective lubricant because it's properties break down soon after application.

for chain maintenance, the best tool is a cheap toothbrush, dish soap(degreaser), and a good dense chain lube. the same care you put to your chain can be applied to your chain wheel.

 

[Tracerboy]

The only time I use WD40 is to unstick crankarms and pedals when working on a used bike.I used to shoot some in my hubs on my track bike years ago to add a little speed but I got tired of repacking my hubs.
WD40 is good for cleaning chainrings but it's messy.I'll also use it for chainring bolts. I am successful in unsticking those Shimano Parallax rear hubs with WD40.
But no.Use real lub on your bike.