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"Everything you want to know about chains, but you are afraid to
ask", "Everything you didn't want to know about chains, but you
must know, or better you know... or we are going to tell you anyway!
If you don’t like the title, feel free to use
one of the previous ones, or better yet create one yourself, but read the
article so it won't hurt were it hurt most....$$$$!
One of the simplest (and important) maintenance
that a rookie (or expert) could do is to lubricate the chain! I
still vividly remember the first time I ask about this issue in the bike
shop. Even tough I don't recall very well, the difference between
lubricants resided in the frequency of lubrication and cleaning. The
answer was to lubricate after two to tree rides. My (rookie)
response was... What, so frequent? But this is like chain slavery!
This bike shop owner is really exaggerating, I thought! For sure the
owners response (in his mind of course) was... another "knows it
all"! Time is wonderful, now I know he really was right!
When...
to lube the chain It depends mainly on the kind of
trails you ride an the type of lubricant you use. If the trails
you ride are wet or have small streams crossing, you should lube very
frequently. My recommendation... after every ride! Why?
Most of the lubricants are for dry terrain, you should use ones that are
made for wet conditions. And even if you use those, you should still
lubricate and clean frequently. Water removes the lubricant
efficiently and the mud and silt acts as a very good abrasive (not too
good)! In dusty trails if you lubricate once a week should be OK.
But if you are in doubt... just lube!
To answer the question: When to lubricate the chain?
You must find the answer yourself, but should be something like... after
a couple of rides! Believe it or not this was my conclusion
after reading the reviews of 15 lubricant in MTB
Review.
Lubes!
They are lubes and they are lubes, you... get yours! I
shouldn't recommend any; every body have an opinion, so make an educated
guess (selection I mean!). They are people who say wonderful things
about a lube, and others say horrible things about the same! My
recommendation: READ, ASK & TRY. The lubes
vary from extra dry (sounds like good beer), with wax, detergents and
stainless! I had use Triflow and Pedro's Ultra Dry and Ice Wax.
Last one, my favorite, but when I am in a hurry I use Triflow! I
still want to try others. Just ask your friends and in a friendly
bike shop. But be careful they don't recommend something they want
to get rid of it!
Believe it or not, read very well the label and note that in
99% of the times the real lubricant is PTFE (Poly Tetra Flour Etilene)
better know as Teflon (Dupont)! PTFE is one of the slickest
substances in the world (other than the politicians of course!).
Usually there is a small quantity of Teflon in the bottle suspended in
(usually) a thin oil. This oil or carrier, disperse the lubricant
and later evaporates leaving the lube in place. Seems that the
Teflon tends to sink because all the manufacturers advice to shake the
bottle before use. Seems that shake before use is advised for all
kinds of "cures"!
Some lubes have also detergents, which allow them to be used
for cleaning too. Others have wax which help protect the chain from
water (will not help much) and dust. Usually all the manufacturers
divide their lubes in two categories: dry environment (dust)
and water resistant (not the same as water proof)!
I do not recommend buying lubricants in spray cans,
this is for dumb rookies (like myself)! With these your aim is not
too good and is a waste of money. But more important, you lube
everything: tires, rims, brakes, rotors, floor, frame... but the chain!
You run the risk of having left some parts of the chain without lube!
Why!...
1. Improves shifting (smoooooooth shifting!)
2. Reduce the probability of the infamous
Chain Suck!
3. Increase longevity of the chain,
cassette and chain rings
4. To get a complex of bike mechanic
The answer to this question is the
real reason for this article. Why lube... has a lot to do with the
way and parts the chain is made of. Below I present a photo of a
SRAM 9-speed chain. See that it’s constructed of two different
plates (external & internal), a roller (like a ring) and a pin.
In the figure the parts appear in the order they are constructed:
External plate, internal plate, roller, internal and external. The
pin at the right holds everything together.
Once the chain is assembled, the pin is located inside the roller (Next
figure, left). The roller can roll freely using the pin as an
axle. The cassette and the chain rings teeth’s make pressure
over the rollers, witch makes pressure over the pin!
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Fig. 2:
Roller & Pin
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Note in the rightmost figure the rollers between plates!
The
previous an current illustrations were taken from SRAM Website and
latter modified!
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¡This
is the place that had to be cleaned and lubed (Fig 2.)!
Just imagine this space full of fine sand and without lubrication, and
suffering great forces in a small area. The pin will be literally
sanded from the side suffering the pressure. Just see the first
figure (pin eroded in the center). If you don’t do chain
maintenance frequently all the pins will erode from the same side.
The end result is that the chain will increase in length. People
called it incorrectly chain stretch. It had increased in length
because of pin wear.
Twelve (12) links in a 9-speed chain should measure 12"
of length (Pin to Pin). If the chain measures more than 12 inches
but hasn’t reached 12 and 1/8", then you can change only the chain.
But if had already surpass that distance... for sure the chain had damaged
the cassette and the chain rings. If you chose to only replace the
chain, the old cassette and rings will worn the new chain, they will worn it
fast. Your shifting improvement will not last much!
What a pain $$$$$! A more o less good chain
costs about $25, a good Cassette in discount, costs about $60 and
the chain rings... depending of the model... over $60.
Ups! As you can see not lubing the chain can become
expensive. I didn’t say that eventually you have to replace all
tree components, but preventive maintenance will improve their useful
life. If you change the chain on time, then you will prolong the
useful live of the cassette and rings. Neglecting to do so will
become expensive. My chain has more than 1,500 miles and soon I have
to change it, it hasn’t reached 12 y 1/8" (almost).
About the rings... The one that suffers the
most is the middle ring. The other doesn’t suffer as much.
Some manufacturers advice to change all tree rings (of course $$$).
But at $30 (or more) each... hum!!!!!!!! I have to think about it!
How
to....
Lubing in excess is as bad as not lubing at all. Shimano
recommends lubing only the rollers. Add lube to the precise space
between the rollers and the pins because this is the place were most of
the friction occurs. If you use oils not designed for bicycles
chains and leave it wet with them, for sure it protects against corrosion.
But corrosion is not the main enemy here. The oils acts like a dust
magnet. It is very probable the pin and roller will collect sand and
dust, added to the oil will work like a nice abrasive mix (bad)... but
semi permanent (worst)!
If you cleaned the chain, dry it very well before
lube it. Just wait until the next day or use compressed air
if in a hurry. But be careful because my compressor compress so well
that extract water from the air and the chain can get wet. Do
not lube the chain if still wet, because the lube will trap water in
the chain spaces, witch is not well recommended or too good.
If the chain is clean and dry, apply your preferred lubricant liberally
to all sides. Be sure to lube all rollers and that the lube gets
between the rollers and the pin. Add lube liberally and let stand
for about 10 minutes. Hold the bike using an extra pair of hands, a
rope or a stand, just something that free both hands.
Get a piece of towel or terry cloth (the cheap
ones that sell in mechanics aisle in the department stores). Grab
with it the section of the chain closest to the floor (or the one that
works best for you). While holding the chain with the cloth move the
pedals backwards so the rear tire whon't move (or forward if you like a
challenge). Allow the chain to pass trough the
towel. This will remove the excess lubricant from all parts of the
chain. Repeat as many times as needed, just keep changing the dirty
sections of the towel. Repeat until the towel gets not more dirt (or
until you are fed up).
Now the chain is more or less clean.
This for sure will remove the excess lubricant and dirt, but will not
replace a deep cleaning. After a couple of rides or the next one
if you like, only lube the rollers. Add a drop of lubricant to each one, wait
several minutes and dry again with the terry cloth.
This technique will not deep clean the chain, but
is very time-efficient (free time is for riding, period!). If you
repeat this many times you will reduce the frequency of deep chain
cleaning.
Some purists recommend that
"oiling" be done from the interior of the chain to the outside.
In other words if the bike is standing, lube the top of lowermost section of the
chain. The idea is to avoid carrying dust particles
inside the roller. You judge if it worth all the trouble!
I can't do more! I throw the towel
(well... the terry cloth!) for today! In the next one... how to
clean the chain!
¡Enjoy!!!!!!
att.
JGRR
www.mtb-pr.com
sept 06
Rev 3.2e
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