SKS Chainbow?

[freiston]

I find the biggest problem with them is the plastic cover coming away at the ends. This Decathlon one has a plastic coating on the metal strip (you can just about see it in this picture as it has a little excess at the curved end of the metal strip) which might stop corrosion but it doesn't stop them from slicing into my finger. Tent peg is there to keep the cover bent back to show the metal strip.

[ymfb]

I can offer no suggestions for chain covers. But I commute 7 miles a day and wear my usual cycling garb, I keep a set of clothes at the office and the wife comes in periodically and replaces them.

[gru]

The SKS chainblade works well on my mtb with front derailleur, Shimano 90s. It has a notch for it. Mech had to fiddle a bit but it works, and I never get my trousers anywhere near the chain. I have plenty of space with the 44T version to reach the chain if I have to.

plus, I bathe the chain in warm paraffin wax and use no oil, which solves the dirt problem altogether. I can exchange chains with bare hands.

[axel_knutt]

Tucking trousers into socks is no use, when I bend my legs the bottoms of my trousers ride up above the top of my socks. Cycle clips aren't much fun either unless I want them around my calves.

Before I switched to Ron Hill Bikesters, I used polycotton walking trousers, and modified a pair for cycling in. They had a zip across each leg just above the knee with a gusset sewn in behind, so that when I got on the bike I opened the zip and the gusset allowed the leg to bend without riding up. I then had tabs with Velcro sewn on the bottoms like the ones on waterproof over trousers. Very convenient, but it takes a bit of time to make them.

I had a strong wind from the front right quarter blow my Lycra Bikesters into the chainring once.

[Galactic]

plus, I bathe the chain in warm paraffin wax and use no oil, which solves the dirt problem altogether. I can exchange chains with bare hands.

As in melted candles? Does it penetrate sufficiently? Tempted to try that

[Brucey]

plus, I bathe the chain in warm paraffin wax and use no oil, which solves the dirt problem altogether. I can exchange chains with bare hands.

As in melted candles? Does it penetrate sufficiently? Tempted to try that

when the wax is melted it becomes very fluid and will enter every part of the chain, just like oil does. In use, the majority of the dirt just falls right off the chain. That which sticks comes off next time the chain is treated. One of the attractions of this approach is that cleaning and relubrication require just a single treatment. Most of the dirt ends up in the bottom layer of wax, so when the wax becomes too dirty it is usually just a question of removing and disposing of this bottom layer.

[Brucey]

I find the biggest problem with them is the plastic cover coming away at the ends.....

the metal piece inside is reminiscent of the steel tape used in tape measures. It just might be possible to DIY manufacture your own snap-fit bicycle clips, using lengths cut from an old/cheap steel tape. For example, you can now buy 5m tape measures, and these typically have a wider tape in them. I suspect that you could easily make snap-fit bands, eg by using two lengths cut from 5m tape, side-by-side, or perhaps three lengths from a narrower tape.

In any event the ends of the steelpieces could be easily protected using a suitable sticky tape eg duct tape. Parcel tape could be used to 'entomb' the steel pieces entirely, so the finished DIY clips could be a parcel tape-steel tape-parcel tape sandwich with the parcel tape layers all 'sticky-side-in' as it were. You would of course have to either forgo reflexite or add it yourself.

[rjb]

I'm a convert to waxing chains. I use a slow cooker to boil them up in a home brew mix of candle wax, moly paste and PTFE grease.
I just wipe the old chain and place in the cooker. I do this every 500 miles on the tandem using a pair of chains in rotation.

[Airsporter1st]

I'm a convert to waxing chains. I use a slow cooker to boil them up in a home brew mix of candle wax, moly paste and PTFE grease.
I just wipe the old chain and place in the cooker. I do this every 500 miles on the tandem using a pair of chains in rotation.

Surely the moly paste will stain the OP’s clothes far worse than regular chain lube?

[rjb]

Not at all. I refit the chain by hand which stay clean.

[Brucey]

I'm a convert to waxing chains. I use a slow cooker to boil them up in a home brew mix of candle wax, moly paste and PTFE grease.
I just wipe the old chain and place in the cooker. I do this every 500 miles on the tandem using a pair of chains in rotation.

is your homebrew mix at all sticky because of the grease?

[alexnharvey]

I'm a convert to waxing chains. I use a slow cooker to boil them up in a home brew mix of candle wax, moly paste and PTFE grease.
I just wipe the old chain and place in the cooker. I do this every 500 miles on the tandem using a pair of chains in rotation.

Keep an eye out for an old deep fat fryer. So much easier and quicker than a slow cooker i find. The basket is great for letting the excess wax drain off the chain