New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

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VinceLedge
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New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by VinceLedge »

New bike outing tomorrow, should I put some oil on the chain or rely on the original lubrication?
peetee
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by peetee »

Would depend on the bike or chain that’s fitted to it. Some cheap machines for sure.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
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531colin
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by 531colin »

I think the greasy stuff on a new chain is to stop it going rusty rather than being a lubricant.
I would give it some chain oil, sparingly.
VinceLedge
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by VinceLedge »

New Cube Attain Ultegra , Shimano HG chain
VinceLedge
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by VinceLedge »

As suggested I will lube it a bit!
freeflow
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by freeflow »

Thorough degrease then use hot wax on the cleaned chain. It's a revelation. You won't look back
Steve O'C
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by Steve O'C »

To misquote Newtons third law of motion, for every opinion on chain lubrication there is an opposite view that is held equally strongly by another body of opinion.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

Sheldon says
New chains come pre-lubricated with a grease-type lubricant which has been installed at the factory. This is an excellent lubricant, and has been made to permeate all of the internal interstices in the chain. The chain and this lubricant need to be warmed during application.

This factory lube is superior to any lube that you can apply after the fact
The factory lubricant all by itself is usually good for several hundred miles of service if the bike is not ridden in wet or dusty conditions. It is best not to apply any sort of lube to a new chain until it is clearly needed, because any wet lube you can apply will dilute the factory lube.
Glad I have been able to clear that up for you :wink:
Stevek76
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by Stevek76 »

KMC suggest the following:
https://www.kmcchain.eu/Maintenance
A new chain usually feels sticky at first. These are residues of the high-performance grease used during assembly. Remove this grease with a thin-bodied oil or cleaner (no aggressive grease solvents!), lightly oil the rollers and remove excess oil with a cloth.

We recommend never to degrease the chain completely. Also when changing to wax, we recommend to degrease the chain only on the outside. If you degrease the chain completely, we recommend to soak the chain in wax for 12–24 hours, so that this can penetrate into the inside of the chain.

More generally, whatever you get into the inside of the chain, you don't normally want excess grease or lube on the outside of the chain so whether it's factory grease or your own it will help the chain stay cleaner to ensure this is removed.
The contents of this post, unless otherwise stated, are opinions of the author and may actually be complete codswallop
Jamesh
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by Jamesh »

I've found. Waxes to be too sticky and pick up crud from the road.

I've gone over to teflon lube which is lighter and less likely to hold crud to the chain.

What do you guys think?

Cheers James
freeflow
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by freeflow »

Sticky wax is a symptom of liquid wax or insufficiently cleaned chain before hot waxing. My hot waxed chains are perfectly clean to the touch and dry., even after several 100km of riding.
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Sweep
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by Sweep »

531colin wrote: 6 May 2021, 5:31pm I think the greasy stuff on a new chain is to stop it going rusty rather than being a lubricant.
I would give it some chain oil, sparingly.
yep this is my idea after following the dictum for a while/few years that the factory gunk is the best stuff that a chain will ever have on it and so you should just ride on that for a few 100km. I found that things ran smoother with some more traditional lube - these days I tend to lube a new chain and then soon afterwards clean it off, including the factory stuff, and relubing.

After various adventures with "clever" stuff my favoured lube is now this

https://road.cc/content/review/133426-w ... cant-100ml

(am no roadie despite that link)

cheap compared to many and can sometimes be bought in a litre.
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Sweep
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by Sweep »

Stevek76 wrote: 6 May 2021, 11:17pm KMC suggest the following:
https://www.kmcchain.eu/Maintenance
A new chain usually feels sticky at first. These are residues of the high-performance grease used during assembly. Remove this grease with a thin-bodied oil or cleaner (no aggressive grease solvents!), lightly oil the rollers and remove excess oil with a cloth.

We recommend never to degrease the chain completely. Also when changing to wax, we recommend to degrease the chain only on the outside. If you degrease the chain completely, we recommend to soak the chain in wax for 12–24 hours, so that this can penetrate into the inside of the chain.

More generally, whatever you get into the inside of the chain, you don't normally want excess grease or lube on the outside of the chain so whether it's factory grease or your own it will help the chain stay cleaner to ensure this is removed.
I respect KMC, but with regard to this:

>>We recommend never to degrease the chain completely.

How do you partially degrease a chain?

I tend to degrease what I assume is fully - oil the chain, take the bike for a run, oil again before any other ride of any length.
As described wipe excess from the outside of the chain.
Sweep
markjohnobrien
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by markjohnobrien »

freeflow wrote: 6 May 2021, 10:02pm Thorough degrease then use hot wax on the cleaned chain. It's a revelation. You won't look back
No, don’t degrease too soon: that will get rid of the factory grease that is inside the chain (as long as it’s a decent chain) and which gives strong protective measure inside the chain.
Last edited by markjohnobrien on 7 May 2021, 12:12pm, edited 1 time in total.
Raleigh Randonneur 708 (Magura hydraulic brakes); Blue Raleigh Randonneur 708 dynamo; Pearson Compass 631 tourer; Dawes One Down 631 dynamo winter bike;Raleigh Travelogue 708 tourer dynamo; Kona Sutra; Trek 920 disc Sram Force.
markjohnobrien
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by markjohnobrien »

Steve O'C wrote: 6 May 2021, 10:47pm To misquote Newtons third law of motion, for every opinion on chain lubrication there is an opposite view that is held equally strongly by another body of opinion.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

Sheldon says
New chains come pre-lubricated with a grease-type lubricant which has been installed at the factory. This is an excellent lubricant, and has been made to permeate all of the internal interstices in the chain. The chain and this lubricant need to be warmed during application.

This factory lube is superior to any lube that you can apply after the fact
The factory lubricant all by itself is usually good for several hundred miles of service if the bike is not ridden in wet or dusty conditions. It is best not to apply any sort of lube to a new chain until it is clearly needed, because any wet lube you can apply will dilute the factory lube.
Glad I have been able to clear that up for you :wink:
Agree: very sensible.
Raleigh Randonneur 708 (Magura hydraulic brakes); Blue Raleigh Randonneur 708 dynamo; Pearson Compass 631 tourer; Dawes One Down 631 dynamo winter bike;Raleigh Travelogue 708 tourer dynamo; Kona Sutra; Trek 920 disc Sram Force.
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Sweep
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Re: New bike, oil chain for 1st ride?

Post by Sweep »

markjohnobrien wrote: 7 May 2021, 12:09pm
No, don’t degrease too soon: that will get rid of the factory grease that is inside the chain (as long as it’s a decent chain) and which gives strong protective measure inside the chain.
But at the risk of contradicting sheldon, does it lube or just protect against corrosion, storage, rats? It never feels too luby to me. Not up to the standards I'd demand for sexual purposes for sure.

If it's so effective as a lube, why do so few bike lubes feel like this after you have applied them/run your fingers - with appropriate sensuality - over the chain?
Sweep
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