mountain Bike Lube

losse

Hi gang
I have a question about lubing my bike.. I took it through serious mud recently and I was told that instead of trying to clean it right out of the mud, that you can take a hose to it and get rid of as much as you can...

I want to know what's a good lube I can use after to touch up all the parts, components etc... I head that WD-40 is a bad choice because it still attracts dirt...

What do you guys use?!?!

Thanks

wasabiboys

Tri Flow...Use a hack saw or something thin to clean out chainring and or cassette. Hose works

dabac

Frequency of washing and lubing is more important than what you use for washing and lubing.

I hose it down after every muddy run, allow it to dry, then lube with with ordinary engine oil. Every 5th run or so I bring out a brush, a cloth and some mild detergent to get rid of lube build up on other surfaces than the moving parts. It's low cost, fast work and I'm still getting good component life.

dabac

WD-40 as well as CRC 5-56 is oil diluted with something more volatile. As the volatile part evaporates the rest settles down into a sticky gunk. It's better than nothing, can be OK if frequently renewed but not as good as a real lube.

Tmax

Not only does WD40 attract dirt, but it's hydroscopic. It actually absorbs/attracts moisture, and will do little to prevent rust. It's about the last lubricant I would use on my bike. Something silicon, wax or Teflon based would be much better for your ride.

Tom

IronDonut

Simple Green, a bristle brush, garden hose and if you have it an air compressor will clean up a driveline really well.

WD-40 is a bad choice because it's too light of a lubricant for a bike chain. I use Tri-Flow and GT-85. This week I'm going to try used Mobile One motor oil out of my car and see how that works. If it works it'll be nice. I'm tired of buying a couple of cans of Tri-Flow a month and I have gallons of used motor oil.

IronDonut

I'm with you on the wash every ride. My driveline is full of sweat (salt) and silica (sand) when I'm done riding. Probably the worst combination for moving parts.

How is the motor oil working out? I'm going to try some of the used oil I drained out of my car. Tri-Flo at $14 a can is getting really old.

p38lightning

I'd like to offer a low cost alternative to engine oil. LSA medium weight weapons oil was developed by the military for use in the M16 rifle. It is inexpensive, and loaded with Teflon (you have to shake it before you use it). It's all that I ever use on my drive train for lube. It can be found at you local military surplus (as in Army and Navy) stores, and at gun shows.

dabac

Engine oil seems to work out just fine as far as lubing goes. It's not as clingy as a dedicated chain lube, so chainstay and derailleurs tends to pick up some surface dirt. It comes off easily with a rag though, or one can reduce the problem by wiping off the excess after lubing. I tend to let it build up between washes, there's no bling value in my stuff anyhow.



I wouldn't do that. The key issue is that that it's used oil. Ever thought about why the oil coming out of the engine is much darker than the oil going in? Engine oil serves several different purposes, it lubes, cools and washes. All that murkiness is from suspended combustion particles and from other changes in the oil's properties, they can be rather unhealthy.
Buy an new can of, say 10-W30, or another low grade oil, won't cost you much. Then send the used oil away for destruction. Engine oil is such an overkill for a bike application anyhow, so there's no need for high-grade ones.

moparchris

ahbh how aobut an actual bike chain lube, if you use the right stuff for your conditions its not sticky, not too heavy, dont wash off with water.

in most cases i see when people use engine oil, wd40, crc etc they put it on and leave it there, its too sticky, it picks up dust and sand, makes a grinding paste and makes things morse than if you did nothing - yeah thats GREAT lets all do that, good idea guys.. real mint

__________________
GT Ruckus SS
2006 Giant Trance 1
Giant TCR Euro

IronDonut

I do use an actual chain lube. Problem is I'm going though a couple of cans of the crap a month. At $14 a can it's starting to get on my nerves.

I betcha used motor oil works just as well and it's free and my car makes about 2 quarts a month of it.

dabac

So why direct this reply at me? Read back and you'll see that I ALSO recommend regular clean-ups and re-lubes.
Whatever products you're using, lubing is never an once-and-for-all solution, it needs to be "constantly" maintained. I've tried various types of dedicated chain and bike lubes, IMO the only area where they excelled was the price. Being so full of promises they tricked me into extending the periods between re-lubes which didn't do the bike any good at all.
You go ahead and use the pricey high-tech products - I'll rather stick with the easily accessible cheap stuff regularly and frequently applied.

IronDonut

Compared to the sand and mud that gets caked into my drivetrain I don't think the microscopic dirt nuggets in engine oil are nothing.

Here is something that bugs me. Well it's good and bad. I've just about worn my big ring down to a nub in only 3 months of riding. Good because I'm riding well enough that I mostly use the big ring. Bad because a single XTR big ring is more than $100. Absurd.

dabac

You're missing the point, the stuff is TOXIC! No matter if it still retains most of its lubing qualities, it's a health and environmental hazard. Not a nice thing to have spattering your legs and spraying the area you're riding through.