bike chain lube suggestions

[wapinitia]

high five guy lives to ride his bike on the playa!!!! what kind of chain lube is best for his beloved black rock city?[size=18][/size]

[Fire_Moose]

Astro Glide.

[motskyroonmatick]

Lube the chain pre playa and then for get about it on playa. Clean and relube when you get home. Oiling chains on the playa makes a mess.

[phil]

We use dry graphite.

[dragonpilot]

The drier the chain the better. Astro Glide is great, but don't over do it...The playa dust is attracted to any surface, especially one that is moist.

I clean my chain thoroughly at home pre-Playa, wipe it down completely so there's barely a hint of lube. You'll get thru the week just fine...it's not like you're going to be hammering for 30-40 miles...more like easy cruisin', groovin' and smoozin'...

[lonestoner916]

I use WD40 before heading to the Playa, spray the chain and wipe off any excess. On Playa, don't use anything unless the chain becomes completely clogged up with dust, then plain water works great, just catch the runoff with an old rag.

[Captain Goddammit]

E-Z Cheese.

[AKAparttime]

Honda. O- ring chain lube ,been useing it at BM 7 years now, same chain

[MartyZion]

Chainsaw oil is cheap and works well, also known as bar and chain oil. If you must use an aerosol product, go with motorcycle chain lubricant. I'd avoid graphite, as it's potentially corrosive, and paraffin wax doesn't actually lubricate the chain. You can always pour the chainsaw oil into tiny little bottles and pretend it's some fancy bike lube.

[Elliot]

I agree with dry, and clean with water if necessary. Only thing I might add, is adding a splash of vinegar to the water to minimize corrosion.

Then when you get home, clean well with vinegar-water, apply WD-40 to displace the water, and finally apply any oil of your choice -- to preserve the chain until next year.

[Elorrum]

I used a wax lube, and didn't do a good clean and grease when I got back. looking at a rather rusty chain at the moment. I think I'll try to clean it and lube with oil for now. might need a new chain, so clean up and oiling when you return are important. Read that just WD 40 and wiping is good for dry dust. Might try that next year.

[Thecatman]

Prior to heading for the playa, I spray Pyrol Penetrating oil made by Valvoline on my chain and sprokets.
Not just the chain but don't foget there are bearings in forks and at the lower end of the goose neck, in the axle hubs, in the peddals and where the peddal arms attatch to the sproket that playa dust can invade. Not to mention shift linkage needs lubriction. I don't know if those are correct terms but I'm sure you get the jist of it

[teardropper]

I clean my chain with Giant Agent Orange Citrus Degreaser. Use a lint free cloth. Then I put on Dumonde Tech, bike chain lube. It's dry and doesn't attract the dust so much.

[Fire_Moose]

just remember...WD-40 causes rust

[Elliot]

That may be a slight exaggeration, but it is indeed more of a cleaner than a lubricant. We figured this out... -- may even have been here on ePlaya; don't remember for sure -- WD-40 is mostly a solvent similar to kerosene and diesel fuel, plus something like 15 % light lubricating oil. I do remember that this information came from the published Material Safety Data Sheet on the product, which apparently is required by law.

In my experience it stops rust quite well, and I use it on chain drives that we run in salt water.

[Miles]

sorry to resurrect this thread but for the sake of the archives, there is such thing as a 'dry' chain lubricant.

a dry chain may not get covered in gunk but the chain and any gear teeth will wear much faster without lubrication. Its ok to get the chain dirty.

When you get home clean the chain with a degreaser, let it dry and then use a wire brush to scrub away the rust. This way you can use the same chain for multiple burns.

also, WD-40 is NOT a suitable chain lube.

[Isotopia]

Phil's suggestion of dry graphite has merit.

You might consider as well using you camps gray water to wash the cruft off the chain. I know it sound... gross but, it works every time.

[cablemonkey]

[quote="Elorrum"]I used a wax lube, and didn't do a good clean and grease when I got back. looking at a rather rusty chain at the moment. I think I'll try to clean it and lube with oil for now. might need a new chain, so clean up and oiling when you return are important. Read that just WD 40 and wiping is good for dry dust. Might try that next year.[/quote]

Heh, I did exactly the same thing. I didn't like the white lightning performance at all out there either. Going to graphite this year. If I can salvage the rusty mess of a chain that's on the bike now, that is.

[LindseyRaeFace]

We made the mistake of not treating our bikes after the last burn (it was my first) and now the gears are kinda rusty. Is this fixable? would the vinegar wash have prevented this? :oops:

THANKS!

[teardropper]

I don't know if this is good for it, but I just powerwash the bike when I clean my RV. The gears, the chain. Then at home I oil lube it so it doesn't rust and put it away for the winter. When I take it out of storage I clean the chain and gears off and then dry lube it.

[big baby jesus]

Buy the cheapest chain, and then take it off when you get back. A quality chain improves shifting performance and saves on rotating weight.

None of those matter on the Playa. I lube it at home, wipe it down and don't touch it until I get back. Clean it when you get back, lube it and throw it in a bag until next year.

[DoctorIknow]

BTW, what kind of lube really isn't a big deal.....all the above are fine, especially as (hopefully) your bike is just for BurningMan. Biggest thing is to super clean the chain when you get home.

For 10 burns, I bring a new can of WD-40, and when the chain is gunky, invert the bike so it is standing on its seat and handlebars, spray on the WD liberally (while turning the chain with the pedals/crank) and then use a rag to get it as clean as possible. Do again if you have to. It doesn't need to be spotlessly clean.

Usually, I only have to do this once or twice a week.

And, if it rains enough to make your tire sink even a little in the "mud" just stop and walk it or carry it. The mud will collect on the tire and work it's way around until it gunks up your brakes. If it drys there....good luck!

[scott916]

If you don't care about the chain, just keep it clean and lube it with any type of bike chain lube. If you'd like it to last, use a wax lubricant. It tends to shed dust and work very well without needing more than a run through with a damp rag on the playa every couple days.

I recommend Boeshield T9, it was developed by Boeing for the gubment, and works VERY well. It's not very expensive, most bike shops carry a bottle for between 5-8 bucks. You have to put it on a couple days in advance, but it's well worth the trouble.

[DrPeffer]

My current bike has seen 3 burns, all with the same parts completely, aside from one new inner tube. I lube it thoroughly pre-playa with teflon lube, and have at it.

The key is this: The very first thing I do when I get home...Like, within 24 hours!!!...is to douse the bike in vinegar or lemon juice: Dripping, soaking, penetrating everything. Let it sit for a few minutes, then hose it down. Then, hit the chain, etc. with a degreaser and a brush. Relube thoroughly, and you're done 'til next year.

If you let the dust sit on the metal for anything longer than a day while exposed to any kind of moisture in the air, it'll turn your bike to toast with breathtaking speed.

True story.

[gyre]

I have a german moly based cable lube that isn't supposed to attract crap.
Seems to work,
I love Kano Labs products too, like Silikroil.

I haven't tried these on a chain yet, but Kano should have a proper chain lube and I know the german stuff will work .
Can't remember the name, but the german stuff is sporadically available and expensive, and worth it.

[jpstiffin]

No lube - leave it alone. it is pointless at best.

[dewnorth]

Any votes for bacon grease? How can you resist the smell? (At least for the first hour or so. After that, maybe not so much.)

[thirt33n]

No lube - leave it alone. it is pointless at best.

+1

best result. brand new chrome chain. totally dry.

[bluesbob]

Any votes for bacon grease? How can you resist the smell? (At least for the first hour or so. After that, maybe not so much.) :)

Only with the Captain's E Z Cheese

[Elorrum]

I had a brand new chain this year, last years was totally seized with rust since I didn't do anything to clean it and left it outside all winter. I just went with the coating it was packaged in and had no problems. Washed it off and now I need to lube it up for storing... I found a bottle of triflo (? triflon?)in my bike box, so I'm going to use that. The neighborhood bike store is hurting some, and I let them sell me an expensive chain (2 for the trike actually) good for gazillion miles he said. Don't want to have to buy 2 more next August.