The Chain

In case you have been hiding under a rock, we’re having a truly wet Winter.  That means a bit more maintenance.  In particular, chains need more attention.

Bike chains are amazing things.  We’ve had the roller chain with us, almost from the beginning.  It transfers the power from our legs back to the rear wheel.  But think about the chain.  It is made up of approximately 112 links.  Each link has two side plates, two inner plates, and a roller bushing.  Those side plates have to pivot on the inner plates, and the bushing must allow this.  On a single speed bike, the pivoting action takes place twice in every revolution of the chain.  It’s four times on a multi-gear bike.  That’s something like 18,000 revolutions in a ten mile ride.  And it has to do this while taking the strain of moving the bike at least half the time.

Now do you understand why bicycle technicians get so emphatic about chain lubrication?

Petroleum Lube – The Enemy?  Once upon a time petroleum based lubricants were the best we had to do the job.  But petro-lubes (oil) have a significant drawback.  They are wet and sticky.  The attract and hold dirt.  Most of that dirt is silicate material.  (That’s sand if you’re not being too technical.)  There are machining prcesses that use silicates and oil, under pressure to cut metal!  Chains lubricated with petroleum products will get really messy, and they will wear out faster.  Note:  In a pinch, a poor lube is better than no lube at all.  I’ve used light oil, petroleum chain lubes, and even motor oil.  But please bear in mind, these were emergency situations.  I was a long way from a shop, with a dry, recently watered, chain.

Parafin – Almost There?  When I got into “serious” road riding, I learned to lube a chain with paraffin.  It was a messy and dangerous process.  One metled the paraffin in a round tin, and then immersed the chain in it.  This was a messy process.  It was also slightly dangerous.  (I set the kitchen on fire once.)  Finally, with natural paraffin, the process was less than perfect.  True, the paraffin, inside the chain, didn’t attract dirt, and it was fairly quiet.  The problem was natural paraffin turns out to be a less than ideal lubricant.

The Solution!  Modern, high quality lubricants use a suspended synthetic paraffin.  The lubricant is carried by a solvent, that helps to clean the chain, while moving the lubricant inside the chain, where it is needed.  The carrier then evaporates, leaving a dry chain, well lubricated and clean.  More, it stays clean.  I like these things.  My chains last longer, are cleaner, and quieter, and there is no risk of a kitchen fire.

Two different brands of this type of lube seem to be very good.  White Lightning ™, and Rock ‘N Roll ™ both work well, and are formulated in several different thicknesses, to match riding styles and conditions.  My personal favorite is Rock ‘N Roll ™.

A final note:  The product WD-40 ™ does not belong in the same room with your bicycle!  It’s not a lubricant.  It washes lubricants away.  Do not put this stuff on your chain!  Ever!