Author Topic: Lubrication  (Read 4793 times)

The Solo Socialist

  • Age Is Just A Number Just Wish By Body Agreed
  • Age but a number,which grows ever larger.
Lubrication
« on: 29 May, 2017, 11:56:53 am »
What lubrication do you use for long distance fixed wheel Audax?????? :)
Boots an Spurs

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #1 on: 29 May, 2017, 12:04:28 pm »
Oakham Citra, if I can get it. But most IPAs will work in a pinch.

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Lubrication
« Reply #2 on: 29 May, 2017, 12:06:14 pm »
everyone has their own preferred lube (and single gear chains work the same way as multi-geared), so not sure you'll get any conclusive answers here ;)

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #3 on: 29 May, 2017, 12:21:30 pm »
What lubrication do you use for long distance fixed wheel Audax?????? :)

I normally use beer.  The chain gets 3-in-1, it seems to work just as well as the posh lubricants. Dry lube is a waste of time on a long distance, it does not last for a whole ride.
Quote from: tiermat
that's not science, it's semantics.

The Solo Socialist

  • Age Is Just A Number Just Wish By Body Agreed
  • Age but a number,which grows ever larger.
Re: Lubrication
« Reply #4 on: 29 May, 2017, 12:44:11 pm »
Hi Zig Zag,
On my geared bike I've been using Purple, however when I've used it on my fixed the chain etc seems to grind /grumble after 20-30 ml, hence my question.
Dry lube not really an option in this oh so dry country of ours..
Boots an Spurs

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #5 on: 29 May, 2017, 12:51:14 pm »
I've used dry lube.  Never again..  White lightning ISTR.
Move Faster and Bake Things

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Lubrication
« Reply #6 on: 29 May, 2017, 02:02:10 pm »
Hi Zig Zag,
On my geared bike I've been using Purple, however when I've used it on my fixed the chain etc seems to grind /grumble after 20-30 ml, hence my question.
Dry lube not really an option in this oh so dry country of ours..

if it's grinding with purple lube, the problem is most certainly not in the lube - more like wear in teeth/chain/bearings/bad chainline

The Solo Socialist

  • Age Is Just A Number Just Wish By Body Agreed
  • Age but a number,which grows ever larger.
Re: Lubrication
« Reply #7 on: 29 May, 2017, 02:41:17 pm »
Hi Zig Zag,

Chainline looks pretty good eg steel straightedge used for alignment, chain ring, cog and chain are fairly new and all replaced at the same time and have roughly 600 km of use. At start no noise or grinding, which I assume was the grease on chain from manufacture. Chain tension is good, certainly no tight spots and wheel is free running, new wheel and bottom bracket. Noise started to come after I had started to oil chain, some 300 or so in.
Therefore I guessed at chain lube.
Boots an Spurs

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: Lubrication
« Reply #8 on: 29 May, 2017, 03:13:26 pm »
i still think that the lube is not to blame here; any wet lube will stay on the chain and keep it quiet for a good few hundred* km in dry conditions

* re-lubing every ~500km is good idea in my experience, more often when it's wet

Samuel D

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #9 on: 29 May, 2017, 03:28:47 pm »
If you oil a dirty chain, the oil is drawn into the bearing surfaces by capillary action and other mechanisms and takes dirt with it. This leads to grinding noises (and accompanying wear). The grinding largely abates after a ride or two.

Ideally, you’d always clean a chain thoroughly before oiling it. I accept that that is sometimes not possible. But in cases where it is not, the chain needs to be fairly desperate for oil before I’ll oil it.

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #10 on: 29 May, 2017, 04:45:23 pm »
I have used Finish Line Wet for years now.  Lubricate, spin, leave, wipe off.  Last PBP was dryish, and the lube lasted the event and the ride home.

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #11 on: 29 May, 2017, 07:42:09 pm »
I just use chainsaw oil. Seems to work OK, and while I don't monitor chain lifespan I don't find myself grumbling at the frequency of replacement.

Samuel D

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #12 on: 29 May, 2017, 10:39:27 pm »
Whatever you use, if the chain is dirty, the fresh lubricant will suck dirt into the chain’s innards, causing it to crunch when you pedal.

Having experienced this many times, I’ve noticed that the worst of the grinding goes away relatively quickly while the remaining bit persists for hundreds of kilometres and is most noticeable when cross-chaining. Therefore I think the latter arises from dirt trapped between the roller and the outer plate.

It goes without saying that none of this is good for the chain. Best to clean it before lubricating.

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #13 on: 29 May, 2017, 11:16:08 pm »
Whatever you use, if the chain is dirty, the fresh lubricant will suck dirt into the chain’s innards, causing it to crunch when you pedal.

Having experienced this many times, I’ve noticed that the worst of the grinding goes away relatively quickly while the remaining bit persists for hundreds of kilometres and is most noticeable when cross-chaining. Therefore I think the latter arises from dirt trapped between the roller and the outer plate.

It goes without saying that none of this is good for the chain. Best to clean it before lubricating.

I have to say this is entirely contrary to my own experiences.

Samuel D

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #14 on: 30 May, 2017, 12:32:43 am »
I have to say this is entirely contrary to my own experiences.

What is your experience?

Perhaps it depends on the particle size of the predominant grit. Here I suffer both the fine, white dust seen in every Parisian park, and grittier sand-like particles (of every size) from the streets.

There is no mistaking it though: when I oil a dirty chain, it crunches and grinds during the next ride. Merely twisting the chain by hand elicits unpleasant noises that weren’t there just before oiling.

Since oil penetrates the links almost immediately, it does not surprise me that it carries some grit in with it.

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #15 on: 30 May, 2017, 11:07:07 am »
Simply that re-lubricating a dirty chain doesn't, in my experience, make it rough.  It does sound as if I use a heavier oil than you—mine certainly doesn't penetrate the links almost instantly.  An oil that did that wouldn't last nearly long enough for my purposes.

The only time I find a chain feels remotely rough is after cleaning a part-worn one, or when it has dried out on the road (which happens only after hours of severe weather). Re-lube cures it almost instantly.

The Solo Socialist

  • Age Is Just A Number Just Wish By Body Agreed
  • Age but a number,which grows ever larger.
Re: Lubrication
« Reply #16 on: 30 May, 2017, 10:25:07 pm »
Thanks All,
I removed chain and rechecked chainwheel/cog alignment, which was within less than .5 mm, cleaned chain etc and oiled chain with Muc Off Ceramic Wet Lub . Refitted chain and so far only some 25 km its running smoothly with no noise/grinding success I trust!
Boots an Spurs

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Lubrication
« Reply #17 on: 31 May, 2017, 10:27:06 pm »
Finish Line wet gets my hub geared commuter through a winter with only one re-application.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Lubrication
« Reply #18 on: 03 June, 2017, 12:45:41 am »
Some kind of dry lube, once or twice a year. It's very creaky now, so I guess it's overdue.