Chainsaw oil

[bumper]

I know a few on here use this to lube their chains from a discussion a few months back, so how has it worked? Still using it? Any noticeable chain wear?


My own view of it is very favourable, I haven't seen any extra wear on chains. I think this could be down to the fact that oil and wipe the chain once or twice a week keeping it cleaner. It doesn't make thick black goo that people have reported, no rust on the chains even over winter. My mix does tend to appear to dry out on a chain if the bike isn't used for a couple of weeks but rubbing clean fingers over the chain reveals a very thin film of oil.

My current evolving mix is an eyed third of each of the following:
Castrol slx 0-30 synthetic ( only added this because it was left over )
Stihl synthplus
White spirit with a good dollop of white Teflon grease dissolved into it

I have just added stihl to the mtb for rough conditions.

All of this is over 3 litres and all for less than £10. After a few months on this I'm a convert!

[Kim]

Still using it (50:50 with white spirit, for ease of application) since 2007.  Chain wear better than many forumites report, but I attribute this to low torque, partially enclosed drivetrains on the 'bents and regular cleaning rather than magic lube.

It lubricates, it protects against rust somewhat, it attracts dirt.  So pretty much like everything else.  But vastly cheaper.

[bumper]

I've not been using it as long as you Kim (probably 2 years) but as you I've found no downside to it. I tried the new c3 stuff with the pink top a while back, it was pretty good but caked up easily.

There were a few chainsaw oil users a while back but I don't know anyone that stuck to using it, until now anyway!

[Kim]

Well I've still got most of the bottle left...   

[Jurek]

Rae is probably your best informed answer when it comes to chainsaws.
Sadly, it's been a while since we've seen him here....

[PhilO]

I'm also a chainsaw oil fan.

 I don't find I have any particular problem with gunge building up, but I do wipe the excess off very thoroughly after treatment, to the point where the chain appears almost dry again. The bike spends an awful lot of time rim- (or sometimes axle-) deep in mud, mind, so it's probably not all that representative.

[vorsprung]

Just putting it on neat doesn't work, it just makes a mess

[Woofage]

I have chainsaw oil for my chainsaw but although I've often thought about it I've never used it on a bicycle chain.

So, my question is: what's the easiest and cleanest method of application?

[bumper]

Depending on the oil it needs to mixed 2:1 or 1:1 parts with white spirits. This thins it enough to get between the rollers, the ws then evaporates leaving a thin oil film behind.

I drip on every roller, spin through a few times and wipe, wipe, wipe. I'm a bit old school, you can never wipe enough oil off the chain. I usually repeat until the oil is wiping off clean. The oil is that cheap I use it as bit of a chain flush to clear the chain then apply the final coat.

[Kim]

^ This.

I drip it on carefully from a 150ml drip bottle that once contained posh chain lube, then wipe it off thoroughly.

[mattc]

I'm mainly a fan after maybe a year of use (and the level barely dropping in the bottle!).

Hadn't thought of thinning it (and suspect ICBA). I dribble some on, then finesse it along the rollers with very small paintbrush (doesn't take as long as it sounds!).

I do think it's not quite as rain-resistant as some bespoke oils, but more clever application might improve this, dunno. And it's sooooooo much cheaper ...

[bumper]

then finesse it along the rollers with very small paintbrush

That makes a mundane chore sound very artistic!

[mattc]

then finesse it along the rollers with very small paintbrush

That makes a mundane chore sound very artistic!

For best results, hum tunelessly and stick your tongue out of the side of your mouth.

[Tewdric]

An alternate cheapskate chain lube option for non critical use is Scottoil, designed or motorbike chain automaticlubrication systems.  It works well on bicycle chains IME.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scottoiler-500Ml-Blue-Traditional-Scottoil/dp/B003NVQNU4

[velosam]

Is there any specific type or are they all the same?

[bumper]

I'm still using the bottle of stihl synthplus, less than a tenner from my local hardware store.

It's very gloopy and needs to be thinned down then wiped off, really wiped off! I tried it neat on the mtb but it was messy so have gone back to an oil/spirit mix. It's so cheap I even use it to clean the chain, wipe, clean, wipe, done

[fred the great]

Well, I no nothing about chainsaw oil but have always used 3 in 1.
Not too many years ago, I bought a new Trek road bike and the LBS  gave me a bottle of that new fangled stuff to try. Big failure to say the least so I started to use my 3 in 1 again. Life then returned to  normal
So I can fully understand why a mix of chainsaw oil can provide satisfactory lubrication and at less cost.