How to Clean and Lubricate a Chain
Frequent chain cleaning and lubrication will help keep dirt off your chain and prevent wear.
Regular cleaning and lubrication of your chain will help prevent your drivetrain from wearing out. You should clean and lubricate the chain when it is dirty, dry or begins to sound noisy. If you ride every day, you should clean and lube the chain at least once a month.
Chain Lubricants
I don’t recommend using either motor oil or 3in1 oil to lubricate the chain. Motor oil is too heavy and won’t fully penetrate the rollers, and 3in1 oil is vegetable based and will gum up the chain. I also don’t recommend using wax lubricants because while they don’t collect as much dirt, they are a lot of hassle to apply correctly, and wax is simply not as good a lubricant as oil. I do recommend mineral based chain oils like Finish Line Cross Country or Phil Wood Tenacious Oil because they do the best job of fighting corrosion and don’t wash away when they get wet.
Chain Cleaning
For cleaning, first shift the chain into the smallest sprocket on the rear. For average dust and dirt, wipe the chain clean with a solvent soaked rag. The easiest way to do this is to hold the chain still at the rear derailleur cage while firmly wiping the lower run of the chain. Then move the chain backward and wipe again until you’ve wiped the entire length of chain. Wipe between the rear sprockets using either a rag or a sprocket cleaning tool. Then clean all of the front chainrings on both sides.
Chain Lubrication
Shift your gears into the middle sprocket both front and rear. Remember that oil does a good job of spreading itself, so try not to over-apply the lubricant. Lubricate the inner circumference of the chain, on the side that faces the sprockets along the top of the lower run of the chain. Run the chain backwards while dropping oil down both sides of the rollers.
Shift through all of the gears to spread the lubricant evenly through the drivetrain. Then use a rag to wipe off any excess oil.
Related Links
- Jim Langley: Cleaning Your Drivetrain
- Park Tool: Chain Cleaning
- Sheldon Brown: Chain Maintenance
- Bicycle Torque Specifications
Related Tools
- Park Tool CB-4 Bio ChainBrite
- Park Tool CG-2 Chain Gang Chain Cleaning System
- Finish Line Wet Chain Lube (Cross Country)
- Phil Wood Tenacious Oil
- Park Tool CC-3.2 Chain Checker
- Park Tool CC-2 Chain Checker
Categories
Discuss this topic in the Bicycle Repairs and Mechanics Forum
Help.. Rear derailleur wrong position?
Lastest post 6 days agoI've tried searching for YouTube assistance but to no avail. Cycled to the shops this morning and the gears weren't functioning, had a look and something has gone horribly wrong. It's as though the chain is suddenly inches longer than it should be and it isn't holding any tension unless the derailleur sits all the way back (image attached) almost so the chain is touching itself as it travels throu...
Read moreShimano tourney
Lastest post 7 days agoMy Apollo feud rear gear set was trashed when the bike was loaned ,the click on lock on was damaged how can I fix it please so I can be mobile again.thank you...
Read moreRemoving Front Derailleur on a 3x?
Lastest post 1 week agoI'm a newbie but I'm planning to remove the front derailleur off of my 3x8 GT Agressor Pro. Could I get some pros and cons of doing this and what I should next if I remove it? Thanks ...
Read moreBrake pads and metallic pieces
Lastest post 1 week agoCiao. Is it normal to have small metallic pieces stuck within brake pads? How do they appear there? Is it from the rims and braking or did I get them from "the street"?...
Read more3speed hub problem
Lastest post 1 week agohi. i sometimes have a weird grinding sound but this only happens in shift 1 and never in 2 or 3 and most of the time it happens when after a traffic light stop. 1/9 of the time orso. but quickly goes back to the normal sound after i stop pedalling and pedal again. my question is: do you think its a planetairy gear problem inside the hub . i need a cone wrench to open the hub to look tomorow. ...
Read moreOld STX-RC 7 speed upgrade compatibility
Lastest post 1 week agoHi Folks, I hope someone on here will be able to give me a steer. I'm trying to upgrade my wifes old Marin Bear Valley SE (1995) but I'm really struggling to work out what Shimano replacement parts I need. The current spec is:- https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?item=32407 Crankset Shimano STX-RC, 22/32/42 teeth - ideally I'll replace the chainrings Cassette Shimano 7-speed, 11 - 2...
Read moreWeird brake hose
Lastest post 2 weeks agoHi I bought these SRAM force 1 brakes and they seem to be really unusual. Has anybody ever seen a hose like this? I need to shorten it to run it through the frame but I'm baffled by these hose ends. These were sold as "pre-bled", which I didn't notice until I had them. How can I shorten these hose ends? IMG-2735.jpg (Size: 54.74 KB / Downloads: 32) IMG-2736.jpg (Si...
Read moreCrank arm keeps breaking off
Lastest post 2 weeks agoI bought my 15 year old a Schwinn Ider Mountain Bike. The left pedals broke (I think he installed them incorrectly) and we had to order new parts, the crank arm and pedals. My ex husband used a torque wrench to put the new crank arm on. It fell off when my son was riding it. I took it to a bike shop and the guy put it back on with all his body weight. It seemed fine and when my son rode it an...
Read moreSchwinn meridian rear drive axle
Lastest post 3 weeks agoRecently bought a slightly used 26" meridian trike. While replacing wider tires on the rear, I noticed an issue with the rear drive side wheel hub. The wheel is held on with a nut and single washer. The hub is not held firmly in a location on the axle and is able to slide back and forth on the axle a good half inch even though the nut is tightened all the way down to its bottom threads on the axle...
Read moreLooking for a CDC REAR COG 22t 9 spline replacement
Lastest post 3 weeks agoI have an original 2010 Trek District 1st edition. I need the rear cog 22t 9 spline replaced, I've stripped out my original one. I can not find this part anywhere and if I go to trek website or even gates, they say the part does not exist. When I contacted gates they informed me that they do not have any and that I could maybe find it through a 3rd party source. I really do not want to change it ...
Read moreShimano chain master link
Lastest post 1 month agoHi. I have Shimano HG601 chain 11-speed and I want to add the master link to it. Watched some videos but I have to be 100% sure, that is why I hereby present my brief plan: 1. there is a black link in the chain 2. I use the chain tool to push that black pin out 3. then I add the master link 4. finish up with using the special tongs to press that master link into the chain Does this look like a g...
Read moreCan these bars go up higher?
Lastest post 1 month agoI just bought some spacers on amazon. Can I take these bars up higher? Right now it’s at seat height, maybe. B244096A-8E83-4716-B335-7FC45A98D0AB.jpeg (Size: 56.94 KB / Downloads: 42) ...
Read moreSUPER LUBRICANTS
Lastest post 1 month agoJust out of curiosity; has anyone ever tried using those "super lubricants" in the automotive aisle (e.g. "Slick 50", etc)? Seems I remember a commercial with Al Unser Jr. (or some race car guy) draining their oil from the car and then running around the track at full speed. I am, as an experiment, going try a few drops on a "test" bike just to see how the BB and hubs feel w/o grease. I used to kn...
Read moreDisc Rotor / Lockring Play
Lastest post 1 month agoHi! Many apologies for my state of panic, but a friendly commenter on Reddit (/r/bikewrench specifically) suggested that I cross-post my question here to see if anyone here could help, so please forgive the rough copy-paste-edit job from my original post there. Basically... with the pandemic going on I recently got a nice custom gravel wheelset built for me using White Industries CLD hubs, which...
Read moreGrinding/scraping sound in front wheel (audio example included
Lastest post 1 month agoHello! I have a grinding sound coming from my front wheel and I can't figure it out. I took apart the hub and cleaned the ball bearings, which made the wheel spin more smoothly but the sound is still there. I have attached a link to an audio recording of the sound. The sound seems to occur at a slow and steady pace, even when i'm biking pretty fast. I have a single speed bike with rim brakes. any...
Read more
