What is a good lubricant for a bicycle chain?

Answer 1

almost everyone (including myself) uses a lubricant called wd-40. it is for rust and stuff like that. it loosens up the chain. cheers.

Answer 2

ON chain LUBE --how and when is more important than what..

What I feel is more important than the type of lube, is the
amount...all oil no mater what type attracts dirt to some extent ,so the less you can get away with, the less your chain will be a dirt magnet.. I like any lube that has a small drip aplicator ,and I put a single drop of oil on the roller of each link from the top...usally I work from the rear to the crank -and then advance the last oiled link to the crank and repeat...this way the extra oil (if there is any) is not coming in contact with the freewheel or the chainring as you are oiling it.
I do this till every link has oil showing then I pedal the bike a bit...often all the squeeks disapear after a few revolutions ,but sometime I have to repeat the process..most of the bikes I ride have well lubricated chains that are clean to the touch on the outer plates while still nice and oily on the rollers and piviots where the lube is needed. hope this helps you.. Oh yeah the chain lube is by my door so I think to look at my bike as I pump up the tires and contemplate if it needs oil or not--BTW I don't like WD 40 either I seem to recall something about it being corrosive.. I knew this grouchy bike shop guy that would swear by some NON petroleum based gun lubricant that kinda makes sense to me if you are gonna shell out big bucks, but I just use oil from the dollar store myself.

Answer 3

I work as a bike messenger and I use lightweight motor oil for my bike chain. It's readily available, cheap and does a good job lubricating my chain.

You can use any oil, including the generic type that you find in the red and white cans/bottles you get in the stores. The special lubes they sell for bicycle chains are more expensive and don't seem to make that much difference.

On the WD-40 issue: it is a solvent and is good to clean your chain with. Get one of those boxes for disposing of motor oil and hold your chain over the box as you spray WD-40 over the chain to clean out the dirt and grime. Once that's done, the WD-40 will evaporate and you just oil down your chain after that. Motor oil will also seep into the chain and remove dirt, you just have to wipe it down as you lube the chain. Oil. Wipe. Oil some more. Then put your chain back on your bike.

To get oil off your hands, use Dr Bronner's liquid soap. Cuts through oil and grease like a champ.

Answer 4

One of best lubricant out there is ProLink Chain Lube. I see others are saying WD 40, I personally wouldn't use it on a bike chain because it tends to evaporate leaving you with very little lubrication.

WD 40 is an excellent cleaner to clean your chain with but that's about its extent and after you're done with cleaning you need lube with something else.

Remember it's the rollers inside the chain that need lubrication not the outside of the chain. So many people tend to believe that once the chain is oily that's all that's required and that would be completely wrong.

If your interested in cleaning your chain before lubing, try diesel fuel, it works great, it's cheap and it is an oil base product and will not hurt your chain or gears. Oh and remove the parts before cleaning.

Answer 5

Whatever you do don't use WD-40!! It works great for other applications but does nothing more than collect dust on a bike chain. There are a number of good lubricants out there like a few others have said I prefer TriFlow which can be bought at any of your local bike shops. As the type of lubricants can vary by your location since some work better in dry conditions than wet I would ask they guys at your bike shop what they recommend for you.

Answer 6

Definetly Pro Link is the best, for either mountain or road bicycle chains. With the cheap lubricants like 3 in 1 or WD40; your chain will not last as much, and it will damage your chainrings and cassette, in a much shorter period of time.

Answer 7

enable's go over this back, because of the fact and not making use of a extensive mallet to the cranium it form of feels this fact isn't getting via to anybody: WD-40 isn't A LUBRICANT and could on no account BE USED ON A BICYCLE FOR ANY reason!!!! visit a bicycle keep, confident, an somewhat keep, no longer Wal-Mart, and ask them approximately chain lubes. reckoning on the place and the variety you holiday, you ought to use a dry lube like White Lightning, Rock 'n Roll or Krytech, or a humid lube like Pedros SynLube, ProLink or Tri-circulate. Wipe the chain off with a rag & degreaser, then prepare a drop of lube to each curler and turn the chain backwards to distribute the lube the place it needs to circulate. enable it take a seat for a jiffy, then wipe off the excess with a sparkling paper towel. keep the motorbike out of the components, the two interior the homestead or a storage. I have no sympathy for human beings with rusty motorcycles because of leaving them interior the rain.

Answer 8

As you can see there is a serious difference of opinion. WD40 is not totaly out of the question. I've used it for a long time and had no problems. But, if you are really concerned, bicycle specific lubes are available and they do tend to be a little better. Ignore the snob opinions and feel free to experiment.

Answer 9

Triflow is the best stuff possible you can use on a chain. If you use WD-40 it will lube it slightly but WD-40 tends to build up with dirt much easier.

Answer 10

Boeshield T9 or White Lightning.

WD-40 is NOT a lubricant!

Answer 11

Don't listen to the WD40 stuff.
You don't put WD40 in you car instead of oil, do you?
There are many cycling specific lubes including the ones that the guy above mentioned, but I use Boeshield T-9. It's about $7 at your local bike shop.
Don't get any on the braking surfaces, though. This stuff is slick.