Is WD-40 sufficient to lubricate a road bicycle chain?

Question

How about lawn mower oil?

Answer 1

This talk about grease on a road bike chain scares me!!!

Infact the word oil on a road bike chain, conjures up images of thick black grime.!!!

If you want to use WD40 on a road bike chain, apply it the night before a run (gives it time to dry) It doesn't have staying power as a lubricant because that's not what it was designed for!

Its NOT a de-greaser its prime function is water displacement.

If your serious about road riding use a specialized lubricant, I cant comment on wax based lubricants as I have never used them, I use a solvent based Teflon lubricant, which is cleaned and reapplied regularly.

In any event do not over apply your lubricant or it will attract road grime and accelerate chain/gear wear.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Neither one is good for a bike chain. WD-40 is better for freeing stuck bolts or quieting hinges, nothing that goes through as much wear and tear as a bike chain. Lawn mower oil is too heavy, and will attract grit to your chain, making it wear faster.

The best lubes are obviously real bike lubes. While there are different brands, there are basically 3 types:
Dry-that goes on wet, but is mostly dry in a few hours, good for dusty conditions, because it does not attract dirt, but has to be reapplied more often.
Wet- like a light oil, better for wet weather, but tends to attract dirt.
Wax- just like it says, leaves a bit of a waxy coating, has some of the benefits of both.

So pick one based on where you live, and what kind of riding you will be doing. Just remember to wipe off as much lube as you can after applying it, so it works well, but doesn't attract too much dirt.

While lube made specifically for bikes is obviously the best, if you want to pick something lying around the house that does pretty well, the only thing I would recommend, and definitely the cheapest overall would be light chainsaw bar oil, it is almost exactly the same as a wet bike lube, and will last you pretty much forever!

Answer 3

mr g is correct, wd-40 (Water Displacment- formula 40) was designed just for that . now it has tons of other uses, primarily as a degreaser and light lubricant. it is solvent based and will evaporate quite quickly and leave you with a clean dry unlubricated chain if you are lucky and a road /trail grimy unlubricated chain if you are not. niether sounds too appealing in my book.
as for the motor oil... where to begin. no no no. just dont. the reasons are just too many to list. and not to turn this into an eco forrum but as a cyclist you should be proud to step away from the fossil bast petro products... haha.
seriously though, any of the products used above should work fine. years, and thousands of $ on r+d cant be all bad. use something that made specifically for bicycles.
good luck

Answer 4

I really think WD-40 is worse than nothing. WD-40 is just a degreaser, so not only it doesn't work for lube, it removes the lube it has.

Use almost any kind of oil, it doesn't have to be 'special' grease/oil or whatever. The grease only needs to be in the pins, not in the entire chain. So, focus only the grease on the links. After you have gone through the entire chain, use a cloth to remove any oil still outside of the inside links.

Answer 5

You absolutely must not use either of those on a road bike. You're better off putting canola cooking oil on there than either of those; that said, don't do that either!

The best and most recommended bike lube, which I'm surprised no one mentioned, is Boeshield T-9 Bicycle lubricant. Any bike shop worth its salt (at least in the USA) carries this product. It's relatively pricey for the size of the smallest bottle (4 oz for about $6.99 plus tax), but it will save you a couple hundred dollars in repairs if used correctly.

Answer 6

WD40 is far too light and it will evaporate quickly. You need light general purpose oil.

It is also important to clean the chain. Get an old cloth and use white spirits or similar to wipe all the old oil off together with the dirt. Then re-oil the chain and wipe off the excess.

Lawn mower oil will do nicely but if you want to get fancy then a specialist Teflon spray lube will perform better.

Answer 7

Listen to anyone who says no. WD-40, believe it or not, is actually a mild degreaser. Not only will the use of the chain wear it off very quickly, but it will actually strip the oil already in there. Don't use motor oil, don't use anything but bicycle chain oil if you like your bike and want it to last.

Answer 8

Yes. I use WD-40 all the time. I don't know about lawn mower oil because I've never used it.

Answer 9

WHOA!!! Trash that WD-40! I highly recommend Pedro's Products ( i.e. ICE WAX lubricant,Chain Cleaner kit, Oranj Peelz etc.) or 'Finish Line' products ---too many to mention here----so check Colorado Cyclist's website---www.colorado cyclist.com. Or if you want MORE go to Blue Sky Cycling (www.blueskycycling.com).

Answer 10

Don't use WD40. It leaves a volatile, wet, greasy film that attracts dust and grit, and after it evaporates due to the volatility, you are left with nothing but a layer of grit and dust on your driveline.

Use a teflon-based extra dry bicycle chain lubricant, and make sure you wipe off any excess. The extra dry lubricant does not attract dust and grit as much, and is not volatile.