Mountain Bike Chain Lube

Mountain Bike How To – Clean your bike

Addressing the cleaning of your bike may seem too rudimentary even for a beginner. We would agree, except that recently we watched in horror as a buddy took a high-pressure washer to his $7000 dual-suspension trailbike. Friends just don’t let friends take a pressure washer to their bike. Here is how you should do it.

Stuff you will need
1. a bucket
2. soap of your choice (we use CT10)
3. a brush
4. a sponge
5. a few towels
6. a hose attached to a water supply

1. Soften it up: Put your bike in a stand or lean it against a wall.
Take the hose and just let the water fall over the frame tubes, wheels, saddle and bar. Notice we don ‘t use a spray nozzle.
Blasting your bike’s suspension pivots or your wheels’ hubs can push dirt into the bearing area or force grease out. Neither is good for the long-term welfare of your bike.

2. Warm bath: Dip your sponge in the bucket tilled with warm water and your detergent of choice. Attack you r bike with the sponge. Don’t worry about the wheels yet.

3. Another option: Muc-Off, is a cleanser formulated for cleaning bikes. After hosing off the bike, you spray on Muc-Off, let it sit a few minutes, loosen the big grime with a
sponge and then hose it off. By the way, there are hundreds of soaps and cleaning formulas (like Muc-off) available to cyclists.
There is nothing wrong with using them, but we’ve gotten along just fine using dish washing soap. Hose down the bike until the dirt is rinsed. Note again, we don’t blast the water in a stream.

4. The gross stuff: Dip your brush in the so apy water and rub down the drivetrain. If you lubed your chain properly it should only take one pass. If you glopped on the lube and didn’t remove the excess, you may have to attack small sections at a time to get the grime off.

5. Clean Gears: Spin the drivetrain while running the hose over it.

6. Water wheels : we saved the wheels for last because the drivetrain cleaning is
liable to get the rear wheel dirty. Same drill as the frame. Get the wheels wet, rub
them down with a soapy sponge (you can take the brush to the brake calipers) and hose everything off.

7. Towel it off: Use your towels to dry the bike. There are a number of bike waxes and polishes. We have not found that they make a big difference, but hey, its your baby. If you want to pamper it, go for it.

8. Dry links: Pay attention to drying your chain. Once dry, apply lube of your choice and wipe off excess.

9. Look and learn: Use your cleaning time to inspect your frame, suspension components and wheels for damage or signs of trouble. You can find a stress fracture whilst washing your bike or landing off a six foot jump. Which sounds better to you?

About the Author

World of Dirt is the place to come if you want riding tips, how to articles, product reviews and training advice. Want to improve your riding and mountain bike knowledge? Of course you do! For handy tips, advice and ideas sign up to our FREE NEWSLETTER at http://www.bdccycles.com/wod

Lubing a mountain bike chain

DuPont(R) Teflon(TM) Chain-Saver Lubricant, Net Wt 11 oz. (CS0110101) $8.99 Proprietary Self-Cleaning Technology. Dry, Teflon Wax Lubricant. Will Not Absorb Abrasive Contaminants.Formulated for chains and cables used in high contamination or wet environments.Goes on wet to penetrate & evenly coat frictional surfaces with a dry Teflon fluoropolymer wax film.Teflon wax film will not absorb abrasive contaminants including dirt, grit, paper dust, mill powders, lint and grass….

Dupont Multi-Use Lubricant 11 oz. Spray $5.15 Water repelling, 3 dimensional lubricant that goes on wet to deeply penetrate and loosen frozen or rusted parts. Sets up with a clean, dry, long-lasting film which will not attract and absorb dirt and grime. Features patented “self-cleaning” technology, so parts stay clean, work better and last longer. Use on any moving part….

Klotz Oil KLR Chain Lube KL-611 $7.99 KLOTZ OIL CHAIN LUBE KLR KL-611…

KLOTZ OIL AEROSOL CHAIN LUBE 15.5OZ KL-605 $8.23 KLOTZ OIL AEROSOL CHAIN LUBE 15.5OZ KL-605…

Finish Line DRY Teflon Bicycle Chain Lube, 4-Ounce Drip Squeeze Bottle $5.25 Dry formula repels grime. Improves shifting. Quiets noisy parts….

Park Tool Chain Gang Chain Cleaning System – CG-2 Sometimes your drivetrain desperately needs cleaning, but you’re simply not in the mood to break your chain. The CG-2 does a superb job making your chain, cogs, and chainrings spic-and-span while leaving everything on the bike. You get a CM-5 cleaning tool, GSC-1 brush, and eight ounces of Chain Brite. Simply pour some Chain Brite into the CM-5 and spin your crankset. The chain gets cleaned as it …