Lube Your Chain

"Cleaning a bike's like cleaning a toilet. If you do it regularly it's fine and easy. If you wait, it's truly a disgusting experience."

-Steve Gravenites

While on a recent ride one of my cyclemates alerted us to his presence with a very squeaky chain. We stopped by our LBS (local bike shop) and they gave it a quick once over and solved the offending squeak. Since this is the most basic of regular maintenance for a bicycle, my cyclemates asked if I could instruct them on how to DIY. Here is what I do:

1. Put degreaser on a rag, wrap it around the chain and run the crankset backwards for a few turns to remove the excess dirt and grime from the chain.
2. Put some degreaser in your Spin Doctor Clean Machine Chain Cleaner, attach it to the chain and run the chain through it a few times. This gets the undesirables from the inner workings of the chain. I repeat this step if the chain seems particularly dirty.
3. Run the chain through a clean, dry part of the rag to hasten the complete evaporation of the degreaser.
4. Once all the degreaser is gone, add a drop of Finish Line Teflon-Plus Dry Lube to each link and cycle the chain a few times to allow the lube to penetrate the links.
5. Run the chain through a clean, dry part of the rag to remove excess lube. A greasy looking chain is a dirty chain.

I do this every week or two and after particularly wet/dirty rides. You can also brush your dérailleur pulleys with a toothbrush and degreaser to remove the inevitable grime deposits that accumulate there. If your LBS cleans & lubes your chain as part of their regular tune-up, then ask that they use the same kind of lube you use just to be consistent.

Doing this regularly will extend the life of your chain, cassette and chain rings... not to mention allow you to launch a sneak attack for that local county or town line sign!

If you really let your chain go, try these other steps for a more thorough cleaning.

Weekly Stats:
216lbs
10h30m
~160mi.