Switching from wet to dry lube

[vavavroom]

I've had it with wet lube. In the prevalent dusty, sandy, and windy conditions, wet lube is less than ideal and my chain is a sand magnet. I'm going to switch to a dry lube. I have a Park Tool chain cleaner and cleaner fluid. Does that result in a sufficiently clean chain? The chain is till slightly oily after cleaning and not really dry to the touch. Should I take the chain off and properly degrease it and the chain rings and cogs so everything is 100% spic and span before I apply the dry lube?

Please, no advice regarding Space Shuttle, AMTRAK, or semi trailer lubrication needs. You know who you are.

 

[skyactiv]

I'm a fleet semi mechanic. The semi trailer mechanics use a dry graphite spray lube on the trailer tandems.

 

[vavavroom]

I'm not going to trade my bicycle for a semi.

 

[skyactiv]

You edited your thread after my post.
No biggie.
Sometimes other people read threads and learn something new even if the post isn't useful for you.

 

[MRC01]

Ah, the never-ending debate, dry (wax/teflon) vs. wet (oil). Lots of cycling tech articles on this subject. Get your popcorn!

I'm a wet-lube proponent, having tried dry lubes, my experience is the term "dry lube" is an oxymoron. Dry "lubes" do keep it cleaner in dusty/dirty conditions but they don't lubricate very well, so you get accelerated drivetrain wear. Of course, using wet lube in dusty/sandy conditions also accelerates wear for different reasons!

For chain longevity, the best lube I've found is chainsaw bar & chain oil. It is a heavy oil with high film strength that minimizes metal-metal contact and a tackifier additive to reduce sling-off. With this lube (and keeping the chain clean) the Shimano 105 chain on my road bike went 15,000 miles before stretching 1% (my replacement threshold). The Ultegra chain on my road tandem is still un-stretched at 10,000 miles. And you can buy a gallon (a lifetime supply) for about $10. That makes specialized bike chain lubes seem silly and overpriced.

I'm not trying to convince you not to use a dry "lube". Only pointing out that in dusty/sandy conditions you will get accelerated chain & drivetrain wear no matter what you do. Choose your poison.

Regarding your question: to switch from wet to dry, degrease the chain and clean the drivetrain as well as you can. I think the Park chain cleaning tool does a good enough job if the brushes aren't worn and you use a good degreaser, then dry it afterward with a shop rag, and repeat. Sure, you can remove the chain and soak it overnight in a jar of degreaser. That won't hurt, but IMO it's unnecessary.

 

[fsdork]

I suppose it depends on what "sufficiently clean" means to you. I personally prefer to remove the chain and immerse it in mineral spirits before re-lubricating. There is something satisfying about seeing how much gunk comes out of the chain.

 

[wpod]

When I was hard core bike riding I would remove the chain and put the chain in a double boiler pot with melted parrifin and let it simmer for a half an hour. The chain was stiff for a few miles but is would loosed up and stay lubed for quite a while and when fixing a flat my hands stayed pretty clean.

 

[wpod]

I'm not going to trade my bicycle for a semi.

I used to really enjoy driving a semi. It was fun.

 

[vavavroom]

I suppose it depends on what "sufficiently clean" means to you. I personally prefer to remove the chain and immerse it in mineral spirits before re-lubricating. There is something satisfying about seeing how much gunk comes out of the chain.

By sufficiently clean I mean clean enough for the dry lube to adhere and dry properly.

 

[vavavroom]

Ah, the never-ending debate, dry (wax/teflon) vs. wet (oil). Lots of cycling tech articles on this subject. Get your popcorn!

I'm a wet-lube proponent, having tried dry lubes, my experience is the term "dry lube" is an oxymoron. Dry "lubes" do keep it cleaner in dusty/dirty conditions but they don't lubricate very well, so you get accelerated drivetrain wear. Of course, using wet lube in dusty/sandy conditions also accelerates wear for different reasons!

For chain longevity, the best lube I've found is chainsaw bar & chain oil. It is a heavy oil with high film strength that minimizes metal-metal contact and a tackifier additive to reduce sling-off. With this lube (and keeping the chain clean) the Shimano 105 chain on my road bike went 15,000 miles before stretching 1% (my replacement threshold). The Ultegra chain on my road tandem is still un-stretched at 10,000 miles. And you can buy a gallon (a lifetime supply) for about $10. That makes specialized bike chain lubes seem silly and overpriced.

I'm not trying to convince you not to use a dry "lube". Only pointing out that in dusty/sandy conditions you will get accelerated chain & drivetrain wear no matter what you do. Choose your poison.

Regarding your question: to switch from wet to dry, degrease the chain and clean the drivetrain as well as you can. I think the Park chain cleaning tool does a good enough job if the brushes aren't worn and you use a good degreaser, then dry it afterward with a shop rag, and repeat. Sure, you can remove the chain and soak it overnight in a jar of degreaser. That won't hurt, but IMO it's unnecessary.

There's no debate at all. Wet lube just doesn't work for me here. I suppose I will take the chain off. That's also the only way I can get the chainrings and cogs really clean.

 

[vavavroom]

You edited your thread after my post.
No biggie.
Sometimes other people read threads and learn something new even if the post isn't useful for you.

I thought it was funny. Post away. Although, I doubt the bicycle forum is right place for 5th wheel lubrication discussions.

 

[y_p_w]

When I first started riding in the late 80s, the usual recommendations were to use a commercial multi-purpose lube. I think the two ones most recommended for bike chains at the time were Tri-Flow and Super Lube. I could find both at hardware stores, but these days it looks like Tri-Flow is marketing for bike shops. I know they're still around, but may have changed over the years. Then came Pedros, although the rumor I heard was that they just repackaged synthetic motor oil.

 

[vavavroom]

I removed then chain, degreased it and rinsed it with Isopropanol. Once dry, I lubed it with a semi-dry lube. Dumonde Tech Lite is supposed to works well under dry and dusty conditions. I applied a drop of lube to every roller and wiped the chain carefully clean. The chain now attracts much less sand and grit than it did before with the wet lube. It also sounds very quiet. The product is supposed to polymerize on the chain and create a low friction coating. I've put 25 miles on it and it and the chain has yet to become noisy. Will see how it holds up and how often I will have to apply the product, which is a bit pricey,

 

[UG_Passat]

I've had it with wet lube. In the prevalent dusty, sandy, and windy conditions, wet lube is less than ideal and my chain is a sand magnet. I'm going to switch to a dry lube. I have a Park Tool chain cleaner and cleaner fluid. Does that result in a sufficiently clean chain? The chain is till slightly oily after cleaning and not really dry to the touch. Should I take the chain off and properly degrease it and the chain rings and cogs so everything is 100% spic and span before I apply the dry lube?

Please, no advice regarding Space Shuttle, AMTRAK, or semi trailer lubrication needs. You know who you are.

The chain cleaner makes a huge mess and isn't really that great at cleaning.

Take the chain off, throw it into a glass tomato sauce jar, fill it with your cleaner of choice, let it sit, shake, and repeat until it's clean to your liking. If it's an orange-oil based cleaner, you need a rinse in water, then you dry it off immediately and lube it with your lube of choice (I happen to like Boeshield)

 

[vavavroom]

I said I ended up removing the chain for cleaning.

 

[buck91]

I've always had the best results from a semi-dry lube like Boeshield T9. Actually, I've found the (much cheaper) Liquid Wrench chain & cable lube to work even better despite the lower cost.

 

[nthach]

I removed then chain, degreased it and rinsed it with Isopropanol. Once dry, I lubed it with a semi-dry lube. Dumonde Tech Lite is supposed to works well under dry and dusty conditions. I applied a drop of lube to every roller and wiped the chain carefully clean. The chain now attracts much less sand and grit than it did before with the wet lube. It also sounds very quiet. The product is supposed to polymerize on the chain and create a low friction coating. I've put 25 miles on it and it and the chain has yet to become noisy. Will see how it holds up and how often I will have to apply the product, which is a bit pricey,

A former service manager for Mike’s Bikes turned me onto that stuff. It works great - I like to clean my chain with Dawn before reapplication.
Before that, I used Rock & Roll Gold, it turns gummy on the derailleur guide/idler pulleys.

 

[nthach]

I've always had the best results from a semi-dry lube like Boeshield T9. Actually, I've found the (much cheaper) Liquid Wrench chain & cable lube to work even better despite the lower cost.

T9 is my second choice if I can’t find DuMonde. In a pinch, I’ll use WD-40 Specialist gel.