Quote:
The excitement of taking a nice drive is often tarnished by the fact that a lot of effort will need to be put into cleaning sprayed chain grease off the rims, frame and even clothing afterward. This is the most annoying disadvantage of conventional chain lubrication, not to mention the fact that the chain is full of collected dust and grime...
Sounds like they were using the wrong chain lube to me. A good chain lube doesn't fling, collect dust or create grime.
Quote:
Lubrication is based on the abrasion of the lubricant via the movement of the chain. This abrasion transfers the lubricant to the chain. It’s distributed over the entire chain and chain wheels thanks to its good creeping ability. This creates a thin, permanent lubricating film within the entire system.
I'm having trouble understanding this. Graphite films get worn away under contact and the fact that it needs to be mounted for constant application (which would eventually run out and need replacing) seems to contradict the "permanent" claim of it.
Quote:
The lubrication points of the chain that are crucial for its service life are sealed
with the O-/X-rings and are located between the chain pins and the sleeve, i.e.
where no chain sprays can reach.
During the extended tests, however, it was noted that the fine lubrication dust was
also distributed on the inside through the round 0.5 millimeter-wide gap between
the roller and chain lug.
I'm trying to wrap my head around this and how it would be a good thing for fine dust to get in between and past the o-ring.
How does the detritus from essentially a solid wear plate "creep"? Graphite is non-polar and does not evenly distribute itself over a surface without a carrier to do so. I would be surprised to find any coating on the underside of these chains.
Quote:
Light surface rust on rollers and lugs is rubbed off as the component passes by the
solid lubricant. Surface rust may form on chains that are not surface treated
(nickel-plated or otherwise coated) in wet conditions over a longer period of time.
With surface-treated chains, only minimal corrosion could be expected after a
longer period of time.
So this system does not protect against rust, it just removes it as it forms. Which means the chain is constantly losing mass, always rusting, and continuously losing tensile strength.
I obviously have a bias on this topic and I'm sure there will be people who love a system like this. I don't think I'll be getting one any time soon though.
