How to Lube Bicycle Chain – Guided by Experts
Tutorial to lube your bike chain
When you have a bike, you will find that there is always the problem of having a chain that is rusty and too dry. This will mostly lead to tangling, and that is not something that you want. That is the reason why you will need to know how to lube bicycle chain.
Here, we are going to take you through all the steps that you can follow when you are undertaking this process to make sure that you have it all. This is the reason why you will have to make sure that you have taken everything that you have learned here and apply it.
Follow the Instructions to lube bicycle chain
There is nothing that is hard here as you will be following simple instructions. They will show you everything that you need to know. These steps will take you the entire process to make sure that you get all of it nailed down.
Steps on to how to lube bicycle chain
- Location
- Position the Bike
- Know Everything about the Chain
- Scrape off the Mud
- Use a Rag
- Cleaning the Chain
- Lubricate the Chain
So, let’s begin the process and see what we have.
Step 1: Location
You need to pick the most suitable place to do this because when you are applying this, you are most likely going to make something dirty. Therefore, you need to pick a place where you won’t ruin anything when you are applying the stuff.
This will outdoors where there is nothing that can be ruined by the lube. There is also the garage if you have one. You will, of course, need to protect the floor where you are working by making sure that you lay down something like newspaper sheets to trap the excess runoff.
Step 2: Position the Bike
You will need to place the bike in a way that the lubrication will work very well. This means that you have to make sure the bike is in a position that you can reach the chain and get every part oiled.
What you do is turn the bike upside down and start applying the stuff. This will, of course, have to be in the middle of the papers that you laid down. To make sure that none of the lube gets on the floor, ensure that it is in the centre of the papers.
Step 3: Know Everything about the Chain
The chain and everything it touches is essential which means that you need to make sure that you know everything that is there. You will find that this is of great importance. There is nothing that is worse than not knowing what to do.
There are the front wheels, the front and back derailleur and the cogs that accompany these. When you know which part is movable and which one needs oil, you will have no problems with the exercise. Get familiar with the parts before you start applying the lube.
Step 4: Scrape off the Mud
When you are using the lube, you will need to know that it has been effective. This means that you have to make sure you have applied the lube to clean parts. This will necessitate that you clean the bike before anything else.
The cleaning will open up the parts and also prevent the dirt and mud that you may have from blending with the oil and getting into the cracks. With the oil, the dust becomes much harder to wash off and needs to be wiped out which is just tedious.
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Step 5: Use a Rag
When you have gotten the dirt out, you will now come to the part where the oil is going to be applied. This means that you need to have an effective way of doing this to make sure that you have an adequate result.
The rag needs to be clean and also spongy enough to get the job done. With the rag, you can clean the chain and make sure that everything you have is going to get the best of the lube. The rag is the best when it comes to preparing the chain for the exercise.
Step 6: Cleaning the Chain
With the rag, you will have everything that you need to clean the chain, and this is how you do it. You will need to make sure that the rag is clean and damp enough to take away the old lube if there is any or any dirt that you may be having there.
The rag has to be held onto the upper part of the chain to make sure that when you are rotating the chain, you get every part in a short time. The chain becomes much cleaner this way, and then you just wait a little for all of it to dry.
Step 7: Lubricate the Chain
You will need something like a magic marker. Why? I think it is for marking where you start to apply the lube so that you will not miss any of the parts. This will help you a lot with what you will be doing.
When you have done everything that needs to be done, you will find that the chain is flowing smoothly and that you have no problems with it. This is the way that you do the entire process. You will not have any problems when you follow this procedure.
Tips
- You will need to make sure that you have the proper floor covers to make sure that the lube will not leach through and get to the other side.
- The chain is not going to be very effectively lubed if you are not going to clean it. Make sure that you do a thorough job of this, and you will see what happens.
- The bike has to be cleaned very thoroughly because the dirt and grime that combines with oil is so hard to wash off the usual way.
- You will need to make sure that you have enough of the lube to make sure that everything you have is running at the correct pace.
Warnings
- When you are lubing a bicycle chain, make sure that you do not swamp it in oil. Yes, you can’t have too much, but when you have the oil dripping everywhere, you have more grime attracted to the chain.
Qsn: How much oil is too much?
Ans: imagine the chain dripping a continuous stream of the lube. You have overdone it when that happens.
Qsn: What happens when you don’t clean the chain first?
Ans: Imagine a tangled chain that keeps on threatening to break and finally breaking. There you have it, a clear picture.
Qsn: Which is the best oil to use?
Ans: Good question, search for the lube on Amazon and look for the highest rated. Time tried and well reviewed is what I am talking about here.
Now, what are you still looking for? did you find the correct information on how to lube bike chain? If you find the information what you’re looking for then please leave a comment below to inspire me to write more articles like this for the cyclist world.
Reference: Bicycles Stack Exchange, Quora
Last Updated: 04.10.2018
