Chain Care
Only the subject of helmets or self defense causes more rancor on bike pages than chain care. It is amazing how such a simple thing can be used effectively in so many different ways. Therein lies the real reason we disagree.
It is a fact that what works best for a racer does not work best for a commuter. The quality and style of your drive train makes a big difference as well. A single speed or anything with internal gears is naturally both more rugged and under less stress (bigger, heavier and never cross chaining). 9+ Speed cassettes are just remarkably light and efficient.
Still, there are some hard and fast rules you cannot get around. One of the most unpopular is that you should never lube your chain until it makes noise (This is not related to waxing where one lube is replaced by another). Too much lube attracts dirt that becomes a grinding paste. This grinding paste is hard on deraileurs jockey wheels, the chain itself, cassettes and chain rings. It reduces power as well. We replace more chains, cassettes and chain rings because of this than anything else. Is your bike shifting sluggish, but still accurately? Try scraping the crud off your jockey wheels. If you don’t over lube perhaps it was a previous owner or your LBS.
The lubricant you use really matters very little. The one exception is automotive oil (BTW, transmission fluid is not a lube, but a solvent). Automotive oil is designed specifically to attract dirt and hold it til it can be filtered. Our bikes don’t have filters. It would be hard to think of anything worse for your chain except maybe salt water. I have seen olive oil, mink oil, machine oil, cutting fluid and corn oil successfully used as chain lube. I prefer the following because it remains a lube after it dries. It is a lot more affordable than most bike specific waxes and I can find no difference between its formulation and my favorite nano-ceramic bike specific lube (except the quantity received and the $14 difference in price). We’ve used it at the shop now for four years with no problems or complaints..
It goes on wet and dries, while remaining a lubricant. Kind of hard to beat (graphite is wonderful, but is still a grinding compound). BTW, the brand of nano-ceramic you choose is important because you don’t want anything with a rubbing compound in it.
For the third time in my 60+ years, paraphin wax has become popular once again. The problem Is that your chain must be stripped first. It is a lot of work and is a far greater fire hazard than a home made e-bike battery! It can add as much as two watts to your output. In a race, that is easily the difference between a podium finish and an also ran. On a century club ride.it might determine who gets the first piece of pie by as much as two minutes. I’m not sure the dramatic loss in chain wear is worth it to most of us.
Until 10+ speed cassettes came on the scene every mfg had a warning never to use a solvent on your chain. It removes lubrication placed between the plates at assembly that cannot be replaced. 10+ Speed chains have a 1500 mile life expectancy. Obviously, wear due to chain care isn’t near so important as performance for most traditional cyclists riding 10+ speed cassettes..For e-bikers it may be a big deal.
If you only clean your chain with a clean, dry brush and lint free rag, you may he able to add another 1k miles to your expensive 10+ speed chain. Remember, the more cogs your cassette has, the more you will cross chain in normal use (we aren’t racers with very close range cassettes). Because 10+ speed cogs are closer together, they require more accurate shifting. A sloppy old chain can do a lot of damage. Some higher end systems require a new cassette with each new chain ($$$) and chain rings about every other time.
Now, I am a fan of internal gears and belt drives. Sadly, these are being sold as maintenance free. This just isn’t true. You NEED to tighten belts or chains on these hubs on a regular basis. If you want a belt to last as it should, use a dry brush to clean between the teeth regularly to reduce grit cutting your cords. Internal gears should be overhauled annually, if you ride every day, year round. It’s expensive, but worth it to know you can shift coasting or at a stop and always be in the right gear to start again (a lot easier on your chain/belt, chain rings, freehub, motor and even your frame).