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Any mountain bikers??
- Thread starter iamdenialNJ
- Start date
I use something like this
for chain cleaning, you do not have to take the chain off. It came with a couple of cassette cleaning tools as well which I supplement with an old toothbrush and something like a small bottle brush .Once I ran out of the supplied water based cleaner I switched to kerosene. You just have to be careful to keep it off the tyres.
For lube I use engine oil.
For lube I use engine oil.
I would have to add a note of caution when using motor oils as a bike chain lubricant. Although they do lubricate, as oils do ... they are also engineered to do things that are not in line with the needs of a typical mountain bike chain ...
Motor oils are engineered to attract and catch dirt particles (and bring them to your filter). This means that during every ride, your choice in lubricant is purposefully attracting dirt to your chain ... bringing that dirt to be caught up through your drivetrain. Motor oils are also engineered to slide off moving parts as it moves through your engine, not necessarily stick to them for a prolonged period of time. This means you will have to reapply much more frequently. Heavier duty solvents are also needed to clean chain, and cassette ... which you will have to clean much more often than using the most basic bike specific chain lube.
Granted not as convenient as motor oil or 3-in-one oils ... but basically for the small price of a bike specific chain lube ... you will not only lubricate your chain, but keep it and your drivetrain clean; increasing the lifespan of your chain and drivetrain ... all without having to use cleaners/degreasers on your chain on a regular basis ... and have to reapply lube less often.
My $0.02
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Applied sparingly, oil-based lubes are probably the best. They last a very long time, and are best in wet/muddy conditions. In normal (dusty) road/mtb conditions the oil attaches to dirt moves to the outside of the chain plates. If you are up for wiping down the chain after every ride and re-applying a few drops of lube every 5 or 10 days, depending on how dirty/wet your rides have been, these lubes are very effective. Some notable mentions are Chain-L and NFS. From what I've read, they are both basically diluted engine oil. I have been using NFS since last fall, previously I used Rock n Roll lubes, and I won't go back.
I don't often do dusty rides, mud is far more usual. If I am fortunate enough to have some dust (maybe 3 times a year) then it only takes a few minutes to sit the bike on the maintenance stand, pop the chain cleaner on, spin the chain through it a few times shifting up and down the gears, brushing and gears as I do it, change the kerosene and repeat. Rub the chain through a clean rag to dry off most of the kerosene and apply motor oil.
I can see that you guys in drier climates can have a problem with dust, mine is usually with rain (and rust) so heavier oil is to me more preferable.
I can see that you guys in drier climates can have a problem with dust, mine is usually with rain (and rust) so heavier oil is to me more preferable.
Chain-L ... a bit spendy for me in comparision to Rock N Roll lubes (twice what I pay at my LBS) ... but I always dug the old " CHAIN-L No.5 New York HUILE DE CHAINE " packaging. Very cleaver. Too bad it's just " CHAIN-L BICYCLE CHAIN OIL " now.
I haven't been able to find too much info on NixFrixShun - NFS ... except for ad verbage, but it's got some great reviews. You're right ... those petrolum based lubes are probably just about diluted engine oil ... but its what its diluted with that makes the difference ... I guess that's why there's so many out there to choose from. Personally I'm not one for wiping down my chain down after every ride or really much chain maintenance; and since I live in a wet/muddy (mostly winter; but in the summer, heavy down pours ... when it rains ... it rains!) but dusty area; I go with self cleaning chain lubes for the majority of my riding time; switching back to regular as needed.
I may to Rock N Roll Gold during the winter months since Rock N Roll Extreme lube doens't do well in sub-40* temperatures. And since I like to keep my bike lube and what-nots in my vehicle most of the time, Extreme lube is about impossible to mix right when fridgid.
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I use Simple Green once in awhile to clean up my cassette and crank. I'll use a tooth brush on my cogs. Then when all is done, I use this.
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1030901_-1_400042__400042
It works pretty well. Everything stays in pretty good working order.
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1030901_-1_400042__400042
It works pretty well. Everything stays in pretty good working order.
I've been using White Lightning chain lube for the past couple of seasons. It's a wax based dry lube, and my drivetrain seems to like it. It's supposedly self-cleaning (to an extent), but I don't know if that's just wishful thinking. I also use the park tool chain cleaner and citrus degreaser to clean my chain up after every few rides and it seems to work alright, but it doesn't do anything as far as cleaning the derailleur idler pulleys. I'll take the derailleur cage apart to fully clean them.
I get good results with Tri-Flow wet in my wet climate. My frequency of cleaning anything on my bike is shockingly low. Luckily we don't have much dirt, hence bikes really don't get all that dirty most of the time.
I'm not sure if this is supposed to be like this but the chain on my bike is just barely chafing with the sides of the front derailleur. There's really no problem riding at this point but I don't wanna screw anything up in the future.
In the middle picture it seems like I can adjust the front derailleur but I'm not sure what kind of tool you need to use for adjusting that. Any tips?
In the middle picture it seems like I can adjust the front derailleur but I'm not sure what kind of tool you need to use for adjusting that. Any tips?
The derailleur is the only part of the bike I don't touch. I'm curious as to what some of the more skilled mtb'rs will say because while I don't have this problem, I'd like to know how to work on my derailleur in the future. However, based on your pic, I'd say you need to get some dirt on that bike right pronto. 
Nah, the chain is not supposed to rub the derailleur. Is it both sides or just one? Is it only in certain gears?
Frankly, even without those answers it seems it needs an adjustment. The front derailleur is pretty straight forward, and IMO much easier than the rear (which confuses me every time). There's a lot of videos on YouTube walking you through the steps. OR if you don't want to fool with it, bring it down to your LBS for them to dial it in.
Yeah it was only rubbing on certain gears so I think the derailleur was just calibrated wrong or something. Anyways I ended up completely removing the derailleur for now so the problems gone. Thanks though.
