My Dirty Little Clean Secret
The right kind of lube 💦
🤷🏽 Why Do We Lube Our Chains?
To protect it from the elements and prevent rust
To decrease friction so we can go faster (not really)
To stop that infernal squeaking!
⛔ How Not to Lube Your Chain
Don’t oil it every week, it’s not a plant 🌱
Don’t dribble it over your cassette while you back pedal - this will turn your cassette into a dirt magnet and that’s the last thing we want
Don’t drizzle it over the top of the drivetrain, it’ll drip onto your chainstay and become another dirt magnet
You want to prevent the creation of that thick gritty buildup that will expedite the wear of your drivetrain.
⌛ WHEN to Lube Your Chain
Apply lube only when you hear the chain squeaking - that’s your chain saying “please feed me!”
If you can, clean your chain before you lube it - you don’t want to create more of the exfoliant! If you don’t know how, here’s some tips from a previous Wheel Suckers Podcast I did:
If you want some visual stimulation, our March online class is how to clean your bike at home! Join Silvi on Thursday 28 March at 730pm for some nourishing knowledge. If you’re a newsletter supporter, you’ll get a Zoom link zooming into your inbox
💧 HOW to Lube Your Chain
Put some newspaper on the floor under your chain
Find your quick link and backpedal it to the bottom. This isn’t imperative, but it provides a good start/end point. If you don’t have a quick link, no worries, just start somewhere
Put one drop on each roller as you back pedal
Once you’ve gone all the way around, whiz the chain around backwards and let centripetal/centrifugal force do it’s thang
Let it sit for 15 minutes as you go find a clean rag and then…
WIPE OFF AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
I REPEAT: WIPE OFF AS MUCH AS YOU HUMANLY CAN
YOU MIGHT NEED TO WIPE OFF SOME MORE THE NEXT DAY
You see, lubricants are viscous, and that viscosity works both ways: it means that the lube sticks to the chain, but it also attracts dirt/road dust/glitter that builds up and becomes a sand paper paste. This paste then exfoliates your drivetrain components (chain/cassette/chainring) and expedites the wear process.
People often think lubing their chain is making their bike better, but in reality they’re making things worse! I would rather see a bone dry chain come into the workshop than one covered in gunk.
🌵 Wet / Dry / All-Purpose Lubes
Bamboozled by all the different lubes out there? Here’s a basic primer:
Wet and dry refer to weather conditions
If it’s wet, rainy, or muddy, then a wet lube will be more tenacious (read: sticky) and won’t rinse off straight away
If it’s bone dry and dusty, then a dry lube is all you need. It’s usually a wax suspended in a solvent and doesn’t stick around once it rains
An all-purpose lube is meant to be good in both kinds of weather, a little less sticky than a wet lube, a little more sticky than a dry
👎 Steer Clear of PFAs
Maybe you’ve heard of these “forever chemicals”? Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE aka Teflon) is very very VERY BAD. So bad they made a Hollywood film about it (Dark Waters) starring Mark Ruffalo. You should give it a watch, then also get mad that the UK government is the only one in the EU that has decided that per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) should not be filtered out of our water systems.
The Royal Society of Chemistry has put out a call to the government to give a shit, and they've also made an interactive map + letter to send to your MP.
This means avoiding: GT85, Finish Line cleaners, greases, & lubricants, Weldtite cleaners, greases, & lubricants - and a whole host of other lubes. Be sure to read the label and make sure it says BIODEGRADABLE.
Seriously, using a teflon lube is NOT going to make you faster bro 🙄
💡 AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION
If you hate cleaning like me, have I got news for you! If you use a dry lube instead of an all purpose or wet lube, it means that it’s not going to attract as much road crap, extending the life of your chain and preventing that awful buildup from happening in the first place. All you have to do is put one drop on each roller, and you’re done. No wiping necessary. AND it means you don't have to clean your chain!!!! Be still my lazy beating heart.
We have a new favourite dry lube in store, it's Peaty's Linklube Dry: a biodegradable water based chain lubricant. To start off with we're selling the 60ml bottles, and if y'all like it as much as I do, we'll look into offering a refill service.
Not all dry lubes are created equal, and I’ve been testing a few since Weldtite discontinued their Pure Dry Lube. I've been testing Peaty’s throughout the months of February and March on my daily commuter, Debbie. I ride rain or shine, and though I have only applied the lube once, it's only now starting to squeak, and there's no buildup on the chain either! Win!
HOW TO CLEAN YOUR BIKE AT HOME
March's Online Class: How to Clean Your Bike at Home
Silvi will be teaching us the basics of cleaning a bike. Don't know where to start? Start with us!
Those of you who are newsletter supporters will get a Zoom link sent to you.
If you want to join us, it's £5/mo and you'll get access to our monthly online classes (and recordings), plus our Discord chat group.
When: Thursday 28 March
Time: 7:30pm - 8:10pm (40 minute class)
A bravo to the Rio Cinema for cancelling their Eurovision London screening.
However, Eurovision themselves hypocritically refuse to ban Israel for their genocide, while they were all too keen to ban Russia when it invaded Ukraine.
You can sign this petition to ban Israel from May’s Eurovision song contest in Sweden. The petition has now reached over 50,000 signatories.
That’s all for this week, I hope to see you at our online cleaning class next week!
OH - more classes have been posted on the website, even some for April 🌸
I leave you with a calm Paul Brodie being chill about making some mistakes.
Ride on,
Jenni x
Just followed these instructions to the letter. Thanks for the advice. I usually drown my chain in lube and then painstakingly remove all the gunk a few months later. Here’s to fewer toothpicks going to waste!
1) I love this
2) what’s your opinion on lubes that “clean and lube at the same time” (i.e. stuff like the rock and roll lube)