Lubing your Bike Chain
Bike chain lubricant or as you will commonly hear it called ‘chain lube’ is something you need to be familiar with to maintain your bike. Caring for your bike will give you the confidence to goRide more places, more often. So join me as we learn the why, what, when and how of bike chain lubing
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Why do I need to lube my bike chain
Chains are made up of lots of little components. Each of those components needs to be flexible and move freely and smoothly so your chain can;
- rotate around the chain teeth of the chain rings, sprockets and jockey wheels as you pedal
- move up and down the chain teeth of the chain rings and sprockets when you change gears
Unfamiliar with some of these terms, see Know your Bike chain
When do I apply Chain Lube?
Every time you clean your bike chain. You never want to apply bike chain lubricant onto a dirty chain. Remember we are trying to keep the chain links flexible and moving smoothly so lubricating a dirty chain full of grit is not going to achieve this.
How do I lube my chain?
What equipment do you need?
- Your bike with a clean and dry bike chain (clean your bike chain)
- Chain Lube. Wet or Dry. (See the Chain Lube Buying Guide for more help with deciding which lube is for you)
- Dry cloth
Lubing process
- Set Up: Make sure you have the equipment you need. Position your bike so it is secure either upright or upside down. You need to be able to move you pedal backwards in a full revolution (a full circle). To make sure every chain link is lubricated – work out how many times you will need to turn your pedals backwards for a chain link to travel in a complete loop. Pick a link and watch it travel around and return to the start position. How many times did you turn the pedal in a complete circle?
- Lube the chain: Apply the lubel Keep the lube in the same position and move the pedals to access each link. . Remember you are focusing on the inner part of the chain at the roller. Apply to one length of the chain so every pin/rivot and roller gets lubricated.
- Aftercare: Let the lube sit for 5 minutes to make sure it is able to soak into the connections then if using a wet lube use your dry rag to wipe off the excess from the outside of the chain (so it doesn’t provide a sticky surface for dirt and grit to stick to). Remember to get prepared for your next chain lubrication by cleaning and drying your cloth.
What type of lube is best?
We suggest a biodegradable lubricant to reduce any nasty chemicals in our environment.
A general all weather lubricant is a versatile long lasting lube that will work in all riding environments. As it is oil based – be careful to wipe up excess with a dry cloth to minimise providing a sticky surface for more grit, dirt, mud, dust, sand to stick to Ideally, simply wipe your chain with a cloth after each ride
There are lubricants designed to suit very dry dusty conditions A dry lube (though wet when it goes on it dries leaving a dry chain) With a dry lube the dust has less to stick so your chain will not act as a ‘dust magnet’.
Dry lubes do not last as long as all weather lubes, so needs to be more regularly applied- this means more regular cleaning. It offers less protection in the wet – it will wash off more easily in wet conditions. Hence it needs to be re-applied after riding in the rain.
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