If you want your bike to keep changing gears and running smoothly, you need to keep your bike chain clean and lubricated. There is a wide selection of different chain lubricants and chain oils available in the market today, and this can make choosing the right one a little confusing. Here we take a look at the different chain lubricant options available to you.

Firstly, let’s take a look at light chain oils. There are a number of light oils available in the market, and many of these are vegetable based oils. While these may be better for the environment when you’re cleaning your chain, they don’t tend to perform as well as they can tend to clog up. There are some synthetic light oils available, and these may be a better option. Look out for a synthetic oil with a Teflon base, as this will tend to work the best on your chain. These should penetrate your chain rather quickly and you should only need to use a small amount each time you lube your chain.

Go to you hardware store, auto shop or cycle accessories store and you should find a wide range of chain oils to choose from. Look for a synthetic wet oil that will withstand pedaling over long distances. If you are into mountain bike riding, then you will want to use a special oil lubricant that repels water, as you will likely be riding through water or mud. There should be a number of chain oils and lubricants.

If you don’t want to use a chain oil, then another chain lubricant option is the range of wax lubricants. Wax lubricants are, as the name suggests, wax-based. These wax lubricants are really good if you live in a relatively dry environment. Wax chain lubricants don’t tend to pick up as much dirt and other nasties as what chain oils tend to to. There is a catch with wax lubricants however, they are a pain to lubricate your chain. Why are they a pain? Well, firstly, you have to make sure your chain is completely clean of dirt and grime before you lubricate the chain the wax. So, your first step is to soak your chain in a cleaning solution for a couple of hours beforehand. Unlike oils, you really need to take your chain off your bike to lubricate your chain and then, you have to wait another couple of hours after you’ve lubed the chain befoe you can ride your bike again.

Another option available to you is to use waterproof grease on your bike chain. You should generally have some waterproof grease o hand anyway for your bearings and greasing threads, so why not use it for your chain as well. Waterproof grease usually comes in a tub or a smaller tube which makes it easier for applying to your chain. If you have a large tub of waterproof grease, then you can apply it to your chain using a grease gun. Alternatively, you could apply the grease with a small brush to make sure it gets into those small crevices.

As you can see, there many options available to you for lubricating your chain. Your best option will depend on a number of options including the type of riding you do, the conditions you ride in, your local climate…and how much trouble you are willing to go to for your bike.

Tags: chain lubricants, chain oils

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 26th, 2009 at 10:49 am and is filed under Bike Maintenance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.