KEEP YOUR CHAIN LUBRICATED

Most people have the idea that your chain should be oily. There is nothing further from the truth. An oily chain only attracts more dirt and this will wear  your chain out much quicker.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is a major difference between oily and lubricated, keeping your chain lubricated properly will allow the optimum performance from this MOST important part of your bike.

Unlike roadies who need just an occasional drop of oil after wet weather, mountain bikers live in the MUD, DUST AND BAD DIRT ROADS. If your chain is not serviced regularly, sooner or later you will have either a kaput or frozen link. Kaput link is obvious (your chain usually ends up on the trail), and a frozen link causes a "slip" or "kink" in your pedal cycle. It can make the bike pedal roughly or shift unpredictably at some point in the pedal stroke. If this happens, first check to make sure there are no clogs, sticks, or leaves in your rear cluster (the freewheel). A special brush/freewheel cleaning tool is made for this purpose, as you should clean your rear cogs and front chain rings as well as your chain, but if you want a cheaper way, you can buy a cheap steel brush and do it manually.

The idea is to keep your chain clean; too much visible oil does nothing to minimize friction and only attracts dirt. There are several techniques for lubing your chain properly. The easiest way to this is as follows>>>

• First, turn your bike upside down and rest it on the seat and handlebars (just watch out if you have a computer on, that you don’t scratch it).

• Then hold the chain with a cloth and move the pedals to advance the chain thru the cloth. This removes some surface debris.

•  Now: spray the chain or apply some lubricant. (You can alternatively use a cloth wet with kerosene or gas but this can be messy). Let the lubricant stay on the chain a few minutes and then wipe off the excess with the cloth and moving the pedals like you did before.

Another great product to clean the chain is Clean Green. This is environmentally safe and not toxic in any way, and will not leave any mess! It is available at most hardware stores and even some garages. This will CLEAN the chain and prepare it for lubricating.


Spray the chain with a suitable chain lube of your choice and make sure to get each roller covered. We have found that the chain lube called White Lightning works quite well though it is very expensive. It is best to spray or apply it only to the chain and not the free wheel cogs or chain ring. Wait a few minutes and then use a clean cloth to remove all excess oil using the pedal technique used earlier. Your chain is now CLEANED and LUBRICATED!