Grease, Lubricate and Maintain Your Bike Chain
Well-greased chains are smooth, quiet, and shift with precision. But which lubricant is the best? Here are some tips for proper chain care.
Most people notice that a bike chain should be greased when it starts to squeak. However, many people underestimate the difference that the right lubricant and timely, proper care can make for the bike's function. Depending on the conditions, this can be several thousand kilometres more mileage before your chain is worn out. What sounds like more effort actually saves time in the workshop and money in the long run. Unless you’re riding with a belt drive, lubricating the chain is a subject that concerns all cyclists: mountain bikers, road cyclists, gravel bikers and regular cyclists. We’ll provide answers to questions regarding why, with what, when and how to properly maintain and lubricate your bike chain.
Mud, moisture and mileage take a toll on your chain.
With the right care you can increase the life of your chain...
...and ensure less friction during the ride.
Find out which lubricant is best for which purposes here!
Why Do I Have to Lubricate My Bike Chain?
Greasing the chain serves three purposes: it reduces frictional resistance in the drivetrain, reduces wear and offers protection against corrosion. Friction and wear are in close relation to one another. Chain wear is often referred to as "elongation", but this does not mean that the chain links themselves become longer. It is the connections of the individual links – the "joints", so to speak – that accrue more play over time, which adds up. This happens through friction and consequently abrasion between the individual parts of the chain – the pins, collars on the inner links and the rollers. You can measure chain wear, but it is also noticeable when the quality of your shifting decreases. A chain that wears out quickly will also accelerate the wear of chainrings and sprockets, and in extreme cases will no longer hold onto them reliably. Lubricating the chain cannot prevent wear entirely, but it can significantly delay it. When it’s well-maintained, your chain will last longer and you’ll ride faster. In addition, properly lubricating a chain can waterproof it, which protects it from corrosion due to moisture as well as from increased friction due to dirt build-up.
Which Type of Chain Lubricant is Best?
The lubricant that’s best for you depends on many factors. For a dusty long-distance tour on a gravel bike, for example, you need a formula with long-lasting lubrication and low dirt adhesion. For a mountain bike ride on a rainy day, lubrication should be as dependable as possible, repel water and protect against corrosion.
What Does Universal Chain Lube Do?
One way to grease your chain is to use chain oils. Many of these oils are universal formulations that serve as a good compromise in all conditions or within certain parameters. The product’s description usually highlights the optimal use of a particular lubricant. Most chain lubricants consist of mineral oil, synthetic oil, vegetable oil or paraffin. For this purpose, various additives are mixed in to specifically optimise certain effects. Example additives include silicone, PTFE or other polymers and ceramics. You can get liquid lubricants either in small plastic bottles that allow for precise dosing or as chain spray. Sustainability and environmental compatibility are also becoming increasingly important for lubricants. Environmentally-friendly chain oils promise safety for animals and plants as well as high biodegradability. However, the issue already begins in the workshop: with targeted application, you’ll use less oil and will thus have a smaller impact on the environment. Please note: Widely used penetrating oils are not suitable for greasing chains and should only be used in extreme emergencies.
What Does Wet Lube, Dry Lube and Chain Wax Do?
If you are not satisfied with a compromise and want to get more out of your drivetrain, you can also use more specialised lubricants for certain applications. Wet lube, for example, has a more viscous consistency in order to form a lubricating film that is not so easily washed off by a spray. They also serve as a kind of waterproofing agent for chains and provide excellent protection against corrosion. However, this tough lubricating film is only an advantage when it is wet, as dry dirt adheres to it more easily. For dry and dusty conditions, dry lube is the better choice. It’s much thinner when applied due to the presence of solvents. Shortly after exposure, the solvents evaporate and leave a lubricating film that attracts very little dirt. If you do get caught in the rain with dry lube on the chain, however, the lubricating film will wash off faster than that of a wet lube. Dry lube is available in oil or paraffin wax-based versions. Waxes partially achieve a dry surface that you can touch without getting your hands dirty. However, some require the chain to be cleaned completely free of grease before application. It’s best to examine the manufacturer's application instructions if you’re unsure how much effort it will take to optimally grease the chain. Solid wax (hot wax) does not require solvents and leaves you with a completely dry chain. It’s particularly durable and low-friction, but also requires the most effort to apply (see below).
How Do I Care for My Chain Properly?
In short, the process consists of two steps: cleaning and lubricating. Before you begin, we recommend that you perform maintenance on your bike in a place where you don’t mind getting the floor dirty. Alternatively, you can place an oil-resistant pad underneath the drivetrain. Our notes are intended to serve as a general guide. Be sure to also check the application instructions from the manufacturer of your lubricant.
Proper Chain Care - Step 1: Cleaning
The first step is to clean the chain. This is crucial for ensuring that new lubricant can penetrate the chain's links, thereby forming a lubricating film directly on the metal and not mixing with old impurities, which can turn it into a kind of grinding paste. How thoroughly you should do this depends on how dirty your chain is and how much time you can spare. Even briefly cleaning the chain is much better than doing nothing at all. The quickest method is to simply wipe the chain with a clean cloth. To do this, turn the crank backwards and let the lower chain strand slide through the cloth. The chain quickly becomes visibly cleaner and the rag much dirtier. Make sure that your fingers do not accidentally come between the chainring and the chain! If you want to be a bit more thorough or if the chain has stubborn dirt, then you should first treat it with degreaser or chain cleaner and clean it with regular brushes or paintbrushes rather than just a cloth. Special chain cleaning devices partially automate the process. If you want to occasionally give your chain a thorough cleaning, you can remove it and treat it thoroughly with degreaser in a shallow container. When putting the cleaned chain back on, be aware that many master links may only be closed once. You should install a new one if necessary. After wet cleaning, we recommend that you allow the chain to dry before continuing the greasing process. As dirt also accumulates on the derailleur pulleys, chainrings and cassette over time, it is worth giving them some attention occasionally. If you cannot remove stubborn dirt deposits with a rag or a sprocket brush, you can try to scrape them off carefully with a tyre lever or a small flat-head screwdriver.
Clean your chain thoroughly. As a rule, the more often you clean it, the less dirt accumulates. © bc GmbH
Proper Chain Care - Step 2: Lubricating
In the second step, you apply new lubricant. Again, turn the crank slowly backwards and spread the oil or wax on the lower chain strand. Instead of just roughly greasing the entire chain, we recommend that you apply the lubricant drop by drop to the chain rollers. This way you’re putting it where it’s needed and you waste less product. A master link can help you find where the chain begins or ends. Chain spray is somewhat more difficult to dose than oil. In addition, special attention is required not to apply any spray on the brake rotor or, in the case of rim brakes, on the brake flange. Once applied, a few backward turns of the crank help to distribute the oil or wax among the chain links. After the lubricant has had some time to creep into the crevices of the chain and the solvents have evaporated, it is useful to wipe the chain again with a clean cloth. This way you remove excess oil that would otherwise attract dirt to the outside of the chain. If you are unsure how much time the lubricant needs to sink in, you can also simply carry out this step before starting your next ride. Treatment with solid wax (hot wax) is a little more time-consuming. The wax is melted in a controlled manner in a pot, the removed chain is bathed in it for a certain time and then hung up to cool. This results in a dry layer of wax on and in the chain. The manufacturer's application instructions tell you more precisely how long and at what temperature the wax should be left to take effect, as well as other things to bear in mind.
If you apply the oil or wax drop by drop to the individual chain links, you will not only have the best lubrication results, but also...
...you’ll save a lot on lubricant. This is good for your wallet as well as the environment.
When and How Often Do I Have to Maintain My Chain?
In general, we recommend that you perform maintenance on your chain after every ride. As everyone knows: after the tour is before the tour. This gives the lubricant enough time to creep into all the gaps in the chain before the next ride and solvents can evaporate. If you don't have time right after a ride, the evening before the next ride is also a good time for chain maintenance. If you have only gone for a short after-work ride in dry but not dusty conditions, one application of grease is often sufficient for a second round. When in doubt, it helps to listen carefully to noise coming from the chain. If it runs quietly and smoothly over the chainring and sprocket, then it is well-greased. If you hear a slight metallic rattling sound or even squeaking, then it is high time to act. If your chain is really grinding after a muddy mountain bike ride, you should pay extra attention to it. Old oil and dirt can form a kind of "grinding paste" that significantly accelerates wear. In the end, the question of whether you should re-grease for every ride depends heavily on the following questions:
- What kind of conditions do you ride under?
- How much distance do you cover per day?
- What lubricant do you use and how carefully do you apply it?
With time, you will develop a feeling for how long you can go between applications of lube or grease. For particularly long rides or bikepacking tours over several days, we recommend including a small bottle of chain lubricant and a rag in your gear. This way you can re-grease in a timely manner even when you're out and about.
