On 09/18/2010 07:20 AM, Tony Smith wrote: >>>> DO NOT USE WD40 on your bicycle chain!!!!! >>>> >>>> BAD ANSWER! >>> >>> You might give a brief synopsis so people don't have to chase down >> links. >>> >>> However, WD-40 was actually recommended to me by a bike professional >> as I >>> watched him spray it on his own bike. He said it was particularly >> good at >>> getting inside, which makes some sense. I always wondered about how >> well it >>> stood up to the forces being a very light oil, but probably just >> about >>> anything will do unless you ride your bike for 8 hours a day for 20 >> years. >> >> Olin, my bike's not going to that bike pro! As Russel has already >> pointed out WD-40 displaced the rather thing layer of lube on the >> chain. I go to a really good shop and he'd shoot me if I put >> WD-40 on my chain. He'd then offer me a cheap substitute that >> would works wonders in comparison (and price) if I needed to be >> that cheap. I put a lot of miles on my bike (my car has less >> mileage than my bikes). WD-40 can't handle the pressure that a >> bike chain develops. It's like using 10W30 or 90W oil on a chain. >> Neither are the right lube for the conditions. Sorry just got back from a 110 km ride. The thread sure is busy. > Rubbish. No not rubbish from my experience. As a child I had bicycles that never needed to have the chain changed. I never oiled it and it worked. As an adult with many miles on my bikes that doesn't work. An unmaintained bike fails to operate at the worst time (like 25 mile from civilization, the NJ Pine Barrens). > WD-40 is fine, it's kerosene mixed with mineral oil. >=20 > The kerosene evaporates, leaving the mineral oil behind. What else do yo= u > want? >=20 > Someone should submit bike lube to J-Ref and see if they can claim the > $1,000,000 Skeptics prize. Cyclists & chain oil is up there with > audiophiles & speaker cable. My rebuttal to your long diatribe is basically, sounds nice doesn't jibe with my years of riding. I managed to get about 2500 km on a WD-40 chain and about 5000 km on a chain using cheap bicycle chain oil. I regularly put on around 10000 km a year so I'm pretty good with maintenance (bike parts can be expensive, regular maintenance keeps cost lower). I routinely go through 2 - 3 tire sets and chains a year. > I skate as well, and the equivalent discussion is with bearings. You nee= d > to have ABEC-9 bearings, special degreaser, $40 bottles of lube, blah bla= h > etc etc. More rubbish, what you want is cheap bearings, light oil again, > but the trick is to get them with rubber seals, not metal shields. They > keep the dust out better, grit doesn't get in so they don't need cleaning= .. Ah bearings, if I'm not mistaken those are the ceramic bearings. My friends buy 'low-end' wheels and upgrade them by buying the better bearings ($90 US). The difference in roll resistance is quite noticeable. I don't know about the wear. The local roads have plenty of cracks and pot holes that may make ceramic an expensive upgrade. As for the lube, I'd never buy $40 lube. I get the cheap bike chain stuff ($9). Oh that 3-n-1 stuff, gunks up pretty badly. What I am amazed by here is your arrogance, you seem to know more about me and what I do on my bikes than I do (at least you seem to suggest so). While I do spend money on my bikes (each worth more than than my car - a 96 SW Saturn) I can justify the expense with the miles I put on them. Your maintenance methods wouldn't survive my weekend rides. My 3 bikes have about as many miles as my car (~110,000 mi). My oldest bike dates back to 1990 so it's not a one for one match. --=20 Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry ncherry@linuxha.com http://www.linuxha.com/ Main site http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog Author of: Linux Smart Homes For Dummies --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .