Is it necessary to lube the morning of the IM or is applying lube the day before at the bike drop okay?
Is it necessary to lube the morning of the IM or is applying lube the day before at the bike drop okay?
The day before is OK.
I’ve always been such a weenie about it and freaked out if it wasn’t done race morning. Guess I should chill…
Is it necessary to lube the morning of the IM or is applying lube the day before at the bike drop okay?
The day before is OK.
I lube my chain about once a year… so i am guessing day before is fine.
How often do others lube their chain?
I don’t know, he may need a new bike 
.
I lube my chain about once a year… so i am guessing day before is fine.
How often do others lube their chain?
Uh, once a year is just as ridiculous in the opposite direction. Once a week or so is typical.
Is this a euphemism?
You should have a freshly waxed chain and break it in for 30-60 mins. If the chain is brand new, there are more knowledgeable people than me here to share their wisfom.
Worst thing you can do is run a new chain. The factory grease is atrocious. Might as well run a rusty chain.
Worst thing you can do is run a new chain. The factory grease is atrocious. Might as well run a rusty chain.
Always wondered about that, since they feel pretty damn smooth with the factory lube. Have any of the published tests looked at it?
That said, I switched to molten wax a while ago. Wax it a few days before the race, get it worked in during warmup ride the day before race.
According to the Friction Facts / Ceramic Speed guy that stuff is nasty. Especially on SRAM chains.
Worst thing you can do is run a new chain. The factory grease is atrocious. Might as well run a rusty chain.
Always wondered about that, since they feel pretty damn smooth with the factory lube. Have any of the published tests looked at it?
That said, I switched to molten wax a while ago. Wax it a few days before the race, get it worked in during warmup ride the day before race.
I like to lube the chain night before and wipe it off that morning. I am sure all ST’ers know this, but you need to wipe off the lube thouroughly. I have more than once seen people lubing their chain before a race and not wiping it. I am refraining from making various sophmoric puns here.
I usually lube it in T1, but that’s because I swim with my bike in my wetsuit to save time.
When you hear dry, squeaky terrible noises, or after rain, etc.
I never understood the lube your chain all the time thing. I live it when it starts to get noisy when riding, or when it looks really dry, or after a rain ride.
A new chain is about $30. Not a huge expense. Just throw a new one on every once in a while and don’t try to keep an old chain alive forever.
If you use a dry lube the night before, it’s fine. Just not Tri-flow or wd40. It will be all over your bike and legs if you use that. Use white lightning or Pedro’s ice wax or another dry line like that.
I can’t imagine trusting a chain lube to hold up over a 112-mile bike ride, while also not trusting it to survive doing nothing for half a day.
I like to lube the chain night before and wipe it off that morning. I am sure all ST’ers know this, but you need to wipe off the lube thouroughly. I have more than once seen people lubing their chain before a race and not wiping it. I am refraining from making various sophmoric puns here.
I did not know that - thank you!
Yeah in a video Kienle recommended night before, leaving the excess to creep in to the moving parts overnight, then clearing the excess in the morning, because that only sits on the outside and attracts dust/dirt… so race day lubing isnt as good
Chain is the one that eats drive train away if you don’t take care of it right. I always clean up and lube before the ride. Keep it clean and in T1, just turn the crank and drop the lube on the chain as you turn. Change gears up and down and set it on the gear you like. That’s it. If it’s humid, rainy or you are by the ocean cover the chain with a trash bag when you check in your bike.
I clean and lube my bike chains once every month or so during the season. How easy it to put on a new chain? Simple? I’ve always been weary of trying to do that myself. The last thing I want is to put one on too loose or tight, or worse, not securely.