washing the chain with water is okay in fact you should make it daily practice corrosion/dust occurs due to mud and not water particularly, lubing the chain after washing is a best practice as well.
with water after every ride. it decreases the proper functioning of the chain if you leave the mud on the chain you are ruining the chain life. probably not everyone wants to have a ride daily so it would be better for the chain to wash it at least after 4 to 5 days. Chains are washable through the proper method. washing a chain does cause any bad impact on the chain. you can use the following things to wash your bike chain.
- Use hot water
- Air compressor
- Towel or Rag
How often should you wash your chain?
You can wash your chain with water after coming from a muddy ride using hot water after washing take a towel or rag in your hand and pick the chain to move the pedal backward till that up to 4 to 5 rotations are completed. Wash it thoroughly so that hot water should reach every pitch corner and every pin to pin space most of the time the mud stays hidden in the inner links
as we know the chain is complex without washing the lube stays and becomes dry in this case it causes an increase of some grams of weight of the bike for the pro racers before lubing the chain firstly wash the chain and place it for a dry under the sun or you can use air compressor which helps to dry the chain in a good manner.
Can You use soapy water /laundry detergent?
Yes, its good bike shops recommend using soapy hot water for the chain because lubing several times to chain the grease and dirt strongly holds the chain to remove such contents from the chain you can use hot water put some soap and laundry detergent in hot water mix it thoroughly the mixture becomes much soft take a brush or if you own a chain cleaner it’s pretty much good put this mixture in the chain cleaner and fix the cleaner in the chain and pedal to rotate the chain.
Shimano mostly recommends using soap water but remember never ride a bike chain without giving lube or soapy water to your chain.
How often should you oil your chain?
After cleaning the chain with water oil/lube the chain with a recommended liquid fluid. The chain contains the outer surface, inner surface, and the gap between the two pins. Things needed for lubing the chain are given:
- Brush
- Spray cleaner
- WD-40
- Dry lube for dry season
- Wet lube for the wet season
Wash the chain with spray from all angles after a few minutes the old grease and dust particles begin to flow now clean the chain with a brush thoroughly. Repeat the same method at least 2 to 3 times so that the chain looks like a fully new chain.
Try to avoid using homemade oils or kitchen products for a chain because these things also attract the dirt particles to stick on the chain these things have a bad impact on the chain. Always use the purpose lubes recommended for the bike chains.
Mostly chain is lubed after washing the bicycle the reason is that water drops remain in the chain if they dried in the chain it causes rust when you go on the next ride the chain contains rust while completing rotations moving through the cassette the rust starts rubbing the cogs of the cassette a single mistake leads to harsh conditions this the reason the chain is lubed to make it flexible. The new chain is stretched in the beginning you have to give lube for longer life.
Which lube is best for bike chains?
Although many lubes are available in the market used for mountain chain bikes. Some lubes have thin liquid and some have thick also the lubes depend on the weather conditions whether it’s cold or summer. lubes lower the resistance created from the dry chain and it increases the life span of a single chain.
two methods are used for giving lube to your chain whether you can open the chain from the chain lock or you can lube the chain in the standing situation of the bike both are beneficial. Here are the following given lubes available in the marketplaces and in the nearer shops you can use for your bike chain.
- Squirt Wax-Based lube
- Wet lube
- Dry lube
- Finish line
- Rock and Roll lube
- PArk Tools CL-1
- ProLink Gold (PLG)
- Marvel Mystery Oil
- Lilly lube
- Morgan blue
- Fenwicks Stealth lube
Which lubes not to buy for a bike chain
- Triflow
- Pedro,s Chain
1:Squirt Wax-Based Lube
it’s not expensive lube It is the most popular lube among the riders it does not cause any blacky rubbish oil after giving to the chain it’s a white lube. Apply after every single ride because it keeps the chain in the new condition specially applied to the chain while you had a ride in the rainy tracks.
Wet lube
Wet lube is basically used for a ride in wet seasons if you can use wet lube in dry rides it cannot function even it will catch the dirt particles off the track. On rainy days it cannot stay on the chain simply you have to apply again.
Remember giving wet lube to the chain by moving the pedal backward does not indicate that you have perfectly lubed the chain, give lube to every pin to pin distance of the pitch so that the wet lube goes deeply in the outer and inner surface of contact links.
Dry lube
Dry lube contains a thin liquid. Dry lube is mostly used for dry or dirt conditions while riding through moisty tracks the chances of dry to stitch the chain are found you can use the dry lube for your bike chain. its the most appropriate lube for the chain according to the seasonal changes, mostly it is used after march till September.
the most important thing for dry lube is that you can also use it for wet seasons. it increases the life of the chain and drivetrain.
How to lube the Ebike chain?
Lubing Ebike requires almost the same method used for the mountain and road bikes Wash the chain if it contains black oily dirt Clean it with some old rag place it under the sun or you can use the air compressor. The better lube for the Ebike chains is recommended as Wax. take it in a limited amount extra use of wax indicates that you are proposing the dirt for the Ebike chain.
Rotate the pedal of Ebike backward start giving lube to the lower part of a chain. You can use it before or after rain it extends the life span of the chain, it does not break while pushing the pedals hardly The weakness of the chain is directly proportional to the giving lube to the chain. After giving lube the chain does not make unpleasant noises after giving wax. it makes the chain flexible for long-distance rides.
Conclusion
The most wonderful thing about chains is that chains usually last longer if they are working smoothly but how do chains smoothly work? After coming from a ride you should not allow the chains to dry giving lube to chains of mountain bikes is an appropriate method. if you cannot oil/lube the chain the inner and outer links of the chain start repositioning from their actual place.
in a single chain rotation, every pitch of chain has gone through many cogs of the cassette think about how long you had gone on a track? constantly you are pulling the pedals in a forwarding direction. without the working of chain, you are not able to enjoy the traveling. chain is an important process of every bike.
I am not an expert I have expressed the chain bike-related materials in the post actually I have through all this stuff once I tried grease on my chain I noticed it does not go deeply to the spaces between the chain parts like pitch, pins, rollers, inner and outer links so grease decreases the life span of the chain the lube is best because its thin liquid and reaches deeply to the inner and outer links
Sometimes some bike holders give lube to the forward cranks of the chain rather than the chain I think that would not be the proper way of lubing the chain, if you want your chain life extended around 4 to 5 years lube the chain after going for a ride and after coming again because your Bike is totally dependant on the chain. Giving lube to chain makes it rustproof chains are made up of steel even your bike is standing in your home you are not driving and riding you may think why I lube the chain? after some months you will check the chain it starts taking rust because of the moisture.