# Is it ok to use WD40 on my bike?



## Rhino18 (Sep 18, 2010)

Hey guys,

Is it ok to use WD40 on my chain, and other moving parts. Want to ask before using. Thought it would help/prevent moisture on the chain. Thanks in advance.


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## boomersooner523 (Sep 28, 2010)

No you are much much better off getting a lube from a local bike shop. I always get Rock n' Roll hardcore because its a mountain bike and its goes off road quite a bit. Stay away from WD40.

The lube you buy will be 6 or 7 bucks but is going to do the job much better!

I did this for the first time in awhile the other day...world of difference

1. Get good chain lube from bike shop as well as a chain degreaser
2. Get a towel and some paper towels. 
3.Spray down the chain with the degreaser and rotate the pedals backwards as you spray to make sure you cover the whole chain and casset and all that good stuff
4. Let it sit for 2-3min
5. Wipe off with towel. Get somewhat dry
6. Clean moving parts and reapply if you need too (I did)
7. Apply lube
8.Wipe off excess 
9. (let sit for a few hours if you used a teflon based lube) then go! If you use Rock n' Roll then your ready to go right after you lube the chain! 

Hope this helps. Its going to prevent wear and tear on your vital drive train parts


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## MalcolmTi (May 15, 2010)

i would invest in a better chain lubricant such as a chain wax. the wd40 might be good to remove rust and help clean some of the parts, but there are better long lasting lubricants available a low price.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

WD40 is good as a cleaner and degreaser, as a step before putting real lube on your chain. It can be convenient for lighter use areas such as the pivot on your brake lever, on cables or deraileur pivots, but even basic 3 in 1 oil is better.


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## cbchess (Dec 20, 2003)

nooooooo!
the only time I use WD-40 is to clean my bike or stick on my grips.


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## mtbikernc69 (Mar 23, 2004)

no, No and NO! WD-40 should only be used to free up frozen parts like old shifters and/or derailleurs that have been abused. It can also be used as a degreaser on bearings before repacking with grease. Otherwise keep in the garage AWAY from your bike. There are better products to use on your bike and NO 3 in 1 oil is NOT one of them.

Peace.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Rhino18 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Is it ok to use WD40 on my chain, and other moving parts. Want to ask before using. Thought it would help/prevent moisture on the chain. Thanks in advance.


Yes you can use WD 40 on your chain....

The big problem is getting the WD 40 on the rubber seals in the rear wheel bearings, suspension bearings, and the BB bearings.

The WD 40 can really clean up a chain...it is too light to stick around long enough to act as a good lubricant...

So I occasionally use it on my chain (on the bike) to clean it up, I just put a coouple of rags over the bearings I need to protect...

Then I wipe it down let it dry and re lube with a good teflon chain lube.


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

The question that most aren't answering is IF it can be safely used. Yes it can. Among other things, it does act as a lubricant. You will not hurt your chain at all by using it. I would avoid spraying it on rubber though, as it could cause the rubber to break down.

Is it the best thing to use? Probably not. There are specific products which will likely work better and last longer. Is it safe to use? Yes.

Chris


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## fourflys (May 19, 2010)

WD= Water Displacement (40= 40th version)... so, if you're trying to make sure you get all the water out of a certain part that you just cleaned, it can be useful... but, as others have said you should really use a bike specific lube for your chain as well as other places... Rock and Roll is good as is Boshield T9 for your chain... I like Triflow for the smaller moving parts...


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## theMeat (Jan 5, 2010)

Fourflys is spot on with that. WD40 is lacquer based and lacguer is lighter and thinner than water and that's how it works. That's also what makes it so good at removing sticker goo. Lacquer will help free up stuff but over time will harden and to light a consistency for chains. Many bike mechanics use a home brew like 1 part 30# oil, 1 part tranny fluid and some add diesel fuel or some combo of the above. My fav would be some sort of silicone based product.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

theMeat said:


> Fourflys is spot on with that. WD40 is lacquer based and lacguer is lighter and thinner than water and that's how it works. That's also what makes it so good at removing sticker goo. Lacquer will help free up stuff but over time will harden and to light a consistency for chains. Many bike mechanics use a home brew like 1 part 30# oil, 1 part tranny fluid and some add diesel fuel or some combo of the above. My fav would be some sort of silicone based product.


No no not lacquer, and it will not harden. 
Its a hydrocarbon product, light hydrocarbons that will evaporate and some light petroleum oils, too light for serious chain lube, but not lacquer.


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## jbrow1 (Oct 15, 2010)

theMeat said:


> Many bike mechanics use a home brew like 1 part 30# oil, 1 part tranny fluid and some add diesel fuel or some combo of the above.


Ha, that's like something I would do. Actually if I used oil, I would soak it in marvel mystery oil for a bit, hang it dry, towel it off, and reinstall. But I cook my chains in a pie pan of candle wax and grahphite on the grill. No grease or oil on my hands that way, and no dirt sticks to the chain.


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## cbchess (Dec 20, 2003)

it is actually Kerosene based


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## boomn (Jul 6, 2007)

smilinsteve said:


> No no not lacquer, and it will not harden.
> Its a hydrocarbon product, light hydrocarbons that will evaporate and some light petroleum oils, too light for serious chain lube, but not lacquer.


yep, see the wikipedia page on WD40. It is 50% solvent and only 15% mineral oil, which is such a light oil that is won't stick around for long either in this application


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## theMeat (Jan 5, 2010)

I'm not 1 who should be holding a chem class but.... Stoddard solvent or white spirits, to my knowledge, is a description which covers a broad range of organic solvents. Hydrocarbon is even broader. Paraffin hydrocarbon is karosene so "cbchess" might be right on about that. Lacquer, can also be organic, and is a resin that comes from certain bugs. Wd 40's ingredients are a secret. So althou i was wrong in stating that it's base is, and whether or not it's true, I'v heard from a reliable to me source that it contains lacquer. I've also heard that wd 40 claims all their ingredients are oganic in nature. 
Maybe we can get a chemist to chime in.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

theMeat said:


> I'm not 1 who should be holding a chem class but.... Stoddard solvent or white spirits, to my knowledge, is a description which covers a broad range of organic solvents. Hydrocarbon is even broader. Paraffin hydrocarbon is karosene so "cbchess" might be right on about that. Lacquer, can also be organic, and is a resin that comes from certain bugs. Wd 40's ingredients are a secret. So althou i was wrong in stating that it's base is, and whether or not it's true, I'v heard from a reliable to me source that it contains lacquer. I've also heard that wd 40 claims all their ingredients are oganic in nature.
> Maybe we can get a chemist to chime in.


The formula of WD 40 is secret, but the MSDS tells us in general what it is. (hydrocarbons and petroleum oils (which are hydrocarbons also). 
Kerosene, white spirits, paraffin, are all hydrocarbons. Some of those terms are archaic or have multiple meanings, but no need to get into all that. They are all hydrocarbons. 
Hydrocarbons come from oil, and are organic chemicals, but not in the sense of a nice organic apple grown without pesticides . Again, definition problems.

Lacquer is a liquid meant to dry to a hard coating when the solvent evaporates. Usually made by dissolving nitrocellulose in a (hydrocarbon) solvent. I guess it used to be made from bugs, so I imagine the bug juice had some kind of resin or polymer that would harden in a similar way. Bug shells have a similar structure to nitrocellulose, (see Chitin), another glucose based polymer like cellulose. 
So with that all said, there is no rhyme nor reason for putting lacquer into a liquid meant to be used as a lubricant, degreaser and cleaner. And if you ever used it, you know it doesn't harden like a lacquer.

(Yeah I'm a chem E).


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## herbn (Sep 17, 2005)

kerosene to clean, real oil to lube after thorough drying and cleaning.There are a number of oils i like;Chainel no9 works pretty goodi,i think finnish line xc isn't all that bad. I've used leftovers from motol motorcycle grade synthetic oil, seemed ok. I've also used Way lube which is used in machinery and has as a characteristic that it produces a very stabile weight carrying film. A lot of these alternative lubes(not made for bicycle chains) might gather dirt or clump up over time.This only matters if you don't clean off your chain on a regular basis. I sometime kind of doubt that there are oils that are actually formulated just for bicycles, like chainel smells like auto transmission 90 weight, so i tend to believe that's it's primary ingrediant there might be other stuff mixed in, if some lube looks red and smells like marvel mystery oil,guess what?


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

The MSDS lists less than 10% non toxic ingreidients.....these are rumoured to be fish oils with a high aromaticity. 

That is how the get high water absorbtion and low toxicity at the same time.

I buy a gallon and a squeeze handle squirter...the bottom of the can has a strange looking sediment by the time it is used up????

Rancid fish oil?????


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## GambJoe (Jul 29, 2010)

Check out their wed site. Their 2000 uses PDF says where it could be used on a bike.
Not to lube a chain though.

http://www.wd40.com/uses-tips/


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

Cleans bike chains
Shines bike tires
Lubricates mountain bike derailleur
Lubricates locks on vehicle bike racks
Prevents rust when sprayed on bike scratches
Removes bike skid marks from driveway
Protects bike frame from salt water corrosion

You can shine your tires with it!!

(I wouldn't).


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## fesch (Jul 30, 2009)

Keep WD-40 away from your bike. It is a solvent not a lubricant. :madman:


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

fesch said:


> Keep WD-40 away from your bike. It is a solvent not a lubricant. :madman:


There are applications for solvents on your bicycle. What you mean to say WD-40 should not be used as a lubricant. WD-40 does a hell of a job for a quick cleaning of a really dirty chain; spray it on a rag and wipe it down. Let it dry a while and apply a lubricant, I prefer Dumonde, but you'll find endless pointless debates on that topic as well.


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## qreeek (Sep 22, 2010)

The debate about WD40 is often caused by people either being too lazy to find a proper chain oil or too cheap to buy one.
And the irony is that, yes you can lube your chain with WD40, but you have to do it very frequent or it will make your chain rust as the WD40 wears off so fast.

A can of WD40 will empty out much faster than a small bottle of chain oil if you apply frequent enough to keep the chain protected. So if you aim at saving some coin, WD40 is not the best option.

Also, a good chain oil will last a lot longer than WD40. So if you are lazy, you can go further in between lubing with a real chain oil.

Of course this only applies if you ride in conditions where you do not need to do a complete bike scrub/clean/lube after every ride.

And by buying a proper chain oil, you get the added bonus of being able to use it for all the other parts on your bike.
It gets a bit more complicated if you ride in dry conditions all the time, since you can then opt to use wax on the chain. I have never done that, so I will leave it to someone else to give advice on that area.


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## wickerman1 (Dec 24, 2003)

WD40 is not a lubricant.


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## frdfandc (Sep 5, 2007)

As a mech in a LBS, the only thing I use WD40 for is to clean out crusty/gummy grease out of shifters. It cuts it pretty good. 


You can use WD40 on a chain, however, use it after an off the bike degreasing. Its good to get all the water out of a chain, but make sure it dries then use a quality dedicated chain lube to actually lube the chain.


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## gnslr (Dec 24, 2004)

as a cleaner it has some uses but there are many other products on the market that are better choices for lubes


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

frdfandc said:


> As a mech in a LBS, the only thing I use WD40 for is to clean out crusty/gummy grease out of shifters. It cuts it pretty good.


I found Tri-Flow aerosol better for that application. I only used WD-40 if Tri-Flow doesn't work first.


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