# Chain lube for cheap



## Tweezak (Aug 24, 2008)

I bought a bottle of chain lube at the LBS a while back and used it once (that day). I have since misplaced it.

Well, I decided to service my chain today so I pulled it off and soaked it in strong Simple Green solution for a while while I cleaned the rest of my drivetrain.

I rinsed the chain and dried it and then set to looking for the lube again. No luck.

So I was relegated now to finding something in my house that would work.

I am a motorcycle rider (street) and I have leftovers of various types of chain lubes I have tried. Most are the spray-on wax type. I did not want to use one of these because they depend on the chain heating up to penetrate properly.

I had a bottle of this stuff I'd bought but hadn't tried yet. It's called Dumonde Tech Chain Oil. Simple enough.

Well, I went to their website and discovered they also make bicycle chain lube. Lo and behold...I recognize the bottle as the stuff I bought and then lost. And in looking at the descriptions and the colors of the stuff...I think it's the same shmoo in a different bottle. The motorcycle stuff is blue-green and very viscous just like the bicycle stuff.

I'm looking on line and 4oz bottles of the bicycle stuff are going for $15.
My 16oz bottle of the "motorcycle" stuff cost $8.99.

I'll post how it holds up.


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## will8250 (Aug 25, 2003)

Nice! I've been using the bike version for a while now and love it. It would be great if I could get an even bigger bottle of the stuff for cheaper. Keep us updated


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## DanD (Jan 15, 2004)

I've used the bike stuff some and was not incredibly impressed. Better than some, worse than some. Bottom line it smelled horrible and taste worse.


will8250 said:


> Nice! I've been using the bike version for a while now and love it. It would be great if I could get an even bigger bottle of the stuff for cheaper. Keep us updated


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## mtnbiker4life (Sep 19, 2005)

I found this on the web....I think Sheldon Brown's website. I haven't used this yet since I still have an inventory of Pedros but it makes sense.

Chain Lubing

I use a 50/50 mixture of synthetic motor oil and mineral spirits. Get a liter of each and now you have two liters of chain lube for less than the cost of one dinky bottle of the latest magic lube. Mix then in one of your old chain lube bottles so you have the benefit of a drip spout.

The mineral spirits is just a paint thinner (or oil diluter in this case) which thins the engine oil so that it can penetrate into the insides of the chain. It then evaporates leaving the original oil behind. As chain lube is only any use when it's inside the chain and picks up too much dirt when it's on the outside of the chain, here's how I lube my chain.


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## Bikinfoolferlife (Feb 3, 2004)

Lots of guys on rbr use this kind of brew (altho in different ratios, 3:1 spirits to oil being more common I believe). Can be a bit messy and maybe not suitable for all offroad conditions, but definitely cheap.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

I see Castrol motorcycle chain lube all over. I"m also testing out a wet lube that works really well, although I'm still figuring out how to keep it clean.


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## Ktse (Jul 12, 2008)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> I see Castrol motorcycle chain lube all over. I"m also testing out a wet lube that works really well, although I'm still figuring out how to keep it clean.


I'm also using the Castrol chain lube. Don't have much to compare it with, but it keeps the rust out, but gets stripped off pretty easily if I run the bike through the rain or wet conditions.


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## Buck268 (Aug 22, 2007)

Marvel Mystery Oil and tranny fluid work pretty good, I suspect its due to the high amount of detergents in them.

Of course, I would *never* use anything but dedicated bike chain lube


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## Diesel~ (Feb 17, 2008)

Tweezak said:


> Well, I decided to service my chain today so I pulled it off and soaked it in strong Simple Green solution for a while while I cleaned the rest of my drivetrain.


Be careful about keeping your chain in Simple Green for too long:

http://velonews.com/article/9216


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## IRACEMOTOS (Oct 12, 2008)

*Yoooooooooooooooooooooo...*

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/

http://www.squirtlube.com/


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## zonian1903 (Jun 19, 2007)

I know people will disagree with me on this, since it disagrees with all the Lube marketing hype.

Lube in a chain serves 2 purposes: 
A) Help carry heat from the surface between the pins and the bushings to the outside of the chain where the heat can dissipate onto another surface such as a sprocket or the air around it
B) Keep contaminants from entering the areas between pins and bushings
B.1) Prevent rust by coating surfaces and therefore preventing rust. (How and why things rust is a whole subject on its own.)

There is very little heat to transfer in a bike chain, so B and B.1 are our main concern.

My favorite chain lube is simple and cheap: I melt paraffin wax (the higher the melting point the better) in a pot and soak my (clean) chain in it. The trick is to remove the wax from the heat and let it begin to congeal so that when you pull the chain out it is goopy. If the wax is hot when you pull it out, most of it will drip back out of the chain.

Also, chain outer bushing and chainring wear are identical with or without lube for a given use. This is because the contact surface is minute and the lube is mostly displaced at the contact points.

Frank


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

^^ I"ve done the wax thing for motorcycle chains (dirt bike) also.

And I am ashamed to admit that one time, in a pinch, I squirted some full blown motorcycle chain lube (Bel Ray) onto my commuter bike chain....it lubed the sucker, but everything that touched my drivetrain for the next 6 weeks instantly turned black and was never the same again. I have a pair of mtn bike shoes with laces, and the laces on the right foot turned into goo-sponges, which turned my fingers (and gloves) into goo sponges when I would touch them. It's such a heavy lube that I think it slowed me down too...like it was trying to glue the chain to the sprockets. I wound up pulling everything apart and cleaning the heck out of it at least twice in an attempt to recover from that mistake.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

Ktse said:


> I'm also using the Castrol chain lube. Don't have much to compare it with, but it keeps the rust out, but gets stripped off pretty easily if I run the bike through the rain or wet conditions.


I was referring to the Motorcycle version, not the MTB version. Very different things.


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## arphaxhad (Apr 17, 2008)

*More than one use...*



mtnbiker4life said:


> I use a 50/50 mixture of synthetic motor oil and mineral spirits.


That is the same formula I use to waterproof my wooden fences. It is much cheaper than Thompsons waterseal or similar stuff. but works great.


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## Ktse (Jul 12, 2008)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> I was referring to the Motorcycle version, not the MTB version. Very different things.


I was also referring to the Motorcycle version; that's exactly what I use.


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## harry2110 (Oct 18, 2008)

I'm using Luquid wrench cycle chain lube. It was only 2.99 for a 12oz spray bottle. does the motorcycle o-ring chain lube work as well as bike lube.


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## Buck268 (Aug 22, 2007)

Motorcycle chain lube makes a nasty mess. Too many people bring their bikes in with that **** on 'em.


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## harry2110 (Oct 18, 2008)

How frequenly should I lube the chain if I do use the bike stuff as its so expensive. Also what is the cheapest one to get?


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## Buck268 (Aug 22, 2007)

I don't know what type of riding conditions you see, but on my commuter I use triflow, which lasts well even in bad weather. It can be fairly expensive (we sell it for around $9 for 6oz), but I haven't looked for a cheaper alternative (employee discount  ), so you can probably find it fro less...especially online. There are many other options though.

As for frequency, that depends entirely on which lube and what conditions. Go by feel, when the chain gets noisey add 1 drop per link (right on each roller) and wipe thoroughly (for oil lubes).


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## lml1x (Jan 13, 2004)

I tried the homebrew motor oil/paint thinner and found that the chain picked up a lot more grim. I didn't use the synthetic stuff though. Do you think the synthetic will run cleaner?


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## Buck268 (Aug 22, 2007)

Couldn't say, I don't see why it would. How sparingly (or lack thereof) did you apply your home brew? Even Triflow will pick up dirt if the chain is dripping wet with it.


FWIW, I've used Marvel Mystery Oil as well as common Transmission fluid with great success when needed. Haven't tried motor oil, but engine fogging oil wasn't so hot, picked up TONS of grit.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

harry2110 said:


> does the motorcycle o-ring chain lube work as well as bike lube.


See post 12.


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## Dad Man Walking (Sep 7, 2004)

lml1x said:


> I tried the homebrew motor oil/paint thinner and found that the chain picked up a lot more grim. I didn't use the synthetic stuff though. Do you think the synthetic will run cleaner?


Nope, it will perform about the same. I just relube the chain after every ride (or every other ride if I get lazy) and that helps to keep it clean. I sluice a lot onto the chain--getting it real wet while running the cranks backwards...then wipe as much as I can off. It helps to let it dry before riding again (maybe stays a bit cleaner) so I do it after the ride, not before.


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## harry2110 (Oct 18, 2008)

CommuterBoy said:


> See post 12.


How did you clean your chain mine wont come clean at all? I've went out and got a chain lube and might try the dupont dry spray when i get to lowes to get it.


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## Buck268 (Aug 22, 2007)

Dude, search.


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## Tweezak (Aug 24, 2008)

Checking back in...the rain and gunk is here and my chain will be getting lots of abuse in the coming weeks so stay tuned for reports on how the DuMonde motorcycle chain lube holds up.


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## rallyraid (Jun 12, 2007)

I find 5W-30 motor oil works surprisingly well in dry climates, and doesn't attract dirt if applied properly. Shifting response is good. The key is to apply one drop on each pin on a clean chain, spin the chain around, let it sit overnight and wipe off. At 79 cents a quart with a coupon, I'm not complaining.


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