Squeak, Squeak, Clean or Lube?

Clean and Lube? Can't You Do That At The Shop?
Well we can and we are happy to do so, but it's not hard to do, and it guarantees your bicycle will go longer between needed maintenance and be more pleasant to ride. It's really easy, check this out!

Simple Chain Lubrication
This is possibly the nicest thing you can do for your bicycle, beyond maintaining your tire pressure. Chains that are properly lubricated last longer, shift easier, don't wear out other parts and are also quiet, letting you enjoy the sound of birdsong when you ride along. Even if you aren't up to changing tires and adjusting brakes, this is easy.

All you need is…

The right lube, some clean rags, and a place to lean your bike.

You don't even need a repair stand for this operation. Just lean your bike up against the wall, and make sure you have the bike positioned so you can pedal backwards.

The trick here is to use a proper bicycle lubricant and to remember, a little lube, goes a very long way. WD40 is not a bicycle lubricant. WD40 is a water displacer. The other random things in your garage may also not be bicycle lubricants, such as sewing machine oil, stuff like Liquid Wrench or motor oil. Put the wrong thing on your bicycle chain, and it's either going to evaporate entirely, or turn gummy, or turn into a shellac-like substance especially if it reacts with whatever else might be on your chain. WD40 has it's place but it isn't on your chain. Most modern bicycle lubricants are fairly light oils with Teflon or silicon in them. As for a little lube going a long way, follow the Less Is Enough philosophy. The only moving parts on your chain are these little rollers between the plates.

Not the plates between the rollers, not the chain rings or cassette/freewheel cogs. Those parts don't need any lubrication, beyond what tiny amount of lubricant will spread onto them from a properly lubricated chain. The secret is, lubrication in too great of a quantity attracts dirt, which causes drive train parts to wear out because they have gritty dirt stuck to them. This also can mean you get big chain marks on your leg, lubricant all over places it doesn't belong (like between the brake pads and the rim!) and eventually, your bicycle will be in the shop for parts replacement or disassembly and deep cleaning in our mechanical parts washer. Plus you bought way more lube than you needed!

The Right Lube For The Right Job

The lubrication display in a bicycle shop may resemble the condiment aisle in your grocery store. Beyond the fact that you don't generally put mustard on a steak, lots of this selection reflects the personal preference of who ever owns the bicycle, just like the person who likes A1 and the one who likes Heinz 57. Some lubricants are designed for specific applications like suspension fork stanchion lube or the kind of grease the mechanic uses for wheel bearings, sort of like mustard on a steak (forgive us, mustard on steak aficionados, you know how unusual you are). Since we are focusing on chain lubricant for the novice we will talk about dry lubes and wet chain lubes only. Its simple. If you are a mountain biker and ride your mountain bike in the rain and muck, wet lubes are a good thing. Those wet lubes keep the muck and mud off your chain, because they are designed for use in the muck and mud. In the dust, though, they attract dry dirt and are no longer useful. Dry lubes work in a similar fashion. They work exceedingly well in dry conditions in keeping your chain lubricated and tend to wash off the first rainstorm you ride into. That's why it is so important to clean and lube your chain after riding in the rain. If you are a dedicated mountain biker, you keep both kinds of lubricants around and clean your bike a lot.

Ready To Apply That Lube?
It's easy. Drip a drop of lube, no more, on every little roller on the chain.

Pedal backwards and do another section. When you've met your first lubricated link in the middle, take the clean rag and run the chain backwards, and wipe the excess off. That's it!

Its tempting to buy a spray lube, drip the lube in one continuous stream, or something like that. Trust us, it's messy.

OK, Where Else Can I Lube?
So now your bike shifts nicely, and is dead quiet when you pedal. You are probably thinking there must be other places that could use some lubricant, right? You are correct - but within reason. Pivot points on derailleurs and brakes are often helped by just a drop. Don't go crazy, remember what happens when you use too much lube.

Lubricating the pivot points on a rear derailleur (left) and rear brake (right)

You can also lubricate cables where they run through the housings but this may require more mechanical know how. There is a way to do this without undoing the derailleurs or brakes, but don't attempt without some sort of guidance, either by a knowledgeable mechanical person, or find a good book.

So What About the Cleaning the Bike Part?
Well you did clean the chain to some degree, when you wiped the excess lubricant off some dirt comes with it, but since you've just had a close up view of all your bicycle's other parts, you've probably just realized how dirty a bicycle can get.

To really clean a bicycle, you need to remove many parts, and wash it. Then dry it thoroughly and reassemble it, lubricating where necessary. That's a pretty big operation, which requires mechanical know how regarding taking it apart and putting it back together as well as some special tools, including a repair stand.

You can do an awful lot with clean rags and possibly a brush and a bucket of soapy water IF you are careful. The thing to keep in mind is Bicycles Do Not Like Water. So if you get your bicycle wet someplace you cannot dry, it may rust. Still, if you mountain bike, commute and ride in the rain, or get caught out in a summer thunderstorm, your bicycle is likely to need some cleaning. Wipe the frame off with clean rags. If you have caked on dirt, a bucket of warm, soapy water and a big bristled brush (toilet brush is cheap and effective) will allow you to loosen that dirt. If your bike frame is covered with dirty soap suds now, you are going to need to rinse it with a hose - just don't direct the stream at the drive train parts, hubs or bottom bracket. Its better to use an indirect stream to rinse stuff off then a full blast of water.

A full set of bike cleaning tools and cleaner.

Mike shows us how it's done.

If you've got old lube splattered around parts, try something like a citrus-based cleaner to cut that greasy dirt and wipe parts off with a rag. Be cautious - a little cleaner on a rag is going to be less destructive than spraying citrus based cleaner all over your brakes and derailleur and cleaning off the lube you want there - as well as displacing dirt and wedging it between moving parts. Better to wipe or brush off the dirt you can get to easily!

After any of this, lubricate properly. It's impossible to wash a bike and not get water on the chain or other parts.

About Using Mechanical Chain Cleaners…
They do work to some degree but, most of the cool little two piece devices you clamp your chain in, run some chemical cleaner through and back pedal - aren't going to really deep-clean your chain. None of these devices will get that deep-seated dirt that lives between the chain plates and the rollers, entirely out. To get a chain really clean, you need a parts washing device that continually floods the chain with some sort of solvent and vibrates to shake out the dirt between the plates. However, mechanical chain cleaners are good in a pinch. If you've been mountain biking or riding in the rain, a mechanical chain cleaner will get a lot of the surface dirt off, and some of the bigger dirt particles between the rollers. A clean chain lasts longer, so keep your chain clean!