Timeline for Can I use gear oil on my chain?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jan 22, 2019 at 20:20 | comment | added | cmaster - reinstate monica | ... which is of no concern to IGH bikes and fixies, of course. | |
| Jul 8, 2016 at 13:44 | comment | added | zenbike | Even if you ignore simple cleanliness, a "dirty" chain shifts poorly. | |
| Jul 8, 2016 at 13:43 | comment | added | zenbike | Yes, it does. With the exception of those few bicycles with gearboxes. You'll notice most modern chain lubes are not simply oil, since that serves little purpose aside from gathering dirt to the chain (since we don't ride our bikes in a lab). Oils are used in bike lubes for 2 purposes: first to carry a dry "lubricant" compound like flakes of Teflon into the interior of the chain's plates and rollers, and second, to coat the exterior of the chain with a light coat of corrosion resistance. Heavy oils serve neither of these purposes, and gather the dirt and "things that do increase friction". | |
| Jul 8, 2016 at 13:39 | comment | added | heltonbiker | (continuing on above) the same paper suggests somewhat subtly that a clean chain is more important than a lubed one. That is, a perfectly clean and dry chain could be better than a lubed, dirty one. But sure in real-world scenarios there are a lot of trade-offs: current efficiency, long-term efficiency (during a long ride), durability, "dirtyness" (staining clothes), maintenance efforts / time spent, etc. | |
| Jul 8, 2016 at 13:37 | comment | added | heltonbiker | @zenbike Interesting, but does it mean gearbox oil is a bad choice for bicycles? (I'm asking because I am not sure at all). Recently I have read this surprising paper that says: "On a perfectly clean chain in a laboratory environment choice of lubricant makes little difference to efficiency. The real value of lubrication is to fill the gaps that would otherwise be filled by dirt and grime – things that do increase friction and decrease efficiency. Lower viscosity lubricants maximise efficiency." | |
| Jul 8, 2016 at 10:52 | comment | added | zenbike | So many things wrong here. 1. Finish Line's wet lubes are not viscous for high pressure/high heat applications. They are designed to be a sticky lube that doesn't wash off in wet weather. 2. The application on a motorcycle chain is entirely different than a bicycle. For one, motorcycle chains don't change gears externally. They also move at much higher speeds (due to smaller cogs being driven by an engine) and the size an tolerances on a motorcycle chain are much larger. | |
| May 29, 2012 at 18:18 | history | answered | heltonbiker | CC BY-SA 3.0 |