Questions tagged [lubricant]
Chain lube, oil, wax, grease, and other slippery stuff for bike components and frames.
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Drivetrain lubrication for indoor training
Indoor training seasons starts and I'm again about to set up my direct-drive trainer this weekend. Before doing so and after experimenting with different methods of lubrication over the years, I'm ...
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Shimano Claris stuck in highest gear
I've got a 3-year-old bike with Shimano Claris (looks like ST-R2000-R) shifters. The other day, the temperature outside dropped to 40F. I took my bike out and found that I couldn't upshift the rear ...
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How to immerse wax a chain?
What is the best way to wax a chain using the immersion waxing technique?
I did some research and am attracted to the benefits of waxing my chain. I bought a few new chains to try it out but am ...
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Threadlock for Bottom bracket on Titanium Frame?
I'm looking into installing a bottom bracket for my titanium bike frame. The bottom
bracket that I purchased (SHIMANO ULTEGRA Threaded Bottom Bracket 68/70 mm shell width) seems to have some kind of ...
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Are fluorocarbons in chain lubricants a real environmental issue?
Some chain lubricants contain fluorocarbons like PTFE or other substances
called PFAS. Is this a genuine environmental issue? Should I avoid all
lubricants containing fluorocarbons?
I have heard that ...
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Does dry dust and dirt stick worse to bees wax or WD40?
People sometimes lubricate their bike chain with bees wax and other people use WD40.
When bicycling on dry dusty trails, dirt kicked up from the turning rotating wheels can stick to WD40 (oil) or bees ...
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Is it required to clean a chain when changing the kind of wax used for lubrication?
I tried recently to lubricate the chain of my bike with drip wax (Squirt), and am quite pleased with the result. Given molten wax seems to be even better, I am wondering: is it required to remove all ...
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How exactly wipe off excess wax based lubricant after application?
I want to apply the "Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower Wax" drip lubricant onto my chain.
I was following the instructions from Zero Friction Cycling but the last part of the application process ...
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Caliper brake lubrication
Good day all, I have a question about caliper brake maintenance.
Occasionally, my caliper brakes remain a little "stuck" closed, in that I have to manually open them/spread them back out in ...
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Threadless handlbar stem bolts - grease, threadlock, anti-seize, or dry?
I'm reinstalling a threadless stem after cleaning and degreasing.
There are two sets of bolts: the faceplate bolts that attach the handlebars to the stem and the pinch bolts that clamp the stem to the ...
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Inexpensive mods for decathlon 7 speed road bike
I have a Decathlon Triban RC 100 Flat bar. It is an entry level gravel/roadie that I have had for over two years now. It comes with a Shimano Tourney 1x7 set up, which is quite underwhelming. However, ...
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U.S. source for Alfine 11 oil for oil changes?
Yesterday I changed the oil in my Alfine 11-speed hub. I bought the 50ml bottle of SG-S700 from an eBay seller in Florida, the last one in the site's search results originating from the United States. ...
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Can I put Pedro's dry ice wax over Muc off dry wax?
I recently bought a brand new mtb. and they said the chain was lubed with Muc off dry lube. My local mechanic said it was OK to use the Pedro's that I have over it. Is it OK to use different lubes ...
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Can non-brake silicone lube be a good substitute for hydraulic seal lubricants in brakes?
Hope suggest using Hunter silicone lubricant (SC960) when assembling pistons, etc, on their (DOT 5.1) hydraulic brakes. It is supposed to be easily available but it took me a while to find some at a ...
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Seat post keeps sliding down after cleaning and lubricating folding bike
The last time I used my folding bike I gave it a thorough clean, and used WD-40 on the moving parts and then lubricated them again with a silicone-based lubricant spray. This is an eleven-year old ...
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After I lubricate my chain, I hear a gritty, sandy crunching sound coming from the chain and chainring. What am I doing wrong?
I tend to lubricate my chain about every 150-200 miles based on the conventional wisdom and general guidance I've read and heard. I have been using Rock N Roll Gold lube for some time, as it's been ...
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0W-20 engine oil for freewheel pawls?
Has anyone tried 0W-20 engine oil for the pawls when servicing a Shimano freewheel? Would it gum up the mechanism? Also interested in how long lasting it would be as I don’t plan to service this ...
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What is the lowest total cost way to lubricate a chain? [closed]
I know there are numerous different ways of lubricating a chain. Some prefer to
remove the factory grease from a chain and lubricate it with a different
lubricant immediately, others use the factory ...
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Lubricant spill on disc brake
As the title suggests, I was lubricating the gears and chain, and I accidentally dropped some of the oil on the rear brake disc. I didn't notice it then, and took the bike out for a spin. That's when ...
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Prepping pedals when installing
I am moving my pedals from one bike to another, and removing them caused a lot of frustration. I had greased them before hand with some basic automotive grease, and the threads were still greasy when ...
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What's the power loss to a squeaky chain?
I've got an almost new chain, but forgot to oil it before today's ride. It would probably have been fine except for repeated dunkings in muddy water early on. Later in the ride it developed a ...
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Homemade bicycle remedies [closed]
essential shops are closed, has anyone got any household remedies for any problems with your bike? ie: lubrication, rust removal degreasers well any homemade or household stuff uses for your bike.
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Sprayed Lubricant on Hydraulic Brakes, how to clean? [duplicate]
I was spraying some lubricant on my chain and accidentally sprayed on my hydraulic brakes and it affects my bikes braking power massively.
How do I clean this off?
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White graphite (hBN) a worthwhile chain lube?
Hexagonal boron nitride, a.k.a. white graphite, is non-toxic, very very slippery, tends to stick to metal, tends to not have other substances stick to it, and seems to have worked very well in my ...
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Crank-arm fell off *after lube*
Background
I've had my bike for several years and it's been fine with moderate use, but this summer, I ended up using it a lot (I rode almost 200km in less than three weeks).
Problem
It started ...
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Data on cable lubricant
Chain lubrication is a popular topic. Perhaps for this reason, it is possible to find data for chain friction and chain lubrication. Some of the results of the research are quite interesting. I'm ...
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How does lubricating your chain help protect your cassette and chainrings from wearing too?
I just got my mountain bike back from the shop after a frame warranty, and they replaced my chain as it was apparently worn (2x11). They recommended changing the cassette and chainrings while I was at ...
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When using a ptfe & paraffin waxed chain, does the casette require any lube?
I'm going to give chain waxing with PTFE and paraffin a shot as I'm sick of filthy dirty hands when I get a puncture.
I've read quite about about the process of cleaning the chain and applying the wax ...
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Does greasing the threads of an inline barrel adjuster cause slippage?
I am considering adding a hint of grease to an inline barrel adjuster.
When the barrel adjuster (C) fully gobbles up the metal threads (B), it can be hard to determine whether turning the barrel ...
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I went riding almost immediately after applying Squirt Lube (wax-based) on a brand new chain, should I degrease my chain and reapply?
I replaced my old chain with a new chain (factory lube removed) this morning. I applied Squirt lube, a wax-based The instructions for new chains read "wait until dry". I don't know how long that ...
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Should I be worried about sand in the chain?
This is about my daughter's (10yo) bike. It's fairly new, maybe about a year old (bought it off a relative who changed her mind). We're no active sporting family, but with this social distancing and ...
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Wax lubricant - what components need wax applied to them, and what is the recommended re-application procedure?
With a wax lubricant like paraffin or molten speed wax, what parts should have wax applied to them, and what is the recommended re-application process? I've heard some pretty different procedures ...
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Lithium grease for bicycle chain?
In the local hardware store I found this ultra cheap lithium soap grease. Can I use this for lubrication of my bicycle chain?
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Ultrasonic cleaner power requirements, for cleaning chains before waxing
This question is a follow-up to Ultrasonic cleaner advice, for cleaning chains before waxing.
I plan to lubricate my chains by immersion in molten paraffin wax. The advantages and disadvantages are ...
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(How) should I wax my cassette along with my chains?
A while back I got myself a 5kg block of paraffin (this being the smallest the candlemaking supplies store had to offer) to wax my chains. Then it hit me that the cassettes I have been using are ...
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Should I use cheap or expensive lubricant?
I'm hoping for either a scientific paper that has looked into this, or at least some plausible statistics from enthusiasts.
This is definitely related to my other question Can I use WD40 and generic ...
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Always Lubricate Skewers?
I'm replacing the quick release skewers on my bike with allen key skewers for a little security.
Clearly the old skewers were well greased and it sounds pretty standard to grease them. There are ...
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What type of lubricant/grease is most suitable for brake and shift cables?
I bought this lube some time back when I cleaned the bearings in my rear wheel:
Now I am replacing all the cables on my bike and the instructions say to use white lithium grease. While I was at the ...
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What is this oil? (wet lube)
I needed wet lube for my chain, so I went to my local cycle store and bought the following pictured Shimano wet lube.
Back home, out of curiosity, I "googled" it, and surprisingly enough, I didn't ...
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What kind of rags to clean drivetrain?
Currently I'm re-reading through Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. He mentions using rags to clean the chain, cogs, jockey wheels and the rest of the drivetrain. Just wondering what kind of ...
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Clearing excess wax from chain links
Is there a simple way to clear excess wax from between the links of freshly dipped chains?
When I pull my chain out there's a pretty decent coating I can wipe off. The interior stays full of wax even ...
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Alternative uses for RockShox fork oil
I currently have a small bottle of red RockShox 15wt fork oil left over. As I no longer own a RockShox fork, this oil seems pretty useless to me. (Fox specifies different oil weights, and I can't ...
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Appropriate oil viscosity for the inside of a freewheel body
Without taking one apart, I have seen people spraying WD40 into a freewheel body to clear it out, and then dripping Phil's tenacious oil into it for lubrication. The thickest stuff I have available at ...
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Chain Waxing - Strainer / Colander / Other?
How do you keep your chain out of the muck when re-waxing it?
I've been using this colander:
There's an unperforated section around where it bends at the bottom.
At first I had it in the bottom of ...
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Chain Wax Consistency
I'm looking for some help on what is the right consistency for a paraffin wax based chain lubricant?
I followed ozcycle's guide as closely as I could. After ~200km of riding in the dry you could run ...
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Removing WD40 from disk brakes - possible? [duplicate]
So I was stupid enough to get a fair bit of WD40 on my disk brakes. I tried cleaning them by removing the wheel, cleaning the disk (with soap) and to spray soap in between the brake pads and wiping it ...
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Bike making random noises after being lubricated
I bought a second-hand bicycle two weeks ago. Everything seemed to work like a charm; smooth rides; no noises whatsoever. However, lately I decided to oil it. I think that I put excessive amounts of ...
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What is the consistency of the Finish Line Dry Teflon?
I am doing some test for my home purposes of different lubes, and I was quite surprised I have three bottles of Finish Line Dry Teflon with two different forms. I shook all before applying and the ...
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Lost power when chain is not lubricated properly
Does anybody know how much power is lost when the chain is not lubricated properly? I drive a rather heavy bike and experienced that when the chain is not lubricated it definitely has an effect. Can ...
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Lubricating an alfine 11 IGH hub
I have an almost-new New-Old-Stock Shimano Alfine11 internal geared hub in the rear wheel of my bike. Its on 300 km now, with a first oil change due at 1000 km and then yearly or every 5000 km after ...
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