Chain Oiling

[fizzwheel]

Don't let it dry. I'm sure I've read somewhere that parafin which is bascially what the parasene is can destroy the rubber sealing rings in the chain. Just give a good going over with the rag, you dont need a huge amount of parasene on the rag just enough to moisten the rag. Once you've done the whole chain then spray the dri lube on.

If you havent got a paddock stand, you can do this by either just wheeling the bike backwards and forwards or you can pivot the bike up on its sidestand so that the back wheel is off the ground and then get a friend to spin the back wheel round and clean and lube the chain.

Its best to do it at the end of a ride as the chain will be warm then and I've found the lube seems to go on better and get down into the nooks and crannies of the chain then.

TBH you can pick up a paddock stand cheaply enough IIRC around £30 and it does make the whole process a hell of a lot easier. I wouldnt be without mine.

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

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If you havent got a paddock stand, you can do this by either just wheeling the bike backwards and forwards or you can pivot the bike up on its sidestand so that the back wheel is off the ground and then get a friend to spin the back wheel round and clean and lube the chain.

...

TBH you can pick up a paddock stand cheaply enough IIRC around £30 and it does make the whole process a hell of a lot easier. I wouldnt be without mine.

A paddock stand is the best option, but if you haven't got one or a mate you can pivot on he stand, then place a car axle-stand under the swingarm to keep the rear aloft. A lot more faff, but it is an option. (Presuming you have an axle-stand ).

Originally Posted by krhall

When is the best time to do it though?

Before a ride or after???

Dont see if anyone answered this one.

After you ride so the chain is warm, links expand and the oil flows between them better. Should in theory use less oil.

Right I cleaned the chain using 'Wurth - Chain and Brake Cleaner', not sure if I did it right but ended up using the whole can!!!

Then washed the bike and applied the dri-lube twice, made sure all the excess was washed of the swing-arm and wheel.

The thing is, I have no idea whether or not what I did was actually right. How would I know?

Originally Posted by krhall

While I am still thinking about a Scottoiler, can anyone recommend what I need to oil my chain?

How?

And how often?

I think that the scottoiler might become a victim of Christmas!

Personally, I use a Loobman. Not everyone's choice of perfernce though.

Take the scotoiler, and remove the vacuum powers stuff, replace with a manual punch bottle. Costs £16.

The Scotoiler has the advantage that you fill it, maybe once a week, and forget about it. But it costs more.

The loobman, you hit the plastic bottle, it drops roughly 3cc of oil into a tube, which then slowly drips on to your rear sproket. Centrifugal (or is it centripetal??) forces then push this oil out to the chain as the wheel turns. The downside here is that if the wheel isn't spinning, the oil keeps on dripping regardless.

Luckily for me, they recommend a ratio of 3cc for every 50 miles. My commute is 49.7 miles. So I punch it at the start of every journey, and haven't used it at the weekends unless I know I'm going on a big ride. So far, I've done just over 8000miles without needing to adjust the rear to compensate for a "stretched chain" at all.

I've also read some reviews that the Scotoiler has got 56,000miles from a single chain/sprocket set, which is pretty impressive. If I can get 25k-30k miles, I'll be happy.

Just an alternative option

My commute is about a 25 mile round trip, so although I haven't got the money at the moment I will look at it in between Christmas and the kids birthdays!!