[Closed] Applying chain lube?

It's lube, on a chain, just drip it on.

There is this solid wax stuff you heat up and dunk your chain in. I've heard its good

There is this solid wax stuff you heat up and dunk your chain in. I’ve heard its good

Bloody hell TJ, you were saying that years ago! Are you getting forgetful in your old age?

Is there any cunning way of applying chai lube I’m missing?

Crikey, how hard can it be?

A drop of oil on the inside of each roller. Start at the quicklink and work round.

As above, a drip on each roller.. leave it to soak in for a while and then wipe off any excess to stop dirt sticking to it.

If I am using wet lube (which is rare these days 🙂 ) then I hold the bottle up against the seat stay and spin the chain backwards fast with the nozzle touching the chain. It spins a thin stream of lube out, so I can do along one edge of the rollers then the other.

There is this solid wax stuff you heat up and dunk your chain in.

Meant to say - there is no way I am going near Putoline.

• Unscrew lid
• Turn bottle upside down
• Squirt some lube out
• Turn bottle right way up
• Put lid back on
This may be written on the label somewhere much like it says “avoid fire” on your clothes or “may contain nuts” on a bag of nuts.

It may be me, but doing it that way seems to me to end with more lube on the driveway than on the chain :-/

Don't squeeze the bottle too tight.

I clean off the excess with pampers nappy as my daughter potty trained the day after a bought a box of 72. This was 9 years ago! Still have 60+ left.

Sorry for sounding like an arse btw.

It may be me, but doing it that way seems to me to end with more lube on the driveway than on the chain :-/

I use a bit of carboard under the bike to prevent drippage, and also to protect the bike a bit when I turn it upside down (that's a whole other thread). You need a decent sized bit of cardboard though, the size of a bike box or similar. So when your cardboard gets knackered the best way to get another bit of cardboard and enable you to uphold your rigorous maintenance routine is to buy a new bike. It's the obvious solution.

firstly ensure the chain is completely dry then warm each link up in turn with a lighter. Apply lube at about 30degC (a waterbath is the best method for this) to each link in turn and massage the lube into the link with your fingers. finally buff the excess off the inner side plates only.

and massage the lube into the link with your fingers.

I have a trained Thai gentleman who does this part for me. Obviously using essential oils instead of conventional lube helps me relax more while riding, and the good Chi keeps my chain free of muck.

There is this solid wax stuff you heat up and dunk your chain in.

Meant to say – there is no way I am going near Putoline.

Well you will just have to continue doing it wrong then 😉

Oil applicator pens if you're using something thin like Progold, let's you put one little drop on at a time.

Don’t squeeze the bottle too tight.

I barely even squeeze it at all, I just hold it.

Sometimes that is all it requires.

Chai lube? Is this some tea based stuff I've not previously heard of?

I only ever apply oil to at most half of the chain, then run it through the gears for a couple of minutes and then a very light run through a piece of tissue.

IME the holes in most lube bottles are too big for accurate apportionment in the drippy style.

To improve on this I equip the lube bottle with a short piece (c. 40mm) of one of the extension straws commomnly included with cans of WD40/GT85. This allows consistent drip application to be done.

To facilitate insertion of the straw into the nozzle of the lube bottle I first insert a bradawl into the hole to expand it so that it's slighly bigger than the OD of the straw. After withdrawing the bradawl I quickly insert the straw into the expanded hole. The plastic nature of the nozzle allows the hole to shrink onto the straw and provide an adequate seal.

Apply to the inside only. The centrifugal forces push it through when ridden, maybe.

Another way is put a bit in a rag and run the chain through the rag (back pedalling) in your cupped hand.
This stops excessive amounts.
Be careful not to catch the rag and subsequently cut all your fingers off.

Lubricate the chain as soon as you have it clean and not just before you ride. Wipe the chain just before you ride, leaving the lube that has drawn into where it does the good work. Stihl synth sawchain oil for me.