cheap chain lube

Gerry Manders

the chain came off my bike today, didn't know what the hell was happening. so I googled it and appears as though I need to give it a wax or oiling every now and again. but it appears as though good ole w d 40 won't do the trick so i'm looking for a cheap alternative. I've olive oil in the kitchen, would that do any good?

minidazzler

Almost all chain lube is relatively cheap. (i.e. Under 10 euro) and will late fooking ages.

That said, you're probably trolling, and if not, you're the kinda person that scares me.

Syllabus.

good sweet jebus!!!


buy a decent can of non fling chain wax for about 12 quid for f%*k sake!!!



the chain had to actually come off for you to give it any attention???

Gerry Manders

give me a break, im a student and learner. money isn't that sparingly these days

AgileMyth

A chain and sprockets will set you back more than a can of spray lube.

Max Headroom

WOW.i'm lost for words...it takes some amount of stretch to get a chain to pop off...think you'll need a new chain and sprokets asap.....and no , olive oil is no use for chains...get yer tyres checked while your at it....
OH...and ask more "daft" questions in future...i'd hate to see anything serious happenn to ya..


shocked.....:rolleyes:

KTRIC

If you're unlucky enough a chain flying off has been known to whip back and take the leg off the rider or fly back and hit a car !! For the sake of some basic maintenance its just not worth it.

BrokenArrows

Gerry Manders wrote: »

give me a break, im a student and learner. money isn't that sparingly these days

A normal can will last ages. 6months or so. As said only 10ish

The reason you can't just use wd40 or any random oil is that once you get up to speed it will just spin off the chain.

Chain lube is generally thick and sticks to the chain.

Grab yourself a toothbrush and some wd40 and give the chain a good clean.
Wipe all the wd40 off with a towel or something.

Then apply plenty of chain lube using the toothbrush to get it into all the bits of the chain.

Apply some around the sprockets where they come into contact with the chain too.

Gerry Manders

Max Headroom wrote: »

WOW.i'm lost for words...it takes some amount of stretch to get a chain to pop off...think you'll need a new chain and sprokets asap.....and no , olive oil is no use for chains...get yer tyres checked while your at it....
OH...and ask more "daft" questions in future...i'd hate to see anything serious happenn to ya..


shocked.....:rolleyes:

for future reference, how often should I oil it? im heading down to Tesco no to see if I can find some chain lube

KTRIC

Gerry Manders wrote: »

for future reference, how often should I oil it? im heading down to Tesco no to see if I can find some chain lube

Bike manufacturers recommend every 600 kilometers. I really doubt you'll get motorbike chain lube in Tesco to be honest.

Gerry Manders

KTRIC wrote: »

Bike manufacturers recommend every 600 kilometers. I really doubt you'll get motorbike chain lube in Tesco to be honest.

its the big one

Please Kill Me

Gerry Manders wrote: »

for future reference, how often should I oil it? im heading down to Tesco no to see if I can find some chain lube

Every 500 miles or so, more if you ride in rain a lot. And you won't get chain lube in Tesco's, only a proper bike store, or Halfords.

On another note, you need to also tighten your chain by the sound of it.

AgileMyth

Halfords if theres one near you. Or a bike shop.

Gerry Manders

Please Kill Me wrote: »

Every 500 miles or so, more if you ride in rain a lot. And you won't get chain lube in Tesco's, only a proper bike store, or Halfords.

On another note, you need to also tighten your chain by the sound of it.

Ya a can in Halfords is 14 euro. of course this had to happen when ive no money. fcuk sake. I was looking into tightening it too. is it difficult to do. youtube makes it look easy.

KTRIC

Gerry Manders wrote: »

Ya a can in Halfords is 14 euro. of course this had to happen when ive no money. fcuk sake. I was looking into tightening it too. is it difficult to do. youtube makes it look easy.

Where are you ?? I'd be happy to show you how its done.

positron

I understand OP very well. If you are coming from low maintenance cars etc, motorcycle chain maintenance is a bit of a chore that needs to be done a bit too often really - especially if you are a commuter who is out on the bike day in day out.

You have a lot of choices OP - effort involved is directly proportional to the cost and benefit in most cases. Most common approach is to get usual chain lube and apply it at regular intervals. You would need to kinda clean the chain before you apply it as lube is sticky stuff and will attract plenty of dust and grit from the road. Second choice is to fit a chain oiler like tutoro or loobman or scotoiler. They are anything from 30 to 150 euros. But you can just top of the reservoir now and again and save yourself a lot of hassle, and the benefit is that there will be less grit/dust on your chain as the oil is not as sticky as lube - meaning longer intervals between cleaning the chain.

The third option that I have going at the moment is - 80/90w gear oil. Its about 15 euro a liter, which I have in a oil can and I squirt a little every other day when I get home from work (when the chain is warm) and leave it over night. I have been doing this for about 3 months now, and chain still looks clean, oiled etc. Idea is that the gear oil is sticky enough to stay on the chain, but not overly sticky like the lube. I think this 1l would last me considerably longer than 1.5 can of lube.. only time will tell.

Best of luck and half the fun with biking is learning all this, enjoy the process!!

Please Kill Me

KTRIC wrote: »

Where are you ?? I'd be happy to show you how its done.

Likewise, and I have a can of lube here if you're stuck. My bike is in repair at the minute....

Gerry Manders

KTRIC wrote: »

Where are you ?? I'd be happy to show you how its done.

are u serious

P.C.

Gerry Manders wrote: »

are u serious

I think you will find that most bikers take bike maintenance seriously.

BlackWizard

Gerry Manders wrote: »

are u serious

What bike is it?

You should meet up with us some Sunday. Plenty of rideouts going on. Even just for the breakfast/lunch chat

blu3r0ri0n

I suggest you get a haynes manual for the bike, it will give you all the info you need for mainting the bike. Whats your bike?

blu3r0ri0n

P.C. wrote: »

I think you will find that most bikers take bike maintenance seriously.

And help each other out whether you want it or not

sean61

Is the use of wd40 for all tasks an Irish thing or is it misused across the globe? Its a degreaser & will take off oil rather than lubricate moving parts!

That being said though, I remember a point where I hadn't a clue how to maintain anything & now I forget where the nearest garages are. You pick it up pretty fast once you start & a quick google of any problems usually gets you a few tips on how to fix it.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Gerry Manders wrote: »

are u serious

He is, he's a decent bloke.

We've all been stuck without the know how to do small jobs when we started biking, you're no different.

Btw if you just hooked the chain back on without adjusting it I'd strongly advise you to take up the offer or take your bike to your nearest mechanic ASAP, honestly I wouldn't recommend riding it until the job is done.

Your chain will be in a very dangerous condition.

Max Headroom

blu3r0ri0n wrote: »

And help each other out whether you want it or not

:D.......bikers are nice people...even if you're just a "student" we'll still help you out....:p

BTW.did you do that trip to Galway with that chain flopping around...you're lucky nothing bad happened..;)

Wossack

chainsaw chain oil is super cheap - cheaper then getting your calf muscle put back together anyway

CJhaughey

Saw a Bandit last week, Guy just bought it.
He rode it without giving it a checkover and the chain snapped.
Luckily he didn't do anything to himself but the chain whipped back and smashed all the cases forward of the countershaft sprocket.
Expensive mistake.
OP get your chain checked something is wrong, its either completely worn out or the chain is way too slack.
This could cause a serious accident.

spiggotpaddy

WD40 is a water dispersant.{clue in the name}
olive oil only works if you rub a clove of garlic on your swinger.(not bike related)
Washing up liquid can not be used for brake fluid (even until payday)
Dutch gold is not a bike shampoo alternative.

Seriously though, I would recommend that anybody new or newish to biking should post up their general area and ask for help if they have a problem or just need to learn the basics.There is people every area to put you on the right track.

RosieJoe

CJhaughey wrote: »

Saw a Bandit last week, Guy just bought it.
He rode it without giving it a checkover and the chain snapped.
Luckily he didn't do anything to himself but the chain whipped back and smashed all the cases forward of the countershaft sprocket.
Expensive mistake.
OP get your chain checked something is wrong, its either completely worn out or the chain is way too slack.
This could cause a serious accident.

I have a LHS Sprocket cover for a 650 Bandit if he needs to replace his one.

CJhaughey

RosieJoe wrote: »

I have a LHS Sprocket cover for a 650 Bandit if he needs to replace his one.

Cheers, I think its more than just the sprocket cover.

AgileMyth

spiggotpaddy wrote: »

Dutch gold is not a bike shampoo alternative.

I disagree. Just keep drinking it til you forget the bike is dirty!