Chain Lube Type and Frequency?

[PowerDubs_imp]

I will be the outlier.

While I change my oil religiously- that is because I understand the tight clearances of rings to cyl and cam journals.

I have never and will never lube an O-ring chain. The rollers are the main friction point and are internally lubed and sealed from outside environmental interference. Any friction from the end plates or teeth is only going to be exacerbated by grit stuck into whatever substance you guys are adding.

Please explain to me how externally lubing a roller contacting a sprocket tooth is helping anything?

Any initial speed difference is going to spin the internally lubricated roller. Anything caught between the roller and tooth (your lube and stuck to lube grit) is going to get ground down- removing material from both the tooth and sprocket. Any lube and grit that manages to make it between the outer sideplate and inner link is again only adding friction and wear.

I'm pretty sure all this exists just to sell product, both in lube and chain/sprocket.

If I am wrong- then I only am out by a few thousand miles. Chain and sprockets are easy and cheap.

IMO- a waste of time, money, and mess.... modern marketing..

It is lubricating the contact surface between the roller and sprocket only. Most roller chains have a hardened surface and sprockets have a softer surface compared to the chain. The lube slows down the wear and tear on the sprockets. The dirt and grime gets in between the surfaces either dry or lubed. The difference is the contaminates are going to cause less wear with proper lubrication because there is a thin film of oil between the sprocket and grime as it is crushed between the surfaces.

You are correct that not using a lube will only cost a few hundred dollars in maintenance to replace the chain and sprockets early. How early depends on what conditions you ride in.

I ride in the rain and on gravel roads. My chain will wear out faster than average compared to someone who never lets there bike out in those conditions. However, I still get 25-30K miles out of my well maintained chain. A lot less if I ignore it.

I've yet to see anything other than speculation on that.


I clean and lube my dirtbike chains but that is a complete different animal.

On the street bike, I see no need to add something which traps abrasive material.

I'm probably wrong.. but it doesn't matter either way. Just like some people won't accelerate because they want to save gas and tire life. To each their own...