Did you know that a badly lubed (mountain) bike chain or a dirty chain can cost you several watts during your rides? For instance, if you would pedal at a constant 250W effort, the loss of power transmission to your rear wheel will increase without the right bike chain lube and application.
Less friction = ride faster!
This is caused by the bad guy in this story: friction! Keeping your mountain bike’s chain dry and perfectly free of any lubrication is obviously not the way to go. The articulating metal-on-metal nature of a chain needs lubrication for proper function.
On the other hand, if you apply the wrong bike chain lube the wrong way, the efficiency of your drive train will decrease as your drivetrain will become dirty. This is especially important for mountain biking!
We often ride off the beaten tracks which makes our chain and drivetrain messy from dust or mud. The right bike chain lube and application will make you ride longer, faster and simply more efficiënt.
Not to mention the advantage of other parts of your drivetrain that will live longer thanks to a properly lubed bike chain. In this article we will focus on how to apply bike chain lube on your mountain bike step-by-step. The right way!
Step 1: Make sure your chain (and other parts of the drivetrain) are clean.
A good “bike chain lube cycle” starts with a clean and dry drive train. Yes, you understood this correctly… you’ll have to clean your drivetrain (and bike) ideally after every bike ride. Look at it this way: what’s the use of investing in a nice mountain bike that increases your bike performance while you let the perfomance of your bike decrease by leaving your drivetrain dirty?
But what if I just “re-lube” the dirty chain you may ask? Dirt and mud will keep on accumulating which results in more dirt particles penetrating the chain and increasing friction. That’s why it is important to start from a clean and dry drive train before you are going to lube your bike chain.
Use a drivetrain cleaner
Luckily, there are some very good products on the market that help you to easily clean and degrease your drivetrain. The one that I always use and can definitely recommend is the “Muc-Off Bio Drivetrain Cleaner”.
It’s a complete drivetrain cleaning solution that can either be poured into a chain cleaning device or sprayed directly to your chain rings, rear cassettes and derailleurs to clean your entire drivetrain within seconds. It doesn’t only degrease your drivetrain parts but the special biodegradable formula breaks dirt down into small particles. This way even the most messy drivetrains will be bright and shiny again after cleaning.
How to apply your drivetrain cleaner?
- Shake bottle vigorously
- Spray all over the drive chain including cassette, chainrings, chain and derailleurs
- Leave for up to 3 minute and agitate with a brush if required. (If you are using with a chain cleaning device, unscrew the trigger sprayer and fill the device with the formula)
- After agitation thoroughly rinse off with water making sure all of the formula has been removed
- Dry with a cloth and leave the bike drying on room temperature for a few hours. Make sure the chain and drivetrain are completely dry.
Step 2: choose the right bike chain lube for the right riding conditions!
If you are using a spray lube today then the first step you want to do is stand up, go get it and throw it in the bin. Spray lubes are IMHO garbage. The reason is not necessarily because of the bike chain lube itself. It’s because of the spray method to apply it.
The problem is that you can not control on what parts the bike chain lube will get. The spray mist will go everywhere in the surroundings of your chain which results in parts being covered with bike chain lube where you don’t want it to be. For instance on your gears, wheels, discs,… Your drive train will already be a mess even before you even started riding!
Use a dropping bottle bike chain lube
Instead of using a spray use a dropping bottle. That way you can apply the bike chain lube very precisely on the chain (or other parts) without making unwanted parts greasy. An other advantage is that you can apply the bike chain lube more concentrated on the chain. Thereby, more lubricant will be able to penetrate the different links of your chain resulting in more efficiency and protection of the chain.
So now that we have the spray lube out of the way, and you know that you’ll need a bike chain lube in a dropping bottle instead, it’s important to notice that these lubricants come in all kinds of types and compounds. We are not going to dive deeper on that matter since that would be an article on itself. In this article we will only distinguish two types of bike chain lube: for dry and wet conditions.
2 types of bike chain lube
Dry conditions lube: This bike chain lube is specially made for dry conditions. It’s made for those summer days out in the sun on dry and dusty trails. These kind of lubes have less density and are less greasy. The main advantage is that the lubricant will attract less dust and dirt. This way, on dusty summer trails, dirt will stick to the drivetrain less easily. And less dirt means a more efficiënt drivetrain and more watts that reach the rear tire.
Wet conditions lube: These kinds of bike chain lube are have a higher density and are more greasy compared to dry weather lubes. The reason for that is because they need to have a higher water resistance. If you would apply a dry lube and go for a ride on a wet day, the bike chain lube would wash off the chain very fast. The wet lube however, will stay on there for a lot longer. The downside is that because of it’s density and greasiness, more dirt will stick to it compared to a dry lube. If you use wet conditions lube you will definitely need a good drivetrain cleaner and clean it after every ride.
So depending where you live and in what time of year you ride…you’ll either need one of the two or both. If you frequently use your bike in both wet and dry conditions, buy one of each.
I am currently using both wet and dry bike chain lubes from Muc Off with a wax based formula (not to be mistaken with wax!). It’s a good qualitative mtb lube for everyday use that won’t cost you a fortune and put you out of biking business. As a plus, because these bike chain lubes are biodegradable they are not harmful for the environment.
Step 3: Apply the bike chain lube on the chain
Now that you have the right bike chain lube it’s time to apply it properly.
Of course your chain should be lubed sufficiently. However, applying to much lube on your chain (or other drivetrain parts) has a negative effect as well. Excessive lube will attract more dirt. So it’s key to make sure that the chain is lubed enough but not too much! That’s why the dropping bottle comes in handy to just apply the perfect amount of lube on your mountain bike chain.
Inner side only
Lube the inner side of the bottom of the chain while slowly moving the pedals backwards. Make sure that each link of the chain receives some lube. When the lube drips on the ground you are probably pressing too hard on the bottle.
Try not to apply too much lube as you pedal the chain. A little goes a long way, so just apply a thin stream. Wiping away excess will help make sure you cover the nooks and crannies. Continue until the chain made at least 1 full cycle.
Next, let the chain make a few more cycles so that the drivetrain moves the lubricant around. DON’T lube your gears! This will only result in excess lube which will attract more dirt. If you lube your chain in a proper manner this should be enough for smooth shifting gears.
Finally, wipe away excess lubricant. You’ll need to get rid of excess lubricant after you’ve lubed the inner edges of the chain. Grasp the chain with a clean, dry rag and pedal to move the chain through the rag. Continue for 2 or 3 rotations, or until you’ve wiped away all the excess surface lube. Wiping away the excess surface lube will help reduce dirt and debris from caking up your chain.
Additionally, you can also lube the pulleys and pivot points of your rear derailleurs. This will make sure that your derailleurs can move freely while shifting gears.
After you’ve lubed your chain and other parts of the drivetrain, let it “dry” for at least 3 hours. Ideally you’ll lube your chain the day before you’ll go for a ride and leave it for a night. This way the lubricant has the time to penetrate all links and parts.
The lube cycle: clean – lube – ride – repeat
By following these steps and consistently going through this cycle you’ll make sure that every time you go riding you don’t loose unnecessary watts due to a dirty or a not properly lubed chain. If you are interested in using the same products as I use then go check out the Muc-Off website. They even have an ultimate bike cleaning kit that comes with all the tools you need to properly clean and lube your drivetrain and bike: https://mucoff.sjv.io/c/3058293/1144577/14325?prodsku=23272454279&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmuc-off.com%2Fproducts%2Fultimate-bike-cleaning-kit&intsrc=PUI2_8897
Now that you’re drivetrain is perfectly lubed it’s time to take your bike on a new adventure! Check out our mountain bike GPX routes that you can download for free!
Drivetrain image source: cyclingabout.com
