What's your chain lube of choice?

[snwbrdr]

At today's labor rates it would be cheaper to just install a new chain instead.

The cosmoline on new chains is a real dirt attractor.

So, remove the cosmoline to prep the chain for your lube of choice still requires time to clean...

which I prefer to use Zep orange cleaner (from big orange), soak in a tomato sauce glass jar, shake a few times to agitate as it soaks, then rinse with water (in the car), shake, then remove and let it dry in a oven (or toaster oven), then soak in the lube of choice. It's not really labor intensive.

The most labor intensive part is applying a drop or two of lube onto each link.

 

[Jersey Skier]

The cosmoline on new chains is a real dirt attractor.

So, remove the cosmoline to prep the chain for your lube of choice still requires time to clean...

which I prefer to use Zep orange cleaner (from big orange), soak in a tomato sauce glass jar, shake a few times to agitate as it soaks, then rinse with water (in the car), shake, then remove and let it dry in a oven (or toaster oven), then soak in the lube of choice. It's not really labor intensive.

The most labor intensive part is applying a drop or two of lube onto each link.

Do this 10 times a day, while the customer waits. What's it worth?

 

[snwbrdr]

Do this 10 times a day, while the customer waits. What's it worth?

A shop that knows how to manage tasks will do as much as once as possible, so that 10 chains that will be squeaky clean will be done once or twice a day, so it won't cost that much, maybe about an hour's total work for 1 person.

When I do it, it's mostly a waiting game, that I can do other things, like sit on a couch and watch TV.

If the shop is big on Boeshield, the reoiling can get even easier... they can buy a 5 gallon container of boeshield, and fill up an oil metal paint can and dump the cleaned chains in there and do it in bulk.

 

[Jersey Skier]

A shop that knows how to manage tasks will do as much as once as possible, so that 10 chains that will be squeaky clean will be done once or twice a day, so it won't cost that much, maybe about an hour's total work for 1 person.

When I do it, it's mostly a waiting game, that I can do other things, like sit on a couch and watch TV.

If the shop is big on Boeshield, the reoiling can get even easier... they can buy a 5 gallon container of boeshield, and fill up an oil metal paint can and dump the cleaned chains in there and do it in bulk.

So if a mechanic is doing 10 tune ups a day each which requires a clean chain, would they pull out all 10 bikes, pull off 10 chains, somehow mark which chain goes to which bike, clean these all at once and then reinstall to save time?

Have you worked in an LBS?

 

[snwbrdr]

So if a mechanic is doing 10 tune ups a day each which requires a clean chain, would they pull out all 10 bikes, pull off 10 chains, somehow mark which chain goes to which bike, clean these all at once and then reinstall to save time?

Have you worked in an LBS?

Basic tuneups don't include a full degreasing of the chain. At most it's adding more lube to the chain and let the solvents push out as much of the old lube and dirt as possible and wiping it off, if they even get to, as a quick check for chain stretch may end up skipping the cleaning part anyway and install a new chain.

If a customer requests it or part of a "deluxe" package, different story, as they'll be paying more for it anyway, and you have less people paying for it.

 

[oldschoolskier]

I'm a little of a non conformist, I use Breakfree CLP. Use it everywhere I need to rely on performance under pressure for about 30 years. So far never let me down.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Basic tuneups don't include a full degreasing of the chain. At most it's adding more lube to the chain and let the solvents push out as much of the old lube and dirt as possible and wiping it off, if they even get to, as a quick check for chain stretch may end up skipping the cleaning part anyway and install a new chain.

If a customer requests it or part of a "deluxe" package, different story, as they'll be paying more for it anyway, and you have less people paying for it.

If not being replaced, we clean and lube each chain.