QUESTION: My brand of chain lube comes in either a spray can or a drip bottle. Which way of applying lube is better? — Chris D.
RBR REPLIES: Both spraying and dripping work fine. But spraying is an advantage if the chain has residue you’d like to loosen and remove.
When you spray, direct a thin mist at the chain where it goes over the cassette cog. Rotate the crank slowly backward as you spray. If you use light pressure with your finger, you’ll avoid getting lube all over the wheel or frame. Just in case, put a rag on the rim and tire under the cassette and another around the chainstay.
Once the chain is wet, continue turning the crank for a minute to help the lube work in. Then hold a clean rag around the chain to wipe off the external gunk loosened by the lube. Remember, lube belongs inside the links, not on the outside where it acts like a dirt magnet.
If you use a drip bottle, squeeze a drop across each roller, one at a time, as you turn the crank backward. Again, put a rag underneath. Dripping is more time-consuming than spraying, but it’s the most economical method. Look at it as an exercise in Zen meditation.
More Articles About Bicycle Chain Lube
List of Bicycle Chain Lube Brands
Bicycle Chain Lube Product Comparison Test
Make your bicycle chain last 3 times longer with this technique
Chain Cleaning
Good morning! I use Pro-Link in my Parks chain cleaner once a week. I clean and lube in one activity, getting plenty of lube to the chain. Once I’ve done 30 or so revolutions, I spend time spinning the chain and then wiping on the rollers and then the sides multiple times to remove as much lube as possible. I also wipe it down before the first ride after a cleaning/lube application. I’m getting +/- 6,000 miles on a chain before I get a .75% ‘stretch’. Cassette life is about double that or replacement at the third chain.
I’m riding about 3,500 miles per year. I don’t race and I don’t ‘grind’, all contributing factors to chain and cassette life.