Tinker Tuesdays #1: Maintaining Your Chain

Welcome to our first Tinker Tuesday, where we will give you useful tips on extending the life of your components and keeping your bike running smooth.

The humble chain is what puts the power down when you pedal, and deserves to be treated right.
Photo by Steven Rummukainen

To kick things off, we're looking at how to look after your chain. The chain is one of the parts of your bike that is subject to the most wear, and needs to be maintained in order to avoid regular replacement. Many riders neglect their chain, and if you ever hear a bike that makes a squeaky or grindy noise while pedaling, you can guarantee its chain is running dry. Here's a step by step guide to lubing your chain and keeping it happy.

Step 1. Photo by Steven Rummukainen

1. Clean your chain to get all the excess grease, dust, mud, or whatever else has found its way on there. There are special tools for cleaning your chain but a normal rag will do just fine.

Step 2. Photo by Steven Rummukainen

2. Choose a good quality chain lube to apply to the chain. There are two types of chain lube: dry lube - a waxy liquid that drys clear, and wet lube - a (you guessed it) wet liquid that keeps your chain lubricated and looking well-oiled. In most conditions, dry lube is better as it won't pick up excess dirt on the chain like wet lube does. However, for wet weather riding (such as winter), wet lube provides superior lubrication. In this instance we are applying some Weldtite dry lube - I have always used their dry lubes and are a big fan of the extra protection they provide.

Step 3. Photo by Steven Rummukainen

3. Flip your bike upside down so you can spin the pedals. You want to squeeze the lube out of the bottle as you spin the pedals, allowing you to cover the whole chain with lube. Once you have applied it on one side of the chain, find a spot on the bike to apply lube to the other side of the chain.

Step 4. Photo by Steven Rummukainen

4. After applying the lube, spin the pedals around and shift through all the gears to make sure everything is well lubricated and noise-free.

5. Go for a ride and enjoy the quietness of your well-lubricated chain! Just remember to keep checking on it after each ride and repeating this process whenever the chain gets particularly dirty or dry.