How do you clean/protect your O-ring chain? How often do you lube it?
 

I have a DID O-ring chain. Under normal conditions when I go riding, that thing has been through hell and back and is completed caked in mud by the end of the ride. In most cases, the mud has dried by then and is stuck pretty heavily to the chain.

I use an aerosol can of chain wax to lube the chain but in no particular interval. As for cleaning, I normally just spray off what I can with a garden hose. I have been told that soaking the chain in kerosene works good to clean the chain but

1) that's not very practical in everyday riding scenarios, especially removing the masterlink of the chain

2) won't the kerosene eventually break down the lubricants/wax that the o-rings are holding in?


Also, in what intervals do you guys lube your chain? Ride by ride or a certain mileage?

I have the high end DID X-ring, doo-da, chain too. I use Dupont teflon dry wax lube that is for chains and other things. The beauty of dry wax lubes on a modern o-ring chain is that there isn't a bunch wet lube attracting dirt. Secondly the dry wax that builds up with trail dirt and such actually flakes off the chain as it builds up. Mountainbikes have been using dry wax lubes for years for the same reason. Dirt motor o-ring chains don't get their lube from an outside source. If it does, the chain is worn out. You're mainly helping lube the contact between the metal rollers and sprocke.ts. It doesn't need much for this.

I wouldn't soak o-ring chains in solvents at all. A stiff brush to knock the big chunks off is fine. Use a lube that isn't heavy with oily lubes or greasy in nature. The drier, wax-style lubes are great for o-ring chains.

Oh...to add, I lube after every ride...after the ride.

I just started down the o-ring path as I have been a bicyclist. I have used the Dupont Teflon dry wax on my bikes now for a few years and love it. Not cheap but the solvent cleans as your spray and leaves a nice wax deposit behind. I cleaned my new to me KLX chain for the first time with a small amount of goof off (not a recommendation here) and a brush to get the old caked on lube/dirt off. I doubt that is great for the o rings so I wont be doing that. For my use now I think a regular bike wash will clean the chain and after drying (or using my compressor to dry it) I will use the Dupont product.

90 weight gear oil after the whole bike is hosed down after most rides. I hose it down with no soap, ride it to heat up the brakes and to fling off the water, and then do the relatively dangerous trick of balancing the bike on its side stand and front tire while the rear tire is driven by the engine in first gear. Use your right hand to drizzle gear oil on the O-rings.

I've never had a chain wear out early. I don't change chains until the sprockets are ruined and then they all get swapped as a set.

As far as the expense of a large can of Dupont teflon dry wax, it's $4.99 a can at Lowes. Spray cans of motorcycle chain lube at bike shops usually run about $8-$12.

To clean the chain I use this spiral chain cleaning brush and o-ring chain cleaner spray. Tirox Motorcycle Chain Cleaner - webBikeWorld It's fast and easy, and the chain gets surprisingly clean when I'm done.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/tirox...h-on-chain.jpg

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

With bike on the stand, use the hose to wash off dirt and grit, then spray on a liberal amount of simple green, working it in by spinning the rear wheel with your hand, and hose to rinse off. Follow that with, while the bike is still on the stand, start it up, let it warm up, shift up to 6th gear and spin up to the sling off the water, then back to first gear, I use WD40 liberally on the chain to displace any remaining water, and then back up into 6th with a paper towel in front to the front sprocket to catch the sling, spin it back up to sling off the excess and leave behind a very light coating of light lube.

Keeps the chain shiny, clean, and lightly lubed which is all that is needed.

While I'm there with the WD40, hit the foot peg pivots, gear shifter, rear brake pivots, front brake lever and clutch lever pivots to displace any water from washing the bike, working the parts back and forth working it in so that everything is pivoting smoothly and getting a little light lube in there that is not a major attractor of dirt.

If I could, I would dip my whole bike in WD40, like C-3PO in the lube bath on Tatooine. Lol

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__...O_oil_bath.jpg

I don't think that cleaning an O-ring chain with WD40 is a good idea. The purpose of the o-rings is to hold in the wax/lubricant. The WD40 will penetrate and remove the wax/lubricant from behind the o-rings.

Attachment 12683

like this? I usually just hose it off then reapply lube.... Occasionaly i use degreaser and a grunge brush and give it a good scrubbing pressure wash it then relube.
http://www.phatperformanceparts.com/photos/31-7121.jpg