Lubing a new chain

[jetmech]

I just got a new x-ring chain for my bike and it came covered in this super sticky white grease. Is that stuff just to keep it from rusting or can I run it the way it is? Should it be cleaned off and relubed with the spray chain lube? Thanks

[trippivot]

just run it like it is. the sticky stuff is a type of storage grease used for prolonging shelf life cleaning it is your choice but a dry chain will rust outside of the xring.

no pressure washing !!!! that is really bad - pressurized water goes in past the seals and never gets out from behind them. chain, shifter, swing arm pivot, steering head, countershaft, and wheel bearing seals.

[Griffin]

I post this email from RK Chain every time this comes up. I originally emailed RK after a heated argument about chain maintenance on this forum stretched on from late '03 to early '04. Here's the email:

Sent: Mon, Feb 09, 2004 07:28 PM



Thanks for buying RK chains. There should have been warranty cards in the boxes with maintenance instructions.

They come from the factory with that thick sticky grease to help them resist rusting on the ocean voyage and in storage. Leave it on and just add a layer of your favorite o-ring chain lube.

To clean the chain while it's on the bike - apply a good coat of WD-40 and let it soak in. Then wipe the chain down with a rag or soft bristle brush. After you get most of the crud off, put on another coat of lube.

To really clean the chain - take it off the bike and let it soak overnight in a pan of kerosene. Wipe most of the crud off. Hang it by one end and spray well with lube. Wipe most of it off and put the chain back on the bike.

When you lube an o-ring chain, you are not trying to get lube past the o-rings. There is already a lifetime supply of lube sealed in behind the o-rings. What you're doing by lubing the chain is keeping the metal from rusting and the rubber o-rings from drying out.

Leslie Sowden
Director of Sales
FTM Enterprises Inc.

The only thing I would add to this is that the white sticky grease is a dirt magnet, so I clean a brand new chain with kerosene right out of the box, wipe it dry, then mount it and spray with Maxima chain wax. I then clean the chain every 500 miles or so (or immediately after riding it in the rain for any length of time) with WD-40, then spray with Maxima.

I currently have 14,900 miles on the RK X-Ring chain referenced above that was adjusted after the first 1,000 miles, and hasn't been adjusted since. It still looks new.

[jetmech]

Thanks for the info guys. I kinda thought that sticky grease would be a dirt magnet thats why I asked about it. I'm going to clean off what I can and spray it with chain lube. Thanks again.