*"So the real issue is, how much of my life do I want to give up trying to extend the life of chainrings?*
Michael: You've hit on the core question. There are so many different situations that it's hard to generalize. There is no optimal solution for all conditions. The questions for each of us should be: 1. How long do I expect drivetrain parts to last? If you ride 2,000 miles per year, and get a year out of a chain & cassette, and a couple of years out of chainrings, then you may want to be more diligent about cleaning & lubrication, esp. if it's a big hit money-wise. OTH, if you get many years out of your drive train and / or the financial incentive is low, you can be more casual. The occasional spritz with whatever your LBS is selling will work. 2. How much trouble & effort do I want to expend on this to optimize drive train life? If it's a satisfying chore you don't mind doing, then some combo of thorough cleaning & careful lubrication is for you. Everyone needs a hobby. OTH, if the whole thing is a huge PITA that you put off doing, then the casual spritz works. Related considerations: 3. Cost of components: 7-8-9 speed cassettes are under $30; chains under $20. Decent chainrings are $25. What's the real value of trying to squeeze a bit of extra life out these? Are you a student on a tight budget or retired with plenty of cash? OTH, if you're into the latest drivetrain components such as 11 & 12 speed, now you're looking at a whole lot more money. 4. Riding mileage: Does each bike get perhaps 1,000 miles per year or 10,000 miles? Lower mileage suggests more casual care may work. Higher mileage requires more effort (either time or money) to keep things ticking over properly. 5. Climate: If you're in a dry, clean climate, you get more miles out of a lube job. However, wet and / or dusty or dirty environments are tough on chains et al. E..g., I'm in a warm, dry, dust free climate. What works in my climate would be a disaster for me in Deacon Patrick's climate. Wax doesn't like wet conditions. Hope this helps the evaluation process. dougP On Friday, May 29, 2020 at 4:30:40 PM UTC-7, Michael Hechmer wrote: > > Deacon, how good to connect with you again, even when I think you are > wrong! At one level you are right. If we are discussing energy lost to > friction in the drivetrain then nothing makes a difference, wax, chain oil, > heavy or light oil or even no lube at all. Under all conditions the energy > loss is vanishingly small. But that's not the issue. The purpose of any > lube is either to fill the space between two metal parts and thereby > prevent dirt from entering and prematurely wearing those parts out, and/ or > the lubricant can flush out microscopic metal particles which also abrade > the surface. That's why you put a lubricant on a stone before sharpening a > blade - to flush out metal bits, same as in a car's crank case. The real > benefit comes not from the lube per say but from keeping the chain clean. > A dirty chain not only wears itself out much faster but wears out the > rings and cogs. In a sterile environment a steel roller bearing (AKA a > chain roller) can move over a piece of 7075 Al. for most of a human > lifetime w/out wearing it out. Introduce grit and both the gullet and > sidewalls will be worn away quickly. > > So the real issue is, how much of my life do I want to give up trying to > extend the life of chainrings? And which process will optimize the > tradeoff? That's probably a different answer for every rider. I'm tired > of the answer I've been giving to that question and am looking for a better > deal, a clean chain with less work. > > Here's a research report you might enjoy. > https://pages.jh.edu/news_info/news/home99/aug99/bike.html > > > blessings, > michael > > On Friday, May 29, 2020 at 3:27:05 PM UTC-4, Deacon Patrick wrote: >> >> On the opposite side of the spectrum from wax, I use chain saw oil. One >> drop per link, whenever the chain begins to talk. I worry not one whit >> about cleaning it. Works great in all environs, all year long. >> >> With abandon, >> Patrick >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7da2a739-60b3-409b-97fe-b039207d0c4b%40googlegroups.com.
