Routine care

Chain care

A clean, lubed chain shifts better, runs quieter and saves the cassette and chainring. Clean and lube it every few rides and replace it before it wears out everything else.

Also known as: chain lube, chain wear, chain maintenance

Key facts

Skill level
1/5
Time
15 min
How often
clean and lube every 2–3 rides; check wear monthly
Tools
chain checker, rag, degreaser, brush, chain tool, quick-link pliers
Parts
chain lube, chain, quick link

Clean and lube

  1. Wipe the chain with a rag while spinning the cranks backwards; use degreaser and a brush if it is black and gritty.
  2. Let it dry.
  3. Put one drop of lube on each roller, on the inside of the chain.
  4. Wait a few minutes, then wipe off everything on the outside. Lube belongs inside the rollers, where dirt cannot stick to it.

Which lube

Wet lube lasts in rain and mud but collects dust. Dry lube stays clean in dry weather but washes off. Wax runs cleanest of all and needs reapplying more often.

Wear

As the pins and rollers wear, the chain gets longer and starts wearing the sprockets to match. Check it with a chain checker: replace an 11- or 12-speed chain at 0.5 % wear. Caught in time, a new chain costs far less than a new cassette and ring.

Related articles

  • SRAM — An American component maker from Chicago, founded in 1987. It made the 1x mountain drivetrain mainstream and owns RockShox, Zipp and Quarq.
  • Shimano — A Japanese maker of bicycle components founded in 1921 in Sakai. Its drivetrains and brakes are on more bikes than any other brand's.
  • Drivetrain — Everything that turns your legs into forward motion: cranks, chainring, chain, cassette, derailleur and shifter. A modern mountain bike runs one chainring and twelve sprockets — 1×12.
  • Pre-ride check — Five minutes before every ride that catch most mechanicals before they happen: tyres, brakes, axles, bars and the drivetrain, checked in one pass around the bike.