Looking for some maintenance advice.
I’m about to embark on some touring. I don’t have space to take more than one canned product. Is WD-40 what I need?
As I understand it from some research, WD-40 is by some magic both a degreaser and a lubricant. This is mysterious to me. In my mental model of chemistry, you degrease with detergent, not more grease. So now I’m imagining that WD-40 is a sort of “light grease” which dissolves “heavy grease”. Is that right?
So if I can only take one product, is WD-40 it? PS: If not, then what? Also, is there a generic name for it, or cheaper similar products to look for which do the same thing?
PPS: The consensus seems to be that WD-40 is not a miracle product, by which really I meant “a single portable product that can somehow de-gunk and lubricate” and is less risky than what I was doing before: using chain oil for the lubrication and dish soap for the cleaning.
PPPS: This question was asked in the best possible faith. I have been a cyclist for decades and always been curious about this product. And yet still I get downvoted. What is about social media that makes people so toxic and mean-spirited? It’s almost as mysterious as WD-40.
Yes, it is sort of miraculous! And it may serve you well, as long as you’re careful with it. Many cyclists do not favour using it with bikes because it is not a very good long lasting lubricant and will interfere with better lubricants. Some are nervous about it particularly around greased bearings such as a bottom bracket, where it might get in there and compromise seals and good grease. That being said, it is a pretty great product for cleaning and short term lubing stuff in my opinion. Just got to be careful and aware of limitations. However, not sure it’s worth the size of a can for touring. Might depend on a bunch of factors such as type and location and duration of tour. As much as I personally like the stuff it would not be high on my priority list. But you do you! Have fun, however you decide.
Useful, thanks. The bottom bracket is in fact my major issue. It’s an electric bike with a cadence sensor that stops working when gunk gets in there. Last time I managed to gunk it up, probably with excess chain oil, and had to resort to detergent to make it work again. Hence this whole dilemma. I know serious cyclists always say “degrease and then lubricate” but I’m looking for a pragmatic solution which means I won’t have to resort to detergent again.
Squirt Lube is what you’re looking for! The only time you’ll have to degrease is before applying it for the first time. No more degreasing after that (in fact, they even instruct you not to!). Definitely worth checking out.
You can easily clean the chain with only water and reapply once it’s dry. I swear by it.
Interesting, thanks! Unfortunately it’s a 30€ import here in Europe but it appear to be like that 1-Stop product so I’ll look for something similar.
To be clear, you put this only on the chain?
The axles and crank I don’t touch except for a complete disassembly and heavy greasing, is that right?
Oh, where in Europe? Never had to pay import and I live in Belgium. Maybe try Mantel or Bike24?
And yes, it’s for the chain only. Axles, cranks, pedals etc. I only grease when assembling.
Helpful thanks.