Chain/overall maintenance
1y 2mon ago by lemmy.ca/u/ellisk in gravel_cycling
Pulling the bike out now that the snow's mostly melted way up here and realizing I probably need a new chain based on stretch last year... what's your chain (and other bits) maintenance routine? I definitely need to get something better going than a casual clean... I guess streams/mud/insane amounts of road dust are pretty hard on the system.
I wax my chains, but I'm not in a place of giving advice as I didn't cycle much in the last two years and didn't have to maintain anything really... but curious of what other people have to say!
You can rotate 3 chains around the year, that helps a lot to reduce the wear on the chainring, which causes chain stretching too soon.
I use a hydrocarbon-based degreaser to soak a dirty chain for a short time then clean it with brake cleaner or isopropyl alcohol using a toothbrush and a rug. Put it in a zip lock bag with some chain oil. Rinse, repeat.
I prefer Sram or KMC chains over Shimano. In my experience they are cheaper and last longer. AFAIK they are compatible except the 12spd systems