All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

OK now, whoah. Now you mentioned that it was a gift (or maybe I missed that). It is no longer yours to make decisions with. It's gotta be her decision to sell. I didn't get to nearly 30 years of marriage by selling gifts I gave to my wife. Don't start off on the wrong foot.

 

Where are you located? Where I am we have another 8-10 weeks of trail riding and then the trail bikes get put away for about 5 months. So that would be a factor in my decision. Either way, I think I would sell. Then down the road you can either get a lower spec bike as people mentioned, or pick up a used 5010 for a lower price.

My wife is the opposite. She upgraded her gravel bike this year, but she has ridden a ton this summer. She got a better color and went up one or two levels on components.

 

I did mention it to her, and she said don't be upset when I have more time and bikes cost more... She doesn't know what the bike costs or cares, she was just making statement as getting less for more money. She wouldn't know if I put on her a polygon bike or santa cruz if the brands weren't plastered on there.

I live in the Southeast, we ride in the rain if trails aren't flooded. We really have year round riding here. It's not the steepest or gnarliest out there, but it's consistent lol.

please note my riding in the rain part depends on the club that maintains trails. With these tropical storms they did post please give them a few days to dry out.

 

I had a 930! Converted it into a single-speed around 2005 but sold it about 5 years later. I had too many bikes at the time (5) and wanted to get it down to 2, one for road, one for MTB. Wish I had kept that one.

 

Sorry - my wife’s roadie is a Specialized Dolce, not Allez. I have the Allez, that I use on my trainer.

But here is a pic - it’s a little dirty/dusty. Some scratches on the top tube from the devise I used to hold it in the bike carrier. But, it’s a nice bike. 2009 Specialized Dolce, triple front, has double breaks on the bars which gave my wife some added security know she would be able to stop quickly without having to move her hands.

 

Chain lube question. Yeah, I know
About 2500 miles ago I switched from year-round use of an oily lube (Dumonde) to using MucOff dry waxy lube in dry conditions and the MucOff wet lube in winter. My XX1 11 speed chain still tests good (~.50-.60 wear, tool says replace at 1.0) but gets pretty noisy under load within a few miles of fresh clean and lube. Looking closer I was amazed at the amount of hard gunk built up between the cogs and around the crank spider (I am running 1x 30T on an old 2x crank and clearance is tight but ok per Raceface spec). I’ve been riding and cleaning drivetrains for 50 years but I’ve never seen anything like this hard dense buildup, not the usual messy crud. Is this common with wax lubes? Also, after 2000+ miles is it just time for a new chain? Should I trust the Park Tool chain checker?

 

my allez has become my trainer bike too. i think its a 92 allez sprint, but have never been able to 100% confirm it

 

Have you checked bicyclebluebook.com? That’s how I’ve been able to remember the years on this bike and my old beater HT Diamondback.

I love my Allez. I have a decent set of Mavic wheels I bought for it back in the day that I should get back on it with a cassette and take it out for a ride. Poor thing hasn’t seen daylight in years! Hahaha. But, it’s in great condition still. Just nice to have it on the trainer ready to go for the winter riding times.

 

They were one of the best at the time, last of the CroMoly crowd as aluminum started to take over. They rode a lot smoother than the stiff aluminum at the time. I had a matching one as well but sold mine eventually to go to a more modern geometry. That thing was downright dangerous compared to today's bikes. I keep hers just because it is worth more to me as a piece of history than what I could get for it. Plus, she's barely 5 feet tall in her Crocs and it's a 13.5" frame.

 

BBB doesn't go back far enough.

I've gone down this rabbit hole once or twice in the past. I think its a 1992 specialized allez sprint based on previous searches. not really a big deal since it works and is my trainer bike, just fun information to know

 

I tried that mucoff dry lube a few years ago and wasn't happy with it for the same reason you mention. It doesn't seem to keep the dust from sticking and you end up with a lot of build-up around the chainring and jockey wheels. I switched to this stuff for dry conditions (always in Utah) with good success.

Rock N Roll Absolute Dry Lube - 4oz

https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Roll-Absolute-Dry-Lube/dp/B07C23CQTP

When I lived in Oregon, I used Phil Wood tenacious oil as chain lube for wet conditions. It's real sticky stuff so you gotta actually put a drop on each link and really wipe it clean. It seems to last all winter, through some really wet/muddy conditions.

 

Thanks for the tips. I may just go back to the Dumonde that my wife insists on using so we have just one lube bottle to share. I think I still have a bottle of Phil Wood that I bought in 1985, or maybe 1975. It’s tenacious in more ways than one.

 

Yea! Someone asked me if it went bad recently cause it's just so viscous.

 

I HATE Squirt Chain Lube,

That is all.

 

Serious question, to both you and @dman100 . Are you following the instructions on the Mucoff? I’ve been using it for a couple of years and haven’t noticed that kind of build up. You guys probably ride way more than I do, but it’s not something I’ve seen. Mucoff says to put it on and wipe off excess 3-4 hours prior to a ride. I usually do it the night before a ride and get no build up. Just curious.

 

I don't recall reading those directions but I usually do my lubing after washing, which is usually after a ride or night before. Other than camping trips, I rarely lube the chain right before a ride.

At the time I tried the MucOff, I was riding 4 days a week (probably 50+ miles/week on the one bike). Most of that was in the driest conditions imaginable, lots of moon-dust and desert riding.

 

This is gonna sound very dense and very involved but I promise; it takes longer for the slow cooker to heat/melt the wax than the entire cleaning and re-waxing process.

I am running the same SS chain that has been on the MTB through three full race seasons now and it measures .50 after 3 years and 2200 miles. My road chain has even better mileage at over 7,000 miles currently and still measures .25 on the CC2... paying attention to and minding the details really matter... get the chain as CLEAN and free of gunk as possible before re-waxing. Your drivetrain will last longer, have less wear, and less noise overall. No more gunk building up on the derailleur spring, jockey wheels, between cogs, nowhere.

I use exclusively Wipperman chains and links on all bikes as they've given me the best mileage and least maintenance.

Setting a procedure and system helps, a lot!

After purchasing the chain, the ultrasonic cleaner, the wax, and setting my mind to it; I quickly found out that I needed a repeatable process. I went to Home Depot, into the paint department and purchased 8 of the 1qt paint containers with lids, 1 can of mineral spirits, 1 can of denatured alcohol, and another bag-o-rags (I always have one of my toolbox drawers stuffed full of these). I then went back to Amazon and purchased a hot wax warmer (like for removing body hair) as they are designed to hold wax at melting temperature and have a removable container to swap out wax. Bonus that it was supplied with a pack of those tongue depressors to stir and agitate the wax with the chain in it.

Cleaning the old chains that were already crudded and dirty with wet lube were actually the longest piece of the process... I mean REALLY trying to get them clean and free of debris from in-between all the links. The ultrasonic cleaner definitely helps but is not perfect. I've been using full strength SimpleGreen in the ultrasonic but may try something stronger a bit later. The SG seems to work fine when heated to about 60C, and I run the ultrasonic part for 10 minutes.

So, the process thus far is:

1. Remove chain and place in preheated ultrasonic cleaner (if you want to go this route), I heat mine at 150F (67C) and run the ultrasonic for 10 minutes, then assess and maybe brush while it's in there.
2. Remove chain, dry with compressed air or clean towel, and place in container of CLEAN mineral spirits. Agitate it well and ensure the whole chain is submerged. Allow to soak for as long as you have time (it won't corrode in there) After soaking, look at the container bottom to check for released debris/residue missed in the ultrasonic. Either agitate well in the Spirits, or may need a deeper cleaning in the ultrasonic depending on what conditions the chain was exposed to (MTB, mud, etc...)
3. Remove from the Spirits, blow with compressed air or dry with rag, and dump in a container of CLEAN denatured alcohol, agitate well and look for any debris/residue to release and fall to the bottom. If no debris/residue, remove, allow to dry completely before applying wax.
4. While doing all of the above, the wax should be preheating and melted (I set at 200F). Agitate the wax with a stir stick to move the Moly and Graphite around, then coil/dump the dry chain in while keeping the twisted wire keeper visible for grabbing. Agitate the chain well throughout the wax until no bubbles visible, then grab by wire and remove (taking care to not let it fling hot wax on you or your shop) THE CHAIN IS HOT (DAMHIK) and should be hung somewhere it won't be in the way or bumped and can drip hot wax without worry. (I hang mine from my vise initially and it drips on my mat)
5. Once cool and dry, the chain will be completely stiff and will hold that shape until each link is broken loose from its waxy coating. Breaking each link is necessary before installation, but the bonus is that the chain being already coated can be hung and ready for use without worry of being exposed to corrosion/oxidation.

All total, it takes me about an hour per session, but most of that was with the heating/melting of the wax and additional deep cleaning of the older, greased chains. As the chains are cleaned/waxed going forward, the time is reduced to about 15 minutes per session after melting the wax.

It really works better to have a chain already clean, waxed and hanging ready to use when you're removing the old one. Dump the "dirty" one in one of the containers w/ spirits, agitate and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. Batching multiple chains per cleaning/waxing session is highly recommended.

Tangential items that I adapted to make the process easier:

• Motorcycle safety wire and wire twisting pliers. (I cut a 3-4" section of wire, feed the master links on it, then run the ends through the holes in the chain ends and twist it all together to act as a hook and grab out of the solutions and so the links stay with the chain at all times.)
• Pegboard hooks to hang the chains as they cool and for future use.
• Labels for designated chain use (road, mtb, single speed gear combo)
• Extra 1qt containers with lids to transfer the previously dirty Min Spirits and Den Alcohol that has settled into those designated containers, then wiping the collected residue in the bottom out with a paper towel.

I did wax my MTB chain before that mudfest race from a few weekends ago and can say that, after the race, when I hosed the bike off, the chain was absolutely clean to the touch. No greasy residue, no stuck mud/oil/grease crud on/in the links. It just washed off clean and didn't take nearly as long to go through the next waxing session.

Like I said... it sounds like a long process but all total; it takes about 15 minutes to clean and hot wax one chain.

This chain has 7,000 miles on it and still measures as new on the CC2:

 

We have similar riding conditions along the front range of CO too. I could probably run a dry lube 99% of the year here. I was just curious. I don’t ride anywhere near 50 miles a week, so could be why I don’t see the build up.

 

I’d be curious as to other lubes to give a shot at. Not just for MTB but my gravel and roadie as well. It may just be the type of dirt I ride on here in New Mexico, but it builds up after just one ride. My roadie not so much of course, that just gets black. But I’ve picked up a few tips here, and learned of a few other oils to look at.

Each bike gets 50 or so miles a week, usually and I’m currently using Tri-Flow, which the local shop guy suggested when I took my bike to him for a few things I wasn’t comfortable working with. Who knows…. Ha! But….it makes it fun to talk about and start reading more about!

 

I could try the MucOff again now if we want a little experimentation... With two young kids, I don't get anywhere close to 50 miles a week these days. I'll see if I can find it and use it for a few weeks and let you know if I see any build up.

If I had the time, I'd do what @ridge just described anyway!!!