Nothing is guaranteed to raise hackles on a cycling forum than WD-40. If you hate WD-40, and have a devotion to some other flavor of lube - good on you. I wont argue. My old favorites were Tri-flo, and T-9 -- also very good stuff, which I still use to lube pivot points on derailleurs and such where just a little dab will do. But riding on dirt and gravel has brought on a need for more frequent bike cleaning - especially the drive train. This is where I find WD-40 especially useful for clean up after almost every ride. Here is a 5 min. clean up routine suggested by the boys at GCN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0 . I've been using a similar approach on all of my bikes -- lots of them for years -- with great results: long chain life, quiet and smooth shifting. For my dirt and gravel riding, and because of the drought in our area, I've modified the technique somewhat. I don't use a hose to rinse the bike. I have a stiff brush with a small bottle attached which I fill with dish soap. After dousing the drive train with WD with a spray bottle, I brush and apply the dish soap to the chain, derailleurs, and chain ring. Then I use stiff brushes of various shapes to scrub everything. Then I fill a 3 gallon bucket with water and rinse everything off. Then towel everything dry as best as I can. And then re-apply WD to the chain, and either WD or T-9 to the derailleurs. 5 minutes? I can do it -- but 10-15 is more likely because I usually do an inspection and quick check on everything. PS: Other than a quick wipe down, I don't bother with the frame. Gravel grinders look better dirty! PPS: I used to use a 5 gallon garden pump sprayer to rinse my bikes. Especially handy when traveling to races. But my wife keeps swiping them to use on her garden and filling them with noxious stuff, which I don't want to get on my bikes.
Update: I stole back my pump sprayer yesterday. It didn't smell too bad. Uses much less water than dumping a bucket full on the bike. You can set it to a very fine spray to protect bearings and cups, and direct the spray into tight spaces to do a more thorough rinse. Hope my bike doesn't start to sprout flowers though! Also, when I'm particularly rushed or lazy (most of the time), I just skip the rinse step and just do 2 doses of WD and a wipe down with old rags or shop towels. Sloppy, but it gets most of the dirt out of parts that will wear. The bike does pick up a bit more dirt when riding, but most of the dirt is on the outside, and does little harm. This also a handy trick when you don't have a convenient water source, or in the winter when it's just too damn cold. Too the WD haters, I hear your pain. But, I run bikes on the beach at Hilton Head Island SC in the winter. They come back coated in sand and salt water. I do the 2 spray WD treatment - frequently without the rinse - and my bikes have been functioning well for several years, with out replacing chains BB's or headsets.
Similar to my cleaning regimen, but I don't finish with WD-40, I treat it more like a cleaner/degreaser. Final lube for the chain is Rock n Roll Gold for me, and Tri-flo for everything else. I'm also not afraid to use a hose on my bike, I just turn the pressure down so it's more like a heavy rain than a firehose blast.
Scrubbing bubbles is my soap, when I use it, and Pledge/Furniture polish goes on my frame now and then too.
AlanEsh wrote:Similar to my cleaning regimen, but I don't finish with WD-40, I treat it more like a cleaner/degreaser. Final lube for the chain is Rock n Roll Gold for me, and Tri-flo for everything else. I'm also not afraid to use a hose on my bike, I just turn the pressure down so it's more like a heavy rain than a firehose blast.
Scrubbing bubbles is my soap, when I use it, and Pledge/Furniture polish goes on my frame now and then too.
Thanks for the input. I agree that finishing up with WD isn't for everyone, or for all weather conditions. But, I also get a little ticked when some bike shop "expert" tells me that you can't use it to lube bikes. I've been using it for ages, and I was delighted when GCN put up that Youtube on the 5 min. bike clean, which confirmed my own experience. In all fairness GCN also did a Youtube on a more thorough 30 min. deep clean, where they did suggest using products like Tri-flo and T9. BTW, I sometimes use T9 myself to lube small moving parts like jockey pulleys, and brake lever pivots.
The RocknRoll Gold is impressive. My chain stays cleaner than Finish line and is quieter shifting and running too. I usually wipe the chain after every ride and there wasn't much dirt/or sand on it with rnrg. I normally re-lube at 100-125 miles depending on conditions stream crossings etc.
I used to use WD-40 for some bike lube applications until I switched to Tri-flow. WD is technically not a lube, however, but a Water Displacement formula, the 40th attempt. I still use it to clean some parts but not to lube. For the chain, I always come back to Dumonde Tech. Original for anything that sees any dirt/gravel and lite for road only.
