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Ok, so as title really - do you fit a new chain and just initially ride on the grease it came packaged in, or do you clean that off and re-lube with your chosen poison, or just top up what's there with your choice before riding?
I've tended to just leave the factory grease on initially, and seem to be getting about 600 miles out of a chain, and just wondered if changing my routine for this initial bedding in period might pay dividends later? Oh, chain's HG93 for the record.
This was done last week.
Consensus was to leave the factory lube on, but rub off as much as possible off the outer plates and ride it.
Cleaning/degreasing later followed by your choice of lube/wax/grinding paste will soon finish it off.
They are a consumable item, so stock up and use them.
PaulD
Found the sticky grease on the SRAM chains caused a lot of chainsuck on one of my bikes. A thorough clean and lube sorted the problem.
Fairplay - tried searching before I posted but clearly picked the wrong words..
I find leaving the factory stuff on is noisy as hell, I degrease mine before I fit it, as above get chsinsuck as terrible noise so It's worth it to me to just degrease it first and put my own stuff on..
For the last ten years I've lightly scrubbed the factory stuff off the outside of the chain with a bit of degreaser and toothbrush, rinsed very well in warm then boiling water then dried in the oven (gas 1, 5 mins) and wiped while still warm. Two coats of your usual lube, wipe off the excess and it's fine. The factory stuff is a grit magnet and used to cause chainsuck when left on.
Never had a chain stretch or break within anything like 600 miles.