I have a new bike which looks to have by way of lube just the nasty preservative grease that comes on new chains, personally I usually strip the grease off prior to fitting new chains as somewhere in the back of my mind I think the grease adds to chainsuck??!!
My query being what works best to start with just running it with the grease or lube it up over the grease?
Does anyone else think the grease increases the chance of chainsuck, thinking maybe I should de-grease it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
rotorist
I add some lub then clean the chain fully after its first ride , then use finish line there after. Thick grease cant be any good for suck.
IIRC some chains come with an antirust grease - that needs to be removed but some come with lubricant grease which is the best you can get. dunno which is which
IME thick grease does not lead to chain suck. For a couple of months I have been running all my bikes with motocross solid chain wax and it so far appears to be lasting better and lubing better than anything elswe I have tried.
the tension held in your rear mech will be higher than the tension held in the grease. therefore it cannot contribute to chain suck.
tj: is that the one where you put it in a tin and bake it?
"he tension held in your rear mech will be higher than the tension held in the grease. therefore it cannot contribute to chain suck."
That can't be right - surely friction has something to do with chainstuck and the grease adds to the friction? no? Equation me!!!
Grease adds to friction does it?
what world are you on?
I seem to remember grease being lubricant when I was a kid. how things change eh?
Thomthumb - yup thats the stuff. Its a filthy faff to do but so far ( still early days) it seems good.
Kilo tin of solid grease. Put it on the stove and melt it then put the chains in
Having just looked at Sram's website (chain in question PC-951) they say:
GLEITMO™ lube that protects against dirt and friction
So is the GLEITMO™ a good thing re lubing the chain?
just leave it as it is. add more when needed. no point in taking one lubricant off just to add another.
Put the chain on, get an old towel (the terry towel sort) give a good 20 rotations with you grabbing the chain as it rotates to try and remove as much shipping grease as you can- go out and ride, if it's wet clean the bike as you normally do and start oiling the chain if you think it need it - shipping lube = sh*t magnet
The answer appears to be "no one knows the answer, including me"
I'd be having a look at Sheldon's words of wisdom personally.
In wet conditions road mechanics will add extra grease to a chain.
podgy - you used the phrase "the tension held in the grease" this would imply some friction.
And yes when grease gets dirty it does add friction and makes things sticky rather than adding lubrication.
Have you ever heard someone say "sticky grease"?
It might be a good lube but its also a brilliant muck magnet. I take the grease off the outside of the chain with a rag soaked with but not dripping in paraffin.
My chains used to get a bath in petrol then soaked in finishline, but assuming its a named-make decent chain you shold be able to identify what grease is on it and whether it should remain. I'd considered the old melty-tin stuff but cant be bothered, I'll just replace chains more often.
If you get chain suck with a new chain then you need new chainrings.
I don't see any point in removing and doubt there is any proven right or wrong answer.
Given how dry and dusty conditions are right now, I'd remove it. As said above, it's a real grit magnet.