I’ve always tended to apply some lube on top of the factory grease and ride for a few times before removing all the gunk with a chain cleaner. What’s the current thinking ?

I just run as is for the first ride as it will be getting wiped and lubed after first ride anyway with conditions as they are.

As per weeksy, just run it as is as it’ll get washed afterwards and you’ll do whatever you normally do to a chain. 1 ride isn’t going to make any difference.

How old are you anyway? You seem incapable of doing anything without prior STW approval…. 😉

^^ bit harsh, is that not what forums are about, seeking opinion ?

Iainc, sorry, I thought the winky thing would let you know I wasn’t being serious. Apologies if I overstepped ‘the mark’.

PS it’s just a chain… 😀

No worries 😀

Grumpy old git here !

Use as is, normally, but if it’s really dusty I might wipe as much of the sticky stuff off first as it’s s magnet for dust.

but if it’s really dusty

Pretty sure the OP lives in Scotland. Not much chance of finding dust today!

Grumpy old git here !

Aren’t we all? 😆

Aye 😀

There may be some dust here in 4 or 5 months, for a day or 2…. Manky west of Scotland mud till then !

The sram, and kmc sites both say the goo should be removed and your fave brand of lube added before use.
The goo is not a lube, just for storage.

The factory lube is supposedly much better than anything you can do to it yourself, so the longer it stays on the better.

Running a new chain like a KMC with their storage goo will contaminate the rest of the drive train too, so the cleaning task is much worse

I remove goo, and apply thin water soluble Prolink Gold

Mine’s the cleanest chain in the gang then 🙂

Wish I had the capacity to worry about such trivial things. Just use it as is.

Leave it on. It’s the best lube you can have

It’s the best lube you can have

At attracting dirt and screwing your new chain.

I guess it’s down to how you run your drive normally. If you’re the wipe it down, dribble something oily on it, when it’s knackered, replace it gang, then ride on.

If you Luke to tinker and keep it as clean as possible and switch your choice of dry wax depending on conditions (guilty) then strip and coat with lube of choice. (Putoline hot wax for me right now).

I wipe it off with a gt85 soaked rag as soon as it comes out of the packet. Saves getting sticky hands.

What is that stuff they put on new chains anyway? seems like a light grease more than a lube,if you wanted to buy it what would you buy? don’t intend to just curious.

Use as is, ignore for 7 months (no maintenance at all). Worked for me, although I boiled it in Putoline was yesterday as it was showing rust after riding through the salty puddles. Shimano XT.

Clean it off, but no need to be fastidious

If you Luke to tinker and keep it as clean as possible and switch your choice of dry wax depending on conditions (guilty) then strip and coat with lube of choice.

Guilty as charged 😀

Have wiped down with degreaser and lubed up with Rock n Roll blue….

^^^^^ this for me too,gold tarty kmc chain shiny and silent

Degrease in white spirit, wipe clean, re lube , go ride.

I find that the factory grease makes a real mess of the chain ring(s) and cassette.

Turns your entire chain/cassette/chainring/jockies black, with caked on gritty grunge within a few miles of the first ride

But hey, if you OK with that, that’s cool

A quick wipe with a GT85 soaked rag to remove the excess stickiness from the outside then use it until the chain needs relubed according to your regular service intervals.

We do this hundreds of times each year on new fleet bikes and on the replacement chains. No gunk, no dusty, gritty chains.

I use Squirt dry wax lube. Just had a new bike, so I put the squirt on top of the factory wax stuff. Rode it. Repeated. Haven’t died yet. 😀