New chain sticky factory lube – remove it first or not?

New chains (SRAM 10s and 11s) come with a very sticky lube coating.

I have usually left it on and ridden for the first couple of rides and let my normal lube eventually take over. I’m using Rock N Roll Extreme.

Is it better to put some degreaser on a rag and remove most of it first, dry the chain then lube up as normal?

Or should you use a ParkTool style chain cleaning device with degreaser in it and run it through that for a deeper clean first, dry then lube?

Leave it on – its the best lubed your chain will ever be

This was on bike romour a few years ago from one of Shimano’s main tech gurus, Nick Murdick,

BikeRumor: What is Shimano’s official stance on the chain lube that comes stock on a shimano chain? Is it actually a lube, or a grease? And is it best to leave it on until the chain gets noisy and relube, or strip it right away and relube before riding?

Nick: So that brings us to lubrication. I mentioned that the chain wears because of friction as the chain moves to wrap around a gear. Well, that friction is reduced if there is lube on the chain. If there is dirt mixed in, the lube makes a bigger difference in reducing friction. If there is water mixed in, the lube helps displace the water. The grease that comes on a Shimano chain is applied at the factory to the individual pieces before the chain is assembled. The grease does a better job of reducing friction than aftermarket chain lubes and it lasts longer. The main reason we use liquid chain lube, whether it is one that stays liquid or a dry lube that has a solid lubricant in a liquid carrier (like a PTFE lube) is because we need to get the lube on a part that is not accessible without disassembling the chain. So the best thing to do when installing a new chain is to leave the factory grease on, not apply any other lube, ride until it wears out and then start applying liquid chain lube. In dusty conditions you can wipe off the outside of the new chain with a rag that is wet with a gentle degreaser to keep dirt from sticking to the grease. The factory grease also keeps the chain nice and quiet. After soaking a chain in degreaser and then lubing the chain with liquid lubricant the chain gets noticeably louder.

@andysredmini cheers for the BikeRumor post.

I thought I’d just check because last time I left the factory lube on my first ride was unusually dusty and I picked up loads of dirt on the chain so I had to rag it off with a squirt of degreaser on the rag so I actually did it ok.

Cool, cheers.

Chain clean and regrease from Sheldon Brown

linky

Depends on the condition of the rest of your drive chain. I’ve put a new chain on with factory grease (SRAM) and the chain skipped and wouldn’t engage properly under load. Probably a combination of part worn cassette teeth and the “more rigid” chain, but it ruined the planned group ride, as I only discovered it when I needed “proper” traction! Just check the system under load, before a serious ride!?