Dupont Teflon Multi-use Dry Wax Lubricant
Ron Ruff
decided to give it a try. Teflon + Molybdenum sounded promising, along
with a clean drivetrain. I live on a dirt road, and occasionally ride
on other ones for fun.
But... I am not so fond. It lasts ~100 miles before requiring re-
application in dry conditions. I got caught in a brief shower today,
and the chain started squeeking as soon as it dried out... and this
was right after a fresh application. My previous habit of using
mineral spirits and oil lasted much longer... but unfortunately it was
much less "clean" as well.
Today I added a little oil to the mix... but that will likely improve
the situation in direct proportion to how much grunge it
accumulates...
Is the way of all dry, clean lubes? They need to be re-applied every
100 miles or less? The performance in the rain is the most annoying,
since I'm likely to encounter it often in the summer.
someone
How about using an engine oil additive like Molyslip - Molybdenum
disulphide and graphite, I think. It's wet (ish), but when it appears
to be gone, it still lubricates. Put it on a self latching door bolt
that kept jamming, whatever lube was used, it would get rubbed off and
start jamming again. Rubbed on the Molyslip, it was rubbed off again
and is still working 2+years later without re-application. So a solid
engine oil additive may be best in your circumstances. It will be wet
at first, then you'll lose the surface stuff with the dust, and
because its a solid lubricant, it will be difficult for rain to wash
it out.
Jay Beattie
Landotter likes it, but like you, I am not convinced. I ride in a lot
of rain and slop (not today, though, it's beautiful), and the best
lubricant I have found so far is either Boeshield or ProLink, both of
which are wickedly expensive -- although ProLink is often on sale at
Nashbar/Performance. I also use 30 weight, which is fine, too, except
that it gets gunky fast with repeat applications in wet weather. I
also use anything in a rattle can that is in the garage when my chain
is dry, except for spray paint. I will even use weed killer, spit and
20/20 (just kidding, for the humor impaired). During summer, I will
use 30 weight since it is cheap and does the trick. I think there is
far too much agonizing over lubricant, particularly by those people
who live in warm, dry and clean environments and could get by using a
can of Pledge. -- Jay Beattie.
carl...@comcast.net
Dear Ron,
I'm still using it and quite pleased--my 11-tooth hasn't worn out in
so long that I've decided to wait and see if the front 53 starts
skipping first.
No squeaking, but then rain is mostly a rumor around here.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
Carl Sundquist
How often do you use that 53x11? Downhills? Chinook winds?
carl...@comcast.net
About 12 out of 15 miles on my daily ride, most of which is along the
Arkansas River, so about 4,000 miles a year.
I'm happy with about 55 rpm and around 22 mph on a calm day.
(I've heard rumors that other Carls use lower gears and a higher
cadence for faster and longer and steeper rides.)
The tall gear is awfully nice on the ~2 mile downhill in the 65 mph
zone.
I used to wear out a 12-tooth Sachs Aris rear cog on a freewheel every
three months, so I was delighted when I switched to Shimano and their
11-tooth cogs, which must be better metal, since they last much
longer.
But I'm still amazed at how long my current 11-tooth has lasted with
the Dupont teflon wax spray. I expected it to be skipping by last
Christmas.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
landotter
Works for me with caveats. Of course with a new chain, I'm with
Sheldon--I run the factory lube with the chain wiped with a paper
towel spritzed with the Dupont stuff. That does me a few months.
That's pretty much optimal.
After a couple months, I get around to a bike wash and roughly
degrease the chain with dish soap and run the Dupont stuff straight.
Is it as quiet as a messier lube? No way. But it does do the job of
quieting the chain enough balanced with being clean. I just reapply it
as needed, a spray to the chain on the cassette with a couple
backwards cranks, then let set a few minutes. The beauty of it is that
it is cheap, overspray isn't terribly nasty, and like most waxy lubes,
it seems to displace grit and grime good enough to be self cleaning.
No, like any dry lube, it doesn't like wet. Doh. But I run fenders on
my do-all, and the naked bike just sees decent weather. If that bike
does get wet--a quick schpritz and a crank and it's good to go. The
more frequent application beats dealing with the fussier application
of sticker stuff.
YMMV, but unless I get back into really schloppy off road adventures,
where you might as well use Mobil-One, it's good enough for me. It
lasts a couple weeks to a couple months on each bike. While I've got
it in my hand, it's quick and good for lubing cable guides and such as
well.
Don't forget to let it set up, it takes a bit longer than some dry
lubes.
Oh--and most important of all, it sure does smell nice.
rruff
> How about using an engine oil additive like Molyslip - Molybdenum
> disulphide and graphite, I think. It's wet (ish), but when it appears
> to be gone, it still lubricates.
I've seen that in industrial chain lubes and I think it was in the
motorcycle chain lubes I used to buy. I might try going that route
just to see if it helps.
rruff
> No squeaking, but then rain is mostly a rumor around here.
No "monsoons" up your way?
rruff
> I think there is
> far too much agonizing over lubricant, particularly by those people
> who live in warm, dry and clean environments and could get by using a
> can of Pledge.
Don't knock the Pledge... or actually the Walmart "Kleenguard"...
which has unfortunately been discontinued. I used to apply oil+mineral
spirits, and then follow with Kleenguard every day or two. That seemed
to last a long time with good water tolerance. Everything I've tried
that is Pledge-like (other than Kleenguard) seems a lot less
effective.
carl...@comcast.net
wrote:
>On Jun 27, 8:09�pm, carlfo...@comcast.net wrote:
>> No squeaking, but then rain is mostly a rumor around here.
>
>No "monsoons" up your way?
Dear Ron,
My records show the following rainfall for this year:
1) April 12th, snow and rain all day, too cold and wet to ride
2) May 23rd, a few drops of rain before the dam
3) May 30th, rained for about ten minutes near the dam
That's it so far in 2009.
Officially, Pueblo has enjoyed 4.45 inches of precipitation so far
this year, mostly snow melt (which ran less than half of normal).
The heavy rains and hail usually flood the streets and ruin the State
Fair near the end of August.
Since I'm not a farmer, I'm delighted with the dry weather--the
ragweed is dying a slow and miserable death, instead of me.
I grew up without owning a raincoat.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
Lou Holtman
That sounds like a boring climate to me, but h� you are delighted.
Lou, soking wet yesterday
carl...@comcast.net
Dear Lou,
Apart from routine thunderstorms, more hailstorms than most of the US,
occasional modest windstorms of 60 to 80 mph, the odd tornado, a
blizzard every year that paralyzes everything for fifty miles in every
direction, the weather around here is pretty much same-old, same-old,
dry and boring, with temperatures ranging from -20F to 100F.
The typical forecast from May through September is possible afternoon
and evening thunderstorms--most afternoons, the clouds start rolling
east over the Rocky Mountains and out onto the Great Plains toward
Pueblo.
Hail damage car sales are a yearly event.
Of course, if I want to see rain or deep snow, I can look at Pikes
Peak (14,110 feet) about 40 miles to the north, the Greenhorn (12,347
feet) about 30 miles to the west, or the Spanish Peaks about 70 miles
to the south (12,683 and 13,625 feet)--they're all usually visible
from my house or during my daily ride, since the sun shines about 330
days per year around here and the trees are down in the river bottom.
But not much rain in town.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
Ozark Bicycle
<snipped for brevity>
> Of course with a new chain, I'm with
> Sheldon--I run the factory lube with the chain wiped with a paper
> towel
Actually, you are following the advice of SRAM and KMC in not removing
the factory lube. As was 'Sheldon'.
Peter Cole
That was my experience with "White Lightning", some others that I tried
were even worse.
Andre Jute
My experience with White Lightning Dry Wax is excellent. It envelops
dirt and drops off. Must be applied to a degreased chain. I used it
inside a closed chaincase though, so I cannot tell how it works in the
presence of rain or mud. It kept a drivetrain going for approx 2000m
without obvious signs of wear.
I use Oil of Rohloff on my Utopia Kranich, simply because it is
recommended by the makers of the bike and of the Rohloff hub fitted.
It comes in a small bottle at approximately the same price (I paid EUR
5.50 per 50ml) as White Lightning Dry Wax but in use is as economical
as I have found White Lightning as one puts on only a few drops of Oil
of Rohloff on the rollers. It is light coloured transparent stuff,
very sticky but clean and clear. The Kranich too has a fully enclosed
chaincase and one is supposed to put on a thin thread of Oil of
Rohloff every 500km (a convenient interval as the Rohloff hub clickbox
requires a spot of grease at 500km intervals). On the chain the Oil of
Rohloff soon turns black, like any other oil. Definitely not as clean
as the Dry Wax. I don't have enough miles on Oil of Rohloff to tell
yet whether it as good at preserving my bike's moving parts as the
White Lightning Dry Wax. (My opinion is that what any oil does best is
create a grinding paste, so I don't expect anything to work better
than White Lightning Dry Wax and a chaincase, but we'll see.)
However, the Rohloff hub gearbox, associated Rohloff chains, and the
Oil of Rohloff lubricant were all specifically created not for my
gentle, full chaincase, use but for mudpluggers in wet Northern
Germany, where lesser parts are sound ground into seperate pieces. It
sounds like your conditions are tailor-made for Oil of Rohloff. It is
furthermore not a huge hassle to apply, as the maker advises the user
to wipe off the chain and then pedal backwards while laying a thin
trail of Oil of Rohloff on the rollers, the little squiggee bottle
with its tiny spout being perfectly designed for economy.
Seeing, when I made a list of maintenance and service replacements to
be delivered with the bike, that the Oil of Rohloff came in a 50ml/1.7
fl.oz. bottle, I ordered four altogether, thinking that would be about
a year's use. Two applications so far have not made much of a dent in
one bottle, so at my annual rate of about 2000m (but inside a
chaincase, with applications at about 300m/500km -- YMMV) one little
bottle will last years and the four bottles I have will probably see
me out. Thus, if it proves The Right Stuff, it will actually be
exceedingly economical.
Even if you use more than I do by applying it more often and perhaps
more liberally, if the Oil of Rohloff makes your drivetrain last
longer, it might be worth tracking it down. It is in any event worth
trying one little bottle on its reputation among the mudpluggers
alone.
Andre Jute
Not everything in materials is dreamt of in Timoshenko
andre...@aol.com
For a dry lube that lasts a while, the best thing is paraffin wax. You
can but it in the grocery store and it comes in bars. you need to
double boil it until melted and dip in your clean chain. Keep it there
for a while and it will lubricate it really well. Hang your chain
until cool and hardened. Put back on bike and it will last several
hundred miles in dry weather. The dry lubes need to be reapplied
regularly. I've tried a bunch of them and they don't last like melted
wax does.
If you live in dry weather, paraffin wax will last a long time. I
usually lube two chains. Ride one until dirty. Ride the other and then
lubricate both. I keep the unused chain in a ziplock bag waiting to
get used or cleaned. This way I get tons of milage out of one
cassette. I got this idea from someone else here. I forgot whom, but
it has given me great results.
Paraffin doesn't work in wet climates. When I get caught in the rain,
rarely, I go to a gas station, pick up a discarded oil can from the
garbage and apply some of the left over oil to the chain.
Dan O
I agree the factory lube (SRAM in my case) is great, and run it as
long as I can on new chains. When it starts to squeak, though, I
strip it off with mineral spirits, 'cause after that I use Dumonde
Tech, which says you have to start with a clean chain.
> After a couple months, I get around to a bike wash and roughly
> degrease the chain with dish soap and run the Dupont stuff straight.
> Is it as quiet as a messier lube? No way. But it does do the job of
> quieting the chain enough balanced with being clean. I just reapply it
> as needed, a spray to the chain on the cassette with a couple
> backwards cranks, then let set a few minutes. The beauty of it is that
> it is cheap, overspray isn't terribly nasty, and like most waxy lubes,
> it seems to displace grit and grime good enough to be self cleaning.
>
This regimen has a lot going for it.
> No, like any dry lube, it doesn't like wet. Doh. But I run fenders on
> my do-all, and the naked bike just sees decent weather. If that bike
> does get wet--a quick schpritz and a crank and it's good to go. The
> more frequent application beats dealing with the fussier application
> of sticker stuff.
>
Dumonde is great in rainy conditions, although I need to re-apply
frequently when it's raining a lot. Light rain and brief showers are
not a problem.
Having ridden in the rain without fenders, I love having fenders on my
bike. However, I'm not sure they actually help the drivetrain. I
noticed that a side wind can direct a spray of wet grit from where the
fender ends by the bottom bracket straight onto my ankle (where it
quickly fills my shoe if no booties are worn). Rainy rides seem to
concentrate a lot of gunk around the bottom bracket and nearby
drivetrain components.
> YMMV, but unless I get back into really schloppy off road adventures,
> where you might as well use Mobil-One, it's good enough for me. It
> lasts a couple weeks to a couple months on each bike. While I've got
> it in my hand, it's quick and good for lubing cable guides and such as
> well.
>
> Don't forget to let it set up, it takes a bit longer than some dry
> lubes.
>
> Oh--and most important of all, it sure does smell nice.
That's the thing about Dumonde, too - aside from being ungodly
expensive and making everything it touches incredibly gunky, it stinks
to high heaven :-)
Neil Brooks
> On Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:02:06 +0200, Lou Holtman
>
>
>
> >carlfo...@comcast.net schreef:
> >> On Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:35:10 -0700 (PDT), rruff <rruffrr...@yahoo.com>
> >> wrote:
>
> >>> On Jun 27, 8:09 pm, carlfo...@comcast.net wrote:
> >>>> No squeaking, but then rain is mostly a rumor around here.
> >>> No "monsoons" up your way?
>
> >> Dear Ron,
>
> >> My records show the following rainfall for this year:
>
> >> 1) April 12th, snow and rain all day, too cold and wet to ride
>
> >> 2) May 23rd, a few drops of rain before the dam
>
> >> 3) May 30th, rained for about ten minutes near the dam
>
> >> That's it so far in 2009.
>
> >> Officially, Pueblo has enjoyed 4.45 inches of precipitation so far
> >> this year, mostly snow melt (which ran less than half of normal).
>
> >> The heavy rains and hail usually flood the streets and ruin the State
> >> Fair near the end of August.
>
> >> Since I'm not a farmer, I'm delighted with the dry weather--the
> >> ragweed is dying a slow and miserable death, instead of me.
>
> >> I grew up without owning a raincoat.
>
> >> Cheers,
>
> >> Carl Fogel
>
>
> >Lou, soking wet yesterday
>
> Dear Lou,
>
> Apart from routine thunderstorms, more hailstorms than most of the US,
> occasional modest windstorms of 60 to 80 mph, the odd tornado, a
> blizzard every year that paralyzes everything for fifty miles in every
> direction, the weather around here is pretty much same-old, same-old,
> dry and boring, with temperatures ranging from -20F to 100F.
>
> The typical forecast from May through September is possible afternoon
> and evening thunderstorms--most afternoons, the clouds start rolling
> east over the Rocky Mountains and out onto the Great Plains toward
> Pueblo.
>
> Hail damage car sales are a yearly event.
>
> Of course, if I want to see rain or deep snow, I can look at Pikes
> Peak (14,110 feet) about 40 miles to the north, the Greenhorn (12,347
> feet) about 30 miles to the west, or the Spanish Peaks about 70 miles
> to the south (12,683 and 13,625 feet)--they're all usually visible
> from my house or during my daily ride, since the sun shines about 330
> days per year around here and the trees are down in the river bottom.
>
> But not much rain in town.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Carl Fogel
Heh-heh ;-)
If you don't like the weather around here ... give it twenty
minutes ... it'll change.
Neil
Fort Collins
someone
Paraffin wax is too flakey on its own, it needs to be mixed with some
engine oil or better yet final drive oil. Put it all in a metal can/
tray and warm it up. Just dont use a fierce open flame. Jiggle the
can when the mix is fluid so that the lubricant penetrates the links.
Do this periodically until no bubbles. Let cool. Hang and scrape off
excess wax/oil mix. Do not apply further lubricant while on bike
until the chain squeaks. When you have done this then swap for your
already prepared chain in waiting. Remember that there are four
directions to install a chain so as to minimise wear effects.
Michael Press
<3f4612d7-9aa8-4c91...@y17g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>,
Ron Ruff <rruff...@yahoo.com> wrote:
I confess to using a dry chain lubricant, to wit: Rock N Roll;
and it lasts longer than 100 miles, much longer.
<http://www.rocklube.com/about.html>
--
Michael Press
andre...@aol.com
>
> - Show quoted text -
I have never put oil on paraffin. Paraffin has always worked great and
I have been using it for close to 20 years. I usually put a pan with
water on the stove and inside I put an old coffee can with the
paraffin w/ the chains o top of the wax. As the water boils, the
paraffin melts. Once the chains are submerged I leave them in the hot
paraffin for several minutes. The melted paraffin will work itself
into the chain and act both as a cleaner and lubricant. Once I remove
the chains, I don't wipe the excees wax. I'll let it all dry. That is
how I remember that a chain is still clean. It is stiff because of the
hardened paraffin. I only use oil when chain starts squeaking and
that only happens if I get caught in a downpour. During the dessert's
monsoon from Julyish to September we get daily downpours that can be
quite refreshing but usually in the afternoon.
someone
Damn, I only have a new coffe can. Snookered before I start.
What sort of operating temperature do you find paraffin wax alone
suitable for chain lubrication? I find it difficult to believe that
paraffin will lubricate effectively for long because it does flake and
crumble in my operating environment. It works, it just needs to be re-
applied too often, without oil.
Gary Young
Just went to that page and found this explanation of why chains get dirty:
"The bicycle, because it's on rubber tires, is not grounded, making the
bicycle a static electricity machine. As the bicycle rolls along, it's
constantly throwing off negative charged electrons, whereas the dirt
along the ground is positively charged, and comes up to the bike to
replace the discharge. The dirt is going to stick to whatever is sticky
on the bike; of course the chain is the number one spot."
Sounds far-fetched to me, but I've been wrong about such things before.
Jay Beattie
> On Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:03:04 -0700, Michael Press wrote:
> > In article
>
> - Show quoted text -
This is why I use a drag chain. It is also a benefit at toll booths.--
Jay Beattie.
andre...@aol.com
>
> - Show quoted text -
I ride year around 30s to 100s. However it is dry and rarely rains. I
live in El Paso which is a dessert type climate. Paraffin has never
given me any problems except when the chain gets soaked. It starts
squeaking right away. Other than that, I can easily get several
hundred miles.
Ozark Bicycle
Perhaps you are referring to "candle wax" as opposed to what is sold
in the US as "canning wax" or "canning paraffin"? Candle wax has an
additive (stearic acid, IIRC) which is included to help candles hold
their shape and which also makes the candle wax "flakey". I always had
good results with canning wax, but, the one time I used candle wax
(from a craft store), I found it flakey.
someone
I used BP(British Pharmacopia)paraffin wax on a chain which had been
cleaned and de-greased with motor spirit. There are no additions in
this. Without oil the wax crumbled at 16C or 61F. There was a recipe
of which I forget. Addition of oil in the re-lubing dish until it
becomes like slush, a little more and it behaves as a grease, but with
the minimum of dust pick-up. Don't add spirit because the heating
alone makes the mix fluid enough to penetrate to the pins.
rruff
Dupont stuff quite a bit. I rode for ~3hrs today. The first 10 minutes
and the last two hours were in the rain. After the chain dried out it
still didn't squeek on the stand.
carl...@comcast.net
wrote:
>On Jun 27, 8:09�pm, carlfo...@comcast.net wrote:
>> No squeaking, but then rain is mostly a rumor around here.
>
>No "monsoons" up your way?
Dear Ron,
A brief monsoon struck this evening:
http://i44.tinypic.com/25ggeao.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/10ge68p.jpg
Those are raindrops shining in the sun, lashing the surface of the
beaver pond into wild foam, as the victim reverses course.
Fortunately, the victim was A) already in the water, B) covered with a
well-oiled water-proof coat, and C) not likely to drown in the deluge.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
andre...@aol.com
More oil ensures more lubrication and more black crud. The reason that
I started waxing was that 20 years ago I was a poor students living in
a small apartment and often hitching rides from friends in little
cars. A waxed prevented me from getting my clothes dirty, my friends
cars dirty and my apartment, calf, or anything else coming in contact
with the chain.
If these things are a problem, waxing is a good compromise. If they
are are not a problem, add as much oil as you feel that you need. The
more rain you get the more oil you need. BTW, on group rides, I am
often one of the only people who does not sport a sexy semicircular
oily chainring tattoo on my calf.
mike
says...
> Just went to that page and found this explanation of why chains get dirty:
>
> "The bicycle, because it's on rubber tires, is not grounded, making the
> bicycle a static electricity machine. As the bicycle rolls along, it's
> constantly throwing off negative charged electrons, whereas the dirt
> along the ground is positively charged, and comes up to the bike to
> replace the discharge. The dirt is going to stick to whatever is sticky
> on the bike; of course the chain is the number one spot."
>
charged electrons (we call them positrons down here) so my chain should
get cleaner and cleaner according to the above logic.
To be hopnest - I always asumed that road-bike chains got dirty because
they are sticky and spend ages situated a few cm above a road surface
(that is covered in dust and dirt), and a few cm behind the front wheel
(which is constantly flicking the afore-mentioned dust and dirt directly
onto the chain). It's not rocket-science (unlike positrons...).
Mike
rruff
> If these things are a problem, waxing is a good compromise. If they
> are are not a problem, add as much oil as you feel that you need. The
> more rain you get the more oil you need.
I'm curious as to why a little oil has such a dramatic effect... and
why dry waxy lubes are devastated by a little water. Do the lubes wash
out? That seems unlikely... but if not, then what happens?
someone
I think the answer is, that a little oil has a dramatic effect. The
oil is the lubricant and the wax delays its loss. Pure wax has little
ability to lubricate until it is at a temperature that will melt it.
When the chain gets wet with rainwater the temperature drops and the
wax remains solid and flakes away from the bearing surface under
articulation. Without rain there is a temperature rise in the
bearings sufficient to melt some of the wax, maintaining lubrication
under load and articulation. So wax works under perfect dry
conditions. Wax also helps to prevent oil loss under varying
conditions. It also reduces contamination from road dust of the
bearings due to the lessened need to relubricate.
andre...@aol.com
That sounds like a very logical explanation. When its cold and I ride,
the chain hardens and doesn't want to shift. I have to spin for about
a minute to warm up the chain enough so that it gets soft and shifts
properly. Whenever I stop at a light the chain stiffens again.
Fortunately its usually nice and warm. It was 99 and humid this past
weekend.
Frank Krygowski
>
>
> More oil ensures more lubrication and more black crud. The reason that
> I started waxing was that 20 years ago I was a poor students living in
> a small apartment and often hitching rides from friends in little
> cars. A waxed prevented me from getting my clothes dirty, my friends
> cars dirty and my apartment, calf, or anything else coming in contact
> with the chain.
>
> If these things are a problem, waxing is a good compromise. If they
> are are not a problem, add as much oil as you feel that you need. The
> more rain you get the more oil you need. BTW, on group rides, I am
> often one of the only people who does not sport a sexy semicircular
> oily chainring tattoo on my calf.
It doesn't take a lot of oil in the mix to make paraffin squeak
proof. I mixed my batch many years ago and didn't actually measure,
but I think I put about 5% oil in there. Judging by the color of the
wax, it was probably gear lube rather than motor oil. But it seems to
do well.
As I've mentioned before, I don't take the chain off and submerge it
in molten wax-oil mix. Instead I lube the chain on the bike, rubbing
the wax-oil cake onto about 10" of chain at a time, then heating that
section of chain with a low-flame propane torch until the wax melts
and runs into the chain's innards. I protect the frame and tire with
a sheet of aluminum. Wipe off the excess afterwards. Clean bike, no
squeaks, less fuss.
- Frank Krygowski
rruff
> oil is the lubricant and the wax delays its loss. Pure wax has little
> ability to lubricate until it is at a temperature that will melt it.
> When the chain gets wet with rainwater the temperature drops and the
> wax remains solid and flakes away from the bearing surface under
> articulation.
Maybe the water has such a good heat transfer coefficient that even a
fairly warm rain is much better at cooling the bearing surfaces than
cold air.
rruff
> It doesn't take a lot of oil in the mix to make paraffin squeak
> proof. I mixed my batch many years ago and didn't actually measure,
> but I think I put about 5% oil in there. Judging by the color of the
> wax, it was probably gear lube rather than motor oil. But it seems to
> do well.
How long do you normally go between applications? And how far before
replacing the chain? Does the chain tend to get dirty?
RonSonic
That'd be my experience. Not that I'm a bearing surface, but I'm pretty sure the
laws of heat dissipation don't care if you are a mammal or a steel stamping.
Frank Krygowski
I don't keep mileage records on it, but I'm guessing each application
lasts at least 400 miles. I think chains last roughly 4000 miles, but
that too is a guess. Sorry I can't be more specific. Oh, and a
confounding factor is that I almost always run fenders.
I do it largely for the cleanliness. The chain doesn't stay perfectly
clean (I can still get a light chain tattoo if I haven't wiped it down
recently) but it's far cleaner than anything else I've tried, and
wiping the chain with paper towels is enough to prevent any chain mark
at all. (I often ride to work in business-casual khaki pants, with no
problems.) The rest of the bike stays much cleaner than when I used
oil lubes, too.
The only major drawback, IMO, is that I haven't yet discovered a good
way to do this while on a long tour. A minor drawback is that the
chain and cogs will eventually show a tiny bit of rust, because
they're not coated with oil. But I'm not into beauty contests.
- Frank Krygowski
Phil
That's a good idea. I'm gonna' rig something up....maybe I can charge
my lights batteries while riding......drag chain to positive, copper
wire from handlebar to negative. Hate to waste perfectly good
electrons just getting dirt on the chain.
Phil
carl...@comcast.net
>carl...@comcast.net schreef:
>> On Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:35:10 -0700 (PDT), rruff <rruff...@yahoo.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Jun 27, 8:09 pm, carlfo...@comcast.net wrote:
>>>> No squeaking, but then rain is mostly a rumor around here.
>>> No "monsoons" up your way?
>>
>> Dear Ron,
>>
>> My records show the following rainfall for this year:
>>
>> 1) April 12th, snow and rain all day, too cold and wet to ride
>>
>> 2) May 23rd, a few drops of rain before the dam
>>
>> 3) May 30th, rained for about ten minutes near the dam
>>
>> That's it so far in 2009.
>>
>> Officially, Pueblo has enjoyed 4.45 inches of precipitation so far
>> this year, mostly snow melt (which ran less than half of normal).
>>
>> The heavy rains and hail usually flood the streets and ruin the State
>> Fair near the end of August.
>>
>> Since I'm not a farmer, I'm delighted with the dry weather--the
>> ragweed is dying a slow and miserable death, instead of me.
>>
>> I grew up without owning a raincoat.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Carl Fogel
>
>
>That sounds like a boring climate to me, but h� you are delighted.
>
>Lou, soking wet yesterday
Dear Lou,
Normally the photos would show a dry creek bed crossed by a bike path.
It didn't rain where I took the photos yesterday, but it did rain hard
for a few minutes, three or four miles upstream.
Downstream, a small juniper floating toward the Gulf of Mexico:
http://i30.tinypic.com/314t1ky.jpg
Upstream, the tree next to the creek is still covered with the debris
that washed over it a few minutes earlier:
http://i30.tinypic.com/2iwaxso.jpg
Upstream again, with the mud showing how high the water was:
http://i25.tinypic.com/r8cwpj.jpg
Looking down into the gully, with the rumbling of the creek audible:
http://i28.tinypic.com/2s798bm.jpg
Same view from even higher, with boring climate on horizon:
http://i32.tinypic.com/1gn406.jpg
While I was putting this post together, the monotonously predicted
possible afternoon and/or evening thunderstorm passed through, so it's
time for a bike ride.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
Lou Holtman
Wow...that was exiting ;-)
I was working in the garden after work and I had to go inside twice for
a rainshower.
This thunderstorm catched me when I was riding my bike a week ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md0eR0yVfa4
Lou
carl...@comcast.net
<lhollaatd...@planet.nl> wrote:
Dear Lou,
Looks damp.
I'll try to remember to take a photo of a good rain and hail storm
this summer--the first house in the video wouldn't be visible, much
less the second.
The trouble is that they last only a few minutes and you have to be
right in the narrow path as the clouds burst.
About ten years ago, I took my dogs for a walk in the countryside and
thought at first that a fire had swept the area--all the rabbit brush
bushes had been reduced to bare, black sticks for about a mile.
The reverse water-line where the cloudburst had washed the debris down
the slope showed that it was really just a nasty hailstorm, not a
brush fire.
When the hail strips all the leaves and smaller twigs off the
rabbit-brush bushes, the remaining branches are exposed to the summer
sun and turn black.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
carl...@comcast.net
<lhollaatd...@planet.nl> wrote:
Dear Lou,
Water level falling yesterday:
http://i25.tinypic.com/r8cwpj.jpg
Low water today with basset hound for scale and depth:
http://i26.tinypic.com/2ljjo5l.jpg
Cheers,
Carl Fogel