Why Should I Lube My Chain?
Regularly keeping your chain clean and lubricated could double, even triple the life of your transmission saving you money on replacing prematurely worn components. It will help keep your gears quiet, efficient and smooth. Chain lube helps avoid corrosion too.
What Will I Need?
Assuming you have cleaned your chain first, you will need some chain lube and a lint-free cloth. Microfibre cloths work really well.
Step 1: Clean
The first step is ensuring that you are applying lube to a clean, dry chain. Applying lubes on top of existing grit and dirt is not a good idea. In fact it will make things worse and probably accelerate the wear as it will attract even more dirt and grime and act as a grinding paste as you pedal.
Step 2: Apply
The easiest way to apply lube is on the lower half of the chain on upper side, hold the bottle so that the pipette is just above the chain and squeeze one drop per link. To move the chain along, either rotate your cranks backwards or lift your back wheel and pedal forwards (some ebikes don’t reverse the transmission when pedalled backwards). Once you have done the whole inside of the chain cycle the drivetrain and change gear a few times to allow the lube to penetrate into links of the chain.
Step 3: Wipe
Now you need to wipe off the excess lube. We recommend you use a microfibre cloth to lightly hold the chain whilst you pedal until the whole chain has passed through the cloth. Now you’re ready to ride!
Pro Tip: If your chain looks wet, it has too much lube on it. Wipe it off.