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Cyclists debate about oil for days. Cycle mechanics just use WD40.

by buildsjets 5y ago

lorenzhs 5y ago
WD40 is a terrible choice of chain lubricant, it’s too volatile.
buildsjets 5y ago
The replies are clearly cyclists.
harg 5y ago
Without falling into an oil debate, no cycle mechanic I’ve ever spoken to uses or would recommend wd40 for chain oil. It’s far too thin and is primarily for freeing stuck parts and cleaning. It’s not meant for long term lubrication - it dries out or get washed off almost instantly. 3 in 1 is fine, but the main advantage of a proper chain lube is that they don’t attract grime and dirt as quickly
sethherr 5y ago
WD40 is a penetrant, not a lubricant, I don’t know any Mechanics who use it. Definitely will debate lubricants for days, but no one who is in the industry uses standard WD40
- User23 5y ago
  WD40 is absolutely a lubricant. The WD40 is not a lubricant thing just needs to die already. Of course it’s not the best lubricant for every job. In fact it’s probably not the best lubricant for any job, but it’s a good enough lubricant for many jobs. It’s also a penetrant and water displacer. Versatile products usually aren’t the absolute best choice for a given use case, but that doesn’t make versatility bad.
  - sethherr 5y ago
    From Wikipedia: > WD-40 is an American brand and the trademark name of a water-displacing spray … and the definition of “water displacing spray” is “penetrating fluid” It definitely is an oil, it definitely lubricates. But we normally name things by their primary purpose.
- willcipriano 5y ago
  PB B'laster is the gentleman's penetrant. I don't really have a use for WD40.
newaccount74 5y ago
You can use WD40 to clean the chain, but you better put real lube on the chain afterwards.
rsj_hn 5y ago
I think this is part of the love for the machine, and is a part of hacker culture I find endearing even if it's not necessarily rational. I'd put tweaking your Linux windowing system into the same category :)
analog31 5y ago
WD40 is primarily a mixture of mineral spirits and light mineral oil. The mineral spirits evaporate, the oil stays behind.
dav_Oz 5y ago
Waxing (also possible with bee wax) once you streamline the process (chain link, hot water for cleaning, cheap wax warmer the one women use and since the new chains (every 5000-10000km) are heavily pre-lubed you need 3 steps to remove the mineral oil: 1. soak in gasoline or alike for 1 day, 2. degrease and then 3. finish it off with white spirit) is imo the best for the chain. Clean and smooth. I rewax every week (200km), takes me 10 min in total, also a a convenient way to inspect and adjust my whole drivetrain, regularly.
meristohm 5y ago
WD-40’s longer name is “water displacement 40”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40
- analog31 5y ago
  Oil displaces water.

Cyclists debate about oil for days. Cycle mechanics just use WD40.

lorenzhs 5y ago

WD40 is a terrible choice of chain lubricant, it’s too volatile.

buildsjets 5y ago

The replies are clearly cyclists.

harg 5y ago

Without falling into an oil debate, no cycle mechanic I’ve ever spoken to uses or would recommend wd40 for chain oil. It’s far too thin and is primarily for freeing stuck parts and cleaning. It’s not meant for long term lubrication - it dries out or get washed off almost instantly. 3 in 1 is fine, but the main advantage of a proper chain lube is that they don’t attract grime and dirt as quickly

sethherr 5y ago

WD40 is a penetrant, not a lubricant, I don’t know any Mechanics who use it. Definitely will debate lubricants for days, but no one who is in the industry uses standard WD40

User23 5y ago
WD40 is absolutely a lubricant. The WD40 is not a lubricant thing just needs to die already. Of course it’s not the best lubricant for every job. In fact it’s probably not the best lubricant for any job, but it’s a good enough lubricant for many jobs. It’s also a penetrant and water displacer. Versatile products usually aren’t the absolute best choice for a given use case, but that doesn’t make versatility bad.
- sethherr 5y ago
  From Wikipedia: > WD-40 is an American brand and the trademark name of a water-displacing spray … and the definition of “water displacing spray” is “penetrating fluid” It definitely is an oil, it definitely lubricates. But we normally name things by their primary purpose.
willcipriano 5y ago
PB B'laster is the gentleman's penetrant. I don't really have a use for WD40.

newaccount74 5y ago

You can use WD40 to clean the chain, but you better put real lube on the chain afterwards.

rsj_hn 5y ago

I think this is part of the love for the machine, and is a part of hacker culture I find endearing even if it's not necessarily rational. I'd put tweaking your Linux windowing system into the same category :)

analog31 5y ago

WD40 is primarily a mixture of mineral spirits and light mineral oil. The mineral spirits evaporate, the oil stays behind.

dav_Oz 5y ago

Waxing (also possible with bee wax) once you streamline the process (chain link, hot water for cleaning, cheap wax warmer the one women use and since the new chains (every 5000-10000km) are heavily pre-lubed you need 3 steps to remove the mineral oil: 1. soak in gasoline or alike for 1 day, 2. degrease and then 3. finish it off with white spirit) is imo the best for the chain. Clean and smooth. I rewax every week (200km), takes me 10 min in total, also a a convenient way to inspect and adjust my whole drivetrain, regularly.

meristohm 5y ago

WD-40’s longer name is “water displacement 40”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40

analog31 5y ago
Oil displaces water.