New Dura-Ace chain. Do I need to clean it before my first ride?

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jspaceman
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by jspaceman

I ordered one of the new Shimano Dura-Ace 11 speed chains (CN-HG901-11).

I know some chains come from the factory with a vaseline greasy substance on them that many people remove with degreaser before installing the chain on their bike. Does the HG901 chain come with that on it? Is it necessary to degrease it before installation? From what I read the HG901 is supposed to have some PTFE type of coating on it, so I'm guessing I should not degrease it before the install?

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

It's largely up to you. You can use the factory goop for a few hundred miles if you want, then when you switch to your preferred lube, degrease it then.

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2lo8
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by 2lo8

I take a paper towel with degreaser and wipe down the outside of the chain so it doesn't attract dirt. There's no reason to flush out the original lube though.
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havana
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by havana

Only the outside. Removing the inner lubing would be the dummest thing ever since you'll never get a beter lubrification. Will last at least 300 km in dry conditions, probably more.
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Delorre
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by Delorre

After a little over 1000 dry km's on the factory 'lube', with regular wipe down, it's time to use my regular lube. The chain still runs very lightly, but I have more noice than I would like...Before the first ride, use an old rag to remove the excess sticky lube on the outside of the chain, otherwise, it will attract way too much dust.

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by TobinHatesYou

havana wrote:
Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:45 am
Only the outside. Removing the inner lubing would be the dummest thing ever since you'll never get a beter lubrification. Will last at least 300 km in dry conditions, probably more.
This is a specious claim that keeps making the rounds because of Sheldon. The chain will never get a better lube...in what terms? Efficiency? Nope. Cleanliness? Nope. Chain wear? Nope, the sticky goo will grab onto fine grit. More lubricious options will eject the grit whereas with stickier lube those foreign particles will stay in between the pins/rollers where they do the most damage. The factory goops are great protectants for long term storage and you can certainly get a few hundred miles on the chain. However I can also get a few hundred miles on Smoove, Molten Speed Wax, and a number of other lubes.

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by BdaGhisallo

If these protectants that cover chains when they ship them was so fantastic, why do none of the chain manufacturers sell it separately as a chain lube? It surely can't be because they don't have access to quantities of it large enough to sell it, can it, since it covers every chain they make and ship? And consider that the chain manufacturers surely do their own research on lubrication and have a good idea on what makes a good lube but, more importantly, know what doesn't make a good lube. If it was so good, you would see it on the shelves at bike shops at some incredible cost with the message on the jar that this goop is the greatest chain lube known to mankind.

The fact is that the goop that covers new chains is a substance whose main property and benefit is to act as a corrosion protectant to keep the chain in good condition no matter how long it sits on the shelf before it gets sold and actually used. Do yourself a favor and completely strip that goop of and start fresh with the chain lube of your choice.

upside
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by upside

I have been cycling for toooo many years. The best move I have ever made was the pariffin wax.... I can get a bit over 500 miles before having to redip. The chain seems also not to stretch as much.. sooooo longer life and a uber clean drivetrain.

2lo8
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by 2lo8

TobinHatesYou wrote:
Sat Jun 23, 2018 10:05 am
This is a specious claim that keeps making the rounds because of Sheldon. The chain will never get a better lube...in what terms? Efficiency? Nope. Cleanliness? Nope. Chain wear? Nope, the sticky goo will grab onto fine grit. More lubricious options will eject the grit whereas with stickier lube those foreign particles will stay in between the pins/rollers where they do the most damage. The factory goops are great protectants for long term storage and you can certainly get a few hundred miles on the chain. However I can also get a few hundred miles on Smoove, Molten Speed Wax, and a number of other lubes.
One of those options requires minimal labor and cost. Honestly, even for greased chains by people that think slathering grease on chains is smart, most of the grit stays outside the chain, caked in a grimy crust of grease. I'm skeptical about lubes ejecting grit, it's more like they don't cling to grit. That grit needs to find its way into the rollers and flow in anyways, which is usually when flushing lubricant or rain.
BdaGhisallo wrote:
Sat Jun 23, 2018 10:22 am
If these protectants that cover chains when they ship them was so fantastic, why do none of the chain manufacturers sell it separately as a chain lube? It surely can't be because they don't have access to quantities of it large enough to sell it, can it, since it covers every chain they make and ship? And consider that the chain manufacturers surely do their own research on lubrication and have a good idea on what makes a good lube but, more importantly, know what doesn't make a good lube. If it was so good, you would see it on the shelves at bike shops at some incredible cost with the message on the jar that this goop is the greatest chain lube known to mankind.

The fact is that the goop that covers new chains is a substance whose main property and benefit is to act as a corrosion protectant to keep the chain in good condition no matter how long it sits on the shelf before it gets sold and actually used. Do yourself a favor and completely strip that goop of and start fresh with the chain lube of your choice.
Because then they would have to sell a big vat of lubricant meant for clean chains only or using a new batch of lube every time you have a dirty chain so you don't contaminate it. It's very easy and efficient if your doing large batches of new clean chains. It's not stuff that would make a good drop on lube all in one cleaner and lubricant and you can sell for $10 in a tiny bottle. It applies more like molten wax, except it's easier to find wax and was is more labor intensive than most people want anyways. Normal people don't do that.
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toiyuet
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by toiyuet

Only clean the surface and never Remove the inner lubing, my ear, legs and power meter can tell the difference.

kode54
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by kode54

upside wrote:
Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:43 am
I have been cycling for toooo many years. The best move I have ever made was the pariffin wax.... I can get a bit over 500 miles before having to redip. The chain seems also not to stretch as much.. sooooo longer life and a uber clean drivetrain.
^^this. although i don't push it to 500 miles. 250 to 300 miles at the very least.

i do remove the factory lube with mineral spirits before dipping in molten speed wax. in a clean mineral spirits bath, i still get metal bits and stuff which dirtys the solution.
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1415chris
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by 1415chris

Unless someone is very specific with his/her chain lube, removing oryginal one from the new chain is absolutely pointless.
For many years I was religiously stripping the new chains right away from the oryginal lube. Till I found out that before first proper chain cleaning I can get hundreds of km without douing anything. Almost anything, as many stated above, just lightly clening the chain with the cloth and a bit of degreaser.
Now I'm on PYC super light silver version, so far 700-800km of which maybe half done on turbo trainer. Chain is still running smoothly and quietly.
The only one drawback for me is that the chain is not as clean as in the case of using the lube I'm currently on (Rock and Roll Gold).

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by TobinHatesYou

1415chris wrote:
Sat Jun 23, 2018 6:26 pm
Unless someone is very specific with his/her chain lube, removing oryginal one from the new chain is absolutely pointless.
For many years I was religiously stripping the new chains right away from the oryginal lube. Till I found out that before first proper chain cleaning I can get hundreds of km without douing anything. Almost anything, as many stated above, just lightly clening the chain with the cloth and a bit of degreaser.
Now I'm on PYC super light silver version, so far 700-800km of which maybe half done on turbo trainer. Chain is still running smoothly and quietly.
The only one drawback for me is that the chain is not as clean as in the case of using the lube I'm currently on (Rock and Roll Gold).

Indoors on a trainer is very different than outdoors. I can probably go the equivalent of 1000km with Dumonde Tech Pro X Lite (with wipedowns of excess liquid) on my trainer bike because the only particles wearing the pins/rollers are what has been polished off those surfaces. I could probably get twice that distance on Molten Speed Wax, but I hate sweeping up the ejected bits of wax off my trainer mat.

toiyuet wrote:
Sat Jun 23, 2018 2:25 pm
Only clean the surface and never Remove the inner lubing, my ear, legs and power meter can tell the difference.

This has been tested repeatedly by independent sources with controlled experiments. Sound is energy and there are two types of sound to listen for. If you hear squeaks, that's bad and you should relube your chain. If you hear rasping between the exterior of the chain and gears, that's fine and you shouldn't be trying to get rid of it with lube. This just means you're using a lube that is absorbing more energy. If you are cross-chained, shift up front and improve your chainline. If you are in the middle of the cassette, then live with the tiny bit of extra sound from having a thin coat of very efficient lube.

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