@Pard, I am glad that someone found that interesting
The video you linked in your post is informative. What the guys says in many words is the simple fact that no cleaning or lube job can improve anything what is in the inner part of the chain. This 'inner' lube is what the chain life is mainly depending on.
Regina's claim of 'low maintenance' is based on a alleged coating of these inner surfaces with carbides or something in the hope that the surfaces are less prone to abrasion/corrosion. That sounds good in theory but obviously it is not working.
Off topic: Regarding chain maintenance, my personal opinion is
- Never use pressure cleaners
- Never clean too rigiously with brushes, pads or whatever
- Avoid chain cleaners, detergents etc. or at least use them sparingly (don't coat the chain with it, rather apply on a cloth and wipe)
- Thin coats of lube are enough
- Application of the chain outside is totally OK
Here's why.
Over lifetime of the chain this 'inner lube' is compromised, mainly by stress, temperature, moisture or even chain cleaner (if you are a hardcore user of this stuff).
You see, the lube is basically a mix long-chained hydrocarbons with some additives. Stress (mechanical forces) as well as temperature lead to breaking (cracking) of the hydrocarbons impairing their lubing faculties. Moisture or chain cleaner creeping through the O/X-rings (no sealing is 100%) change these hydrocarbons chemically, impairing them as well. When reacting with water, this is called hydrogenation, so keep your pressure cleaner away from the chain.
Second advice is: Rigorously scrubbing with a too hard brush, scotch brite or whatever can displace or even damage the O/X-rings which seal the inner lube from the outside. So don't do that!
What the video is wrong about, is the fact that the outer rollers do normally NOT rotate, they keep their position even when they take their turn along the sprockets. The sprocket teeths are exactly engineered that way.
Rotation will happen though when over time the teeth wear out, getting the famous sharkfin look or the surfaces under the roller erode or corrode, changing the diameters. Also lengthening of the chain (which happens when the inner lube is not functioning properly anymore, leading to material abrasion) changes the geometry of the tooth/chain configuration, so the roller cannot get smoothly into the groove between two teeths anymore.
With the lube job you are required to do you try to postpone this erosion or corrosion of the roller surfaces. The lube is more or less there to hinder water and debris entering the cleft left and right of the rollers and ingressing even further. So, if these clefts are already lubed, applying more lube does not help anything.It's not necessary to coat the chain thickly with grease.
Also it is not necessary to spray/apply on the inside of the chain.
Spray lubes contain a bit of solvent which makes them fluid enough to spread on their own and creep into the clefts. When the solvent has evaporated, a thin film of lube remains. So after spraying you can wipe of any excess which anyway would fly off the next time you go for a ride.
What I wrote here is true for bikes which see no or rarely rain/wet streets. Water and the fine silt in the water from the street are the worst enemies of the chain. When your chain has gotten wet, dry clean and lube as soon as possible. If you ride regularly in detrimental weather, a permanent oiling device might be a good solution to enjoy a long chain life.
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Topic: Rebelle RS Chain and Sprocket Shopping Cart (Read 2149 times)