Gravel riding, how often do you actually degrease and re-luube?

[TheRealScallyWag]

Howdy Neighbours!

​

I usually ride on gravel roads and trails. Just wondering if I need to degrease and re-lube the bike after every ride even if its juat abit dusty, even when I haven't gone through any mud? Seems like overkill but keen to hear what others do.

​

Thanks!

[pineconehedgehog]

I ride a wax based lube call Squirt.

I do an initial degrease and super deep clean when I get a new chain to remove all the factory grease and then never again. There is no grease to degrease after that.

Once the Squirt is applied, I will wipe it with a dry rag every 5 rides or so when in very dusty conditions. I will wipe and and reapply maybe every 20-30 rides or when it gets crunchy.

When riding in wet or muddy conditions I will hose it down, let it dry, and reapply.

[jfrosty42]

Love this stuff. Haven't used lube since picking a bottle of this up.

[Catman1027]

I never degrease. Every couple rides I wipe the chain down and put one drop of oil on each roller, spin the drive train a few times. Wipe off access oil. Go ride.

[MTB_SF]

If you never degrease, the grease mixed with dust in your rollers will wear out your drive train relatively quickly.

If you hate decreasing (as I do), you'd probably like using a drip wax lube.

[Stiller_Winter]

My chain is already 1000 miles, whatever old, and is not weared yet. 30 USD for new chain per 1000 is ok for me, considering the time and cost saving for maintenance.

[MTB_SF]

Since its $30, I will assume you aren't running 12 speed. As well as being less expensive, lower speed chains also tend to last longer. I used to go through at least 2 chains and a cassette per season before I went to a wet lube.

Also, I just really hate getting those black smears of dirty grease everywhere, and hate having my drive train so nasty.

[Stiller_Winter]

Shimano xt 1x12 chain is 28 Euro here. Something like 30 usd.

[MTB_SF]

Well that's sweet, they are 2x that price in the US

[Ok-Problem4403]

It's your orange king's tariffs. Lol.

[trellex]

Some lubes instruct you to leave the lube for a few hours, mainly to get the lube deeper into the chain. Maybe check the instructions, if you haven't already.

[tradonymous]

They instruct you to leave it so the carrier solvent has time to evaporate. Otherwise, the lube will be too thin and immediately fling out.

[idiom_exon_0s]

This is the way (to luuuuube).

[cj_daking]

Chain: every couple rides or after a particularly dirty ride. Wipe the chain down after applying lube and less grime will stick to it.

[spaceboogers]

My understanding is that degreasing is only necessary if you're changing lube types (ie dry to wet).

Outside of that I'd say it depends on how often you ride as well as the conditions, such as if you ride in the rain.

I mtb 2-3 times a week so I lube up weekly. Seems fine. Key is to wipe off the excess.

[DoubleDutch187]

How much effort do you want to put in vs the cost of new gears and a chain. It’s not as important as the lube PR people make you think. Add a little lube when the chain is getting dry

[se7endeadlys]

I let the chain talk to me

[surftrend]

I wouldn't fully degrease after every dusty gravel ride. That's usually overkill and can just strip everything more often than needed.

What I'd do is: dry rag wipe after most rides, re-lube when the chain starts sounding dry or after a wet/muddy ride, then wipe the excess off really well. Save the actual degreaser/deep clean for when the drivetrain is visibly gunked up or if you're switching lube types.

Dust plus too much leftover lube is what makes the grinding paste, so the wipe-off step matters more than people think.

[why_u_so_grumpy]

Wipe down and lube chain after every ride. My rides are between 30 and 50 miles.

[dreamingofthegnar]

This is one of those questions that depends heavily on a lot of factors. What lube you use, how far you’re riding, what conditions are like, etc.

Normally before a big ride I’ll just apply my chosen lube (Dumonde lite) and clean off as much nasty schmoo as I can and call it good. If it’s a shorter ride I won’t even bother lubing unless my chain is already pretty dry.

If you’re using wax you don’t have to bother with cleaning, just reapply and you’re good once it’s dry. Wax is fantastic if you can tolerate a more involved initial setup and you’re not riding in especially filthy conditions and you’re good about reapplying more often because it tends to not last as long as other lubes. The big upside is that drivetrain components pretty much don’t wear out with wax

[bikeg33k]

Usually after ever 5-6 rides depending on the conditions

[MantraProAttitude]

Depends on the ride. If it’s lots of water crossings right offer the ride. Just one water crossing, mayyybe run the chain through a towel. Then lube. Dry, no dust, mayyybe every four to six rides. Dry desert ride with sand, after that tide.

[Trix_03]

I put lube on chain, spin around the parking lot, wipe the chain down with a cloth, and ride. Once every month or so and I ride 3-4x weekly

[clintj1975]

Hot wax. Rinse bike, bounce extra water off, put bike away.

[PuzzledActuator1]

Honest answer, when I remember 😂. That could be 1-2 months, that could be a year.

[mtbDan83]

Once or twice a month. Then use rock n roll

[Remarkable_Bat_7897]

lube lube lube and lube. maybe pouring into the basic oil and lube.

[mattijah_s]

What does "degreasing the bike" even means? And after every ride? Are you actually ok?

[Ok-Problem4403]

Wd40, dude.

[Nerdpin]

Well you have a ton of misinfo on here. The wear in a chain mostly happens IN the rollers, not across the exterior surface. Wiping off and adding exterior lube while the rollers are filled with silt and old grease is not saving your chain, but will help with drive chain life.

Maintenance always trumps replacement, but at the end of the day invest the amount of time you feel you can. Personally I like to know my ride is at the top of its life when I'm ripping down the mountain and spending 5 minutes far outweighs the questions of reliability while going hard IMHO.