How To Lube A Bike Chain | GCN Tech's Guide To Oiling Your Bicycle Chain

Lubricating your chain is not as simple as it seems! In this weeks Maintenance Monday Jon is showing you how to properly oil your bike's chain.

Correctly applying chain lube is vital for the smooth operation of your bike's drivetrain. Too little lube and it'll squeak, too much and it'll attract a lot of dirt! Jon also talks you through the different types of lube available on the market and what conditions they are designed for.

How do you lubricate your chain? Let us know. 👇

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[RixterNow]

I individually crush an olive and slowly let the oil drip onto each chain link. One olive per link. A bit time consuming but works well and leaves your chain smelling great.

[JLUNASYK]

As a kid I would flip my bike upside down, crank the pedal and pour whatever motor oil we had on the chain. The 80s was a crazy, lawless era.

I just toss my chain in the deep fryer when ever I'm using it. Works great, smells great, and adds a bit of seasoning to whatever I'm frying

[joshtipton]

I waxed my chain for the first time yesterday, and took it for the first ride today. It was super rainy and gritty, but the chain held up! I love it

[sdkid]

Just a commuter cyclist myself;
I usually just ride it till I have to shoot it; & get another, swapping parts along the way.
Transfer the saddle & grocery go-getter milk crate bike rack to the next "horse-bike" and move on.


But, knowing how to feed & care for the "bike-horse" is vital information that I am grateful that you provide in these videos.
Cheers from The USA, you goofy blokes.


Here in Chitcago 4 out of my 6 bikes were free abandoned or alley finds.
People just seem to be too lazy to repair a cheap bike; hello, I'll have a go at it, thanks.
Paid $200 for one, (Nice Cannondale ) and $10 for another, ( LaJolla Women's bike cruiser for the winter, blasts through snow & ice like a tank )
Other than that, my bikes have all been free finds, or giveaways.


Do really like the video though, gave me insight as to how to winterize my Trek & Cannondale for Winter storage, thanks.
Ready for Spring now.

[finnnation]

Thanks mate. Between you and the Park Tools vids, i am now less shit as a bike mechanic.

[allbunsglazing]

I melt wax over each individual roller to conserve wax. I then polish it with a silk rag, and repeat until I get the desired shine. It takes a few days but it's worth it.

[alžíďhħ]

Summary for non aerosol lubing:

1. Make sure drivetrain is cleaned with degreaser, removing any excess lube.
2. Find joining pin at bottom rung.
3. Apply lube to each individual inside roller.
4. Wipe away any excess lube outside of roller.

[royclarke]

I used to do the stream on a rapidly back pedaling chain. I never knew when the whole chain was done, so I just kept spinning. Lubing the chain is important -- better keep going, I figured. Then I saw Jon do the drop on each roller as a brief suggestion in another video. Enlightenment struck. I now do drops from a bottle. It is really no more tedious than spinning the chain furiously and it is more effective, along with being less messy and wasteful.

[dasdough]

Owned bikes for years, first time I've learnt how to lube up a chain. I have done it so wrong for so long, thanks!

[sunjiulu]

Thank you for mentioning wd-40, saved my trip to bike store to buy bike lube. used wd-40 and it worked like a charm

[bhumiriady]

This is so helpful and fascinating...
Lubricating your chain is not as simple as it seems, but if done correctly and using the correct lube, it's worth the effort!

[SPN-]

Very useful vid Jon. Seen plenty of chains lately that haven’t been cleaned or lubed for some time. It’s a quick & easy job that makes a massive difference to the performance of the drive train.

[rzeckner]

I am 100% sold on the hot wax method. It may require a bit more effort, but I enjoy working on my bike anyway and I believe it provides excellent results. A huge bonus is the method's elimination of greasy stains appearing on my calf.

[SaborMetallico]

It's like: Me: "Yeah, let's just use aerosol lubricant for my chain!" GCN: "First tip when using aerosol: Find yourself a friend." Me: "Ok, I'm out..."

[markust]

Thank you! You never mentioned how often should I lube the chain.

[velowibble]

Jon, did you unscrew your pedal and replace it with that tool just because it was going on the stand? Can we have a video of the 5 most pointlessly specific cycling tools please?

[hughtygrehan]

3 I 1 oil in a can is the best bicycle chain oil you can use - I've regularly achieved over 5000 miles on a chain - brilliant 😊👍👌

[ChromeStrand]

I love how GCN's topic and my current problem is match all the time! Or spooky.

[ornoth]

Much easier than wasting time searching for the joining pin: just mark your starting link with a permanent marker, then go 'round. It's easier to see, and comes off easily when you wipe off the chain afterward.