How to Lubricate Your Bicycle Chain: The right way and the wrong way

We'll show you how to oil a bike chain. First, you only need 2 types of chain lubricant: A dry lube such as Finish Line Dry Lubricant and a wet lube such as Finish Line Wet Lubricant depending on the weather conditions.
Lubricants' such as White Lightening can really gunk up your drivetrain and can be difficult to clean. Multipurpose lubes just pick up dirt and grime. Those that have heavy way like components just gum up the chain and are difficult to remove. At least this has been our experience.

I do a quick 2 minute drivetrain cleanup as noted in the upper right about every 150 miles. Then add the lubricant as follows:

When applying the chain lube:
1. Don't spay with an aerosol lube or drop on the chain where it runs over the cassette (as you turn the crank). Just gets all over your cassette, derailleur and can contaminate your brakes (especially disc brakes).
2. In fact, don't use a spay. Rather drop it on the rollers of the chain as shown as you spin the crank backward. When the chain is covered, stop adding the lube but still spin the crank backward to work the lubricant into the sides of the rollers.
3. The next morning before my ride I'll wipe the excess lubricant on the bicycle chain plates and rollers. By the way, wiping off the surface of the rollers does not affect the wear of the cassette. Rather, it's chain wear of the rollers and pins that create a greater distance between rollers that will wear the cassette. If you leave the lubricant on the surface of the rollers, it will just pick up grime and dirt. I do a quick drivetrain clean (clean chain rings, clean pulley wheels, cassette and clean chain) and lubricate about every 150 miles on my road bike. Those times I ride in wet and muddy conditions, I'll do a more thorough cleaning with degreaser or other chain cleaner, soap and water, rinse and dry. After using degreaser/wash/dry, you may need several coats of lubricant.

This should become part of your routine road bike or mountain bike maintenance.

[marekkozub]

I don't rush lubricating. I lubricate each link separately.

[davidsim]

I was doing this as a 9 year old with 3 in 1 oil. My Dad showed me how to look after my bike. I'm 62 now and still playing with bikes.

[natnat]

Thank you very much, Mr. Tony! This is very helpful for begginer cyclist like me. Please stay safe and have a great day! 🌻

[Ravioliyt]

Like the dad I never had :)
Thank you for explaining this to all of us. It's helped me learn the little, important thing that is chain oiling. I didn't even know there were different types of chain lube.

[jameshenderson]

Thank you very much Mr. Tony I just finished lubing my chain on my bike. I have 116 rolling pins, I lube each pin one at a time, then peddled counter clockwise to let penetrate in the grooves, now I’m letting my bike set for 2 hours before I go out on a ride. Please feel free to text me back. Enjoy your day.

[Kaos.the.st]

I really appreciate the format of this video. You stated the purpose of the video before anything else.

[jsimpso]

Thanks for the informative video, Tony. After putting it off for several weeks, I finally went ahead and cleaned my chain (using a dedicated chain cleaner), and cassette and derailer wheels (using a brush and paper towels) and was surprised how dirty the whole powertrain had gotten after about a month's worth of usage since the last full service I had at the local bike shop. I then applied dry lube onto the chain as per the video instructions (I only bike on dry days), cleaning off the excess the following day, and wow did it make a difference in the ride quality. The ride was a lot smoother than before and my Apple watch reported that I actually travelled slightly quicker on this bike ride than the past few days.

[gnrands]

This was very gratifying to watch. I have never seen this video, or any other explaining how to lube a chain, but I use the same two lubricants and apply it exactly the same way. I even let it dry overnight and wipe off the excess the next day. I never realized I have been doing it right all these years. Thanks Tony, I think I should go ahead and subscribe.

[juliocesarpereira]

I'm happy to know that this is exactly the way I oil bike chains. I even use these same Finish Line Dry and Wet Lubricants. Thanks!

[johneastwood]

Cheers Tony. Simple, direct, clear communicative demos that are easy and quick to understand. Watched your video on pedal clicking...solved my problem immediately. Thankyou. Riding from UK. 👍🚴🏻‍♂️

[davidbrucemusicvideo]

Just bought a Trek FX2 with an XXL frame, and it’s been a few years since I applied lubricant to a chain. So thanks for this video, because you get some things I didn’t even think about.

Thanks, uncle Tony! 🚴💨

[newsnowmaryland]

The first time I used White Lightning it just came onto the market. Halfway through a 3 hour MTB ride it started raining. I turned around to come back. My bike got so caked with mud I had to stop a few times to dig it out of the rear triangle area. chain looked brand spanking new. Not a drop of mud on it. White Lightning RULES!

[gaakbecker]

Thank you very much for showing the proper way to lube the chain on a new bicycle or old one. It really helped and I wasn't quite sure whether you should wipe off the excess oil the next day or not. So that answered a big question for me. Thank you.

[trackie]

This is spot- on!

My usual chain lube is a 1:5 mix of 90 weight gear oil and mineral spirits. It penetrates the rollers and dries well. The chain seems quieter than with other lubes, too, which benefits the “engine control module”.

This mix cleans the chain effectively, too. Wipe off as much as you can and see all the black stuff coming off. The little jar I use to hold the lube gets darkly clouded as I dip my brush. You might think that’s dirt, but no! I keep a magnet in the jar and within a few hours the lube is clear again and all the stuff is clinging to the magnet. That’s metal wear, microscopic amounts, but it comes from the chain! MTB would of course have some actual dirt, as would chains that had excess oil for dirt to cling to.

The best lube is not worth paying for if you don’t use it often enough to keep things clean. If you keep things clean and lubed frequently, you don’t need super fancy lube. Oil really does work. Solvent makes it easier to apply it where you need it.

[Hehe-xyew]

Thank you for your videos sir!!! Today I cleaned my bike chain for the first time. Not perfect, but at least I know how to do this in the future

[bjpigott]

I use Squirt Wax, have been for over two years, winter and summer. I put a drop on each roller in the chain, starting at the quick link, as Tony did.
After all the rollers are done, a couple of revolutions of the pedals to spread the wax around the rollers, agains, as Tony did in his demo.
Done !

[milly_rock]

Give this a 10/10👍🏽 Everything is still clean after 4 light rides, using this method. Going to try this “each link lubricate” method next. Thanks Tony

[dpstrial]

I have used for years exactly the same lubricants on my Dura-Ace chain as you use and never had any issues. I do change my chain every spring.

[ColmHarling]

Thanks Tony, always look forward to your words of wisdom...

[joejoejoejoejoejoe]

You can tell he's a decent bike mechanic - he fit's his tyres to the writing ( on the tyre ) is at the same place as the valve on the inner tube, so when he gets a puncture it makes it easier to find the thorn/glass shard in the tyre.