Maintenance: The Curse of the Singing Chain

This is not a Scooby Doo episode from your childhood.

I’m talking about what happens when bike commuters don’t wash and lube their bicycles on a regular basis. It’s that metallic, droning squeal that pulses with each pedal stroke. It’s a sure sign that your ride is in need of a good bath and lube.

It’s a sure sign that you’re doing damage to your bike.

Friction is the greatest enemy of moving parts, and a bicycle is just a giant collection of such parts. Your chain sings when it is dirty and dry, and this actually causes damage to the chain and cogs. Friction also reduces the efficiency of power transfer from your legs to the bike’s drive train; it just makes pedaling harder. A dirty and damaged chain will also slip and, combined with a dirty and damaged set of cogs, will prevent smooth shifting between gears. Again, this makes your commuting life much harder.

Here’s three tips to keep things running smoothly:

Bathe and Lube on a regular basis: Cleaning and lubing your bike on a regular schedule is a great habit to develop. The schedule you should follow all depends on the amount you ride and the conditions your encounter. I ride 100 miles week at a fairly fast pace and the conditions here in Albuquerque are dry and sandy for the most part. Here’s the schedule I follow:

• Clean and lube my bike once a week.
• Lube the chain 1 time mid week.

Know your bike: Pay attention to your bicycle when you’re riding. How does it feel when you shift? How does it sound when you pedal? If something seems off or you notice a change in the performance of your ride, look things over. In fact, always give your bike a good look over at least once a week to get familiar with it and see what’s happening. Things to look for:

• A chain that is black and full of grit.
  
• Tight links on the chain. That is, they seem to stick together and bend awkwardly when moving through the rear derailleur.
  
• Cogs that are dirty and full of grit.
  
• Worn or broken teeth on the cogs.
  
• Derailleurs that don’t move smoothly when shifting.
  
• Cables (both shifting and brake cables) that don’t slide smoothly through their housings.
  

Wipe your chain one more time: After you lube your chain, wipe it down with a clean cloth. Then wipe it down again. And one more time. Extra lube on the chain just collects dirt and grime. This is just as bad as a dry chain. Your chain should be almost dry to the touch with just a slight feel of lubricant.

A How-To Video
The how-to of cleaning and lubing your bike is a whole other topic and post. If you're jonesing for some real instruction right now, check out this great video below. It nails all the important info, shows the equipment to get and the technique to use. Enjoy.