Gear
The five-minute chain care routine
A clean, lubricated chain shifts better, runs quieter and lasts thousands of kilometres longer. All you need is a rag and ten minutes a week.
Wipe the chain with a dry rag after every wet or dusty ride. Backpedal slowly while holding the rag around the lower run of the chain.
Once a week, apply one drop of lube to each roller, spin the cranks for thirty seconds and wipe off the excess. Lube belongs inside the rollers, not on the outside plates where it collects dirt.
Measure wear monthly with a chain checker. Replacing a chain at 0.5 percent stretch is cheap; waiting until it wears out your cassette and chainrings is not.