Chainsanity

There are many challenges to biking in the winter in Minnesota, most of which would be obvious even to your average Hawaiian: the cold, the ice, the lack of free espresso on the bike trails. All of these are manageable (perhaps with the exception of the 'free' part) through trial and error, asking other bikers for tips and the like. However, one aspect I still find frustrating is maintaining a well functioning drive train throughout this season of grime and muck. Readers of this blog know I complain about chains and their very poor design for sandy, wet, and salty conditions.  When chains are dirty they don't shift, they skip, and they even break (happened 2x to me).

Some, like intrepid author of the MNBicycleCommuter blog have leapt into the future using very cool belt driven systems with internal gearing. I may eventually get there but for now I have arrived at a solution that works for me. So, at the risk of eliciting giggles from the the spandex crowd, here is my secret to keeping the chain problem free throughout the dirt and slop of winter riding.

At the end of a week of riding my chain is covered in mud, salt (notice the rack bolt), and general grossness.

First, I use the wonderful SRAM powerlink to quickly snap the chain off and soak it in two rounds of mineral spirits. This removes not only the gunk but the chain lube that is trapping the gunk.

Next, I wipe the chain down to prepare for lubrication. This particular chain has some surface corrosion but isn't stretched. 

Some time ago I read on a blog, which one I wish I could remember now, a suggestion to use chainsaw oil for bikes. My previous experience with the high tech wax and teflon 'dry' lubes was really bad in the winter since they washed off so easily and left the chain exposed to rust. Chainsaw oil seemed like a reasonable alternative: being petroleum based it is naturally water repellent and is meant to stick to the fast moving chain of a chainsaw. If you look for it it may also be called 'bar and chain' oil and you will find it is incredibly cheap when compared with bike specific lubricants. All the same I have just been experimenting with it for one season so can't say if there are strange side effects but so far, so good. 

The chain goes into the jar of chainsaw oil. 

I rotate chains every week so I will let this sit for a few days.

Once I take out the chain I hang it on a nail to let the excess oil drip off. I wipe it down and put it back on the bike, which is sometimes difficult because the thing is now quite slippery.

When this chain is on my bike the second chain is taking an oil bath and will be ready for next week's riding.

This routine is kind of involved but so far the results have been good. I haven't worn out a chain yet this season and everything just feels smooth. You don't want to have a breakdown in the middle of a blizzard or subzero temps so until I get that belt drive setup, this seems to be the right solution for winter riding.