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My uncle swore by WD-40 on his bike chain for 20 years, I finally switched to proper lube last month and wow was he wrong.
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aaron7085mo ago
Having used WD-40 on chains myself back in the day, that stuff just flings off after a mile or two and leaves everything sticky. Proper chain lube actually stays put and keeps the grit out way longer. The difference in shifting smoothness alone is pretty night and day once you try the real stuff.
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amyh213mo ago
Oh man, you're absolutely right and @aaron708 had the same experience I did. I switched to a good wax-based lube a few years back and my chain actually lasts twice as long now without that nasty sticky residue. What really sold me was how much smoother my shifting got on wet morning rides after I stopped using WD-40.
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shanegibson5mo ago
Hear me out - WD-40 isn't a lube at all, it's a solvent and water displacer that just happens to have some light oil in it, so your uncle was basically cleaning his chain and then riding it dry. @aaron708 nailed it about the fling-off issue, but the real crime is that using WD-40 long-term strips the factory grease out of the chain rollers and leaves them grinding metal on metal. Your chain probably sounds quieter now because the proper lube actually has a thickener that stays put and cushions those internal parts.
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