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Had a shop owner tell me last Tuesday that I'm wasting time cleaning every chain with degreaser
He said just wipe it down and relube, that degreaser strips the factory coating and causes more wear. I've been soaking chains in degreaser for 10 years. Anyone else run into this argument before?
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milestaylor22d ago
Have you tried just hitting it with compressed air before you lube it up?
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bettys511mo ago
Wait, he actually thinks the factory coating is good for the chain? I thought everyone knew that sticky coating just attracts dirt.
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claire_walker1mo ago
Pull @bettys51 aside here - that "factory coating" is basically just packing grease to stop rust during shipping, not some magic lube. You're not crazy for degreasing new chains, but soaking them for hours in strong solvent can actually push junk into the roller pins. That's been my experience anyway. Just a quick degrease with a spray and a brush for about 30 seconds before wiping dry works better without overdoing it. The real trick is getting the chain fully dry before relube, because any leftover degreaser will just wash your fresh lube off immediately. So keep degreasing, just don't drown the chain in it and you'll be fine.
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