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Shoutout to the shop manager who told me to stop using WD-40 on chains
Back when I started fixing bikes 8 years ago, I used to hose down chains with WD-40 because it was cheap and handy. The old manager at the shop I worked at in Tucson told me I was basically just washing the grease out and attracting dirt. Took me about 3 months of replacing rusty chains on customers' bikes before I switched to actual wet lube. Was that a common thing other new mechanics learned the hard way too?
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willow_garcia3mo ago
Is it really that deep though? I mean yeah WD-40 isn't great for chains but I've seen worse lmao. People act like a little dust on the chain is gonna destroy the whole drivetrain overnight.
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rosek443mo ago
Oh trust me @willow_garcia, I've been that guy who sprayed cooking oil on his chain because I was out of lube and hungry at the same time. Learned that lesson the hard way when my pants got all greasy and I attracted every stray dog in a three mile radius. But also found out the hard way that a dusty chain just wears down your cassette faster, not that I need an excuse to upgrade parts every season anyway.
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anna9833mo ago
Hold on... you actually sprayed cooking oil on your chain? That's wild, I thought I'd heard all the bad lube stories but that takes the cake... Did you at least wipe it down before you realized the stray dog situation was getting out of hand?
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