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Preparing new chain for use.

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rafiki:
I will be fitting the first new new chain to my Sterling soon. Despite talk of not being worth the money I have 'invested' in a KMC X1. This will be the first time I have sized and fitted a new chain myself so I'm a little nervous but with the help of Youtube videos I'm going to give it a try. However, something else sprang to mind whilst I was thinking about the job. Is there anything I should do to prepare a new chain for first use that will make it run better and, perhaps last longer? I should add that I ride daily between 25 and 50 km made up of about 60% paved and 40% dusty gravel/sand. Particularly dusty at the moment.

geocycle:
I use a light lube Prolink gold which works quite well in dusty conditions.  It is prone to being washed off in wet weather so you have to reapply regularly. 

You could also consider a chainglider (lots of fans on here!).  I used one on my RT frame for about a year and it worked quite nicely but couldn't get it to work (glide) with the tighter clearances of my RST. If it works on the sterling it would extend the chain life. Note you might also need to change the chain ring to something narrower than the standard thorn and you need to look at the tooth count that is compatible.

I have never done anything to prepare a new chain other than to cut it to length (based on the old one). Apparently they come covered with a wax but I always just put them on with some lube and ride away.

mickeg:
There are arguments both ways, but I think that the stuff on new chains when you first buy them is a very good lubricant, should last several hundred km.

If you ask a hundred cyclists what the best way to lube a chain is, you will get about 110 different answers.

geocycle:

--- Quote from: mickeg on August 13, 2018, 04:18:53 pm ---There are arguments both ways, but I think that the stuff on new chains when you first buy them is a very good lubricant, should last several hundred km.

If you ask a hundred cyclists what the best way to lube a chain is, you will get about 110 different answers.

--- End quote ---

I agree and I don't really think you can go far wrong. £30 for a chain is now getting quite expensive so I can understand some apprehension.  The X1s are nice and mine come in at about a coffee and a cake per 1000 miles.

Andre Jute:

--- Quote from: rafiki on August 13, 2018, 12:51:45 pm ---Despite talk of not being worth the money I have 'invested' in a KMC X1. ... I ride daily between 25 and 50 km made up of about 60% paved and 40% dusty gravel/sand.
--- End quote ---

A high-miler like you might actually find some advantage in the X1, especially if its price inclines you to look after it better than you looked after your previous chains.


--- Quote from: geocycle on August 13, 2018, 05:26:15 pm ---The X1s are nice and mine come in at about a coffee and a cake per 1000 miles.
--- End quote ---

Exactly; a vivid illustration of a point that gets lost in the inherited (from a time when cycling was a workingman's sport) obsession about making chains go further. The chain -- even a KMC X1 -- is the cheapest consumable component on the bike (most people's brake blocks last several times longer than the chain, and decent cables and tyres cost more).

You can ensure the XI lasts well by covering it. A thread you might like to take a look at is Factory lube/chaincase experiment (X8 chain, Chainglider, Surly SS & Rohloff), though you should be aware that my particular interest is in reducing maintenance to almost zero rather than saving a few quid by increasing (in my case as a serendipitous side-effect doubling and trebling) chain distance; still, from your viewpoint the outcome is the same.

Good luck with your X1 and please don't forget to report your experience here: it appears quite a few of us are waiting for a reason to buy an X1.

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