This is a brand new bike directly from Canyon, and after just a few rides I noticed this black greasy stuff.
It seems to be coming from the chain, and by now the cassette and everything else is covered in it.
It’s thick and sticky. What is this? Can I clean it off, or should I consider returning the bike?
by r-i-s-c
13 Comments
it’s how bikes work.
that’s the factory grease. buy some degreaser and a set of brushes and clean your drivetrain. lubricate it, ride and repeat.
Is this your first bike? I am asking not out of sarcasm but a serious question with the mention of “should i return it” over what happens when manufacturing grease on the chain collects dirt. Get some cleaner, clean it off and apply a proper chain lube.
Your bike gets dirty if you ride. So its time to clean the chain! And the rest of your bike!
completely normal operation, it’s mechanical, it’s normal for your chain and your cassette to get dirty with use. purchased Bike Chain Cleaners & Degreasers.
“Brand new”
“after just a few rides”
Either of the two. The latter, it seems. Normal.
For future reference, any time you get a new bike or new chain, immediately degrease the chain and add your lube/wax of choice. The factory grease is not that great of a lubricant and, as you found out, collects dirt and grime much faster than regular lube.
Give Canyon a call. They’ll be happy to send you a ship you Grizl. They’ll probably throw in an Aeroad too for your inconvenience.
Okay, that was a lot of toxic replies to a beginner’s question.
When I said “a few rides,” I meant three rides of about 30 minutes each, all on dry roads.
I don’t know much about bike maintenance or what’s considered normal.
This is a lot of money for me, and I just want to make sure everything is fine.
This isn’t brand new. You’ve ridden this for a few rides. This is the factory chain lube collecting dirt as you ride and depositing dirt+lube on the parts it passes.
https://a.co/d/2dA3EjP
https://a.co/d/f6W0oTa
https://a.co/d/3ZC2FO0
Degrease with the green stuff by spraying it on drivetrain, let sit for a few minutes, spray with warm water to let it do its magic. Hit with brushes with a little extra degreaser when needed, then warm water again and make sure everything gets hit to get rid of degrease. Dry, then put one drop of lube on each link, then use a towel to get rid of extra lube.
Boil that chain and wax dip it!
Learn about waxing the chain on YT if you’re concerned about chain getting dirty.
Thats just how oil collecting dirt on the road looks. Perfectly normal for a lubed chan, which is why some people use wax