One of my kids is at college many states away and as this rough winter has been coming to an end, she has noticed her chain is rusty. What would you do to fix this issue, whether removing the rust, getting a new chain, or this not being a big deal? Thanks!
by Star-Lord-123
11 Comments
That chain is toast.
Tell her to count the cogs on the rear cassette and buy the correct speed chain. Chains come oversized, so she would need to buy a chain breaker tool to match the length of her current chain. If she doesn’t want to get into all of that, she should just take it to a bike shop and pay for them to put a new chain on.
And tell her to buy chain lube. I lube my chain every 200 miles or so. Maybe just once a month for someone who does light riding/shorter commutes. Buy actual chain lube, and not wd40 like my dad did growing up. Wd40 is actually a degreaser and will strip the chain
That’s a very rusted chain, but it at least looks like it’s mostly surface rust for now. At the very least, I’d recommend keeping the chain well lubricated to stop the rust from worsening. I’d personally try to strip the rust with a weak acid (diet coke technically works for this)and some scrubbing. This is much easier work to do with the chain off.
Hit it with some Boeshield T9 and keep on riding.
Not a big deal, lubricate after every ride and much of that will work itself out.
But if she’s not riding it regularly and cares about how it looks, I’d replace with a fully plated chain, KMC makes a few.
Start with a new chain. That one isn’t just rusty on the outside, but inside with the pins and rollers. Even putting it in a rust remover bath will not help with pitting and whatnot that happens as rust is formed unevenly.
With th new chain, it should be thoroughly degreased—the stuff that’s used during manufacturing isn’t good for operational lubricatoon—and then properly lubed with a good bike chain lube.
The key to good lubrication is to get it into the pins and rollers, with only a very light film on the plates to keep rust at bay. Over-lubrication will attract grime and is almost as bad as no lube & rust.
A good bike lube will come in a drip bottle that allows you to put a single drop on each roller; running the crank backwards, dropping on each roller, and allowing the chain to serpentine through the cassette and derailleur will help the lube penetrate the space between the rollers and pins. Once the whole chain is done, use a lint-free shop towel to wipe excess lube from the chain.
This should be redone after a heavy rain or after a week or so of intermittent riding. If they’re riding every day as transportation, it needs to be done more frequently. Proper lubrication will not only extend the life of the chain, but the life of the components it contacts: chainrings, cogs, and idler wheels.
I fixed a bike like this the other day. Spin the cranks backwards so the chain spins, spray the chain (at the cassette) with a liberal amount of degreaser.
Let it sit for a few minutes, then spinning the chain backwards again, scrub it with a wire brush. Do that till the chain looks clean. Rinse with water. Keep spinning the chain to remove water, or bounce the bike a bunch to shake the water off. Let it dry in the sun, then apply lubricant to the links. Don’t worry about the outside of the chain, that doesn’t need lube.
That should be it. Reapply lube weekly to keep the chain looking good.
Probably if you lube it religiously and put some miles on it it will clean up. But I’d just replace it, swapping a chain isn’t that hard or expensive.
A new 8 speed chain is about $20. A bike shop might charge another $15 to cut and install. Or you can send them the new chain and a chain breaker. Cut the new chain to the length of the rusty one, make sure to route through the derailleur correctly, and that’s about it.
Is that a Trek Multitrack?
new chain
Try not to leave your bike outside, if possible.