Veteran mechanic told me to stop using WD-40 on chains, I didn't listen for 8 months

This old guy at the co-op in Denver kept saying WD-40 strips the grease off chains, but I thought he was being dramatic. Ended up replacing my chain after 500 miles because it stretched way faster than usual. Anybody else ignore advice from the shop greybeards and regret it?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.willow1d ago

Eh, WD-40 on everything is fine if you just keep applying it every week.

ninas701d ago

That 500 mile chain replacement is rough... I had the same thing happen on my old Schwinn touring bike back in 2018. @dixon.willow the thing with weekly WD-40 is it cleans off the factory grease inside the rollers but doesn't have enough viscosity to stay put and protect the pins. WD-40 is really a water displacer not a lubricant for bike chains... it just evaporates too fast and leaves the chain dry.