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Shoutout to the guy at Broadway Cyclery who told me to quit using WD-40 as lube
I used WD-40 on my chain for 4 years because it was cheap and I figured a spray is a spray. Last month the chain on my commuter started skipping in the rain, so I finally tried actual chain lube, and it cost $9 at the shop on Broadway. Now I want to know who is right on the other side of this because I still see people swearing by the spray. Is there anyone out there who ran WD-40 for a decade with no problems, or did I just get lucky for 4 years?
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terryrobinson6d ago
Four years with no problems is not luck, that is a pretty good run. WD-40 is mostly a solvent with a little oil in it, so yeah it flushes out the old gunk and leaves a thin coat that keeps things moving for a while. The catch is that thin coat does not last, especially in rain, so you end up spraying more often, which honestly is fine if you are the type to hit the chain every week anyway. Most people who swear by it are doing exactly that, reapplying all the time, so the chain never dries out. Your chain started skipping because you went four years without doing the math on wear, not because the spray itself was evil.
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