Get out the pitch forks everyone, because I decided to give the diy route a try, using a 4-1 mixture of mineral spirits and motor oil. Liberally apply the mixture using the ham-fisted \#2 move, back-spin the crap out of the drive train and then use a cloth to remove all the desolved crap. Everything has to be done outside due to fumes, and you just let the mixture dissolve to leave a thin film of motor oil. I used to use Tri-flow, being really careful not to leave much on the chain before riding. I've noticed my diy lube process collects slightly less stuff than my careful Tri-flow results, and it's definitely cheap. That said, it still collects a little bit of stuff, and it stinks until it evaporates. Probably not something I'll do for ever, but at least I'm pretty sure I haven't increased chain wear over my prior habits. I'm going to switch to 5:1 mixture soon, as I think 4:1 is overkill on the lubricant. I look forward to the verbal eye-roll comments...
June 14, 2021, 12:24 p.m. - Mammal
Get out the pitch forks everyone, because I decided to give the diy route a try, using a 4-1 mixture of mineral spirits and motor oil. Liberally apply the mixture using the ham-fisted \#2 move, back-spin the crap out of the drive train and then use a cloth to remove all the desolved crap. Everything has to be done outside due to fumes, and you just let the mixture dissolve to leave a thin film of motor oil. I used to use Tri-flow, being really careful not to leave much on the chain before riding. I've noticed my diy lube process collects slightly less stuff than my careful Tri-flow results, and it's definitely cheap. That said, it still collects a little bit of stuff, and it stinks until it evaporates. Probably not something I'll do for ever, but at least I'm pretty sure I haven't increased chain wear over my prior habits. I'm going to switch to 5:1 mixture soon, as I think 4:1 is overkill on the lubricant. I look forward to the verbal eye-roll comments...