How long should a chain last?

[richwagmn]

Not sure about other brands besides Shimano, but what do you guys do with the stock lube on new Shimano chains? It's some sort of sticky gooey stuff that seems to attract dirt quite well.

 

[Megalodon]

An ultrasonic cleaner with diluted Simple Green will strip off the grease.

 

[richwagmn]

An ultrasonic cleaner with diluted Simple Green will strip off the grease.

So strip it and use my normal lube then?

 

[Megalodon]

Yeah, but it might be a good idea to get whatever you used to remove the grease off before lubing. Degreaser and lube don't really mix well.

 

[BroDeal]

Not sure about other brands besides Shimano, but what do you guys do with the stock lube on new Shimano chains? It's some sort of sticky gooey stuff that seems to attract dirt quite well.

I leave it on for a while. Some chain brands like SRAM use Gleitmo grease, which if I remember right is an expensive super high quality grease that is put on hot. It is like the finest chain lube on the planet. The chain probably has the best lubrication it will ever have while that grease is on it. Eventually it picks up all sorts of road grit and has to be taken off, but I figure why waste it before it gets dirty.

Shimano uses some low quality crap that should be cleaned before using the chain.