Any good ideas or drivetrain maintenance products for someone who isn’t good at keeping up with their bike?
When something goes wrong with my dads bike to the bike shop he goes. Nothing wrong with this for him for the most part.. He’s very proud of his completely stock Trek Checkpoint (he makes sure to mention it is completely stock with no upgrades) that he never touches and how it always just “works”. However today I spent 2 hours cleaning it for the first time this year(?) and the drivetrain was caked in so much grease it was unrecognizable. Yes dad.. your cassette is supposed to be silver not black..
What’s my best shot at helping him keep his chain cleaner? Chain cleaner gizmo? Any lube recommendations or routines he could keep up with? ____ chain lube, and a microfiber cloth before every ride? I think wax is too much for him to mess with. His current regiment seems to be lube chain with whatever happens to be lying around and never clean it.
Yep as another commenter said, a drip on wax would be best for him for sure. Cassettes and chainrings usually aren’t too hard to get clean enough to not contaminate a waxed chain. I’m assuming he doesn’t want to spend big bucks, so something basic like Squirt would do. Given he’s neglected his drivetrain I’d probably look at fitting a new chain than spending time with multiple cleaning sessions to get his gunked up chain clean enough, that is assuming his cassette is in reasonable condition. And then a simple lesson “Dad, just drop this stuff on carefully every few hundred kms, or more if it’s noisy.”
Sounds like if hes’s loudly proclaiming that his bike has no upgrades and is completely stock, he’s having a few subtle digs at your bike obsession?
You can either allow the chain and block become so worn and dirty that they no longer work, illustrating the need for cleaning and maintenance or clean it and maintain it for him and take some credit?
He told me every time he takes his bike in for a tune up they make him get a new chain and cassette.. cleaned it yesterday and put some drip wax on.. hoping the difference in ride quality will encourage him to keep up with it when he goes home. Sending him a link for some squirt like commenters mentioned above.
There is some risk that he won’t re-wax his chain and then complain that this fancy stuff is worthless. Or he might not realize that he needs to wax it the day before to get best results.
I would recommend Silca Senergetic oil based and a bag of Costco’s microfiber shop rags. Drip n wipe minimum once a month (weekly better), wipe the chain dry after every ride (or once a week). It will be better than any old oil and it gets into the rollers
Waxing is for people who do maintenance regularly.
+1 for synergetic; it’s good, and does not require learning new habits or practices. Silca also sells “gear wipes” that I’ve been using for a quick chain wipe (among other things), and have found pretty effective at removing surface grease for very, very little effort or mess. I reckon its effects on chain wear are largely indirect (remove sticky gunk from surface of chain, less grit gets stuck on and works its way into chain) and ineffective as remediation (since the grit is already inside the chain at that point).
-1 on synergetic. Stuff lasts long, but gets filthy quickly whom let chain cleaning/wiping slide.
Stick him on chain wax. I admittedly am very similar to your dad, I generally dislike having to clean my bike, rarely clean my drivetrain, don’t clean my bike unless after a cx race/tubeless accident, and slather squirt wax (silca and cc are better but spendy) 7 hours before a given ride or right after the first leg of my commute. I do have access to a chain wax pot at work now, which may change things.
My cassette and chainrings are a bit nasty with road grime, but I have little motivation or desire to work on my own shit when your work centers around bike maintenance.
Just leave him. You can tell him, that he can save money and watts with other solutions. I know some people who happily spend dozens of euros 2x year at the bike shop in order not to take a microfibre cloth in their hands. It’s their time and money!
I agree that the easiest option is to start with a new, cleaned chain (stripped of factory grease) and drip wax. Potentially start with a pre-waxed chain. Probably new cassette too. Maybe new chainrings (depending on their current state) or at least thoroughly cleaned.
Wipe down with a microfibre cloth and reapply drip wax regularly (say once a week, and/or after every wet ride) and he’ll have a pretty clean, long lasting drive chain with minimal maintenance.
That said, I also agree that your efforts might be in vain. It sounds like your dad is almost proud of how little he regard he pays his bike, and I wouldn’t be surprised if even that simplest of regimes sounds too much like caring. It’s no good buying a new chain and expensive drip wax if your dad isn’t going to use them and will obstinately continue to haphazardly apply whatever random lube he comes across.
A new bike with an internally geared rear hub and belt drive.
As folks have said, it sounds like the neglect is almost a point of pride, and anything that requires effort is doomed to failure. I’d try making the argument - once - about the money saved by good maintenance, and if that doesn’t work you have to let it go.
If you try the drip wax route, I’d be tempted to go with Smoove just for the applicator, which is simpler than trying to put a drop on each link. Smoove Universal Chain Lube - SMOOVE™
Kinda depends on how invested you want to be in your dad’s bike maintenance. If he doesn’t care about optimal maintenance, and is happy to absorb the cost of a new cassette and chain every time he goes to the bike shop, maybe just let him.
If you do want to be involved, there’s a few other questions. How much does he ride? How often do you see him? If you see him every 500-900 miles, put a new endurance waxed chain on the bike and swap it out each time. Tell him not to worry about doing anything to it. If you see him less often, it’s beyond your control anyway, and you should just let him keep buying drivetrains.
