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Is WD-40 a miracle product? (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world to c/bicycling@lemmy.world

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Looking for some maintenance advice.

I'm about to embark on some touring. I don't have space to take more than one canned product. Is WD-40 what I need?

As I understand it from some research, WD-40 is by some magic both a degreaser and a lubricant. This is mysterious to me. In my mental model of chemistry, you degrease with detergent, not more grease. So now I'm imagining that WD-40 is a sort of "light grease" which dissolves "heavy grease". Is that right?

So if I can only take one product, is WD-40 it? PS: If not, then what? Also, is there a generic name for it, or cheaper similar products to look for which do the same thing?

PPS: The consensus seems to be that WD-40 is not a miracle product, by which really I meant "a single portable product that can somehow de-gunk and lubricate" and is less risky than what I was doing before: using chain oil for the lubrication and dish soap for the cleaning.

PPPS: This question was asked in the best possible faith. I have been a cyclist for decades and always been curious about this product. And yet still I get downvoted. What is about social media that makes people so toxic and mean-spirited? It's almost as mysterious as WD-40.

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[–] horse@feddit.org 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What are you planning to use it for? I don't think it would be all that useful for touring. It's not great for lubricating chains and I'm not sure what else you'd want to use it for while touring. I'd just take some chain oil and maybe fill a small amount of grease into some kind of small container in case you want to grease some bolts or something.

[–] JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

On the last trip I make the rookie mistake of over-oiling the chain. The oil got everywhere and sucked dirt into the crank, which blocked the cadence sensor (electric bike) and I needed to use detergent to clear it. What a mess.