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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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[–] maxmalrichtig@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

WD-40 is not a lubricant. At least not in the sense of one you would need for a bike chains. The oil-film that it places between the chain links is so thin that it doesn't really reduce friction enough. So your chain will wear quicker if you just use WD40 alone.

Personally, I don't care too much about chain wear and just take a cotton rag and some standard chain oil. In the evening, I just dry-wipe my chain clean, apply some oil and then wipe off the access again. Works good enough for me. Also: The oil can be used on other parts and bearings as well.

If you want to have a very low maintainence chain (in dry weather conditions) you could also look into waxing your chain. However, there is some additional invest (time & material) needed to set it up initially.

[–] JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Very useful, thanks.