Rust on drive chain

[NitroDaze]

Is rust on the drive chain a sign that the chian has reached its use by date? It rained the last time i used by bike, and l have not used it much over the winter. Now l am noticing some rust. Though l have Oiled the chain after my ride yesterday. Would a thorough clean revive the chain or should l be looking to change it?

[Lateshift]

Rust on a chain doesnt suggest anything other than the fact that air and moisture has got to it, if the last time you used it was in the rain then its quite easy for it to start rusting over night if you havent dried the chain off and given it a bit of grease again.

Nothing really to worry about, if it were me i would probably give it a good hard rub down with a rag and some paraffin, dry it off and then slap some chain lube on it, not too much, just enough to give it a protective coating.

If the rust wipes off then its fine, if the rust doesnt wipe off then i would give it a careful check to make sure its not hiding anything, i would certainly be looking to make sure it hasnt developed any tight spots too :)

[harriebird]

mine is rusty as hell, thanks to the lovely winter.

if you are a lazy customer like me :rolleyes: then you can use Motul Chain Cleaner - a veritable miracle in a can - spray on and all the crap drips off. A light brush helps anything that is really seriously stuck on.

about £5-6 for a big can but well worth it in my opinion :grin2

i was a bit worried about mine, but i have only had to adjust it once in 6500 miles (i'm guessing it might have been tweaked by someone else when it was serviced though) so i reckon it's far from knackered :grin2

[SDM]

Or try WD40 and a toothbrush............Spray on the WD40 give it a good clean with the toothbrush, then wipe it clean with a rag, then use a good chain lube, I use Castrol Chain Wax myself but any good lube will do.

[Pants]

Be careful, WD40 can perish the rubber O rings, if you have an O ring chain that is.

I have a few little bits of surface rust on my chain, they have done no harm for the last 2 years, just try to remember to keep the chain lubed and clean in the future.

[Lateshift]

WD40 does no harm to rubber, its an old myth, its a water dispersant and doesnt perish O rings, what it used to do was leak into the seals and disolve the captive grease in there ;)

Couriers cover their bikes in it these days to keep the crap off it and i have even seen it being used in the paddock instead of chain lube on chains too.

However if in doubt clean it with the WD40 and wipe it off, i certainly never had any problems using WD40 on a 520 race chain for at least 7000 miles :)