Mountain Bike Chain Question

Okay, Dumb Question Alert:

I just bought a new Sram mountain bike chain. It's got some really sticky stuff on it. Is that factory lube or just something to protect the bare metal from corrosion? Should I oil a brand new chain?

It is okay to run it with the factory lube.

Thank you.

Anytime.

I'd clean it off and put a dry lube on it if you're using it to ride off pavement. Keeps dirt from sticking to it and gunking up the works and might make stuff last longer. Not so great in wet conditions, though.

Factory lube is really just to prevent rusting while it's in storage, it is much thicker than chain lube. The only issue is that it will draw dirt to your chain more quickly, so I would only leave it on there a short bit until you can get your hands on some real chain lube. Bike chain lube will be thin and only provide lubrication for the moving parts of the chain (when applied properly), where as grease will cause dirt to stick to every part of the chain and not provide the best functionality. Not horrible, but definitely not ideal either.

I would remove the original chain packing grease (with something mild once it's installed on the bike, such as Dawn or Ivory liquid, something mild enough you would wash your hands with it). Dry it off and then apply the chain specific lube and remove any excess lubricant by freewheeling the chain through a paper towel (held loosely around the chain) to remove excess lube from the outer plates.

And...Thank you...

My pleasure Woody!