Bike Chain Lube - Park Tool Synthetic
The CL-1 Park Tool Synthetic Chain Lube is the perfect bike chain lube for your bicycle chain, regardless of the conditions you find yourself riding in! Whether it is wet and muddy conditions, or dry and dusty conditions, the CL-1 Park Tool Lube can handle it all! Using a proprietary blend of oils, as well as PTFE, or more commonly known as and is sometimes branded as Teflon, the Synthetic Park Tool chain lube helps your moving parts actuate smoothly, while making sure they are coated and protected from any dust or other contaminants that could get on your bike. This chain lube can be applied to your bike chain, the front bike sprocket and back bike cassette, as well as the rear derailleur. On top of the applications on your drivetrain, this bike lube chain lube can also be applied to your shifter and brake cables to help them slide smoothly. The CL-1 bike lube penetrates deep into the chain, reduces friction while operating, keeps your components running smoothly and prolonging their lifespan, and helps protect your precious components from rust and corrosion. After all, nobody wants a rusty chain!
Why should I use a bike lube on my chain?
Bicycle lubrication is one of the most important aspects of keeping your bike in good running order. When you ride your bicycle, even at lower speeds, there is a lot of metal on metal contact while your chain runs through your rear cassette and front chainrings. This metal on metal contact will start to wear down components as they operate over time. If you add into this equation any dirt or grime that your bike picks up while riding, it can be very rough (literally) on your drivetrain components. Any dirt or liquid that gets picked up on your chain becomes a gross paste like material that is like sandpaper on the components of your drivetrain. Continued usage in this state will make your components wear out much faster than they normally should. A good chain lube, on top of simply lubricating to make that metal on metal contact operate smoother, helps shield your chain and protect it from any of that dirt and grime. This is something that every rider, regardless of skill level, can benefit from. It will save you money in the long run, as you are not replacing parts nearly as often. After all, who doesn’t like saving a bit of money? If the money savings weren’t enough, it also makes the riding experience more enjoyable, as everything will run smoothly and you will not have to work extra hard just to get the bike moving. Really, there are no negatives and only positive notes for lubing up your chain!
How do I lube my bike chain and how often should I do it?
Lubing your bike chain is a very easy process that can be done anywhere! One of the big things when it comes to lubing your chain is to make sure it is properly cleaned when you apply new lube. If you apply bike chain lube while the bike chain is dirty and grimy, while it may make the chain move a bit smoother (not a whole lot), it will just mix with the dirt and make a nasty mix that can damage your chain. For a great chain cleaner, check out our Park Tool Chain Cleaner. Once your chain is clean and dried off, you can now apply the new bike chain lube. It is best to apply a drop of the chain lube to each of the links on your bike. Go around until the whole chain has been coated in the chain lube. Another way to do this is to suspend the rear wheel in the air and pedal the bike around. While the bike is pedaling around, you can apply a small stream of the lube to the bike chain running through the cassette.
Once the whole bike chain has been lubed up, we let it sit for a little bit to let the chain lube penetrate into the chain. After we have let it sit for a little bit (just a few minutes), we finally wipe off any excess bike chain lube with a clean rag or cloth. With the excess chain lube wiped off, your bike chain has been properly lubricated and is ready to ride! But how often should I do this process? How often you should lube your chain is dependent on where you ride and how much you ride. On average, it is best if you lube your chain every other week, and give it a full clean and re-lube about once a month. Now if you ride a lot and put on a lot of miles, you may want to re-lube more frequently, like once a week or so. In addition to that, if you ride somewhere very dirty, or your drivetrain just gets extra dirty after regular rides, you may want to do the whole cleaning and re-lubing process more often as well. Always remember, good preventative bicycle maintenance will save you money on parts and labor in the future!
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