Taking care of your chain will save you time and money further down the line. Bear in mind; your bike chain goes through a lot of stress and strain. Not only is it exposed to the grit of the road and any rainfall, but it is also responsible for converting your leg power into keeping your rear wheel spinning.
So, can you use WD40 on a bike chain? You should never use WD40 as a sole lubricant for your bike chain. If you have left your chain unloved for a while and notice that it has started to rust, then WD40 is a great way to dissolve the rust and get your chain back to its original shiny glory. However, after applying the WD40, you should thoroughly wash your chain and follow up with regular chain oil.
Take care of your bike chain
In an ideal world, you would dry and clean your chain after every ride. However, that is just not realistic.
If you can take the time to clean and lube your chain once a week, you will be able to prolong its life span and prevent that annoying grating noise that rusty chains create.
WD40 is a solvent
WD40 dissolves contaminants, leaving metal nice and clean. However, that does mean that WD40 will strip away any existing lubricants you have on your chain. As your chain has many moving parts and is put under a lot of stress, it needs lubrication to run smoothly and efficiently. Essentially using WD40 alone is worse than not using chain lube at all.
Other Reading
- 6 different ways your bicycle chain keeps coming off
- Why do bikes have so many gears? And how many do you really need?
- Are there Bikes without Gears? What are Single Speeds and Fixed Gears?
Conclusion
If you do not wash off the WD40, it will leave your chain clean, but also dry and prone to attracting dirt and grit. If you leave this muck to work its way into your chain, it will dramatically decrease its lifespan.
So make sure to also grease your chain, to keep its lifespan at the maximum amount.
