Guy at the bike shop told me to skip the chain lube every week...

So last month this mechanic at REI in Portland said I only needed to lube my chain once a month. I went with it because he seemed confident. After three weeks my chain started squeaking so bad I could hear it from half a block away. By week four I had rust spots and had to replace a $35 chain. Now I'm back to lubing every 100 miles like I used to and it's fine. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a shop employee that cost you money?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayes.tara6d ago

Oh come on, you're BLAMING the shop guy for your own bad luck? That mechanic probably just figured you weren't riding enough to need a weekly lube. I lube my chain maybe every three weeks on my commuter in Seattle and it's fine, no rust, no squeaking. You must have been riding through puddles or storing it in a damp basement honestly. A $35 chain is cheap, maybe you got a dud from the factory.

spencerl326d ago

Man that's a rough take honestly. Sure, maybe the OP could have lubed more, but Seattle is brutal on chains with all that rain and grit. I've had chains rust up in like two weeks just commuting through wet leaves and puddles, no matter how careful I am. A shop should know better than to push you off when you ask for a basic service like that. Feels kind of dismissive to just blame the rider when they were being proactive about maintenance.