Old timer at the co-op swore by WD-40 on chains, saw the aftermath

So this guy named Mike who used to run a shop back in the 80s told me to just hose my chain down with WD-40 after every ride to keep it clean. I did that for like 3 weeks on my commuter and it went through a cassette in under 400 miles. The lube just evaporated and left all the grit stuck in there. Has anyone else had a shop vet give you advice that wrecked your drivetrain faster?

2 comments

2 Comments

butler.finley4d ago

i mean is it really that big of a deal though like yeah wd-40 isnt a proper chain lube but 400 miles on a cassette isnt necessarily the end of the world either. how dirty were you letting it get before you cleaned it again? because if you were just spraying it on and never wiping anything down then yeah that grit is gonna grind everything up no matter what you use. i've seen people run their chains dry for way longer and not wreck anything that fast so maybe it was just a bad cassette or something else going on. plus mike was running shops in the 80s when chains were different and stuff was heavier duty so his advice might have worked fine back then. not saying wd-40 is great but i bet there were other factors at play here lol.

henderson.wesley4d ago

Switched to a thick wet lube and never looked back. WD-40 is for displacing water, not staying on a chain.