Can we talk about the whole WD-40 on bike chains thing?

I keep seeing everyone say it's a terrible lube, but I've been using it on my commuter bike in Portland for the last 2 years and never had a single chain issue. Has anyone actually had a chain fail because of WD-40 or is this just shop lore?

3 comments

3 Comments

green.noah12d ago

Shop lore for sure. I've been using it too (though mostly because I'm too lazy to buy actual bike lube) and my chain hasn't exploded yet.

charles72012d ago

Man, same here. I've been using the same half-empty bottle of chain lube I found in my garage for like three years and it's been totally fine. If it's stupid and it works, it's not stupid.

amy_martin12d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, @charles720, does that mean my rusty chain is basically a "patina" now? I've been using the same $5 bottle of WD-40 I stole from my dad's garage like five years ago. Guess I'm part of the "it works until it doesn't" club too.