Lube cold chain?

[lonesoldier84]

Is it really that bad?

I ask because I am about to head out for a ride later today. First ride of season. Chain is 100% unlubed and cleaned. Was planning on just lubing it up before I left.

 

[Jake]

It won't kill you and it's better than not lubing it. I'd still give the lube a good 10-15 minutes to set-up. I'd say that almost half of the lubes I did on my old chain were done cold and I got about 25k out of that chain.

 

[Manx]

From what I understand, lubing a chain is only to prevent external corrosion which can wear away the 'O' rings which contain the important lube. So, a clean chain is more important than a lubed one, i.e. you've removed any corrosion build up.

I just clean mine with WD40, either hot or cold, if it looks dirty.

 

[McLovin]

if the chain is cold, i put bike on centerstand and put it in first gear and let it roll for a while before i lube

 

[reiobard]

lube it before you leave to get a good base on it, then at your first stop just put it up on the center stand and give it another spray at the beginning of the rest.

 

[SovietRobot]

I've always done mine when its cold.
There's a lot of heat and friction between the chain and the sprockets and one of the jobs of chain lube is to help it deal with that friction. Kind of like engine oil.