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HELP Getting a build up of grime on my rear wheel

4K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  Idrivetoys 
#1 ·
After i do about a 100 miles i have a grimy buildup on my rear wheel only on the chain side, not the brake side, and the only thing i can think of is my rear wheel is a little off. I measured the hash marks and also the tensioning bolt itself and they seem right on but i have a feeling its off a hair. My chain rollers dont show any uneven wear/coloring either.

I recently cleaned my chain pretty good and applied chain wax/lube like usual.



anyone else ever had this problem? this is also why i went ahead and posted a thread elsewhere about a decent laser alignment tool. thanks



Ryan
 
#2 ·
As long as you have an exposed chain that you have to periodically lubricate, you're going to get some fling onto the wheel.

About the only time I see less of it is after I clean my chain, lube it, and wipe off the excess. Then let it set overnight to allow the solvent to evaporate.
It stays relatively clean for a short while, but then with each re-application of chain lube, it starts to grime up the wheel.

Years ago, many European bikes used to have fully enclosed chains.
To lubricate, you just popped open a cap over the rear sprocket housing and dribbled some oil into the chain housing.
Since the chain was fully enclosed, it was never exposed to dirt, water, etc.
While not quite as "racy" as exposed chains, they did last a good long time this way.

For an example, look at the first photo at this link.
http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Yamaha_XV920R

You'll notice the black chain housing around the rear sprocket.
It had rubber bellows that joined the forward section that allowed chain adjustment.
 
#5 ·
I wash my bike probably more than anyone can imagine and its garaged so it rarely is dirty plus it never sees rain so thats why the only time i see it is after a long ride. royal purple and a wash mit takes it off easily, as for the plastics i use honda wash or cycle wash though.

chain and sprockets are fairly new and tension is set or checked probably once a month as i do track days through the marine corps and thats part of tech



Ryan
 
#6 ·
After cleaning your back wheel, coat it with a very light layer of vaseline. The gunk will wipe off much more easily with just a clean cloth in future. If you always re-coat with the Vaseline, it'll make cleaning much easier in future. ;)
 
#7 ·
clean chain and wheel with kerosene. use toothbrush and follow with rag. it will not bother your finishes. it is recommended by manus. i follow up by washing whole bike with car wash soap.

use a good lube. i like liquid performance because it is thin, evaporates and only leaves a thin oily coating. there isn't as much for dirt to stick to.
 
#11 ·
Use a rear stand to help occasionally clean the chain & sprockets with paraffin, kerosine or a good degreaser & remove crud that would otherwise build up and work like grinding paste.
Wash with clean water, cloth dry and -relube. "RK Almighty White" is pretty good.
You only really need to spray the the centre of the chain, assuming it's an O or X -ring type.
Lubing the chain a long time before use allows solvents to evaporate fully, so that less fling occurs.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Sure, if you put enough degreaser on a wheel and let it get on the tyres without washing off properly it'll probably be dangerous too. You'd have to be really stupid to put large enough dollops of Vaseline on a rear wheel rim for it to run onto the sidewalls. :eek:

Below is a pic of my bike about 60km after having wiped the wheel clean and applied a thin coating of Vaseline (Sorry if it's the same as posted elsewhere here I need to take some more pics - waiting on fitment of new brakes, etc before I do :D). As you'll see - nothing has melted and gone onto the sidewalls. My jar's lasted 2 years so far and is half used after about 20,000km.
You should barely be able to see the coating, even close up.

Bikes shouldn't ever be maintained or ridden by idiots.

 
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