An old timer at the co-op told me to use a dry lube on a customer's mountain bike chain

Honestly, I was new and thought wet lube was better for everything. This guy, who used to run a shop in Flagstaff, said the dry dust there would turn wet lube into grinding paste. I ignored him and used my usual wet lube. Two weeks later, the customer brought the bike back and the drivetrain was a gritty, grinding mess. I had to do a full deep clean and re-lube. Ngl, he was completely right. Has anyone else had a lube recommendation that seemed weird but saved you a ton of cleanup later?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_reed612mo ago

Feel your pain on that one. Learning the hard way is a pretty effective teacher. Those old guys have seen every mistake you can make.

susan_ward2mo ago

My uncle in Phoenix taught me the same thing about car engines. He said using the wrong oil weight in that heat could lock up a motor. I see this everywhere now, like using dish soap instead of special cleaner on sealed hardwood floors. The fancy product leaves a film that actually traps grit. Sometimes the old way is just about knowing what the local dirt does to your stuff.

margaret_singh11d ago

Wait, does using dish soap on hardwood actually ruin the finish long term... I always thought it was fine if you used a little. The dust thing makes a lot of sense though, dry stuff mixing with wet lube just turns into mud basically.