Very interesting and informative, I am off to go and make one. Thanks Backofbeyond.

Jerome

Any thoughts on whether chain oilers are good for bikes used off road a lot
 

Any thoughts on whether chain oilers are good for bikes used off road a lot- i.e. dusty or muddy conditions.

I had a Loobman.
It was fine going across Europe and Western Russia but after a few days off road it fell apart, mainly a result of impact from stones, vegetation etc and the bike regularly falling over and being dragged out of bogs and other difficulties. Maybe this was all too extreme for it.
I'm glad it cost under £20 and not £80!

I'd have one again for road use.

I agree with with Tony our loobman's fell apart as soon as we got on the ruff stuff in asia. Worked great until then.

Pete

Brilliant!
In 2003 I designed a similar "system" even simpler than yours. I used 90 wt. gear oil and used vent restriction and exhaust heat to regulate flow. All gravity feed. No squeezing. When things got hot I would reduce venting which would restrict flow. In cold, increase venting for more flow. Gravity did the rest. I found I only really needed it for super long tours, riding huge miles each day. In rain (like in the UK) it would be good too as most chain lubes dissipate quickly in constant rain.

Auto oilers do make quite a mess and that is why I stopped using mine. (I've still got it!). Generally I can make do with one oiling a day (except in rain). Last two DID VM-2 Xring chains both made 22K to 25K miles.

When touring I do bike maintenance at end of day. Fill gas, check oil, clean and oil chain while chain is still HOT. I take this time to do an inspection, just a look see at things. Last is check is tires. Then its off to Beer and dinner.

Now the bike is ready to ride away at the crack of dawn with no fiddling about. Load up the gear and ride.

Yet another one who found the Loobman to not withstand tougher off-road riding.

I used one for a couple of years on two different road bikes, so I thought give it a shot on the trailbike. I read on a different thread last year someone saying that Loobman's can't handle the off-road, but I was hoping to prove them wrong.


Unfortunately I have to concede that spraycan chain lube is probably the most simple way to keep your chain oiled. Using engine oil directly out an oil bottle creates a lot of mess and wastes a lot of oil as well.