No, it is not recommended to use WD40 on your bike chain. In any case, you should not use it to lubricate your chain. Exceptionally, WD40 can be useful to remove rust from it. If you use it this way, you will have to clean it thoroughly and lubricate it with an oil specially designed for this purpose.
Why not use WD40 on my chain?
WD40 is a solvent. It acts more like a degreaser by dissolving most of the contaminating elements on its way. This product is useful to clean parts of grease or rust, allowing to obtain clean parts. Since WD40 removes grease, the cleaned parts are very dry. In transmission components, such as the chain on your bike, the friction of the metal will cause wear. The chain needs to be well lubricated, using WD40 on it is worse than not lubricating it at all.
Can you use WD40 on the rest of your bike?
Yes, the product is useful for loosening stuck screws for example. If you see the beginning of rust on some parts of the bike, you can use it to remove this rust, the WD40 is very effective for that! Don’t forget to clean the parts behind, and as said before, don’t use it on mechanical transmission parts.
What to do next ?
Now that you know you shouldn’t use regular WD40 on your bicycle’s chain because it will become dry and its life will be greatly shortened, it might be interesting to look at a new product that the WD40 Company itself offers, specially designed for bike and chain maintenance. This product is called WD40 BIKE and is easily found online.
Otherwise, find on our site some tips to clean and lubricate the chain of your bike.
