Type of oil for the rower chain

[rr0ss0rr]

Guys .. Where oh where can you find 20W oil? We're talking just single weight? I tried all the usual places you can purchase oil from .. Nada .. Not even Amazon

[FRiC]

Is this lubricant oil from Decathlon any good? I can't readily find other types of cheaper oil locally.

It's OK as long as you completely ignore everything written by Jon from Concept2. Jon knows more about chain lubrication on the rower than anyone else in the world. Ignoring Jon may mean you have to replace the chain and sprockets early.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_no ... 3-in-1+oil

It's not that I want to ignore him, but I live in a (third world) country without a Concept 2 agent and without easy access to stuff that's commonly available elsewhere. The shop that sold me the Concept 2 came in a few months ago to oil the chain and left a huge mess so I prefer to do it myself. I did manage to find a seller that used to sell 3-in-1 but it's no longer imported, they seem to have 20W oil but it only comes in giant cans. Strangely enough we do have Decathlon here so I was hoping the Decathlon oil is suitable...

[Carl Watts]

If you fussy just use a full synthetic motor oil, practically anything will do.

I use Castrol Edge 10W-60 in all my cars so a few drops of this and your sprocket is going to last forever.

The chain gets in a mess anyway if your a heavy sweater, especially the first foot or so from the handle. The Nickel coated chain is an improvement.

Look the chain is going to last longer on your rower than a motorcycle or bicycle because its not exposed to grit and dirt from the road and water pouring all over it.

Just lightly lubricate it with anything is better than nothing, if your Italian put Olive oil on it.

[c2jonw]

It's not that I want to ignore him, but I live in a (third world) country without a Concept 2 agent and without easy access to stuff that's commonly available elsewhere. The shop that sold me the Concept 2 came in a few months ago to oil the chain and left a huge mess so I prefer to do it myself. I did manage to find a seller that used to sell 3-in-1 but it's no longer imported, they seem to have 20W oil but it only comes in giant cans. Strangely enough we do have Decathlon here so I was hoping the Decathlon oil is suitable...
FRiC Paddler Posts: 26Joined: March 12th, 2017, 10:44 am

I don't know anything about Decathlon oil so I really can't recommend it. Do you have auto parts stores there that carry motor oil in quarts or liters? That's where I'd go. C2JonW

[Allan Olesen]

Jon, I am unfamiliar with the term "20 weight". Is this a locally used term in your country?

I know about 20W engine oil which was used in cars before I was born 50 years ago and can probably still be found in special stores. But that is probably something else, since the W in 20W means "Winter".

[c2jonw]

Recommended by C2 Jon Wilson. So good lookin’ so refined (the oil that is). 20wgt. is sometimes hard to find. If it ain’t marked as such, you can tell by the “legs” (roughly the viscosity of liquid dish detergent). Unopened bottle @ house left Is vintage 1993 and marked “intestinal lubricant”. Personally, I wouldn’t swig a jigger of the stuff but isn’t it nice to know you could? I suspect some of our older lads here will remember their mothers approaching with a tbsp. of this elixir what fix your . . . .
Image

Yes, our original chain oil in the pic was a highly refined 20 weight mineral oil that worked very well. I never tried the drugstore version so I won't recommend it for the chain or consumption....... C2JonW

[jackarabit]

Disambiguation of the “W” in automotive lube designation: https://www.polytrondirect.com/informat ... eight-oil/

[c2jonw]

Jon, I am unfamiliar with the term "20 weight". Is this a locally used term in your country?

I'm referring to SAE20 oil. The Society of Automotive Engineers came up with this method for describing the viscosity of engine oils- pretty sure it's an internationally recognized system, and for ambient operating temperatures it's what is recommended by the manufacturers of our #25 chain. C2JonW......

[Allan Olesen]

"SAE20" is well known internationally.

"20 weight" is not.

[rr0ss0rr]

I was looking into the 3-in-one oil .. but the one I had was a Multi Purpose without any SAE indication. I found that 3-in-One Motor Oil is rated SAE 20 and can be found in HW stores and Amazon in the US.

[Carl Watts]

You can buy 3 in 1 oil from the Concept 2 website.

[rr0ss0rr]

It seemed that Jon's 1st choice was the SAE 20 oil .. Which would be the 3-in-one Motor oil. I sent an email to the WD-40 company asking what the differences are between the Motor and Multi Purpose oils.

[Allan Olesen]

It seemed that Jon's 1st choice was the SAE 20 oil .. Which would be the 3-in-one Motor oil. I sent an email to the WD-40 company asking what the differences are between the Motor and Multi Purpose oils.

Unless the WD-40 company sells something else than WD-40, I would stay far away from them.

WD-40's primary role is not as a lubricant. It is intended as a rust dissolver, with all the bad side effects which comes from that.

[FRiC]

It seemed that Jon's 1st choice was the SAE 20 oil .. Which would be the 3-in-one Motor oil. I sent an email to the WD-40 company asking what the differences are between the Motor and Multi Purpose oils.

Unless the WD-40 company sells something else than WD-40, I would stay far away from them.

WD-40 Company owns the 3-IN-ONE Oil Company.

[Citroen]

... It is intended as a rust dissolver, ...

No it's not. It's a hydrophobic product designed to displace water (hence WD).

It does include some penetrating oil, but not enough to lubricate your chain. It also has some extremely nasty hydrocarbons that you don't want to breath in while rowing.