Is a self cleaning lube enough for chain maintenance? I've been trying to figure out what I should use when cleaning my bicycle chain.  When I first purchased my bike, I knew I needed to lube my chain when i did regular maintenance.  I purchased some White Lightning Self Cleaning Bicycle lube, which suggested to me that I only needed to put that lube on the chain and everything would be fine.  

I recently purchased another brand of lube, and it didn't say anything about self cleaning.  I've read in several places that a degreaser is needed and a cloth and some soap to clean a chain properly, and then lubing takes place afterwards.  

If I buy White Lighting self cleaning lube (or another Wax based lubricant), do I need to go through the regular chain cleaning steps(of de-greasing, soaping, greasing/lubing again)?  or can i just lube my chain and go?
It depends -- on the lube you use, the type of riding you do, and how much of a maintenance nut you are.


The "drier" the lube you use, the cleaner the chain will stay (though "dry" lube does not protect as well against moisture).
If you ride on roads, and rarely ride in the rain or slop, you need less chain maintenance.
Some people have to have their chains spotless, others can tolerate a bit of grime.  Keeping the chain spotless probably adds 5-10% (over "moderate" maintenance) to chain and sprocket life (though you can overdo it and actually make things worse).  But that extra 5-10% life is not that significant.


One important thing to do, after lubing, is to use a rag to wipe the outside of the chain.  This removes a lot of grime and also removes excess lube that will attract more grime.

I generally use a chain washer system about once a season (and when I was commuting regularly I'd use it about once a month).  Others do more, less, or none at all.

(FWIT, I also generally use a Teflon or wax-based "dry" lube, though I used to switch to something heavier when I did winter riding.)