How often should I lube my chain? I ride less than 200 miles a week, and I'm at about the 200 mile mark on my new road bike.  Most of my riding is done on the road in an urban city, so there is a lot of odd, unnatural debris.  My LBS told me to lube my chain every 150 miles, but I've read conflicting opinions.

How often should I be lubing my chain?
Lubricate when needed.  I don't think it's possible to put a mile marker on when to lube.  I think most people add chain lube too often.  Too much can cause debris to build up on the chain.  Too little lube can cause unnecessary friction; but you'll know pretty quickly by the looks (and possibly sound) of it if you have too little lube.

Hints:


Wipe your chain off before you add
more lube.[*]
Is the color black?
Is it greasy?
Wipe all that schmutz off until it's
looking dry.
Add lube while rotating cranks.


Tips:


Lube the night before you ride: this
gives the lube a chance to 'spread'.
Wipe the excess off immediately
before you ride - but not until dry
as above.


^ [*]. Wiping off the chain is best done in a work stand or while the bike is in a position where you can rotate the crankarm such that you can hold a rag to the chain while the chain is moving.