In reply to ChrisJD
> I'm happy if a rear mech last a year, but then my bikes getting ridden fairly hard down stuff.
> Marek - After years of not cleaning my bike, I've now gone fully the other way (mainly as I was getting though 1x11 SRAM drive trains which are £££, cheaper now with SRAM GX). I now deep clean my chain and drive chain with a jet wash (and whole bike). It then gets hand dried, blown dry with compressor nozzle (all the nooks and crannies, including chain links), heat dried with a blower for a few hours, then lubed all over with silicon. It's made a huge difference to wear and tear rates and how the bike rides. So yes, cleaning does work! The silicon stops the mud sticking as well.
> And the stuff on the outside of a chain does matter as Peak grit eats chains rings, cassettes and jockeys (wheels), as well as chains.
Is the rear-mech-a-year due to damage or wear?
My Xt rear mech is about 16 years old, although the jockeys have been changed several times. Mind you, I ride more XC than trails.
I do recall reading an article about old skool motorcycle riders who would lube a cleaned chain by gently heating it in a pan of lube oil (EP90). Heating and agitation drove out air from the between the pins and rollers, then it was allowed to cool whilst submerged in the oil, so that all the hidden gaps were filled with lube. Seems a bit excessive for mtb though - our chains are comparatively cheap compared to m/c.