A mate of mine (Jim), from many years ago, used to work for Reynolds Chains in Manchester. According to him, greases which solidify are not ideal to preserve the life of a chain because, after a few rotations the grease gets pushed out of the way of the friction points between the pins and the rollers, then because the grease is thick it doesn't flow back. Jim said that the best circumstances for a chain are an oil bath where the oil is fairly light but has good adhesive properties. It is highly unlikely to be able to achieve these conditions in a secondary chain so the best alternative is to use an O-ring chain where each pin runs in its own enclosed oil bath. The oil selected by the manufacturer is likely to be the most suitable for the application. When I used to race moto-cross bikes back in the 70's and 80's I used the 'boil your chain in grease on the cooker method' but, after being advised by Jim I switched to an O-ring chain. I could get a whole season out of an O-ring chain whereas previously I went through at least three chains a year. This is remarkable considering the abuse a chain gets on a moto-cross bike. On my modern bikes I use O-ring chains with a Scottoiler which reduces friction on the sprockets. On my A10's I use a decent quality chain (Regina) and give it a good oiling on a regular basis. I try to run the oil between the plates so that it flows into the bearing surfaces. O-ring chains are a lot fatter than conventional chains so they usually catch on the chainguard if you try to fit them to an A10 but it is worth persevering if you're running something non-standard with a bespoke chainguard.
