[TheIglu]

A well lubed chain is better than a clean wheel any day. I cringe at the sight of a shiney chain. It makes a noticably smoother ride when your chain is properly lubed.

With that being said, my rear wheel is continuously dirty. No sweat.

My routine:

Clean chain/wheel/swingarm with rag and WD40.

Wipe it down well. With dry rag to get off excess WD.

Spray with Suzuki chain lube (cheap and the can is HUGE).

Let it dry for a little while, but I usually spin the rear tire slowly for a minute to make sure it gets distributed well first.

Ride. Don't replace chain early due to being a fairy about how clean your bike is.

If it's gettin all over your tire? Ease up on the lube, or try some different stuff. Bel-Ray makes some good stuff that sticks really well. But as I have been told by some smart guys who do bike maintenance as a job, lubes that keep your bike spotless don't do a good job lubing.

Then again, don't listen to me. I'm a chain maintenance nazi!