Chain lube

[Frank9755]

What do people use nowadays - for winter / audax / commuting?

I've used White Lightning Epic Ride for years but some recent study said it was the worst thing possible for chain wear so I thought I'd look for something else.

There's lots of noise about waxing, but that's for summer / racing. 

What is good for normal use?

[JonBuoy]

Finish Line Cross Country Wet Lube.  It is a bit messy but seems to be fairly persistent.

[iandusud]

For the last couple of years I've been using MuckOff wet lube in winter (and their dry lube in summer) which I've found to be very good (compared to many different lubes used over 40+ years of cycling). Available at reasonable cost from Aldi when they have their cycling offers.

[sojournermike]

I’m lazy, so the chain stays on the bike until it’s stretched sufficiently to be replaced - ideally before it kills the cassette or chain rings. I use the finish line wet lube and periodically give the chain a clean in the bike by using Pro Link lube, working it into the chain by running it around the cogs and then wiping off after 5 minutes. I do a couple of cycles and then add the finish line again.

Pro Link is OK for warm dry summer days, if you have any. It is less messy.

[dat]

Finish line wet while the roads are gritted. Otherwise squirt. Once my bottle runs out I want to try smoove though.

[Hot Flatus]

Morgan Blue stuff generally, so Syn Lube in wet conditions, Rolls Pro and Race oil for better weather. I've stopped using super light stuff which is mostly solvent (Rock n'Roll Absolute etc) because I find it flicks onto the disc. You can't get away from the fact that wet lubes will make a mess of your chain and you'll still have to degrease and clean it. The very worst I ever used was White Lightning Epic. Absolutely unbelievable. Chain went black within a few miles. The Morgan Blue Synlube (and Pedros Synlube) looks like engine oil, but seems to do the job. Never going to bother with melting wax and putting chain in. I used a wax lube once and it coated but didn't lubricate.

[rafletcher]

Muc Off, Finish Line or Fenwicks wet lubes.

[De Sisti]

I use this stuff:

[quixoticgeek]

I use this stuff:

http://chain-l.com/

I don't get the 1600km between applications that they claim, best I've got is about 800km, but I realised that's more due to the fact I've only managed 800km between getting rained on. It washes off quite easily, you don't need much rain to remove it. But it works well, my chains seem to last long enough, and I don't really look after them. I add lube when it's rained, I don't bother cleaning the chain, just reapply when I need to. I don't seem to destroy chains any faster than I would expect to if I looked after it perfectly.

J

[freeflow]

Have a read of


https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

Then choose a lube which is the best compromise ( for your use case ) between ease of use, ease of maintenance, and lowest friction.

[Blodwyn Pig]

I use Wilko ‘chain lube with Teflon’ £2.50 a tin.

[Lightning Phil]

I use whatever is on offer when I need to replace. Currently using muc off wet lube. Can’t say I see a lot of difference in chain life, due to the lube I use. I have stopped using dry lube because, well, it’s needs reapplying far too often.

[Richard D]

I wax my chains in a cheap slow cooker bought for the purpose.  Swapping the chain every week for a freshly waxed one works fine over the winter (or even more often if the weather's foul).  So long as I do remember to swap it, and don’t get lazy and skip a week (or two).

[Davef]

Decathlon. I am sure the £2.49 and £3.99 “all weather” are exactly the same contents.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/browse/c0-sports/c1-cycling/c3-bike-chain-lubes-and-cleaners/_/N-vx5f4c

[hatler]

Purple Extreme stills seems to work well for me, and has for many years. Tried dry stuff and it seemed to need re-applying about every fifth day.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Purple Extreme stills seems to work well for me, and has for many years. Tried dry stuff and it seemed to need re-applying about every fifth day.

Likewise. Haven't found anything to beat the Purple Extreme - stays on and doesn’t get tacky.

Tried Muc Off C3 which is supposedly suitable for mixed conditions - one damp-ish ride washed it all off. The novelty of the UV torch was equally short-lived.

I use an ageing bottle of Phil’s Tenacious on the fixed. Good for that but not good for a small wheeled bike with a chain tensioner as it collects too much road grit.