Smart Trainer Chain Oil Recommendations

[sizbut]

A bike on a smart trainer still benefits from oil on the chain. But the floor pads under my bike still retain half the oil I last put on the chain. So, any recommendation for a good brand of oil for a chain that will only ever spend its life being used for indoor trainer (ie. high cling, low shed).

[jiberjaber]

I used Shimano dry lube on mine for the last 3 years without problem, suspect this is one of the only applicable cases where dry is ok as long as the bike is staying on the turbo

[Alex B]

So, any recommendation for a good brand of oil for a chain that will only ever spend its life being used for indoor trainer (ie. high cling, low shed).

A spraying with GT85 (the greaser, not the degreaser obvs) every now and then works for me ...

[bludger]

I swear by Boeshield T-9. It has the characteristics of dry lube but is strongly resistant to sweat, rain etc. I use it for everything.

[rdtrdt]

A bike on a smart trainer still benefits from oil on the chain. But the floor pads under my bike still retain half the oil I last put on the chain. So, any recommendation for a good brand of oil for a chain that will only ever spend its life being used for indoor trainer (ie. high cling, low shed).

On my indoor-only trainer mule I use Squirt wax. This "bike" lives in a clean upstairs "gym room" so I don't want oil spray flicking off that I might walk/transfer around the house and I need to be able to do drivetrain cleaning in situ without creating much mess. With wax, instead of fine spray, you get a bunch of grey/black sticky waxy bits that fall off under the bike, and I have a "tray" positioned beneath the drivetrain to collect these.

For ongoing maintenance I quickly wipe the waxed chain once a week/fortnight using a rag wetted with biodegradable bike cleaner (non-solvent based!), then reapply a bit more Squirt, ready for use the next day after it's dried. And I clean all the shedded waxy blobs off the chainstay and "tray" underneath.

I've just replaced the chain after nearly 2 years usage, and did a full de-grease on the new chain prior to the first Squirt application. Did a slightly cut-down version of these lengthy steps, which was a bit of a faff but a once-only job:
https://moltenspeedwax.com/pages/clean-your-chain

IME, wax makes for a cleaner indoor setup and ongoing maintenance than if I was to use my regular outdoor wet lube, and gives a very quiet, smooth drivetrain. Squirt is a lazy man's waxing regime compared to the people dunking their chains in the molten stuff. The easier life suits me.

NB this Squirt wax lubing regime is completely different to the one I use on the outdoor bikes. And if my trainer bike was in a garage or shed where I'd not be bothered about the mess I'd just use my regular outdoor wet lube.

[zigzag]

i use dry lube on turbo trainer, a small drop across each roller. most of it evaporates and what's left keeps the chain lubed and clean. there are no traces of lube on the mat underneath. it lasts for 3-4 weeks or ~700km.

[rdtrdt]

i use dry lube on turbo trainer, a small drop across each roller. most of it evaporates and what's left keeps the chain lubed and clean. there are no traces of lube on the mat underneath. it lasts for 3-4 weeks or ~700km.

The appeal of the wax is that it's so damned quiet and smooth, but there's a little bit more hassle than your regime (and the blobs).

But I might try a dry lube on the next chain (2 years!) to see how it compares. Any specific recommendation?

[zigzag]

i use dry lube on turbo trainer, a small drop across each roller. most of it evaporates and what's left keeps the chain lubed and clean. there are no traces of lube on the mat underneath. it lasts for 3-4 weeks or ~700km.

The appeal of the wax is that it's so damned quiet and smooth, but there's a little bit more hassle than your regime (and the blobs).

But I might try a dry lube on the next chain (2 years!) to see how it compares. Any specific recommendation?

most dry lubes will work in a similar way, i am using prolink chain lube. i will be experimenting with wax when i get round to it (on the outdoor bikes, not the trainer), it has some desirable properties as a chain lubricant.

[rdtrdt]

Is Prolink Gold classed as a dry lube? I didn't know that.

I use that or Rock n Roll outdoors - pricey but effective and low hassle. But they were messier for me to use indoors, creating a bit of fine "spray" being dispersed over time no matter how much I fully wiped off the chain after application, hence the switch to wax. Again, this was only an issue because of where the trainer lived.

[zigzag]

i consider it as a dry lube, it's very liquid and quite clean. wet lubes (e.g. finish line green or muc-off c3 wet - i use these on my utility bike) are thick and viscous and make the drivetrain gunky in no time, but are better suited for neglected/ad-hoc maintenance regime.

the "mistake" (imo) a lot of people make lubing chains is squeeze the bottle over a chain and backpedal the cranks, overlubing it by at least five times. wiping the chain clean will not remove the excess* oil, which will then get splashed and shaken off.

* excess from inside inner half-links, outside inner half-links, inside outer half-links and rollers

[paton]

As used by Jumbo Visma

https://www.dynamicbikecare.com/products/watts-up-wax-indoor-wax

https://www.dynamicbikecare.com/blogs/blog/team-jumbo-visma-x-dynamic