Lube - have I been getting it wrong this whole time?

[Cheule]

Like many I assume, I have bottles of Wet lube and Dry lube. I've been using the Dry lube for when it's dry, and Wet for wet conditions.

I was thinking about the properties of the Dry lube, how it's supposed to shield the chain from debris/muck/oil etc, and suddenly it appeared to make sense to use it in wet conditions.

Is there a general rule? My Wet lube gets totally murdered by the salty snowy slush we've been having.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I'm of the "lube is lube" school of thinking.

I've tried all the fancy stuff with their fantastic (fantasy) claims of longer life and smoother running, but none are any better than the tin of Everyman oil I found in the garage where it had been hiding for about thirty years.

Keep the chain oiled and use whatever cheap stuff comes to hand.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

To my mind, 3-in-One general-purpose oil is all you need. I use it on car locks, bike chains and all sorts.

Bill

 

[e-rider]

Finish line wet lube is the way to go - quite cheap too

 

[Fab Foodie]

Yep, Wet-Lube and plenty of it this time of year. Mickle-method with babywipes or oily rag to keep it relatively clean.

I also like Finish line Green/Cross Country as it seems a bit tackier than 3 in 1 and washes-off less easily, but 3 in 1 is a perfectly good lube!

 

[biggs682]

baby wipe do a good job for general cleaning on my bike , just a shame i rarely do them ?

 

[fossyant]

Finish Line Pro Road Ceramic stuff for all road conditions. Wet Lub is good also.

Although, I have been using White Lightning wax lube on the MTB during the snow as it keeps the chain clean, and I'm using an off road route with lots of gritty conditions. That said, the wax needs regular re-applying as it 'flakes off' as part of the cleaning process. Works a treat though, especailly when surfaces are gritty.

 

[brodie]

<br />Finish line wet lube is the way to go - quite cheap too<br />

<br /><br /><br />


Whatever it is it's certainly not cheap.

120ml at £5 for "cycle" lube is over £40 per litre.

You can get a litre of machine/engine oil for a few pounds or less.

 

[Fab Foodie]

<br /><br /><br />


Whatever it is it's certainly not cheap.

120ml at £5 for "cycle" lube is over £40 per litre.

You can get a litre of machine/engine oil for a few pounds or less.

Yeah, and if you buy it by the tonne it's a whole lot less....

120 mls last several years so it's no big deal.

 

[Keith Oates]

I bought some Finish Line Ceramic to see how it goes, to date it's been verygood but I've not used it off road or in snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[zacklaws]

I changed from Finish line wet which I thought was good to Chain-L a short while ago and I am very impressed, usually I only get around 1200 miles out of a chain, up to now on Chain-L I have more than doubled that and still a bit of life in chain, according to the gauge. Plus it silenced my drive train like nothing else has.

 

[byegad]

For chains I've just changed to chainsaw oil. It's thick and doesn't fly off chain saw chains so certainly stays on a bike chain, it also seems less likely to attract grit.

 

[PpPete]

I gave up on Finish Line wet becasue it attacted way too much black grinding paste - whether conditions were wet or dry.
I've been using pro-gold this year.... chain is cleaner, and although it washes away quite quickly, the noise of the chain soon tells you it's time to re-apply. The black gunge is, relatively, silent so it can be ignored for far too long.

 

[snailracer]

A mudflap, long enough to block spray from the front wheel being thrown onto the chainrings, makes much more difference than the choice of lube. When being blasted by a jet of spray, no lube hangs onto the chain for long - you might as well pollute the watercourse directly, by squirting lube directly into the stormdrains.

 

[Garz]

Yep, Wet-Lube and plenty of it this time of year. Mickle-method with babywipes or oily rag to keep it relatively clean.

I also like Finish line Green/Cross Country as it seems a bit tackier than 3 in 1 and washes-off less easily, but 3 in 1 is a perfectly good lube!

I am from this same school of thought. Finish line is the best just wait for a discount to come around and order enough to last the year.