What chain lube?

[Fields Electric]

I have been using Barbieri High quality oil on my Brompton Recently. Good lubrication properties, good stiction in wet. Not to sticky so that it collects dirt and clogs up the chain tensioner wheels. Which means that I only have to clean and re-lube every 6 weeks instead of 4. Mine is a commuter machine used in all weathers.

 

[Peter Salt]

Is a concise list of bullets half a sentence, or is it much more than a sentence?

Btw I don't doubt your expertise, but my other point is these single digit / fractions lubes are (and I'm happy to be shown otherwise) a lot more expensive than my bottle of Squirt (plus some GT85 for a bit of cleaning flushing of the 'inside' / rollers.)
Taking a step back from the data, a chain costs £15-20, so it's a question of how much £, or time in the case of immersive waxing, is it worth spending to eke out more mile / time from a consumable. It isn't worth consuming more of one consumable to save another.

Like Fab Foodie, I often sling on a new chain in the spring anyway.

It may be that you caught up on the conversation early in the morning and was still a bit sleepy?

I wasn't annoyed by your replies or points. I thought they're actually good (as opposed to some other geniuses on here) and, as you put it yourself, demonstrate 'conventional knowledge' - which always takes a while to catch up to reality.

The price argument: I think it's much more complicated than just how much you pay at checkout. By the same accord, if you wanted a new bike, you could get a £50 BSO - it is a bike, it will work, it beats walking. But how many of these BSOs would you need to cover 10000km? A dozen? If so, your cost per 10000km will be £600. So why not just buy a much better bike for £450 that will actually last the whole distance? Of course, this is a very simplified example, but I'm sure we all get it - there's cost and there's value. The biggest financial hit to using poor lubrication will be through excessive wear of your components, not price of the lubricant itself.

Having said all that, the pricing of some products is baffling. It's not uncommon for £10-15 classic lubes - including your favourite Squirt - to beat some products that boast magical and expensive ingredients, along with eye-watering price tag. But isn't that the case in every industry? Without some sort of independent testing, as a consumer, you won't know what's what.

 

[youngoldbloke]

ProGold ProLink - used from new on all my bikes. Sadly it's now become difficult to find for sale in the UK. Use very sparingly,
one drop per chain roller using a hypodermic.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

It's getting feisty. I predict the first blows (well, slaps) by 11am.

"Feisty" is the new innovative lube for both your beard *and* bicycle.

Specially formulated with unobtainium self assembling particles by Hipsters of Hackney, it merely requires you to remove your chain and beard, soak for 24 hours then reassemble your body hair/bicycle.

This simple regime will guarantee years of smooth hirsute running.

Best enjoyed with smashed avocado.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Does anyone remember Richard[Ballantyne]'s Bicycle Book?

This was my only source of info on bikes back in the 70/early 80s. He recommended some stuff called LPS-3 for chains. I bought some and would clean (in diesel) and re lube my 5-speed chain with this stuff a couple of times a year whenever I happened to have access to my dad's garage.

It came in a light blue spray tin and had a remarkably distinctive smell. It was quite gloopy stuff for a spray.

It's still available, marketed as a "heavy duty rust inhibitor" (Airline approved!). I'm sometimes tempted to buy some just to get a nostalgic whiff of it.

 

[T4tomo]

The price argument: I think it's much more complicated than just how much you pay at checkout. By the same accord, if you wanted a new bike, you could get a £50 BSO - it is a bike, it will work, it beats walking. But how many of these BSOs would you need to cover 10000km? A dozen? If so, your cost per 10000km will be £600. So why not just buy a much better bike for £450 that will actually last the whole distance? Of course, this is a very simplified example, but I'm sure we all get it - there's cost and there's value. The biggest financial hit to using poor lubrication will be through excessive wear of your components, not price of the lubricant itself.

Take it as a given we've all got a bike, it actually is about price of lube vs price of a chain that might not last quite as long (and a fraction of a cassette / chainring that might wear a tiny bit quicker). I haven't bothered to read the zero friction link put up comparison stuff, but are there and of these you'd recommend that is better than Squirt for best bang per buck and maintaining a clean looking chain that doesn't give off CR tattoos.?

There are some good classic drip lube options out there - Silca Synergetic, Rex Black Diamond are one of the best that come to mind.
If you want to go a step higher you can look at wax drips - Silca Super Secret, Ceramic Speed UFO, Tru Tension Tungsten, etc.

they are all about £35+ for 50ml vs £12 for 120ml Squirt, so about & times the price or ~ 2 chains premium per 50l.

BTW I agree with you, the "I use axle grease and used chip fat" posts add little to the collective knowledge base.

It may be that you caught up on the conversation early in the morning and was still a bit sleepy?

I wasn't annoyed by your replies or points.

Whilst it was early, as you quoted my post, I naturally assumed you were replying to me!

 

[Peter Salt]

Take it as a given we've all got a bike, it actually is about price of lube vs price of a chain that might not last quite as long (and a fraction of a cassette / chainring that might wear a tiny bit quicker). I haven't bothered to read the zero friction link put up comparison stuff, but are there and of these you'd recommend that is better than Squirt for best bang per buck and maintaining a clean looking chain that doesn't give off CR tattoos.?

they are all about £35+ for 50ml vs £12 for 120ml Squirt, so about & times the price or ~ 2 chains premium per 50l.

BTW I agree with you, the "I use axle grease and used chip fat" posts add little to the collective knowledge base.


Whilst it was early, as you quoted my post, I naturally assumed you were replying to me!

In terms of cleanliness - any other wax drip will be similar to Squirt. The ones I mentioned give better longevity, but are more expensive, so in the end it's not a massive difference in value.

 

[C R]

"Feisty" is the new innovative lube for both your beard *and* bicycle.

Specially formulated with unobtainium self assembling particles by Hipsters of Hackney, it merely requires you to remove your chain and beard, soak for 24 hours then reassemble your body hair/bicycle.

This simple regime will guarantee years of smooth hirsute running.

Best enjoyed with smashed avocado.

Wot, no sourdough starter involved?

 

[C R]

I use the muc off stuff, mostly because I have a large stash from over indulging at an Aldi sale.

The wet has good staying power, but needs very frequent cleaning. The dry stays clean, but won't last long if you get caught in a shower. Maybe I'll try the finish line if I ever finish my muc off stash.

 

[Dogtrousers]

The problem with the more expensive/ unusual products is that there's more pressure on you to use them correctly. Is a ham-fisted fool like me to be trusted with something you have to apply with a hypodermic? Of course not

I know where I am with my familiar products: clean chain with rag and white spirit, dry, pick out gunk from jockey wheels, dab a drop on each roller, whizz the chain round a bit, wipe off excess.

I don't dispute that some of these things may well be better or cost effective. But inertia keeps me in my comfort zone.

 

[Fab Foodie]

You may find your answer here https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

There's tons of stuff there that I may have a read of some time. I find this kind of stuff interesting although it's kind of academic for an unfit trundler like me.

That's top nerding in that there article Dogtrousers....
Subsequently I found: https://moltenspeedwax.com/pages/velo-lube-test-2
Which is interesting in that they tested Vaseline as a chain-lube (as I used back in the 80s on my fixed-wheeler) and it shows that it performs better than many bike-specific and costlier chain lubes!
What's also interesting is that it shows plain Paraffin Wax to perform nearly as well as the article's own MSpeedwax original formula (which does well in the Zerofriction tests) and a fraction of the cost. This has piqued my inner nerd....

Having now spent some months riding around this wet, red-carborundum coated county, chain-waxing might seem a sensible option. I've certainly never cleaned a bike and drive train as much as I have being here - the Finish-Line Green stubbornly remains on the chain but is a grime-fest after a couple rides despite Mickling in-between sorties.

Have just had to fit a new chain, might be worth buying another and a kg of Paraffin wax and having one cleaned whilst the other's on the bike and see how it goes.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Does anyone remember Richard[Ballantyne]'s Bicycle Book?

This was my only source of info on bikes back in the 70/early 80s. He recommended some stuff called LPS-3 for chains. I bought some and would clean (in diesel) and re lube my 5-speed chain with this stuff a couple of times a year whenever I happened to have access to my dad's garage.

It came in a light blue spray tin and had a remarkably distinctive smell. It was quite gloopy stuff for a spray.

It's still available, marketed as a "heavy duty rust inhibitor" (Airline approved!). I'm sometimes tempted to buy some just to get a nostalgic whiff of it.

I have both versions of the book - the original included how to kill a dog* with a bicycle pump among other methods...this was removed in later editions....

*The assumption being you were being attacked by said dog when touring in the wilds...not for the pot....

 

[wafter]

Hot wax - great for everything bar wet conditions IMO.

 

[Dogtrousers]

That's top nerding in that there article Dogtrousers....
Subsequently I found: https://moltenspeedwax.com/pages/velo-lube-test-2
Which is interesting in that they tested Vaseline as a chain-lube (as I used back in the 80s on my fixed-wheeler) and it shows that it performs better than many bike-specific and costlier chain lubes!
What's also interesting is that it shows plain Paraffin Wax to perform nearly as well as the article's own MSpeedwax original formula (which does well in the Zerofriction tests) and a fraction of the cost. This has piqued my inner nerd....

Having now spent some months riding around this wet, red-carborundum coated county, chain-waxing might seem a sensible option. I've certainly never cleaned a bike and drive train as much as I have being here - the Finish-Line Green stubbornly remains on the chain but is a grime-fest after a couple rides despite Mickling in-between sorties.

Have just had to fit a new chain, might be worth buying another and a kg of Paraffin wax and having one cleaned whilst the other's on the bike and see how it goes.

I love the fact that they tested vaseline. I take it all back, you are not a wilfully eccentric crank. Maybe.

Also worth noting that I think Richard Ballantyne mentioned the use of paraffin wax. Despite my devotion to The Book, I never tried it..

 

[Fab Foodie]

I love the fact that they tested vaseline. I take it all back, you are not a wilfully eccentric crank. Maybe.

Also worth noting that I think Richard Ballantyne mentioned the use of paraffin wax. Despite my devotion to The Book, I never tried it..

Haha!
The Vaseline usage came out of thrift and expedience as a poor student, I tried it and it worked. Like using insulation tape instead of proprietary rim tape.
Will revisit Ballentyne's lubing pages. Sheldon usually a good read too.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html