What chain lube?

[youngoldbloke]

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

Useful stuff there for the Real Cyclist from ShelBroCo

 

[Fab Foodie]

Useful stuff there for the Real Cyclist from ShelBroCo

Sheldon is my co-pilot....

 

[raleighnut]

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.

Search on here for the 'Mickle' method

 

[raleighnut]

Sheldon is my co-pilot....

Yep such a shame when he died but at least the website lives on.

 

[HLaB]

How often do you reapply it in the summer, for example?

I started using it at the end of April and after a monsoon with a lot of flooding (including knee deep stuff) a few weeks back I reapplied it and I've been very happy with how its kept my chain good. I don't expect to reapply it that often again though; I've been using similar tungsten stuff on my good bike, its silent and things last twice as long, I'll leave that for months when its dry, but Squirt is supposed to be more robust sill. The tungsten stuff probably would have needed degreasing after the floods to remove surface rust, Squirt never :-)

 

[Gwylan]

There is a post running about vegan lube.
Very timely

 

[Fab Foodie]

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.

Bromptons (I have 2) are an altogether different chain issue as they collect more crud per mile. Am now thinking whether Wax for my S2L (dry outings only), and S6L Touring/Shopping/rainy-days etc would be better kept on the Finish-Line green and regularly cleaned.

 

[T4tomo]

for in the dry / summer / and for keeping your chain-line immaculate shiny and clean looking without the effort of removing chains and boiling in a tin type waxing and all that faff.....

Use Squirt wax lube.

Interestingly I was riding with a chap who races for a minor team and works in a bike shop. I think we were talking about component prices and availability, which led to him bemoaning people who came in with dirty black gunky chains whose maintenance routine is to pile on more wet lube onto top of gunk infested wet lube and then wonder why their chains and cassettes only lasted 1500km.

When I said I used Squirt he proclaimed that was definitely the best lube to use. He said he hot waxes his "race chains" but training bike etc just gets the Squirt and rag treatment.

 

[YellowV2]

Just trying the effetto mariposa Flowerpower wax drip lube, which according to the ZFC tests linked to earlier in this thread is the best wax drip lube. So thought I’d give it a try.

 

[fossyant]

Just trying the effetto mariposa Flowerpower wax drip lube, which according to the ZFC tests linked to earlier in this thread is the best wax drip lube. So thought I’d give it a try.

What... flowerpower lube ?

 

[T4tomo]

Just trying the effetto mariposa Flowerpower wax drip lube, which according to the ZFC tests linked to earlier in this thread is the best wax drip lube. So thought I’d give it a try.

that is sensibly priced as well - similar to Squirt, be interested to read what you think over time.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I’ve been very pleased with Squirt and keeps chain nice and clean, doesn’t end up black and oily. Approx 500km between applications, but this is a recumbent chain, maybe I’d get 200km between applications on my road bike.

 

[Dogtrousers]

What... flowerpower lube ?

They get 10/10 for product naming from me. I was going to try Squirt but now I've changed my mind. There's no competition.

 

[PaulSB]

Interestingly I was riding with a chap who races for a minor team and works in a bike shop. I think we were talking about component prices and availability, which led to him bemoaning people who came in with dirty black gunky chains whose maintenance routine is to pile on more wet lube onto top of gunk infested wet lube and then wonder why their chains and cassettes only lasted 1500km.

When I said I used Squirt he proclaimed that was definitely the best lube to use. He said he hot waxes his "race chains" but training bike etc just gets the Squirt and rag treatment.

My two regular ride buddies give their chains the full hot wax treatment, swapping at 4-500 miles. If needed they both top up with Squirt.

Personally I couldn't be arsed with this, first I get the chain scrupulously clean, apply squirt, wipe after every ride and top after 130-150 miles (two rides) works very well and is far less effort.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Personally I couldn't be arsed with this, first I get the chain scrupulously clean, apply squirt, wipe after every ride and top after 130-150 miles (two rides) works very well and is far less effort.

It really can't be much less effort. I re-waxed my chain this morning and the actual 'doing things' bit of that took 3 to 5 minutes (I've timed this in the past - it's probably rather less now that I've practised more). Yes, the elapsed time, predominantly for the wax to melt, was about two hours, but my 'work' - meaning removing and replacing the chain and putting it in / taking it out of the wax - was that 3 to 4 minutes: a trivial effort.