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Best Chain Lube
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What do you prefer and why?
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Re: Best Chain Lube [NeverEnough] [ In reply to ]
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Rock 'n Roll Gold.

Second lowest wattage consumption in tests (see Friction Facts) behind parafin dipping, but you don't have to remove the chain.

http://www.friction-facts.com/...orts/chain-lube-test

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
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Re: Best Chain Lube [NeverEnough] [ In reply to ]
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Finish line dry Teflon is very good and easy to find!

"I swim because that's how I get to ride my bike."

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Re: Best Chain Lube [Dopers.Suck] [ In reply to ]
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http://chain-l.com/ , because I'm lazy to lube my chain every week.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [NeverEnough] [ In reply to ]
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The best chain lube isn't marketed to cyclists hence it is not tested. Any of the Mobil 1 synthetics for hybrid vehicles is far superior to any marketed cycling specific lube. You're welcome.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [NeverEnough] [ In reply to ]
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I never lube my chain.


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Re: Best Chain Lube [hedgefund] [ In reply to ]
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hedgefund wrote:
The best chain lube isn't marketed to cyclists hence it is not tested. Any of the Mobil 1 synthetics for hybrid vehicles is far superior to any marketed cycling specific lube. You're welcome.
What makes it so much better?
Thanks.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [kjanracing] [ In reply to ]
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I don't know. I was only a party involved in a series of tests done by the biggest manufacturer of cycling components in the world. I now get twice the life out of a chain...and my friends love me for telling them about it.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [NeverEnough] [ In reply to ]
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As I said, I use paraffin wax currently. I love the cleanliness and it just so happens to be the best performing both in longevity and efficiency. The only downside is the bits of wax that come off for the first 100 or so miles, but I can work on the drivetrain without getting dirty at all. Also, every time you re-wax it automatically re-cleans the chain without the use of any type of chain cleaner. And it doesn't collect grime. And it is cheap. And it easily lasts 500 miles without re-waxing. And it is the best performing. And to top that the efficiency actually improves over time.


Last edited by: nolken: Apr 27, 13 22:56
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Re: Best Chain Lube [nolken] [ In reply to ]
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I thought I read on ST not long back that standard 3in1 oil offered excellent lubrication. In fact, some testing said it was best. Anyone else know of this?
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Re: Best Chain Lube [NeverEnough] [ In reply to ]
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10w30.

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb
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Re: Best Chain Lube [kodyw] [ In reply to ]
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kodyw wrote:
I thought I read on ST not long back that standard 3in1 oil offered excellent lubrication. In fact, some testing said it was best. Anyone else know of this?

see chart, 3in1 is not that great. not only that, but it attracts dirt and debris horribly bad. same with motor oil.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [Duffy] [ In reply to ]
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Duffy wrote:
10w30.
Go with 10w40 in the summer.

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [Alvin Tostig] [ In reply to ]
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Alvin Tostig wrote:
Duffy wrote:
10w30.

Go with 10w40 in the summer.

Good point.

Not much difference between summer and winter where I live. If you're in the North East or Canadaland I'd go 5w30 in winter and 10w40 summer.

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb
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Re: Best Chain Lube [nolken] [ In reply to ]
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I was under the impression that it was also acidic
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Re: Best Chain Lube [jaretj] [ In reply to ]
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I do not believe it is acidic in the sense I believe you are referring to. you may be thinking of WD-40 which is a solvent/lubricant.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [nolken] [ In reply to ]
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Just looked up the MSDS and it says its not. In fact it said not applicable
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Re: Best Chain Lube [kjanracing] [ In reply to ]
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Hello Kjanracing and All,

That's what I use - and 0-20W viscosity - mix it with 4 parts odorless paint thinner (no sulfur or contaminants - purchased at an art store) to 1 part Mobil 1.

Squirt it on the chain - turn the cranks a few turns to let it sink in - then wipe off each chain section back and forth with a rag - while you hold pedal to prevent movement of the chain - repeat as necessary until the chain is shinny and clean. Wipe off any excess oil from chain rings and cassette.

Cheers,

Neal

+1 mph Faster
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Re: Best Chain Lube [nealhe] [ In reply to ]
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i use the same general strategy, but without a lot of fancy measuring. It seems to work fine. In the winter I just squirt wd40 on the fixed gear and douse it with Wolf's head and diesel.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [nolken] [ In reply to ]
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nolken wrote:
kodyw wrote:
I thought I read on ST not long back that standard 3in1 oil offered excellent lubrication. In fact, some testing said it was best. Anyone else know of this?


see chart, 3in1 is not that great. not only that, but it attracts dirt and debris horribly bad. same with motor oil.

You guys crack me up...3 in 1 is within 1.5W of the best liquid option in that study...and on a performance/price basis, probably the winner. Actually, that was the main takeaway from that article: the vast majority of chain lube options are within 1-1.5W of the best (I'm not including the wax option because I don't really consider that a practical alternative...based on experience).

One "pro" tip a teammate gave me for keeping a clean drivetrain, no matter what lube (besides wax, of course)...after each ride, take a rag a spray a good amount of WD-40 on it and then wrap that portion of the rag around the chain and run the chain through. That will clean off the road grime residue and leave a silicone film, while not disturbing the oil that's in the pin/bushing interfaces.

Works like a charm and takes literally 10s.

http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/
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Re: Best Chain Lube [nolken] [ In reply to ]
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nolken wrote:
kodyw wrote:
I thought I read on ST not long back that standard 3in1 oil offered excellent lubrication. In fact, some testing said it was best. Anyone else know of this?


see chart, 3in1 is not that great. not only that, but it attracts dirt and debris horribly bad. same with motor oil.
Perhaps my tests?

http://james-p-smith.blogspot.com/...-various-liquid.html

and

http://james-p-smith.blogspot.com/...actually-part-1.html

Pretty much every liquid lube will have a friction coefficient near 0.1, even water. From a friction perspective they all behave similarly. Regarding dirt, a wipe down helps a ton, and honestly after running various lubes I haven't seen much difference in attracting dirt (assuming you wipe down). Where I do see a difference, and the tests show, is lube life. 3-in-1 kills all I've tested in a lab setting, except for some fantastic Braycote 501EF, but at >$2k/pound it's a bit of a pricey grease.
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Re: Best Chain Lube [Dopers.Suck] [ In reply to ]
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+1 on the finish line dry teflon
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Re: Best Chain Lube [NeverEnough] [ In reply to ]
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another vote for rock n roll

jjk
http://enduranceanimal.blogspot.com/
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Re: Best Chain Lube [NeverEnough] [ In reply to ]
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Best chain lube is fresh lube on a well cleaned chain :-)

Do it often, the brand is just a detail.

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"
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Re: Best Chain Lube [Tom A.] [ In reply to ]
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Tom A. wrote:
One "pro" tip a teammate gave me for keeping a clean drivetrain, no matter what lube (besides wax, of course)...after each ride, take a rag a spray a good amount of WD-40 on it and then wrap that portion of the rag around the chain and run the chain through. That will clean off the road grime residue and leave a silicone film, while not disturbing the oil that's in the pin/bushing interfaces.

Works like a charm and takes literally 10s.


Yep - that's a beauty. Especially valuable if riding in crappy Winter/Spring conditions, or on the mtb. But useful in all climes, really...

The other key is to remember to wipe down after lubing with whatever you choose. Excess lube will attract dirt & grit like a mofo. You need the lube inside the rollers/pins, not coating the outside plates of the chain. Clean the chain, apply 1 drop/link, run through the gears, let it sit for a while, then wipe off the excess.

Most of the time I use ProGold because it's relatively cheap and easy to find. I splashed out for touring and went with Royal Purple, which I found had excellent tenacity - and I almost never cleaned the chain when I was touring (unless I was re-applying lube, but that was typically every couple of weeks so maybe every 2000km with a combined rider/bike weight of ~300lbs)


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Last edited by: Khai: Apr 28, 13 23:52
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