Chain Lube

Triathlon Forum
1

I’ve been using Finish Line Cross Country lube on my chain, mostly because I got a great deal on it at the bike shop. It seems to do a bang-up job in the old lubrication department, but it’s messier than I’d like. It seems to pick up a lot of dirt, which leaves drive train parts greasy and dirty, and when I touch it with my calf, it leaves a smudge that soap won’t take off…gotta go get the orange degreaser. That probably means that it does a great job at repelling water (and it probably also means lots of other stuff, too ;-> ).

I asked a dood in the know that I know what he uses on his chain, and he recommended Park CL-1.

A guy at a bike shop (yes, F.I.S.T. trained!) recommended Rock N Roll Absolute Dry (the red stuff).

What say you, the brain trust of Slow Twitch? CL-1? Red stuff? Something else? Stick with what I’m using and clean the chain more often/wipe it off better?

Oh…I live in the San Diego area, and I don’t ride in the rain. (I did that once for about 2 miles. That was a lot of no fun.) I don’t mind if I need to apply the lube every few hundred miles.

Ideas? Comments? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

2

+1 on the rock n roll, but i use the blue formula, its supposed to be a mtb lube, but it hangs in even better on the road/tribike.

3

Another vote for Rock’n Roll, but I use the Gold lube
.

4

Dry lube in dry climates, wet lube in wet climates.

For San Diego look at Pedro’s Ice Wax (http://pedros.com/product.aspx?productID=6071281). I think that CL-1 also has PTFE which is apparently good in both climates. I prefer specificity, and generally dont believe that one product would be the best for two completely different applications.

I’m in the northeast, so only wet lubes for me. (please dont take out of context :slight_smile: ) But if I were in SD I’d be using a wax/dry lube.

5

BoeShield T-9 for all conditions. Hands down the best stuff I’ve ever used.

Bob

6

ProLink chain lube!!! http://www.progoldmfr.com/products/prolink.html

http://www.progoldmfr.com/images/products/ProLink.jpg

7

Psycho lube for the road and tri bikes, the gunky ice wax stuff for the Mountain bike.

8

I switched to Boeshield T-9 and I am impressed. It dries completely so it won’t pick up dirt on the chain. I suggest you give it a try.

9

I use White Lightning.

10

Rock N Roll Extreme Gold formula. Amazing stuff.

11

Dumonde Tech Lite…

12

TriFlow. It is a teflon based lube. Don’t be too liberal with it and wipe off any excess that is still on the chain after a couple of minutes after application. Also good for lubing cables and der. pivots. Re-apply every +/-300 miles or after riding in poor conditions. A 2oz. bottle will cost you $5 and last all season long.

Don’t use anything that is water based (WD40… water rusts chains!) or wax based (Pedro’s Ice Wax… collects too much crap.)

13

Everyone shout out their favorite! That’ll solve the problem!

Here’s the deal. For the most part, lubes can be seperated into two catagories. 1 phase and 2 phase (a phase is just a fancy word for “part”)

single phase lubes are basically made of more or less one thing, are usually petroleum based, and come in several different weights. Examples are Tri Flo, Finish line XC, Prolink, Biosheild T9, Phil… etc

dual phase lube are made of two parts, one of which is designed to evaporate and leave a film of the second part. A typical mix is alcohol and wax. Examples: Rock 'n Roll, white lightning, ritchey, park finish line dry

Briefly, wax lubes tend to be cleaner (for a while) but do not last as long between lubings. Also, eventually, there is too much build up of wax, which usually gums up something (chain or cable) enough to make it not work properly. The only solution to this is to regularly clean your drivetrain (which is a major pain when using wax-based lubricants). However, these lubes work very well in very dry, dusty conditions. My recommendation: Rock N Roll

Single phase lubes come in all weights, so you have to select wisely, given your typical riding conditions. Heavy lubes will last a very long time, but get your drivetrain very dirty. Light weight lubes don’t last as long, but keep your chain quite clean. With any of these lubes, be sure to wipe the excess off when applying. In order from thickest to thinest (tot he best of my knowledge): Phil Wood, Finish Line XC, Triflow, Biosheild, Prolink Gold. My recommendation: Prolink Gold

15

I have found Prolink to be my favorite after trying many, many different lubes. I was a White Lightning fan, but as said, it will gum and build up after a while.

Prolink keeps my drivetrain the most quiet of any of the others, but you have to use it properly. After cleaning the chain - 1 drop on each link. Spin the chain around for a few seconds, and then use paper towels to wipe the chain as dry as you can get it. Wipe, wipe, wipe! The chain should be dry to the touch. You will ride like the wind, and shift smoother than Sammy Davis Jr. slides across the stage.

16

Once again, the Dude abides…

17

Cool, I learned something today…
Thanks for the info… very useful.
Fred.

18

Not that I would use it as a chain lube, but WD40 is not water based…what do you think the WD stands for?
Don’t use anything that is water based (WD40… water rusts chains!)

19

Don’t use anything that is water based (WD40… water rusts chains!)

straight from the WD-40 website FAQs:

What does WD-40 contain?
While the ingredients in WD-40 are secret, we can tell you what WD-40 does NOT contain. WD-40 does not contain silicone, kerosene, water, wax, graphite, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), or any known cancer-causing agents.

Actually, WD-40 is a great thing to use on chains. Just not as a lube. It’s an excellent degreaser, and it gets rid of water (check out what the WD stands for)…and since water rusts chains… ;->

or wax based (Pedro’s Ice Wax… collects too much crap.)

Yes, this was part of what prompted my question…I was reading about lubes in Zinn’s book, and he rather strongly warns not to use wax-based lubes. The previous lube that I used was a Pedro’s wax-based product, I think.

Thanks for all the replies. I learned a thing or two.

20

Steve Lubansky (the SMP guy) has used everything onthe planet. He recommends ATB (absolutely the best). I’ve been using it for a couple of years now. On bottle last forever and the stuff stays on…FOREVER. I NEVER squeak, even when I’ve been negligent and haven’t relubed in a couple of hundred miles. (I’ve heard good things about Boeshield, but haven’t tried it.)

21

I’ve been using Boeshield T9 for the last few years. I’m pretty happy with it although it’s a bit expensive.

jaretj