What to lube bike trainer with

Triathlon Forum
1

I can’t exactly figure out the best lube to use for the winter season kn the indoor trainer. Here is my reasoning:

Dry lube: Won’t make a mess indoors, but needs frequent application.

Wet lube: wouldn’t get dirty like outdoors, lasts a while, but might fling crap everywhere

Wax: I’ve read it’s pretty clean and lasts for hundreds of miles, but is a hassle to reapply.

As a last note, I have no garage to clean the bike, so I will have to do it out in the cold, so that is something to keep in mind.

2

Dumond Tech Lite has been my indoor lube of choice for quite a while. I made the mistake of trying to stick with Squirt on the trainer; bad idea. It flecks little wax pieces off everywhere. If you’re going to use Squirt (or any wax-based, presumably), I’d put a shop rag underneath your drivetrain held in place by your trainer legs or something.

3

I use Squirt (when I remember to lube it), but it does fling black shit. I ended up wrapping duct tape around a wire clothes hanger and taping that to the side of my Tacx to act as a guard; worked great so far.

4

Wax is easy to apply.

Just drop your chain in a crockpot and take it out a minute later.

5

Dumond Tech Lite has been my indoor lube of choice for quite a while. I made the mistake of trying to stick with Squirt on the trainer; bad idea. It flecks little wax pieces off everywhere. If you’re going to use Squirt (or any wax-based, presumably), I’d put a shop rag underneath your drivetrain held in place by your trainer legs or something.

This is why I went back to a wet lube from Squirt indoors. Still use Squirt on race chain.

6

I like White Lightning Epic Ride.

https://www.amazon.com/White-Lightning-Conditions-Bicycle-8-Ounce/dp/B002L6B0VO/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-drs-ajax1_0?cv_ct_cx=white+lightning+epic+ride&dchild=1&keywords=white+lightning+epic+ride&pd_rd_i=B002L6B0VO&pd_rd_r=55a90957-216e-40a1-b7e8-da317ccf1b67&pd_rd_w=b80YQ&pd_rd_wg=qrfBP&pf_rd_p=2af54486-024b-43c2-a014-77f8e1ab2526&pf_rd_r=WPKCDWQMP1P3JVA3TYCQ&psc=1&qid=1602817550&sr=1-1-25b07e09-600a-4f0d-816e-b06387f8bcf1
.

7

Wax isn’t a hassle at all. I put my chain in the crock pot while the wax heats, come back an hour or so later, check the temp, if its above 200 I swish the chain for 45 seconds and pull it out. Only actually requires a couple minutes of work, and it’s so clean, which is great for indoor training

8

Rock’n Roll Gold … Always, indoor/outdoor/wet/dry … reapply often and wipe chain down properly after application

9

2nd the recommendation for wax. It’s a bit of work to do it the first time, but after that it’s probably easier than wet lube.

Take of the chain with a quick connect, wipe it with a wet rag, dip it in wax, and put it back on.

Took me half a day to do all my bikes the first time. Now it takes about 10 minutes to do all of them.

10

or the Silca drip wax which when dry is wax… easy to apply let it dry overnight (or after your trainer ride) next day ready to go! +1 on how easy it is to wax a chain, very easy and best option IMHO. Wax once then top up with Silca Drip wax.

11

I started waxing my chains this year and its not as bad as it sounds. For me the key is that you don’t get the black goo with wax.

12

I just started waxing about a month ago on my road bike. Once I figured out the process, it’s really super simple. I do plan to do my trainer bike soon so as not to have to deal with the mess.

13

What do you guys wax with?

14

Molten Speed Wax in a $10 Amazon croc pot is an easy way. I use a mason jar in boiling water too.

15

Make sure you clean it properly ther first time though
https://moltenspeedwax.com/pages/clean-your-chain
.

16

I have found that the Phil Wood Tenacious oil only needs to be applied once…almost for ever, especially if the bike stays inside on the trainer for a long period.

17

Molten Speed Wax in a $10 Amazon croc pot is an easy way.

Same for me. There are cheaper waxes available but you’re not really saving that much when MSW is considered the gold standard.

18

Gulf paraffin wax.

I used to be able to buy it at Walmart for less than $3 per pound.

19

With a bit of PFTE and moly powder…
Lasts ages on a trainer, and not bad outdoors.

I wax my chain c. every 40 hours When used indoors, and the chains last pretty nicely.

20

correct me if I am wrong but MSW is a combo of PTFE and molybdenum disulfide, whereas Silca wax is tungsten disulfide(WS2). From a coefficient of friction point of view Tungsten disulfide is the best and why you need a good clean metal surface is it bonds to the surface which is why it is such a good and long lasting lubricant. In essence every time you relube the chain with WS2 it bonds to any newly exposed metal and helps make it nice and smooth. So of all lubes out there those with WS2 are the best from a lubricant point of view and because ws2 is a dry lube it is nice and clean.