Chain lube

[Bobajob]

What do people use as a lube on their chain, and drawbacks and pluses of their lube?

 

[MontyPAS]

What do people use as a lube on their chain, and drawbacks and pluses of their lube?

Same as on my motorbikes

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Easy to apply and not messy..... Makes for a near silent drivetrain

 

[Nealh]

Gear oil.

 

[jokskot]

Paraffin wax containing 10% micronised PTFE. I have been evaluating for around a month. So far impressed, though needs to be redone every 500km or so. Application to chain via wax bath. Application to cleaned chain wheel and cassette via rubbing solid wax onto teeth then melting on with hot air gun. Very clean. Elsewhere it's reported 3x life extension of chain and the same or more for the cassette.

 

[Fordulike]

Finish Line Dry Teflon Lube, as I ride mostly in dry conditions and it helps stop the chain getting gunked up with trail crud. Easy to wipe chain after every ride and apply more.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Finish-Line-Teflon-Plus-Dry-Lubricant_25854.htm?sku=51172&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIndzz_fr-6wIVBKp3Ch1LigfbEAQYAyABEgIAfPD_BwE

 

[Andy-Mat]

What do people use as a lube on their chain, and drawbacks and pluses of their lube?

I use quality Synthetic Motor Oil.
Oil that is considered expensive when compared to other motor oils when needing say 5 liters, but the tiny amount needed for a bike chain each year, is simply unnoticeable!
But thats my Scottish blood stopping me from wasting money....
I have not had any problems at all......

 

[MontyPAS]

I use quality Synthetic Motor Oil.
Oil that is considered expensive when compared to other motor oils when needing say 5 liters, but the tiny amount needed for a bike chain each year, is simply unnoticeable!
But thats my Scottish blood stopping me from wasting money....
I have not had any problems at all......

Thats an interesting option, I've got a full can of Yamalube fully synthetic motorcycle oil, no longer using as I currently ride KTM.
How do you apply? Brush and wipe off excess.
The Wurth dry lube I currently use is spray and dries on with no fling off

 

[Andy-Mat]

Thats an interesting option, I've got a full can of Yamalube fully synthetic motorcycle oil, no longer using as I currently ride KTM.
How do you apply? Brush and wipe off excess.
The Wurth dry lube I currently use is spray and dries on with no fling off

I use a plastic "oiler", that "dips" the chain through a tiny bath, which is best for Derailleur gears.
They are available very cheaply here.
Here is one similar to mine on ebay:-

Fahrrad Kette Reiniger Werkzeug Kettenreiniger Wartung Pflege Ihrer Fahrradkette | eBay

✅MMOBIEL® ★QUALITÄTSWARE ★BLITZVERSAND ★RECHNUNG MwSt.

www.ebay.de

You just turn the pedal backwards a few times, then wipe off the excess.
Having a partial chain guard also helps to catch any excess while riding, though I basically never see or even look for it.
I have a center stand, so any drips go on the ground, not on the rear tyre, as they might with a side stand....
It works fine for me, but I have never, ever tried an expensive chain oil to compare with, though I did use a spray can of chain oil from WD-40 a few years ago that was sold in our Penny Market, but I really did not notice any difference to motor oil (But basically I was also not looking for one either to be honest....!)
I seem to get a good/similar life from my chains in rough comparison to others here with hub bikes....
Buying new chains happens only very occasionally....I basically mostly ignore them till they show excessive wear or slip off while riding.
I am not really a "good" chain person at all!
Sorry that I cannot be more helpful.
Andy

 

[danfoto]

GT85, primarily because with a full chaincase it's easy to apply without any dismantling. I do like the look of that Wurth stuff though. Is there anything else like it in an aerosol?

 

[vfr400]

Hypoid 90 gear oil. A bottle lasts forever. It's cheap, stays on the chain, doesn't drip and is extremely effective. There's no need to get ripped off by snake oil products.

I did some testing over 60,000 miles on my commuter motorbike. The chain was the same all the time, as I had bought a 100ft length to save money. I tried just about every patent chain lube available at the time. There was absolutely no difference to chain wear.

All you need to do is keep the chain oiled to keep it running quietly, efficiently and rust free. Engine oil doesn't stay on long enough. You need something more viscous. Avoid all these modern dry lubes. They gum up your derailleur.

 

[MontyPAS]

Hypoid 90 gear oil. A bottle lasts forever. It's cheap, stays on the chain, doesn't drip and is extremely effective. There's no need to get ripped off by snake oil products.

I did some testing over 60,000 miles on my commuter motorbike. The chain was the same all the time, as I had bought a 100ft length to save money. I tried just about every patent chain lube available at the time. There was absolutely no difference to chain wear.

All you need to do is keep the chain oiled to keep it running quietly, efficiently and rust free. Engine oil doesn't stay on long enough. You need something more viscous. Avoid all these modern dry lubes. They gum up your derailleur.

I wouldnt say that motorcycle dry lube is a "snake oil product"?
I have used the product consistently on various motorcycles whose power ranges from 70-120 BHP, and the product copes admirably with the 1hp (?) delivered by most of my Pedelecs. TBH I've never had an issue with the derailleur gumming up, but then again I maintain the drive-train components regularly.

Everyone has got their own preference for lube, mine is Wurth dry lube.

 

[MontyPAS]

I use a plastic "oiler", that "dips" the chain through a tiny bath, which is best for Derailleur gears.
They are available very cheaply here.
Here is one similar to mine on ebay:-

Fahrrad Kette Reiniger Werkzeug Kettenreiniger Wartung Pflege Ihrer Fahrradkette | eBay

✅MMOBIEL® ★QUALITÄTSWARE ★BLITZVERSAND ★RECHNUNG MwSt.

www.ebay.de

You just turn the pedal backwards a few times, then wipe off the excess.
Having a partial chain guard also helps to catch any excess while riding, though I basically never see or even look for it.
I have a center stand, so any drips go on the ground, not on the rear tyre, as they might with a side stand....
It works fine for me, but I have never, ever tried an expensive chain oil to compare with, though I did use a spray can of chain oil from WD-40 a few years ago that was sold in our Penny Market, but I really did not notice any difference to motor oil (But basically I was also not looking for one either to be honest....!)
I seem to get a good/similar life from my chains in rough comparison to others here with hub bikes....
Buying new chains happens only very occasionally....I basically mostly ignore them till they show excessive wear or slip off while riding.
I am not really a "good" chain person at all!
Sorry that I cannot be more helpful.
Andy

Worth a try, thanks for the info!

 

[vfr400]

I wouldnt say that motorcycle dry lube is a "snake oil product"?
I have used the product consistently on various motorcycles whose power ranges from 70-120 BHP, and the product copes admirably with the 1hp (?) delivered by most of my Pedelecs. TBH I've never had an issue with the derailleur gumming up, but then again I maintain the drive-train components regularly.

Everyone has got their own preference for lube, mine is Wurth dry lube.

Motorbike chains are completely different. They have their own lube sealed in for life with O-rings, and there's no derailleur to get gummed up.

 

[MontyPAS]

Motorbike chains are completely different. They have their own lube sealed in for life with O-rings, and there's no derailleur to get gummed up.

Agree the chains are different, disagree on the gumming up of derailleur
Wurth dry lube works fine for me, easy to apply, smooth running chain, no dirt pickup and no gumming!
The foul sulfurous smelling gearbox Hypoid oil works for you!

Horses for courses as they say

 

[Raboa]

I use this stuff, claims to be eco friendly:

Green Oil home page

 

[Nealh]

Snake oils/lubes are good business for sellers, they sell very small quantities for an inflated price.

 

[Fordulike]

I think the best thing to do is to try different products out, whether it's some expensive lube from one of the big manufacturers, or just some 20 year old oil from the back of your shed. Then decide what works best for you in your individual riding circumstance.

I used to use WD40 alot, to help loosen rusty seized bolts, but I now use PlusGas, because it is a better product. Also, since I discovered ACF-50 to protect exposed metal parts from rust, it is my go-to product now, even though most would consider it bloody expensive. In the long run, the protection it offers outweighs the expense.

 

[jokskot]

And while we're on the subject of expensive snake oils etc. What about Hydraulic brake fluid (Mineral oil). Cheapest I could find on eBay for delivery from and to the UK was £6.34/60ml in a pack aimed at cyclists whereas the cheapest pack intended for the automotive market was £6.51/litre.
Now I know that 60ml probably represents a lifetime supply for the average cyclist but the mark up that someone is making by supplying small volumes is remarkable and I would think there is more assurance of quality in buying a major European brand by the litre rather than a small bottle of a nonedescript brand probably filled in a garage in Guangdong.

 

[Nealh]

The Blue stuff Magura use can be sub'd with Fiat Mannol LHM hydraulic PSA fluid also Blue and said to be no different at about £5 ltr.
Shimano replacement alternative stuff Pentosin CHF 7.1 is what others have used on Pinkbike and MTBR.

 

[mike killay]

Snake oil of 100 years ago