Expensive Bike Lubricants and cleaning products)

[Pedalo]

Having just finished my can of WD40 I was browsing the shelves of Halfords recently and was stunned to see so many different bike lubricants and cleaning products on offer - and shocked at the price of some of them.

So what's the deal here? Are any of them actually any good? I suspect most of it is just clever marketing BS designed to part us of our hard earned cash but am I being overly cynical?

I was also thumbing through a bike maintenance manual and they suggested oiling the chain every week or two. Seems a bit excessive to me. If I were to use one of the expensive potions with mysitical lubricational powers at that kind of rate it would cost a small fortune. Some of them actually cost more than a new chain!

I've been using WD40 for 30 years on my bikes and only oiling anything when it squeaks or doesn't work any more. Am I missing anything? Are any of these products really worthwhile?

I ended up buying a 97p bottle of 'cycle oil' from Wilkinsons!

 

[Mussels]

There's a lot of overpriced stuff for bikes just as there is a lot of good stuff for bikes, it's just knowing what is good value.
WD40 is relatively expensive and a bad choice of oil to use on your bike, it was designed as a water dispersant rather than a lubricator so is better used for damp starting a car. Motorcycle chain oil is really quite technical stuff and a reasonably priced can will perform very well. When thinking about the cost of replacing a chain also consider the cost of replacing the chainrings and freewheel (or cassette) which should be done at the same time.
If I don't oil my chain weekly then it notices, it all depends on your usage and the conditions you ride in.

 

[Pedalo]

Interesting what you say about the motorcycle chain oil. I've got a can of it that I found in the shed years ago and have been using it from time to time. It seemed a bit messy but did make my bike run super smooth every time I used it.

 

[Abs_N]

Hi, which motorcycle oil do you use?

I have had my bike for 6 months now and I have yet to clean and oil it up properly, and am getting a bit weary now. I an expecting something to fall off.

There are some many different lubricants and cleaner to choose from I just don't know what to buy

I think all I need is a cleaner to clean the bike and its parts and then all purpose lubricant.

What would forum members recommend?

 

[themutiny]

GT85 from Halfords has been half-price for quite some time now. At this price it is a bargain. Works well too, better than the more expensive 'dry lube' varieties

 

[fcurran]

GT85 from Halfords has been half-price for quite some time now. At this price it is a bargain. Works well too, better than the more expensive 'dry lube' varieties

I second that, GT85 is what I use, I can also confidently say virtually every bike shop I visit, (over 500 shops) also use GT85.

 

[Barnowl]

GT85 sounds good - I'll be getting some thanks

 

[uk_steve]

i had to smile at this

■Provides a beautiful lasting shine on cars interior plastic trim

GT-85 Bike Lubricant 400ml from Halfords Price £3.99

as we all know this is essintial to any bike owner

 

[Mussels]

Hi, which motorcycle oil do you use?

I've just finished a can and binned it so I don't know what it was. Motorcycle chain oil is designed to penetrate into the links and stay there, normal thick oil doesn't penetrate properly and normal thin oil doesn't stay. Motorbike chain oil has a mix that keeps the thick oil runnier until it's inside the links, then the solvent evaporates leaving a thick oil that stays where it's meant to be. There are more complicated versions that have long polymers to stop the lubricant escaping but it gets a bit fuzzy at that point for me, I just remember that chain oil is better for chains than standard oil.
There are other types like powder lubricants but they seem to be more fashionably priced.
For bearings I use bike grease with Teflon, just own brand stuff from Halfrauds seems fine. Then I have some thin generic bike oil where I need it to run in somewhere, for cables & freewheels.
For cleaning I just use cheap baby wipes on the bits I'm working on, they work a treat.
Nuts and bolts often benefit from a coat of copper grease (caliper grease or coppaslip) to stop them seizing as alloy and steel like to form a chemical bond where they meet.
If you worry about the finish then there are some good winter protection products out for motorbikes that stop the alloy components reacting with salt on the roads, I've never bothered myself.
Edit: Some parts benefit from threadlock, usually used in model racing but helps stop my brakes adjusting themselves. I've also used it on the cranks as they can loosen during use, it also stops the threads seizing.

 

[Pedalo]

The motorbike chain oil I have is Castrol. It is at least 30 years old though!

Are people saying GT85 is good for general use including chains? Just found the listing for it on Wiggle.com which suggests it shouldn't be used on a chain.

 

[Mussels]

The motorbike chain oil I have is Castrol. It is at least 30 years old though!

Are people saying GT85 is good for general use including chains? Just found the listing for it on Wiggle.com which suggests it shouldn't be used on a chain.

I'd agree with Wiggle, it's a jack of all trades oil that doesn't do anything properly. Bike shops use it for the same reason people use WD40, as a bodge because they haven't got the right stuff to hand. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be used but don't think it's a wonder product.

Edit: I guess your chain oil won't be as good as modern stuff but I'd still use it up anyway before I buy new oil, someone else may know a good reason not to use old oil though.

 

[flecc]

Good modern motorcycle chains can only be surface oiled, the oil doesn't penetrate into the links. They are manufactured with O rings or X section rings on the rivets, sitting compressed between the side plates of the links, these keeping the original manufacturing grease in place. Oil cannot bypass these excluders so only lubricates the external surfaces of the chain:

.

 

[Mussels]

Good modern motorcycle chains can only be surface oiled, the oil doesn't penetrate into the links. They are manufactured with O rings or X section rings on the rivets, sitting compressed between the side plates of the links, these keeping the original manufacturing grease in place. Oil cannot bypass these excluders so only lubricates the external surfaces of the chain:

.

Yes but not everyone uses them as they are more costly and less energy efficient. They are less popular on smaller or cheaper bikes, I used them as it meant I could forget to look after the chain.
There are lubes for 'O' ring chains as standard lube can degrade the rubber, I expect the standard type will give slightly better cost/performance benefits. I think all the types have the properties I described before due to the O rings loosing their effectiveness over time.

 

[flecc]

X ring chains are low loss and there are "racing" very low loss types though.

From what I've seen, by the time the O rings are worn out enough for oil to possibly pass them, the chain is nearing the end anyway, certainly beyond what oiling can change in life terms. Like many I didn't used to bother with much lubrication of X and O ring chains, just enough to keep rust at bay, and I seemed to get the same life as those who oiled them regularly. It's from that experience that I think the grease from manufacture does the inner job by itself ok.
.

 

[barrycoll]

when I was commuting with my bike on a daily basis (about 12 miles) I ended up binning every chain after 6 months....bought from Spa Cycles by the half dozen, they were good value and far cheaper than replacing expensive chain rings or/and cassette..
now I am 'at leisure', I use a Barbieri chain cleaner every few months, which is a real delight to use....put some chain cleaner in to half way, clamp together and spin the chain (backwards!!), and hey presto, a brand new chain ready for lub, although I tend to spray the bike with Muc Off at the same time, and give it a hose off..
WD 40 as a water disperser, and then Wilkos cheapest chain oil
quite satisfying really, and the bike feels like new

 

[flecc]

I've also used that frequent change method on unpowered derailleur bikes in the past Barry, it's very effective. The cheap chains are so cheap to buy, changing them often isn't a problem. I found they ran a little rough initially but quickly bedded into the sprockets each time.
.

 

[Erik]

From what I've read, the purpose of oiling motorcycle O-ring chains is to lubricate the O-rings so they don't wear out and let the grease out and the dirt in.

 

[flecc]

Yes, it is supposed to do that Erik, and it's why I preferred oil to grease on O or X ring m/c chain surfaces. I've no idea whether it would do that though, the pressure on O and X rings seems to make it unlikely to get around the ring or beyond the first X arm. The grease inside is much more likely to lubricate them adequately.
.

 

[iaing]

i had to smile at this

■Provides a beautiful lasting shine on cars interior plastic trim

GT-85 Bike Lubricant 400ml from Halfords Price £3.99

as we all know this is essintial to any bike owner

Halfords £3.99 for 400ml

Wiggle £6.61 for 1 litre (free delivery option)

After reading the earlier posts I have just placed my order:
GT85 Lubricant 1L Spray Only £6.61

Iain

 

[z0mb13e]

I gave the halfords dry chain lube a go and it seems pretty good. This Stuff

Used the chain cleaner and then put this stuff on. Dries out and as a result I don't get sand stuck to the chain. Lasted about 6 weeks before it needed a light top up, but didn't need a clean.

The citrus based cleaners are brilliant at removing grease, but very expensive. When its all gone I use a generic degreaser in 5L tins (from local car spares shop)... takes more cleaning than the citrus stuff but its way cheaper. The down side is its water based so need to dry parts asap.