# Let's talk about lube-



## Marc (Jun 12, 2006)

Yes, the title of this thread was intentionally written the way it was.  Chalk one up to post ride low sugar levels.

Annnyhow, I'm just curious to know what other people use for chain lube, how often you apply, and how often you degrease (if ever).

Myself, I find that I do it a lot less than I should because I'm lazy.  But when my MTB is considerably muddy or dirty or dusty, I will generally rinse off first, then spray the drivetrain with a healthy amount of Simple Green.  I let it sit and then spray it off again, and it will take the bulk of the dirt and old lube off.  If the chain, sprockets and chainrings need degreasing, I use a stiff bristle plastic brush (the ones made for cleaning grout work well) with a bucket of water with a bit of Simple Green mixed in and scrub everything down.  Once or twice a season I will remove the chain and soak it in degreaser or gasoline, or just replace it and I'll clean out the jockey wheel and idler pulley on the derailleur as well as clean out their bushings.  As of late I've been using Pedro's Ice Wax and another Pedro's dry lube variation, because they were free winnings of a couple races.  That goes on the chain.  I spray on silcone based lube on both derailleurs as well as any pivots on the brakes.  Also on the fork legs to keep the wipers from drying out and cracking.  Once a year usually I'll go through all my cables, take off the housings, clean the cables and regrease with white lithium.  I'll also clean the seatpost and put a little bit of grease on it (sparingly).

On my road bike I do essentially the same, minus the mountain only eqiupment.  Obviously this stays a little bit cleaner.

I try to add some chain lube before every ride, especially if I haven't ridden in a while.

Nate used to work for a bike shop that swears by Phil's Tenacious Oil.  He could tell you more about that.  I don't notice much of a difference in what I use save for the dry lubes attract slightly less dust in dry conditions than using a wet lube would.

So what's your routine?  Methods, products, etc.  I'm curious.


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## Jonni (Jun 13, 2006)

When I used to ride my bike all the time for transportation to and from high school, I only use WD40. I'm sure that really wasn't the proper way to lube the chain, but it seemed to work for what I needed it for. Of course as some of you may know from SJ, I rode my bike everyday to school regardless of the weather. It would be snowing or raining and I would still ride it to school, but only because that was basically the only way to get there without walking.


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## Talisman (Jun 13, 2006)

During the spring or when there is a lot of mud I use a traditional 'wet' lubricant on my chain.  During the Summer and Fall when the conditions are dusty I like using a dry lubricant.  The dry lubricant doesn't hold up well to rain, puddles or mud in MHO.


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## Marc (Jun 13, 2006)

Jonni said:
			
		

> When I used to ride my bike all the time for transportation to and from high school, I only use WD40. I'm sure that really wasn't the proper way to lube the chain, but it seemed to work for what I needed it for. Of course as some of you may know from SJ, I rode my bike everyday to school regardless of the weather. It would be snowing or raining and I would still ride it to school, but only because that was basically the only way to get there without walking.



No, there's not a whole lot wrong with WD40.  It's cheap, well proven and works well.

Cyclists mostly steer clear from it because there are better silicone based spray and drop lubricants that have better longevity and the trend is towards dry lubricants, especially in dry dusty conditions, as Talisman pointed out, because dry lubricants tend to stay far less cleaner (dirt won't stick).


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## Marc (Jun 13, 2006)

Talisman said:
			
		

> During the spring or when there is a lot of mud I use a traditional 'wet' lubricant on my chain.  During the Summer and Fall when the conditions are dusty I like using a dry lubricant.  The dry lubricant doesn't hold up well to rain, puddles or mud in MHO.



I tend to agree, however I came to realize on my MTB, if I'm riding in wet and mud, my chain grits up no matter what I use.  As long as _something_ is on there underneath the dirt and mud, I think that's the best one can do.


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## bvibert (Jun 13, 2006)

I use some sort of wet lube, can't remember the name right now.  I'm sure I don't apply it as often as I should.  I guess every few rides, or if it gets really muddy,  I clean it off and re-apply.  This is on a MTB, I don't have a road bike yet...


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## andyzee (Jun 13, 2006)

Don't mountain bike, just road bike and don't do that as much as I would like to or used to. With the road bike, I always used WD40 or another spray, forget the name off hand, I think it was Tri something or the other. Usually at least once a season I would clean the chain. One thing I always did was try and make sure I don't overdo it with the lubricant, because this would cause dirt to collect.


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## Charlie Schuessler (Jun 14, 2006)

I've been using White Lightning on the road chain and changing between wet & dry on the mountain chain.  I use SRAM 970 chains on both bicycles and regularly clean them off the bike.  At nearly $30.00 per, it is worth while cleaning and lubricating them besides it forces me to clean the front rings as well as the rear cassetts.


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## Marc (Jun 14, 2006)

Charlie Schuessler said:
			
		

> I've been using White Lightning on the road chain and changing between wet & dry on the mountain chain.  I use SRAM 970 chains on both bicycles and regularly clean them off the bike.  At nearly $30.00 per, it is worth while cleaning and lubricating them besides it forces me to clean the front rings as well as the rear cassetts.



It's not a bad idea.  I should start doing the same, I believe I'm using the same chains (or SRAM chains in the same price range).

A _great_ feature of SRAM chains is the master link.  It allows you to remove the chain at the master link without breaking a link.  Much easier and anytime you break a link you stress the plates and increase the chances of a break or a sticky link.

The last XT chain I bought from Shimano did not have one.  A reason I've been riding SRAM's for quite some time now.

I had some free White Lightning that I was using for a while before my free Pedro's.  Free stuff is great.


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## skibum1321 (Jun 15, 2006)

Any lube that you can get for free is good. I have been using White Lightning but I really don't have any brand attachment. As for cleaning the chain, I usually do it every other ride or so. I wipe down the chain each time that I lube it. I clean the rear cassettes probably every other time or so.


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## Talisman (Jun 15, 2006)

I am also a fan of SRAM chains because of the master link and I think Shimano chains with the single use link pins are too fussy to work on regularly.

I am not a big fan of WD-40 for chain lube as it has the worst qualities of wet lube (it collects dirt), and washes off quickly in rain and mud. 

If I was only going to use one lube it would be one of the dry lubricants (White Lightening) as the chain stays cleaner, my hands stay clean for on trail adjustments and if conditions are dry it lasts a while.

For those of you who road bike only you may be suprised by how quickly chain rings, chains and cassettes wear on mountain bike.


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2006)

Talisman said:
			
		

> I am also a fan of SRAM chains because of the master link and I think Shimano chains with the single use link pins are too fussy to work on regularly.
> 
> I am not a big fan of WD-40 for chain lube as it has the worst qualities of wet lube (it collects dirt), and washes off quickly in rain and mud.
> 
> ...



The way I ride and mash my gears, they don't last long on my road bike either.


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## marcski (Jun 15, 2006)

IMHO, WD40 is really more of a degreaser than a lube.  

I tend to do very little home maintenance.  I do wipe down the bike after a muddy ride. (usually the next day).  As for lube, I use a product called Prolink.  Use liberally, wipe down chain before the ride.  It pushes out the dirt as you ride.  If chain is really dirty, you can see the dirt after just one ride.  So, wipe down and reapply every so often until it gets relatively clean.

Other than that, I change tubes.  That's about it. Whenever I try something more intensive, I make it worse.


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## skibum1321 (Jun 16, 2006)

marcski said:
			
		

> IMHO, WD40 is really more of a degreaser than a lube.


Yeah, WD40 really should not be used as a lube. I won't bring it near my drivetrain.


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## Marc (Jun 16, 2006)

skibum1321 said:
			
		

> Yeah, WD40 really should not be used as a lube. I won't bring it near my drivetrain.



Ehh... I don't think it's quite _that_ bad.  It's just a mixture of light oils and distillates.  Hydrocarbon lubes don't have the film strength of silcone or teflon based lubes, but using them isn't going to be a big detriment to your driveshaft.


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## bvibert (Jun 19, 2006)

skibum1321 said:
			
		

> Yeah, WD40 really should not be used as a lube. I won't bring it near my drivetrain.


Ditto.  I'd rather use something that was designed to be a lube in the first place, perferably something designed to be a chain lube.  WD40's original purpose was to displace water in electronics and such (WD stands for Water Displacement or something like that).  IMHO that's the only thing it's really good at.

If that's all you have available it's better than nothing though.  I know that I used plenty of the stuff to lube all sorts of crap when I was younger.


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## Marc (Jun 20, 2006)

bvibert said:
			
		

> Ditto.  I'd rather use something that was designed to be a lube in the first place, perferably something designed to be a chain lube.  WD40's original purpose was to displace water in electronics and such (WD stands for Water Displacement or something like that).  IMHO that's the only thing it's really good at.
> 
> If that's all you have available it's better than nothing though.  I know that I used plenty of the stuff to lube all sorts of crap when I was younger.



That's right, WD-40 just stands for Water Displacement, and it was the 40th formula they tried.

Obviously they didn't have much of a marketing department back in the forties or fifties, when it was developed.


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## bvibert (Jun 20, 2006)

Marc said:
			
		

> That's right, WD-40 just stands for Water Displacement, and it was the 40th formula they tried.
> 
> Obviously they didn't have much of a marketing department back in the forties or fifties, when it was developed.


No, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone that hasn't ever heard of it so they must have done something right along the way.   It was created by three guys in 1953, BTW...


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

Tri-flow, that's the other one I use, just remembered.


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## jplynch019 (Jun 27, 2006)

Marc, Currently using White Lightning and lube the chain (road bike) once every 2 weeks.  Been riding in the rain a lot lately so I've been cleaning the bike twice a day (once at work, once when I get home).  Don't have to do that when its not raining.


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## Charlie Schuessler (Aug 3, 2006)

I strive for this ....
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/giro06/index.php?id=giro_bikes6/IMG_0467
...but since I'm not given an unlimited supply of Campy Record parts....


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## bruno (Aug 4, 2006)

ya'll prolly cain't believe ol' bruno ain't chimed in! can ya? well anyway, i use pedro's regular lube on me rain bike. and pedro's extra dry for me dry day, sunny day super bike. the dry ya have to lube a lot, but it's clean. the other ya have to lube only after a good rain or every so often.

but as you fellers know, a lubed chain makes for happy ridin'! keep them chains slick boys!!!!!! :razz:  :beer:  :flag: 

word.:-o


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## Npage148 (Aug 5, 2006)

I use the stuff in the black bottle with the green cap on the road bike.  Its some kind of wet lube.  Its makes a nasty mess when it rains, but it seems to keep my bike shifting happy and quiet


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## eatskisleep (Aug 5, 2006)

http://froogle.google.com/froogle_cluster?hl=en&hs=0jB&safe=off&rls=DAUS,DAUS:2006-10,DAUS:en&resnum=0&q=white+lightning&spell=1&lmode=online&oid=13596813728489173809

I have a SRAM PC-991 Chain with PG-990 Cassettes and a X.9 rear derailleur.


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## jplynch019 (Aug 6, 2006)

*White Lightning vs. Krytech*

I've been using the White Lightning Original and its been drying out on me.  Especially on these hot days.  I may go back to using the Krytech which seemed to last a bit longer. Nashbar has it: 
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=103&subcategory=1121&brand=&sku=1745&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=


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## Charlie Schuessler (Aug 6, 2006)

*White Lightning Lube & SRAM 970 Chains*

I've been using White Lightning chain lube on my road bicycle for nearly three years and I am pleased with the product.  However, I put effort into keep the chain & drive train clean and lubed.  Normally after rides greater than 30-minutes I wipe the chain including the chain rings, the deraileurs and cassette so they are clean.  It takes all of five minutes.  Then I lubricate the chain, wipe off the excess and hang the bike until I ride it again.  

After cycling in wet conditions I remove the chain from the bike and clean with a degreaser including chain rings, the derailleurs and cassette and finish as noted above.  It amazes me how wet road spray fouls up the drive train.

In the past I have used "Wet & Dry" lubes on my road bicycle and they lubricate fine, however seem to be leave a film on everything that gets near the drive train components...I prefer to leave that mess to the mountain bike...


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## andyzee (Nov 15, 2006)

I was in Lowes today and saw this lubricant made by Dupont pictured below. It looked like it might be good for bikes. Anyone have any experience with it?


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## marcski (Nov 15, 2006)

Charlie Schuessler said:


> I've been using White Lightning chain lube on my road bicycle for nearly three years and I am pleased with the product.  However, I put effort into keep the chain & drive train clean and lubed.  Normally after rides greater than 30-minutes I wipe the chain including the chain rings, the deraileurs and cassette so they are clean.  It takes all of five minutes.  Then I lubricate the chain, wipe off the excess and hang the bike until I ride it again.
> 
> After cycling in wet conditions I remove the chain from the bike and clean with a degreaser including chain rings, the derailleurs and cassette and finish as noted above.  It amazes me how wet road spray fouls up the drive train.
> 
> In the past I have used "Wet & Dry" lubes on my road bicycle and they lubricate fine, however seem to be leave a film on everything that gets near the drive train components...I prefer to leave that mess to the mountain bike...




Are you talking about road or mtn bike here, Charlie?


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## czimborbryan (Feb 21, 2007)

As far as WD-40 goes, it is a lubricant and works fairly well because of it's degreasing qualities.  Degreaser doens't mean that it removes lubricant, it means that it removes gunk.  It's water repellent qualities makes it good at shedding mud, but not so good with collecting sands.  From my experience, it works better than dry lubes in muddy conditions, but not as good in sandy conditions.  

3-in-1 lube is also good if you don't mind using it every time before you ride, but the chain should also be cleaned between rides.  I've noticed that it holds up very well under most conditions.

Graphite lock lube also works well.

There is another lube called "Slipit" that has got to be the most slippery substance on earth.  It's like black ice.  It sprays on wet and dries with a super-slippery film and it's very thin so it gets into the tightest spots.  I used it on RC cars that made the industry techies turn their heads at a nationals race.  When I got the stuff on my fingers I had a tough time picking stuff up.  I haven't used it on a chain yet, but now that I'm thinking of it, I will try it this spring.  

I've tried combinations of lubes.  Graphite and Slipit works well as a base-layer and so does WD-40.  I usually use the 3-in-1 as the second layer.


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## TreeLine (Mar 11, 2007)

I also use white lightning and have been for the past 2 seasons, even though last year was my only serious season, I felt that it held up fine.  I def prefer dry lubes over wet lube.  I def stay away from WD40 when it comes to my road bike, it collect so much dirt so quickly and before you know it, nothing is working well and eveything is getting gunked and worn.


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## Charlie Schuessler (Mar 18, 2007)

marcski said:


> Are you talking about road or mtn bike here, Charlie?



The topic stated was about road chains, for my MTB chain I use wet lube however I still wipe & lube after each use and thoroughly clean it after a four hours of riding time...


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## czimborbryan (Mar 18, 2007)

My bad - I was talking about mountain bike chains.  

I suppose wet lubes wouldn't be necessary for most road conditions, unless you couldn't steer very well and ended up off-roading it alot or live in Seattle.


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## goldsbar (Mar 19, 2007)

I use home lube - do a search on mtbr.com forums.  I can't remember exactly how I made it but it's something like 3 or 4 to 1 ratio of motor oil and paint thinner/solvent.  Drip it on each link (I use a baby bottle), spin the chain a few times and wipe clean.  Lasts a long time on my road bike.  Nothing lasts that long on my mountain bike.

For the record, I used WD-40 for years with no ill effects.  Cheap and simple.  Problem is, it gets everywhere and attracts lots of dirt if you don't wipe it all off.

Grime trick - buy some of those cheap latex gloves they use in hospitals.


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