Chain Lubricant Options

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

Oh, boy! We're not even done with the
"Barium Grease Wars" yet.

"Richard Tack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:6NXcd.1671$gq2.661@trnddc01...

Quoted message said:

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike

ridden

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

generally in dry conditions??

Oh, boy! We're not even done with the
"Barium Grease Wars" yet.

Boy that's right up there with the Campy vs Shimano posts, eh?

The only one that is clean (Real Clean) and works great is Original White
Lighting. The rest are real messy and don't do a better job. I have tried
most of them over the last 10 years. Must be Original, Race Day and the
newer one (Epic I think is the name) are also very messy.

"Jay Richolson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

On Mon, 18 Oct 2004 22:37:49 GMT, "Jay Richolson" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

This has been discussed to death here.

Rest assured that you will get divergent answers, sometimes wildly so.

The economically-minded tend to use inexpensive lubricants like motor
oil, chain saw oil, gear lubricant, etc. Others swaer by one boutique
chain lube or another. Then there's a group (loosely speaking) in
which various things like paraffin wax, spray lubes not sold for this
purpose and various other products are employed.

Every user who is happy with their current lubricant is likely to
recommend it.

Choose what you think will work for you. Change to something else if
it doesn't. Measure your chain wear regularly enough to catch it
before it goes too far, and remember that chains are (usually) just an
inexpensive wear item, not something that you have to expend
tremendous effort safeguarding lest your pocket get picked severely
when it needs replacing.

(There are almost as many divergent opinions about the need for, and
correct way to perform, periodic chain cleaning...and the same advice
as above is probably applicable.)
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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Richard Tack said:

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

Oh, boy! We're not even done with the
"Barium Grease Wars" yet.

I decided to take that thread literally, and buried it unread.

--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

I've used paraffin (the wax kind not coal oil) since shortly after I
started riding as an adult, some 45 years ago. It's clean, and I've
never had any sort of chain trouble. As far as I can tell, my chains
last as long as anyone's.

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

I use chainsaw bar and chain oil, but it's really really messy.

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail.net

On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 01:50:19 GMT, Retro Bob <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Werehatrack said:

Measure your chain wear regularly enough to catch it
before it goes too far, and remember that chains are (usually) just an
inexpensive wear item, not something that you have to expend
tremendous effort safeguarding lest your pocket get picked severely
when it needs replacing.

Actually, (dare I dwelve into beaten territory) you've hit the key
point. Who cares about a chain? I expect I'll always be able to buy
a chain or recycle one from a lesser used bike when they are extinct.
But chainwheel wear... that worries me. So the question would be: what
lube will reduce wear on my chainwheels? (now you can say "same
discussion" :-)

Good point some chains have softer rollers yet still have hard pins
and sidelinks. The KMC Z50 chain i'm currently using appears to be
this design. After 3000 miles there is only a 1/16 " of stretch but
the rollers are starting to look concave? The Falcon freewheel the
chain has been running on still has not worn through the nickel
plating on the teeth after 5000 miles and this is a very inexpensive
freewheel.

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike
ridden generally in dry conditions??

http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8d.2.html

Jobst Brandt
[email hidden]

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

I've used paraffin (the wax kind not coal oil) since shortly after I
started riding as an adult, some 45 years ago. It's clean, and I've
never had any sort of chain trouble. As far as I can tell, my chains
last as long as anyone's.

Any chance of recycled candle wax working? Or is that a hopeless
venture? I have a "brick" of wax I made from miscellaneous old candle
remains a long while ago just for the hell of it. Would be nice if I
could find a use, but I suspect this isn't one....

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail.net

B.B. said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike
ridden generally in dry conditions??

I've used paraffin (the wax kind not coal oil) since shortly after I
started riding as an adult, some 45 years ago. It's clean, and I've
never had any sort of chain trouble. As far as I can tell, my chains
last as long as anyone's.

Any chance of recycled candle wax working? Or is that a hopeless
venture? I have a "brick" of wax I made from miscellaneous old candle
remains a long while ago just for the hell of it. Would be nice if I
could find a use, but I suspect this isn't one....

I remember reading somewhere that candle wax has additives that make it
unsuitable for chain lubrication, I think it's brittle and flakes out too
easily. I'm not certain about this one but I doubt it would work. Try it
and see.

"Jay Richolson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

Jay, as the others have pointed out, you should search the archives
(try "chain lube"😉 before asking such questions. This is a subject
that has been covered many times before in minute detail.

In geek terms, STFW! (Search The Freakin' Web!)

Jeff

WD40 when it squeaks or gets wet. Leave it alone otherwise.
--
Ron Hardin
[email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Werehatrack said:

Richard Tack said:

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

Oh, boy! We're not even done with the
"Barium Grease Wars" yet.

I decided to take that thread literally, and buried it unread.

Dear Werehatrack,

My hero! Best pun of the year!

Admiringly,

Carl Fogel

B.B. said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bob Wheeler said:

Jay Richolson said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

I've used paraffin (the wax kind not coal oil) since shortly after I
started riding as an adult, some 45 years ago. It's clean, and I've
never had any sort of chain trouble. As far as I can tell, my chains
last as long as anyone's.

Any chance of recycled candle wax working? Or is that a hopeless
venture? I have a "brick" of wax I made from miscellaneous old candle
remains a long while ago just for the hell of it. Would be nice if I
could find a use, but I suspect this isn't one....

I've used candle wax. It seems to work.

Chain wear occurs mostly because dirt gets inside on the rollers.
Paraffin provides no transport mechanism, so that is good. It does not,
however, lubricate as well as oil, because it is not replenished. It is
a trade off: I have always opted for a clean chain, and if it makes for
a shorter chain life, which I do not know happens, I'm willing to pay
the price of a new chain.

--
Bob Wheeler --- http://www.bobwheeler.com/
ECHIP, Inc. ---
Randomness comes in bunches.

Jay Richolson said...

Quoted message said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

Jay, while it is true that this has been done many times here, I think
it is a little bit sad that most people took the time to make an
obnoxious response, but didn't bother to share what they thought. Many
people here will tell you that motor oil or chain saw bar oil is the way
to go to lube a chain. I have tried this and it works well as a
lubricant, but the problem is that it gets horribly dirty and messy
blazingly fast. This can be a problem if, for example, you have a new
bright yellow Assos jacket that you paid over $100 for and would like to
keep it looking decent for a while. Wax based lubes like Finish Line
stay the cleanest and driest, but IMO their value as a lubricant is
questionable. Still you may want to try different ones to see if you
like any of them. That's what I'm doing. The lube I like best so far is
Pro Link Gold. It does its job as a lube and isn't as messy as oil, but
it still gets dirty, as will everything else to different degrees.

I clean my chains about once every 150 miles or so by soaking them in
naptha, a somewhat hard to find solvent. Nothing else I have tried
compares for instantly dissolving chain gunk. A little bit on a paper
towel is also excellent for cleaning grease off derailleurs and other
parts. I'm out of naptha now and plan to try Coleman fuel next to see if
it works as well since it appears to be just a less refined version of
naptha.

On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 06:01:22 GMT, Ron Hardin <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

WD40 when it squeaks or gets wet. Leave it alone otherwise.

This is not good advice. WD-40 is not really a lubricant, it is
designed to displace moisture. It is really great if your spark plug
wires or distributor cap get wet. If you wait for it to squeak, you
are putting more wear on all the other related components, like the
cassette and chainwheels.

For the OP, go to your LBS and get what they recommend. If they have a
variety, then try which ever one appeals to you. All the lubes
designed for chain use will do a decent job.
For a spray on lube, try Finish LineTeflon Plus Dry Lube. I used it on
one bike and it does an ok job, definitely superior to WD-40. I'm now
using Pro Link Chain Lube. If used on a clean chain, it goes on clear.
If applied to a dirty chain, it will run off black. Either way, it
will lube your chain. Overall, I like it a lot and it is reasonably
priced. It sells for $7.50 list, for a 4oz bottle, which should last
you all year.

I use Shimano's best chain for 9-speed, their Dura-Ace/XTR CN-7701, I
get them on sale for $19.95, with other discounts, as little as $15.
So at that price, I keep them clean and lubed, but I don't obsess over
them.

WD-40, is better than nothing, but there are so many other options. If
you do a search in rec.bicycle.tech, you will find, long threads on
this subject, with advice from many of our respected members.

Life is Good!
Jeff

On Mon, 18 Oct 2004 22:37:49 GMT, "Jay Richolson" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Any thoughts on the best choice of chain lubricant for a road bike ridden
generally in dry conditions??

For years I used TriFlo oil. Drip it on each roller, spin the chain,
then wipe off as much as possible. Depending on mood, I'd add new oil
or do a complete removal/solvent dip/reoil every couple of hundred
miles. One nice thing is that the small bottle of TriFlo is convenient
to carry on a tour. It is also usable on pivots, cables, etc. Add a
tube of Phil Wood grease and some WD-40 for cleaning and my biking
petrochemical needs are set for a couple of years.

In the last year I started using ProLink on the chain. It is thinner
than TriFlo and collects less dirt. Life of the chains seem about the
same. It doesn't hold up in the rain like the TriFlo so relubing after
rain is necessary.

Maybe I should have technical reasons for my choices, lots of
experiments and tests, etc. But I don't. The reasons for my choices
are based on other things. I don't want to have to decant motor oil
into containers that are usable on a bicycle. Nor do I want a tub of
grease sitting around for fifteen years, with the typical cracked lid
and coating of sand embedded in grease on all surfaces. Small bottles
and tubes that are easy to use are worth a few dollars to me.

I like the smell of Phil Wood grease. I like the look of my chain
using ProLink- cleaner, but I miss the smell of TriFlo when lubing the
chain.

If your chain doesn't squeak and it stays reasonably clean of heavy
caked dirt, your lube is probably doing just fine.

"Dan Daniel" wrote

Quoted message said:

I miss the smell of TriFlo when lubing the
chain.

Yeah, what is that? Banana bread?? Mmmmm.

On a slightly more serious note, ProLink must be puttin' nicotine in
their lube . . . cuz I'm hooked, too.

Started on the road bike, transitioned over to the mtb. It does do a
straight-up job of keeping that metal . . . what's the word I'm
searching for? Effulgent. Yeah, that's it.

Also seems to keep the drivetrain silent through water and filth.....

Long live the chain lube threads!