Chain lube?

ProLink, White Lightning, Tri-Flow, Finish Line, Pedro's...

These are all brands of dry chain lubircants. Behind each brand you'll find people ready to jump up and down swearing that one in particular is head and shoulders better than all the others.

Pro Link, Pro Gold.

Rock N Roll Extreme lube

I like it since it is very smooth, and doesn't get the chain very dirty either. It is also the easiest to clean off when you need to clean the bike, but stays on when water is around. I don't promise any miracles with this stuff, it is just easy to work with. When applied it is a wet lube, but then it dries into smooth film.

The great thing is this lube is degreaser and lube at the same time. So the applicant being the degreaser, not only degreases the old lube away, but then dires and leaves the new lube there alone.

In my opinion, no lube out there will work, if a person doesn't look after it. Any lube will atract particles, and get the chain dirty. That is why you have to keep an eye on your parts, and clean them more frequently then you would think.

Lastly this lube saves me mucho money on degreasers, since it already has one in it!

To clean, I take my chain off (power link), put some lube over it and let it all run down when holding the chain vertically. After that I just take a garden hose with a gun attached to it and blast the chain with the water. This takes everything off and makes the chain clean enough to put on my bed. Then after that I just wipe off my chainrings, and the grime comes off w/o once again using anything special. Takes me about 15-20 minutes.

So in conclusion, that is why I like this lube.

2 old 2 go slow said:

ProLink, White Lightning, Tri-Flow, Finish Line, Pedro's...

These are all brands of dry chain lubircants. Behind each brand you'll find people ready to jump up and down swearing that one in particular is head and shoulders better than all the others.

You forgot Boeshield T-9. It really is the best in the world bar none!!!!! 😉 😄

Longdaddy said:

Pro Link, Pro Gold.

I use Rock n Roll Extreme Dry. I ride about 600 miles a week (in the warm weather), and use the lube twice a month. It is cleaner, lasts longer, and I am spending less money. No need to de-grease the chain any more, so I am saving time too.

Phill P said:

I've heard lots of pros and cons aboutt he different chain lubes out there. I don't think the wet lube I'm using at the moment is much good. It quickly gets gunked up and today 12km from home a link locked up and cause the chain to skip each time it when around the cassette.

I've tryed running it through the degreaser but it still didn't free up. I think that link is dead (due for a new chain for summer anyway).

What chain lubes do you other guys/gals use and why do you think its the best??

I use White Lightning. Seems to do the job pretty well.:p

Lepanini said:

I use White Lightning. Seems to do the job pretty well.:p

I use to use White Lightning but it is difficult to remove when cleaning the chain. I use Prolink Gold on my bike and T-9 on my wife's. I like the Prolink a bit better but I have not made a final conclusion.

Phill P said:

I've heard lots of pros and cons aboutt he different chain lubes out there. I don't think the wet lube I'm using at the moment is much good. It quickly gets gunked up and today 12km from home a link locked up and cause the chain to skip each time it when around the cassette.

I've tryed running it through the degreaser but it still didn't free up. I think that link is dead (due for a new chain for summer anyway).

What chain lubes do you other guys/gals use and why do you think its the best??

Le Tour available at Branford Cycling...so far one of the best chain lubes I have used...I also like ProLink.... 😄

finish line century
-a wet lube. unless you ride in super dusty mtb conditions or do not keep things clean, wet lube is best. cleaning every ~100mi for me does it, cleaning using only the chain lube.

dry lube does not penetrate and flakes off in short order compared to wet lube.

so your drive train will last longer.

as for degreaser, it will contaminate the chain, penetrating the links, degreaser is unsuitable for lube, so the chain is tossed.
that being said, pro tour mechs clean the chain every day with diesel oil, which evaporates and leaves an oil film.

Phill P said:

What chain lubes do you other guys/gals use and why do you think its the best??

I use a DuPont dry lube that I actually bought at Lowe's Home Improvement store (a superstore like Home Depot). It says on it that one of the reccomended uses is for bikes, and it's a Teflon lube. I think it's OK, it does not attract dirt the way that some wet lubes do, but as a dry lube, I don't think it lubricates as well either. Sheldon Brown says on his website that he likes Singer sewing machine oil (I think it was Sheldon Brown that said that?) I can't say I've tried it, but I do know that sewing machine oil is a wet lube that is super-penetrating. Maybe you could give that a shot. Oh, and I think that cleaning a chain is best with Diesel, kerosene, or lamp oil, which are all similar types of oils - whichever is easiest to get.

Now if I could only figure out how to take the chain off the bike, I'd be all set! 🙂 Don't you need a special tool to remove the chain or something? Still can't find the master link...

i'm a big fan of prolink gold. triflow is good too.

i've had the best luck with citrus degreesers.

I used to use Prolink Gold but I was getting that "sprocket tattoo" on my leg all the time - prolly using too much. So I decided to go to the wax-based White Lightening. After riding with it for a while, I noticed is was not as smooth and it flaked. I asked my mechanic friend and he said the was stuff is for "dirtbikes." I ride road so I went back to the Prolink Gold but is says "Chain Lube" specifically on the bottle.

After fully degreasing and cleaning the White Lightening off, now I just put a little of the Prolink on after a ride and then wipe off good both the side and inside (where you really need the lube) then after that light cleaning I drizzle a bit more on in the middle of the chain. Wipe off the side of the chain and then with medium effort wipe off the middle of the chain. I just do it after every ride. It takes one minute and I no longer the that mark on my leg and my chain runs smooth as can be.

Phill P said:

I've heard lots of pros and cons aboutt he different chain lubes out there. I don't think the wet lube I'm using at the moment is much good. It quickly gets gunked up and today 12km from home a link locked up and cause the chain to skip each time it when around the cassette.

I've tryed running it through the degreaser but it still didn't free up. I think that link is dead (due for a new chain for summer anyway).

What chain lubes do you other guys/gals use and why do you think its the best??

I got a great tip from a cyclist who also rides motorcycles. In one of his reference materials for motorcycles, Mobile 1 synthetic engine oil was suggested as a chain lube. It works great on a bike chain too. Its easy to wipe off and clean the chain and works great in wet or dry weather ( its also cheaper!). White lightning and other dry lubes in my experience, don't work well in wet conditions.

Phill P said:

I've heard lots of pros and cons aboutt he different chain lubes out there. I don't think the wet lube I'm using at the moment is much good. It quickly gets gunked up and today 12km from home a link locked up and cause the chain to skip each time it when around the cassette.

I've tryed running it through the degreaser but it still didn't free up. I think that link is dead (due for a new chain for summer anyway).

What chain lubes do you other guys/gals use and why do you think its the best??

Parafin on a clean chain then spray silicone on a weekly basis.

Purple Extreme.
Apply every few hundred miles. It's fantastic.

Dri-Slide! a moly bearing dry grease. It is solvent borne so it will penetrate a chain as well as, say, white lightning, but the stuff wipes all over everything like graphite dust X 10 even after it's dry so it can redistribute itself after it's worn away. Chain doesn't squeak for a long time. Chain tattoos WILL be a problem though.

BTW, if you get a stiff link, flex the links around the tight pin sideways right to left. This tactic usually works for me at least until I can get home. It's a way to force some clearance into the side plates.

DZ-015 said:

Purple Extreme.
Apply every few hundred miles. It's fantastic.

That's what I use. Seems like good stuff...