Tandem Cycling - Chain lube poll

OK, lets see what people are actually using, and how it works

Prolink Gold. Is an oil-based lube so it stays put in wet conditions, but does not attract a lot of dirt. It's a solvent-bourne lubricant... it goes on thin, penetrates the chain, then thickens as the solvent evaporates.

Silicone spray before every ride

I had meant to attach a poll, but then when I started thinkin about the questions, I got on with real work, and somhow posted just the single text line, sorry, but perhaps it is better without a poll, just straight answers such as Mathew's above should work.

I still use motor oil diluted with kerosene, but perhaps I am due for a technology upgrade.

I use Prolink Gold as well and started using it in 2005. I prefer wet lubes and I apply every 100 miles and wipe the chain dry. If I've been in the wet, I wipe it / clean it with WD-40 on a cloth first. It's not that I don't like the cleanliness of wax, but I honestly don't think it lubes as well; it can't flow back when displaced and I don't want to buy new chains so often. On a 3700 mile cross-country trip on singles in the summer of 2005, the leaders wanted us to put on new chains at the halfway mark. The leader measured spoke spoke wear and it measured like a new chain, while the dry lube chains in the group very definitely needed to be replaced. However, not getting black greasy marks on hands and legs is definitely a plus for dry lube - maybe I should try the dry lube for a set of chains and see what I think.

Bloomington, IN

1/4 Cup Powdered Milk
1/4 Cup Liquid Honey
One teaspoon Jojoba Oil
4 dropsRose Essential Oil
5 drops Patchouli Essential Oil
5 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and add to warm bath water. To create an ambient setting, light candles (use rose, patchouli or sandalwood for best effect) and/or burn incense of the same scents.

...
4 dropsRose Essential Oil
5 drops Patchouli Essential Oil
5 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil...

You may be on to something. ;) If we add a few drops of prolink gold or other favorite lubricants we could have a line of colognes or perfumes for romantic tandem couples... Near prom time I promote the use of pi cologne (an actual product from Givenchy named with the actual symbol for pi) for the boys in calculus class - it always elicits sighs and groans.

Bloomington, IN

I've been using silicone spray since putting a new chain on this spring and giving everything else a thorough cleaning, but just last night, I noticed some metal filings on one of my pulley's that caused me some concern. It had to have come from the chain, but I've not had a chance to investigate yet. I last wiped and sprayed the chain about a week ago (maybe 80 miles), and we did get caught in a brief shower one morning, so I'm wondering if I need to be a little more diligent about re-lubing when using the silicone versus the White Lightning I used before.

Any thoughts?

BT-9 after every ride then wipe off the excess on the outside of the chain.

5 drops Patchouli Essential Oil


No, no, no!!!!!

That brings back memories of the 1960s that are best left alone.... I love my stoker, but will not subject us to the essence of the Summer of Love mile after mile.

I mix 3 parts of odorless mineral spirits (paint thinner) to one part of Mobil One synthetic motor oil (any weight oil). The net effect is very similar to Pro Link, which I used before, only a whole lot cheaper. For approximately the price of one 4 ounce bottle of Pro Link I can make up 5 quarts of homebrew. Put it on, wipe off the outside of the chain and the chain stays relatively clean until the next lube in 200-300 miles. I keep it in reused Pro Link bottles but if you don't have any to reuse, I have found that the plastic squeeze bottles that they sell in beauty supply stores for applying hair color work very well.

Agree about the wax. I don't think it is good lubricant, even if mixed with graphite powder. So what if it is cleaner than oil.

Hot parrafin wax method for over 200,000 miles . . . works for us.

Agree about the wax. I don't think it is good lubricant, even if mixed with graphite powder. So what if it is cleaner than oil.

Hot wax mixed *with* oil :D

Rick

I have used White Lightning and ProLink.
Now I am using Dumonde Tech Lite and like it the best, the chain seems quiter and stays reasonably clean although you would not want to grab it with bare hands.

Joel

Soy-based butt butter.

I've been using silicone spray since putting a new chain on this spring and giving everything else a thorough cleaning, but just last night, I noticed some metal filings on one of my pulley's that caused me some concern. It had to have come from the chain, but I've not had a chance to investigate yet. I last wiped and sprayed the chain about a week ago (maybe 80 miles), and we did get caught in a brief shower one morning, so I'm wondering if I need to be a little more diligent about re-lubing when using the silicone versus the White Lightning I used before.

Any thoughts?

IMO silicone is not a good lubricant for metals. It might be good for lubing your curtain rods, closet doors, and the rubber on your car windows, but I would never use it on a chain or for any steel moving parts. There are lots of better lubricants available. Just my 2-cents.

ProLink Gold here, too.

Clean chain with a Park chain cleaner, let dry, apply T-9, let dry. Good for 200-300 miles. Works great in the rain as well.

-murray

Snake oil would probably work well as a chain lubricant so long as it's applied to a clean chain and then reapplied frequently enough to keep the pins and rollers protected from friction. Of course, I'm not sure how quickly snake oil will attract dirt or grime or how long it will hold up in extremely wet, dry, dusty, hot, or cold conditions.

Of course, that's the rub now isn't it? Just about everything listed in this thread will "work" but there are trade-offs, e.g., cost, frequency of re-lubrication, propensity to generate 'grime', inability to withstand water, etc.

Therefore, like so many things related to bicycles, there may or may not be a one-size-fits-all solution to your chain lubrication needs. In fact, depending on what type of bicycles you own and how you use them, you may find that different lubricants are needed for different machines.

By all means, find your perfect lubricant. If something doesn't work well for you, try something else. However, be sure to follow the instructions for use explicitly if you have any hope of replicating the results promised by the product or method you select.

Yes, I was kidding about the milk bath. Sure, it makes my chains feel relaxed but it's a poor lubricant.

1/4 Cup Powdered Milk
1/4 Cup Liquid Honey
One teaspoon Jojoba Oil
4 dropsRose Essential Oil
5 drops Patchouli Essential Oil
5 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and add to warm bath water. To create an ambient setting, light candles (use rose, patchouli or sandalwood for best effect) and/or burn incense of the same scents.

This is the ultimate in swagginess...designer chain lube.:D Look out for bees.:eek:

Hot parrafin wax method for over 200,000 miles . . . works for us.
+1
wax with some graphite mixed in. you can find the graphite in the lock section of the hardware store, it took me a while to find it. with the quick connect links it's really easy

I used to use a Cycling Specifix wax lube that really had to be applied to a clean chain- which I used to clean after every ride so no problem- and worked into the chain. This was fine but the chain used to run dry after 2 hours. I now use Pedros Lubes. "SYNLUBE" for the winter and wet rides as it stays on the chain and does not get washed off- and "DRY LUBE" in the summer where there is no rain to wash it off and does not collect dust as it is a dry lube. I can now do 4 hour rides and still have an oily chain at the end- Unless it is offroad and then we relube after 2 hours.

Now the best chain oil I ever used was called "BlackGold" That was fantastic but apply liberally and then wipe off. It was so sticky that any thrown off the chain would stick. On the wheels- the frame and on you. It was messy but the most fantastic chain oil made. BlackGold Grease is still available and is the best wheel bearing and headset grease available, if you can find it.

Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant With Teflon. Only used it on single bikes so far--the tandem is getting shipped to me tomorrow :) -- but there's no reason it shouldn't work just as well on the tandem. The trick is to buy it in big containers at hardware stores for a far better deal than the tiny drip bottles at bike shops. I don't think it goes bad; I've been on the same can for about 7 years now (and I ride 10 miles a day, 5 days a week except the dead of winter) and every time I try something else, I am very disappointed and I come right back to the Tri-Flow. As others on other forums have said, a little of this stuff goes a very long way.

Now I am using Dumonde Tech Lite and like it the best, the chain seems quiter and stays reasonably clean although you would not want to grab it with bare hands.

Joel

+1

Jig-A-Loo is great, both greaseless and drip free so it makes no mess on the bike and really keeps your bike running smoothly

Rock-n-roll Gold - We ride half on road and half on crushed limestone. Limestone dust gets everywhere and once the Rock-n-Roll Gold dries, it doesn't attract dust. Easy to apply and lasts a long time.
www.rocklube.com

LeTour Premium Chain Lube - semi-dry lube. Goes on wet to soak into rollers/pins and then dries. A good compromise between a wet lube which really requires a very clean chain and a dry lube which needs to be used more frequently. Another advantage is that it can be use for cables and other moving parts.

I generally prefer wet lubes for my own bikes. We generally have a variety of the pedros products at the shop, and that is what I end up with in my home shop. I did have for some time, a gallon of sny. bar and chain oil. It really worked well. any bar and chain oil I have had since has not looked as favorable.

If one cleans their chain fairly regularly I do not find this messier wet lubes a problem. I make sure not to have too much on the chain to start with. I wipe the excess off after aplying. Then every few weeks or so .. I take a mechanical chain cleaner to it. things don't get gunked up this way.
glenn

I've been using hot paraffin on my bikes for years. But my bikes are old school with 6 and 7 speed freewheels from the late 80's. The Cannondale tandem the wife and I picked up is brand new. I am thinking of doing the paraffin thing on it, but I need to make sure that the chains and such haven't changed when I wasn't looking.

I love paraffin for the cleanness of it, but it does make for a louder mechanical sound when peddling. I'm more torn now that I ride heavier tires with Kevlar belts and such, and flats seem to be mostly a thing of the past.

Sheldon

I'll use anything that's specifically designed for use on a bicycle chain. I've got Finish Line Dry in my drip bottle right now. I use it in such tiny amounts that cost isn't a concern for me. I can't imagine how long a gallon of mineral spirits/ Mobile 1 home brew might last me.

Tri flow. I went through years of trying others. But I guess you just get comfortable with one and stick with it.

pedro's dry lube, and finsihline cross country/wet lube, both work well

Tri Flow here!

OK, quick summary:
Hot wax 4
Prolink Gold 3
TriFlow 3
Silicone Spray 2
T-9: 2
Dumonde Tech Lite 2
Diluted motor oil 2
Other chain specific lubes 3
Total: 21

Hot Wax is the single most popular answer, but since many of the other lubes are similar petroleum based products, the majority remains with variations on diluted motor oil.

OK, quick summary:
Hot wax 4
Prolink Gold 3
TriFlow 3
Silicone Spray 2
T-9: 2
Dumonde Tech Lite 2
Diluted motor oil 2
Other chain specific lubes 3
Total: 21

Hot Wax is the single most popular answer, but since many of the other lubes are similar petroleum based products, the majority remains with variations on diluted motor oil.

I may be mistaken, but I don't think T-9 is diluted motor oil.

-murray

I may be mistaken, but I don't think T-9 is diluted motor oil.

-murray

"Boeshield T-9® Was developed by The Boeing Company for lubrication and protection of aircraft components. It is a combination of solvents, lubricants, and waxes designed for penetration, moisture displacement, lubrication and protection".

I meant diluted motor oil in a very general sense, a petroleum based lubricant diluted in a solvent, beyond that there are additives which I am sure improve performance.

"Boeshield T-9® Was developed by The Boeing Company for lubrication and protection of aircraft components. It is a combination of solvents, lubricants, and waxes designed for penetration, moisture displacement, lubrication and protection".

I meant diluted motor oil in a very general sense, a petroleum based lubricant diluted in a solvent, beyond that there are additives which I am sure improve performance.

In that case, you could put it in the category of waxes :D

I stand corrected, but it's still the best product I've used in 60,000 miles of riding.

-murray

ProGold ProLink for about a year. I like it.

I used to use a Cycling Specifix wax lube that really had to be applied to a clean chain- which I used to clean after every ride so no problem- and worked into the chain. This was fine but the chain used to run dry after 2 hours. I now use Pedros Lubes. "SYNLUBE" for the winter and wet rides as it stays on the chain and does not get washed off- and "DRY LUBE" in the summer where there is no rain to wash it off and does not collect dust as it is a dry lube. I can now do 4 hour rides and still have an oily chain at the end- Unless it is offroad and then we relube after 2 hours.

Now the best chain oil I ever used was called "BlackGold" That was fantastic but apply liberally and then wipe off. It was so sticky that any thrown off the chain would stick. On the wheels- the frame and on you. It was messy but the most fantastic chain oil made. BlackGold Grease is still available and is the best wheel bearing and headset grease available, if you can find it.

Yeah, I used to use Black Gold and found that nothing else was good enough. Anybody know who used to make the stuff? Is it still available anywhere?