Lube - Wet or Dry?
 

Just got done cleaning my chain and trying to decide how to lube it. I have both the finish line wet and dry lubes (and a wax-based aeronautical lube, but I hadn't planned on using that). Living in New England, autumn is a wet time, so I'd generally think I should go with the wet lube, but my wife is pressuring me to move the bike out of the apartment back down to our underground garage where there's a bike storage area. Unfortunately, the bike racks are right next to where the construction workers have their workshop and everything gets a fair bit of concrete dust (or some other building dust) on it. The dust makes me think a dry lube would be best. Any ideas?

I agree with your thinking. Maybe you can completely cover the bike with a blanket or something similar. I like to use an oil based wet lube in a humid climate.

tell your wife sorry, but concrete dust is really bad...because it really is. I would never store my bike where concrete dust might attack it. Only use the thick oil (wet) lube when it really is raining or the road is really wet.

I would get a $5 chain cleaning tool and stick with the wet lube.

A "wet" lube doesn't have to be thick, it generally means that it is oil based. I mix 3 parts mineral spirits with 1 part synthetic motor oil, certainly not thick.

I have the chain cleaner, and haven't been down there to the bike area in a while, so maybe they're no longer creating dust all the time. We'll see. Maybe just a more frequent chain cleaning will work like you suggest.

I really like to use hot wax and a teflon engine oil additive. Just melt some wax in a double boiler setup (coffee can in a pot of water) add a couple tablespoons of additive, soak chain. Chain stays dry, quiet, and sheds dirt. Added benefit is that you don't even have to clean the chain before hand as the wax will displace all the grit in the rollers and such.

I agree with your wife and you should also if you value peace and tranquility.

Yeah, this is something that's non-negotiable. We have a very small 1 bedroom and need to make room for a baby that's coming (and the associated furniture). When we have no available wall space and are debating whether or not to get rid of the table to make room for a crib, the bike's gotta go.