MileHighMark

I used RnR Extreme 12 years ago, but haven't used it again until now. Kept the bottle indoors so it wouldn't freeze or anything. Pulled out the MTB this afternoon, put it in the stand, and proceeded to lube the chain as per the instructions.

The stuff gunked up almost immediately. Shook the bottle some more, but no real change. Checked the thermometer, and it said 43f. I know that's pretty cold compared to, say, So Cal, but really? The stuff was the consistency of uncooked spaghetti sauce. The label says not to store it below 40f, but when I applied it, I was getting chainsuck and spotty shifting in the stand.

Has anyone had positive results using this in temps below 50f?

FuzzyDunlop

We use that a lot at the co-op, which sets up outside on Saturdays, in an alley behind a coffee shop. A few weeks ago on a cold afternoon I went to lube a chain and the stuff was basically solid. It was probably in the high 30s.

Since that was my only lube option, I went inside and ran it under warm water for a little while to get it flowing again. It seemed to work fine once it was on the chain, but I didn't do too much to test it out.

I'm sure people with more opinions on chain lube will weigh in. This is the third thread I've looked at today about chain lube. Maybe I need something better to do at work.

2_i 

I had problems with rust developing right away after a rain on a chain treated with Rock N Roll Extreme. I won't put that stuff on my own bike. I look though for possible bikes on which I could use up my stock.

operator

Yeah, that clearly had nothing to do with the lube being washed away right?

operator

Call rock n roll: 208-672-0911

DX-MAN

Mobil 1 0W-20 motor oil. A quart will last a lifetime, unless you're really "Monk"-ish about your chain. (in which case, you're probably using ProGold, anyway...)

FBinNY 

Many lubes including mine can't be applied below certain temps, though some, like mine, work fine in the cold. Warming the lube won't necessarily help, unless the chain is warmed also. Otherwise the minute the warm lube hits the cold chain it cools and stops flowing.

Cyclist01012

Rock and Roll Extreme is all that we use in the winter. Never have stored it out side just in the unheated basement. I have not had a problem in applying it.

I ride it in all weather conditions from summer heat to sub zero on bikes from mtb to commuters to road bikes. and have never had the problem you are describing. Also I have not had the rust problem that another poster has talked about. If you are going to ride in the rain dry your cahin and rre lube when you aare done.

I have a bottle of Chain-l a friend who owns a shop gave me to try but I have been so pleased with Rand R that I haven't used it yet

skilsaw

My guess is that in the 12 years the RnR sat on your shelf, the solvents evaporated out of it, leaving the heavy oil.

The solvents in chain oil thin it out and make it spread and penetrate between the plates of the chain. After application, the solvents evaporate, leaving a thin film of the heavy oil to protect against rust and provide lubrication.

"Dry" lubes are mostly solvent and leave less oil so gather less dust. "Wet" lubes are mostly oil and really protect against rust but it collects dust and grit. "Wet" lube on chains needs to be cleaned more often.

I'd throw out the old RnR, or try thinning it with mineral spirits.

MileHighMark

This was a brand-new bottle. It's been stored indoors, and never below 55f until I took it outside to apply it.

FBinNY 

While it's fine reason from the specific and posit generalities, the process doesn't work the other way around. Rock n Roll is a fine product, it's vehicle will freeze, or gel or solidify. (not actually the same, but the effect is the same) That doesn't mean it won't work in the cold, just that you can't apply it.

BTW- your general assumptions of wet vs dry lubes are equally off base.

MileHighMark

I'm going to save the RnR for spring/summer. For now I'm sticking with either Boeshield or Dumonde Tech.

2_i 

I am using a mixture of Boeshield, LPS 3 and ACF-50. The advantage is that I can apply on the average just every few months. The chain does not rust no matter whether there is rain or snow with bike spending most of the days outside. If I were to dry the chain and relube after every rain, I would be going berserk. I am supposed to leave work because it has just rained?! Maybe I had no time to notice that it rained. Statements of that type may be made by people who use bikes for occasional maybe ceremonial purposes.

On my scale, Rock'n Roll belongs to the category of junk, but then most lubes on the market are at least in the area of snake oil for me. I've been through tons of lubes and have tested variety of snake-oil advices. Finally, out of frustration, I started experimenting, writing down quantitative observations and trying to understand them. In this fashion, I arrived at the mixture.

AEO

maybe the oil has oxidized.

similar to oil paints or grease drying out.
Such is the life of consumable products.
You can't really do anything to revive it.

https://www.midtownoil.com/downloads/...ting%20Oil.pdf

Sixty Fiver

Homebrew:

1 part semi synthetic oil / 3 parts mineral spirits.

Flows pretty quickly when it is at room temp but flows well at extremely cold temperatures and offers great protection in winter and in any wet climate.

cyccommute 

Lubricants like Rock N Roll are based around a saturated solution. Saturated solutions are highly dependent on temperature in how they react to the world. When you place the solution on a cold chain, the material precipitates out. This is quite normal. Heating the bottle with a little warm water can help or bringing the bike into a warmer environment for a while will do the trick. Even standing the bike outside in the sun should warm it enough to get the lubricant flowing.

I'd not follow the advice of those who suggest synthetic oil and mineral spirits...especially for here in Colorado this particular winter. As dry as it is now, the oil will only act as a dirt magnet. We don't need to protect against water here...particularly this year. Dirt and grit are the enemy here.

Sixty Fiver

The biggest problem I see with people is that that they over lubricate their chains and don't wipe them down completely... the homebrew lube that I, and many other people have taken to using, is a very clean running lube when you do it correctly.

The solvent acts as a carrier for the oil and when it evaporates you are left with oil where it is needed (inside your chain)... it also disperses moisture. Wipe the chain until there is no residue left on the outside and you will find that you have a smooth running and well protected chain that does not attract dirt.

I have been using this in the wet and the dry and find it superior to many off the shelf lubricants as far as performance and resistance to dirt goes as it just isn't that sticky and does a good job of cleaning and lubricating when it is applied.

And it costs 1/10 of commercially prepared lubes which are also... a blend of oil and solvent.

If you ride where it is really dusty and dry I'd use a wax based lube for most of us don't live in the desert and see mixed riding conditions.

cyccommute 

Even with wiping, I've never found oil based lubricants to be anything but dirt magnets. By the very nature of the material, the oil won't stay in place when in use. Let it stand for any amount of time and the oil will flow to the bottom of the chain and outward. The wax based lubricants have such a high viscosity that, once the carrier solvent has evaporated, they can't move. As evidence look at the incidence of chain leg between oil based users and wax based users

My comments about lubricant for MileHighMark and others who ride in my area. I did say that the oil/mineral spirits wasn't a good choice for here...Colorado...for this year. We just aren't experiencing any moisture this year along the Front Range.

mike_s

You say that as if it's a good thing. A lubricant is no good unless it's between the moving/sliding contact points. Something which flows (or bonds to metal, such as moly) is needed, so that capillary action can keep enough where it's needed. Oil or grease (which is oil with a soap binder) are fine. Wax isn't, unless it's part of a thixotropic emulsion (which is what most commercial "wax" chain lubes are - but they do move).

Alan@TreeFort

This is exactly the case. Even if it is stored at a decent temperature, Rock N Roll Extreme, and many other lubes on the market, will solidify once they hit a cold chain. When the lube and chain are at a decent temperature, like 50 or above, the lubricant can be applied normally and then can be run in cold weather just fine. But when warm lube hits a cold chain, it will harden right up.

2_i 

From different chain lubricants I tried out, of which there had been ~20, Rock N Roll had the worst ability to stay on the chain. It might have, unsurprisingly in this context, the best ability to clean the chain, for which I recall it is being advertised, but then I have better ways to clean the chain.

MileHighMark

I rode close to 20 miles of dirt today, and the trails were as dry as they are in summertime. An application of Boeshield (applied the day before, and wiped down) lasted about 10 miles before the chain started making some minor noises. That's about 2 miles more than Pro-Link would have lasted, but Dumonde Tech would have been good for the whole ride (and the chain would have been pretty grimy). I gave Squirt a try a month or so ago, and the chain was chirping after 12-13 miles in the dirt.

Sixty Fiver

After a week's riding in the snow, sand, and slush.

2_i 

Better commercial lubes may hold for 10 days and at times 2 weeks under such conditions. I have crossed to the level of months, provided the chain does not rub against snow. In the latter case, I may need to reapply after a month.

Sixty Fiver

A week of winter riding for me is 200 km and my bikes get stored inside but in an unheated garage so that makes a big difference... I re-lube once a week as a matter of habit and have had my chains last through the winter and into the spring without needing replacement.

Mid winter here is dry and cold and the most extreme season is spring when things start to melt... one might have to wipe down and re-lube their chain on a near daily basis then.