avidone1

My crosstrail comp has only about 600 miles on it.
Every thing is adjusted properly and all fittings are snug and secure.
Florida being hot and muggy much of the year, I often ride at night.
I really like it. My area is generally pretty quiet to begin with so at night it's very peaceful.
I have gotten a bit obsessive about the sounds coming from bike.
Notice I did not say "noise" because my bike is not noisy. At all.
But I can hear the chain, especially on the large chainring.
I'm wondering what lube might help quiet the chain to as near to "silent" as I can get.
Virtually all my rides are on roads. Some puddles but usually petty dry conditions
Any recommendations?

GlennR

600 miles.... you should of lubed it a few times already.

I use Finishline dry lube.



Lube is like religion... everyone has what they like. But any lube is better than none.

StanSeven

White Lightening is probably the quietest, particularly after several applications when there's a buildup of base wax

Shimagnolo

Many years ago when I was experimenting with lubes, I tried the 90W gear lube I used in my Jeep's differentials.
It was absolutely the quietest lube I ever used.
But trust me, you don't want to do it;
It turns your chain into flypaper that attracts and holds the biggest chunks of dirt you've ever seen.

kickstart

When it comes to chain lube, "best" is highly subjective.

On my fair weather only bikes with an open drive line I use Boeshield as it dries to a waxy film that doesn't hold dust, grime, or fling off.

On my all weather bikes or those with chain case I use Chain-L as it seems to work better and last longer than waxy, or thin lubes in the constant wet of the northwest.

GlennR

This might help...

fietsbob

sticky motorcycle chain lube .. or just convert to a Gates Belt Drive.

habilis

Seems odd that you would hear the chain. All I hear is the wind and, to a small degree, the tires. If the chain is audible, it's probably just dry. I use light-weight machine oil, applied from a can with a nozzle. A drop on each link, spin the rear wheel, wipe off with a dry rag. (Keep your fingers away from the chain ring and cogs!)

Are you sure the chain isn't grazing the front derailleur?

CrippledKonaBoy

THE best lube I've ever used, all around -- easier clean-up, longer lasting, smoother, etc. -- was Liquid Silk by Giant.

Usually, if I hear my drivetrain, I look FIRST at adjustment of my shifter's barrel adjusters. Once in a while............ The chain is generally pretty quiet.

DrIsotope

In my limited experience, the type of lube doesn't much matter-- the quietest drivetrain is going to be the newest, cleanest one. I can always tell my chain is wearing because it just gets louder under all conditions. Keep your chainrings, cassette, and chain as clean as you possibly can. I remove and clean everything at least once every 8 weeks, including a full degrease and bake for the chain (10 minutes @ 350º) and I relube the chain while it's still oven hot. I tell ya, whatever lube you use will go a long way when applied to a hot chain. I can do the full chain with about 8 drops of ProGold (as opposed to one drop per link) and do not have to reapply for 250-300 miles. After cleaning and the hot lube, my whole drivetrain is basically silent.

avidone1

thanks for all the suggestions and comments
But the purpose of this post is to get opinions from fellow BF's on the quietest chain lube you are familiar with.
Quiet is the question.
thanks again

FBinNY 

I'll go see the orthopedist for the dislocated shoulder later, but I have to pat my own back here.

Read reviews on various sites and you'll see a solid consensus that Chain-L is the quietest running chain lube out there, bar none. In fact, the most common comments are about that in particular. One even went so far as saying that it made the writer's normally quiet fixie "black Ninja of death silent".

alcjphil

Some bikes are not quiet no matter what you do. Some years ago I had a titanium bike that was always noisy no matter what I did. It developed a crack in the seat tube, and as a retirement present to myself I bought a Look 381KG frame to replace it. The Look frame had carbon fiber tubes with aluminum lugs. The difference in noise was astounding, there was almost none with the new frame. Some frames are terribly noisy. Yours may be one of them

skidder

I wouldn't use 90W oil on an MTB as it does pick up a lot of dirt. But I use it on my road bikes and it works well. I regularly clean my chain with one of those Park tool snap-on devices with the spinning brushes and some Simple Green cleaner, so the dirt build-up is minimal.

FWIW: As someone else mentioned, first thing to do is check the chain alignment before worrying about lube. If the chain is not aligned on the cassette's gear (especially the largest and smallest gears) it can chatter; same if you're cross-chaining (using the big ring up front and the big ring in back).

martianone

Agree- various different frames and components, generate different harmonics that are not always solved by lube. my favorite ride is a modern steel frame road bike with upper level components. When it was new- all the rolling parts properly adjusted and lubed - only noise it made was sound of tires on the road. After several thousand km, it didn't seem as quiet. Late last summer, broke the RD (drive train is 1x10) - when it was in the shop asked them to do a meticulous cleaning and lube/grease (even if it didn't look like it needed to be done) including wheel bearings, bottom bracket,head set new chain, plus tune up etc. I took the pedals apart and serviced the bearings. Back to dead quiet. Tri-Flow lube seems to help keep the chain quietest for me.

Hoonigan

I use White Lightning Epic or Rock n Roll absolute dry chain lube. They both work well.

avidone1

LOL Black Ninja of death silent..... Yes! that's exactly what I am looking for. As I have tried to explain, my drivetrain is NOT noisy. It is not old, worn, dirty, in need of lubrication or adjustment. It's ME. I am the problem.....I crave silence from the drivetrain. I love the sound of the tires on the road, the wind rustling the leaves, the dog barking in the distance. I am risking much abuse here, but I will say it is a bit of a spiritual experience for me. It is transcendent. After a few miles, when I'm fully warmed up I head for the long straight roads and though still alert, I am sort of in a zone of tranquility. I truly love it.
I have ordered ChainL off of Amazon and will review it at some future date.
thank you all.

hoodat

The Zen of biking?

Retro Grouch 

I think that you also have to consider where the noise is actually coming from.

It's a little off topic but I've decided to call one of my short wheelbase recumbents the "Retro Racket". That's because it has a TerraCycle toothed idler pulley and a Chris King rear hub. Consequently, when I'm riding, I get to choose between pedaling and hearing the idler pulley noise or coasting to listen to the King freehub. Neither particularly bothers me but there are some other folks who don't like riding near me.

rex615

You should try a velomobile sometime. You sit inside with the drivetrain and the idler pulley is attached directly to the body (as is all the suspension). It can be very noisy.

By contrast my fixed gear bike with good drivetrain components (Sugino chainring, Surly cog) is very quiet. A fixed gear bike with good chainline can be very quiet.

As for lube. Thicker oil is the quietest and the messiest. I'll put lightweight synthetic motor oil on the chain if I am going to ride in the rain.

avidone1

Kinda

trailangel

Hey, me too.. especially when I roll a big fatty for my ride.

Wheever

If you can hear the wind rustling the leaves over the sound of the wind generated by your laying down mighty wattage, YOU'RE NOT DROPING THE HAMER PROPERLY.

rex615

I am naive is the use of performance enhancing drugs. What does this mean?

habilis

+1, especially if the sound your hear (no matter how faint) can be described as grating or grinding.