Originally Posted by
Slaninar
Nicely explained - great posts and info... as usual.
Risking going into a hair-splitting territory, comparing wet and dry lubes, from corrosion protection perspective - I'd say that even with water reaching beneath the lube, some lube still remains after the rain has stopped. And the "wet lube" lubricated parts of a drivetrain still remain mostly rust free in the salty winters I face, while the dry (not lubed parts) ones get rusty. Would it be the same with a dry lube - yet to test it.
I'd just argue that dry lube gets
pushed aside even in dry weather, especially if there's power applied when riding cross chained (like most multispeed drivetrains do).
Perfectly clean chain lasting similarly long as a wet lubed (and often dirty) one confirms my theory about the downsides of dry lubes. If they were more water resistant, or at least able to replentish the contact area they get pushed out of, with having such a clean drivetrain, it would most probably result in 3 to 6 times longer chain life.
However, the fact that you don't get any shorter chain life, and the drivetrain is always clean is definitely a plus. If price difference is not a problem, it's a good recommendation. The way I see it, it literally is a choice: bit more expensive lube with a clean drivetrain vs the other way round. At least for the modern, bushingless chains.
this conversation seems to be pointing in the direction of wax based lubes being promising. Having used White Lightning, I would say that this product most definitely gets "pushed aside" as you say. The squeaking, the rusting, the failure of the product to get into the internals of the chain are all problematic. This is why so many of us just develop a wet lube system. I was applying my Pedros lube every 40 to 100 miles and wiping my chain with a "Tub-O-Towels" cleaning wipe before each ride.
But now I must admit that I am intrigued by the Molten Speed Wax product. If you go to their website, I would encourage you to read through their FYI's and directions. By melting the wax granules and them putting them into a thoroughly clean chain, there seems to be a much better chance that the product will stay put a for the distances that they claim (up to 400 miles under ordinary mixed road bike riding?). I have now treated 2 bikes with the product and will be testing them out in 2018. On the bike stand the first impression is positive. The Speed Wax seems quite slick (you have to manually "flex" all of the chain links to loosen things up). Also, being able to touch the chain and not get black goo all over is pretty cool.