One of the issues I have with the lubrication arguments is blanket statements. That wet lube in the chain gets squooze out to the outside eventually and causes all kinds of problems in dusty conditions. You, moxfyre, ride in the east where it's a whole lot wetter then here in the west. Having ridden just a bit to the north of you (Vermont), I can tell you that you guys don't have the same issues as we westerners do, nor do we have the same problems as you do. Also, the lubrication depends on the type of riding. A road bike needs a different kind of lubricant than a mountain bike, although, generally speaking, if you are riding the road bike in the same area as a mountain bike, you can usually use the same lube.

For example, in the east you guys need a lubricant that protects against moisture to keep the parts from rusting. A good oily lubricant like Phil's Tenaceous Oil is great stuff...messy... but good. It keeps water out of the chain. In the west, we can leave our bikes outside for months on end and never see a rust spot on a chain but if we go ride there is dirt and sand on every road and every trail. Just riding down the road kicks up a lot of the stuff because it doesn't stick to the road that well. You eastern guys just don't have the same problem. That sand is usually made of quartz which, on the Mohr hardness scale, is harder than the iron the chain is made of. Small bits of the sand gets into the works and wears chains very quickly if you have something that the sand can stick to...like Phil's oil. Dry lube keep the grit down to a minimum and the chains last longer.

I've tried all of the lubricants that are out there (in broad classes), like Phil's, Triflow, WD-40, White Lightening. Of them all only the WL keeps my chains clean, working well and long lasting. I would never use the stuff in Vermont. I probably wouldn't use it near the ocean (have to deal with salt there) but for the dry Great Plains and the Intermountian west, it works like advertized.