Originally Posted by
DaveSSS
I'm just a lowly mechanical engineer who's who's been riding bikes and wrenching on them for 25 years. I've been using homebrew wet lubes for the last 10 years and I get better chain life than 90% of those who post on this forum. My regular homebrew is a 4/1 mix of mineral spirits or naptha and synthetic motor oil. I used a Campy chain with that lube for 6,000 miles and measured 1/16" of elongation over the entire length of the chain - not 12 inches. That blows your theory that wet lubes attract dirt and cause premature wear. A Shimano or KMC won't perform that well, however. Shimano in particular, will elongate at least four times faster than a Campy chain, with the same lube.
The popular ProLink chain lube is nothing but a mineral spirits and oil wet lube. Most shops sell a 4-ounce bottle for $6-8. I can make the same thing for 8 cents.
I don't ride in the rain since it rarely rains here in the Denver area, but I never intentionally rode in the rain when I lived in the Kansas City area either. I do ride where it's dry and dusty, with plenty of grit for that wet lube to pick up.
WD-40 has about the same percentage of oil as my regular homebrew. I know that the oil isn't very heavy, but it really behaves about the same as my homebrew. I do relube my chains frequently and wipe them down before and after lubing. I suspect that the greater reason for premature chain wear in infrequent lubing. A factory rep from ProLink actually advised me NOT to relube unless the chain started squeaking. Just what I want, a chain that starts squeaking after 10 miles into a 50 mile ride. No thanks.
When I get done with my chain wear test and find little difference between WD-40 and 80/90W synthetic gear lube, will that change your mind?
FWIW, the lubrication expert who posts on this site doesn't have much good to say about dry lubes.
Thanks DaveSSS for one of the few sane posts in this thread. I'm a licensed auto mechanic (we need to know about lubes!) and a 47 year home bike mechanic. To those who think WD-40 is not a lube - of course it's a damn lube. WATER is a lube. Is it the BEST lube? Of course not. Lubes; any lube; should be chosen for their best purpose. WD-40, like my homebrew chain lube (I wouldn't use anything else) is mixed with a thinner so that it gets where in needs to get. Then the thinner evaporates leaving the original viscosity oil.
Some of the rocket scientists in this thread think that WD-40 evaporates away to nothing. Ok try this - spray some on a mirror that's laid flat. Leave it a couple of days. Nothing left? ********. There's a nice oily lube left.
If you want a really nice general purpose lube do this - pour some WD-40 (I buy it by the gallon) into a shallow container and leave it open for a while. I dunno how long but I leave mine for weeks. What you'll have when all the thinner has evaporated is one of the best lubes you've ever rubbed between finger & thumb. Try it.
Because WD-40 is a very thin lube (in its normal state) it does a great job as a solvent too. I clean my chains with it - running them through a WD-40 soaked rag. Then I re-lube with homebrew.
But is regular WD-40 a
good lube? I'd say it's a good lube for its intended purpose. Anyone who would use it to lube headset bearings is an idiot. There are better lubes for some purposes (grease for bearings and bushings, oils for chains etcetera). I'd like to hear more about Dave's chain wear test. One measurement is worth 50 "expert" opinions here. It's up to everyone to use the right lube for the job. Old geezers like me will quote the "Horses for courses" saying.
But to say it isn't a lube is just ridiculous. WD-40 would sue you for slander and libel if they thought you were worth it.