gregf83 

Many who use wax on their chains take it off the bike and dip it in hot liquid wax.

gsa103

To the OP:

A thicker lube like Chain-L will be ideal for your use. Do NOT spray the bike with WD-40 anywhere, ever. Your bike has disc brakes, and WD-40 is the enemy of discs.

After you finish lubing the chain, take a clean shop rag, spray with rubbing alcohol (isopropanol) and gently wipe down the rear brake rotor. This will remove any lube that may have gotten on the disc.

ThermionicScott 

I dunno if this counts as a homebrew, but before I ordered any Chain-L, I was using ordinary bar & chain oil in the same way. This exact stuff:



It's about the consistency of 30W motor oil (in fact, "30WT" is printed somewhere on the back of the container) and lasted about as long per application. But it doesn't have the extreme anti-wear "secret sauce" of Chain-L. Just smells like boring ol' motor oil, and not even like Shell Rotella. So my choice has been made.

SpikedLemon

Agreed.
When I'm more diligent: I use a rag (sometimes I'll spray a little WD40 on the rag).
I'm usually less diligent though and a more thorough cleaning is required.

A little over the top of a warning. Many people use WD40 to rust protect motorcycle disk brakes over the winter and, while I don't, I have oversprayed my own brakes with WD40 without fear. Just be very aware that your first couple times braking will be absolutely terrible but it will quickly return to normal.

gsa103

Motorcycle discs are very different than bike discs. A motorcycle disc will easily get hot enough to cook off residue like WD-40. Bicycle discs typically don't generate the heat required, and they won't self clean. This is especially true for resin pads, which glaze at relatively low temperatures. The disc itself can be cleaned with alcohol, but usually contaminated pads require replacement.

FBinNY 

I don't use disc brakes and lack enough experience to post with any expertise on the subject.

But it seems to me that a brake system that's as hypersensitive to oil films as some people make them out to be, makes little sense. Bicycles have to operate in a real world environment where oils will get onto discs, either because of transfer from the bicycle or mechanic's fingers, or from oily road spray when riding in rain or mist.

I can understand pads suffering if doused with oil or solvent, but an oil film shouldn't be a problem, and if it is, speaks to poor design and/or material choices.

tronnyjenkins 

I've been around here long enough to learn that FBinNY knows a thing or two. I guess it's high time I try Chain-L. You should contact Richardson Bike Mart and penetrate the Dallas, TX market!

rekmeyata

I'm confused, my post was deleted, why? I don't recall anything I said that was offensive. And why was the post about NixFrixShun lube deleted but not Silca NFS lube which is the same thing?

mtnbke

There isn't.

A clean or "wax" based lube isn't good for but about 50 miles and that number is consistent with what White Lightning suggests for their Clean Ride and what Pedro's suggests for their Ice Wax. So while those are two of my favorite "wax" or clean lubes (that you pretty much can ignore cleaning the drivetrain and the chain with) they definitely are NOT appropriate for all environments.

There just isn't a BEST of both clean lubes and lubes that preserve the drivetrain. Everything in between is an absolute compromise. The reason is that the chain lubricants that hold up the best with high milage and stand up to snow/rain/sleet and moisture are diametrically opposed across from wax/clean lubes in terms of attracting dirt/grime to the drivetrain. So while a White Lightning Wet Ride or a Pedro's Syn Lube are the best lubricants for standing up to moisture/snow/sleet/rain and for high milage in between lubrication intervals (baseline of 200 miles per, depending on conditions) those two products are also the two WORST choices you could make for lubricants that attract grit, grime, and dirt that will essentially destroy your drivetrain.

So there definitively is NOT a combo or hybrid lube that does everything BEST, but there certainly are combo/hybrid lubes that do everything well but nothing best. White Lightning Epic Ride is a great jack of all trades master of none lube, as is Pedro's Chainj. However, for pretty much every context you'd be better off using White Lightning Clean Ride or Pedro's Ice Wax OR White Lightning Wet Ride or Pedro's Syn lube, depending.

The point being I love clean/Wax lubes because they allow your drivetrain to survive the grit/grime/dirt that would otherwise be attracted to a heavy oil based lube. It is the grit/grime/dirt that truly wear alloy rings and cassette cogs, especially since they've become thinner from 8 to 9 to 10 to 11 speeds. However, clean/Wax lubes aren't appropriate in the wet/snow/sleet/rain either or for high mileages, or for maintenance-free long intervals between applications.

In fact, truth be told even with the super high mileage lubes like Wet Ride and Syn Lube that are perfect for long brevets or touring, when it really gets nasty out with the the sleet/snow/puddles/rain even though the heavy oil based lubes are the best application to stand up to the moisture, they actually regress back to the 50 mile rule of a clean/wax lube. That's because they attract so much dirt/grime during the nasty weather that even thought the lube on the drivetrain is still good to go, you truly need to be constantly cleaning the chain and drivetrain and relubing anyway.

At the end of the day in the worst nasty weather and the dirtiest driest conditions there really isn't a "least amount of maintenance" lube. You'll be reapplying the wax/Clean/Dry lube essentially every ride, or you'll be cleaning your drivetrain and relubricating essentially every ride. Anything otherwise is what wears out the drivetrain.

jyl

Commuting in the Pacific NW rainy winter, I certainly don't reapply lube every 50 miles. More like every 200 miles.

Bike Gremlin

What you wrote makes a lot of sense. Agree with you, even though I've never even tried wax based "clean" lubes.

My experience has been that of all the wet lubes I've tried, regular 20w60 motor oil is the best. But, repeat, haven't tried the clean lubes. For winter months I use thinner, synthetic motor oil (like 0w30 full synth) - but that is for well bellow freezing temps. Month or two of the year, at most. The rest of days - 20w60 stays on long, doesn't attract any more dirt than other lubricants. That's compared to wet lubes marketed as bike chain lubricants, as well as various gear oil, chain saw oils etc.

rekmeyata

I've had the same failure with all wax based lubes in a bottle, they last 50 to 70 miles which meant when I was on a long ride I had to carry a bottle of lube with me because the chain would start making noise! And noise means there is increased wear happening.

I agree that for a wet lube motor oil would work just as good, but be careful NOT to use motor oil on dry days because that stuff will attract dirt like a magnet which means your chain and gears will grind all that dirt up causing increased wear on both of those components.

Bike Gremlin

Of all the wet lubes I've tried - motor oil as as good/bad as any other in attracting dust. Chain saw and commercial chain long lasting lubes for wet conditions are worse than motor oil in that regard.

Ronsonic 

For chain lube and a lot of other stuff I use a 1:4 blend of Chainsaw oil in mineral spirits. Slather it on heavily to flush off the mess then scrub, if needed, and wipe off the excess with a rag. The thinned stuff will run in to where it's needed and when the spirits evaporate you'll have heavy oil inside the bearings with the outside left clean. Being ridiculously inexpensive you can use generously as a cleaner and lube for metallic parts.

Works great for me with Florida sand and wet. I'll also load my cheap harbor freight ultrasound cleaner with that mix and drop a filthy chain in there. Give it a few buzz-cycles wipe it down and/or hang dry depending on the weather and available time and reinstall.

djb

one thing to mention--while I havent used chain-L, the website does admit that it is pretty smelly, so I guess depending on where you would oil the chain and or your bike storing situation (small apt for example) this could be something to think about. Phils Ten. is pretty much nothing to notice, but then the L wouldnt have to be put on that often. Again, not from personal experience.

the only thing I liked about pro-link was how super clean it was going on, I imagine the ohter really thin lubes are like this--you put the chain on the smallest rear cog, hold bottle over chain over the 11t and just turn pedal backwards while applying. A really quick rag wipe and done, nice and spanky clean---buuuuuut, doesnt last at all. I found I lubed so often that even with the cleanliness, I got tired of it and certainly didnt like surface rust from rain--just can't compete with thicker lubes.
I think the thin ones appeal to folks who want their bike looking brand new all the time without a spec of oil on anything.

rekmeyata

ProGold (Prolink) Xtreme lasts quite a while, in fact that stuff is the longest lasting stuff I've tried for dry conditions but it holds up well in the rain. The only thing a person needs to remember when using this stuff is to wipe the chain after EVERY ride. I probably get about 300 miles on a lube, and could go longer but I prefer not to take any lube to the extreme extended time.

Deal4Fuji

Thoughts on this ?

RubeRad

Well, it definitely has a smell, I don't know that I'd call it "smelly". It would be noticeable with a bike in a small apt; for instance if I've recently applied, then I'll detect it in the garage for a day or two. Since I've become familiar with it, I've come to enjoy that Chain-L scent, because I know it means a happy, quiet chain.

rekmeyata

Like WD40 everyone wants to jump on the lucrative bicycle lube market. Liquid Wrench also has a dry lube. I would wait until others have used it and get some reviews first before using it.

RubeRad

Yeah I've gotten small free-sample bottles of WD40 bike lube. It's oily, it works fine for the light/thin-oil applications I use it for, which is basically derailleur pivot points and cable housing. I'm sure it would work comparably to any other light oil as a chain lube, as long as you apply it often enough.

The sample bottle mine came in though had just a wierd hole-in-a-flat-disc on top as the only way to apply it, not too useful. But I found an empty needle tip vape bottle on the road, it makes an excellent dispenser!

Jiggle

We need a substance with good lubricating properties that reacts with air to form a layer at the boundary that is non-sticky and acts as a barrier to evaporation of the substance's volatiles.

djb

good point, but we also need a non polluting, never ending, non invasive energy source for our planet that will solve all of our present power needs.

but yes, our existing chain lubes have to deal with lots of compromises and dealing with a gunky environment.

dwmckee

Can you re post? I'd like to hear what you have to say. Maybe use N - F - S or somesuch and see if that gets through the filters... Just don's use the word g u n.

rekmeyata

If they took dead humans and squeezed them down to a pancake you would have a non invasive, never ending, non polluting source of oil for small stuff like bike lube.

danmyersmn

I ride a shaft drive motorcycle but I still use motorcycle chain lube on my bicycles. I use this: Chain Wax - Maxima Racing Oils

I do agree with you about the heat required to get the wax into the chain. I solve this problem by using a heat gun. When I want to apply the wax I use a heat gun aimed at the chain. With the gun on high and the chain slowly moving through its cycle I can warm up the chain in 2-3 minutes. After that I apply the chain-wax, let it work in for 5-10 minutes and wipe. On my commuter bike I ride it 12 miles a day every day. This includes all last week when Hurricane Joaquin was banging on the coast off Charleston and we had rain all day every day. Now that most of the roads have started to dry out I hosed off the bike last night. Just now I went over and the chain is still sticky to the touch, clean, and makes no noise. Wax lubes work as well.