I know we have a thread going for winter chain lube however, I'm curious to know what those of you who have more than one bicycle (N+1) are using to lubricate the chains of your fleet. I'm currently using tri-flow; however, I'm really needing it in pint sized bottle and not little itty-bitty 6 ounce ones. (not to mention buying these itty-bitty bottles gets to be expensive). So I am wondering what those of you have more than two bikes (okay more like seven) use that doesn't break the bank.

At my LBS i can go there and they will refill the container for a cheaper price. how much lube are you using? It sounds like a lot, and I feel I even use too much.

I can go through 3 6 oz bottles in a three month time span. I'm mainly curious to see what others are doing for lube.

A bottle of month seems ridiculously excessive. The last time I bought lube was in the summer of 2008. I still have about 45% left in the 4 oz bottle. I only own two bikes at a time, but I ride one or the other every day. (lube a few times a month maybe).

Rock & Roll wet lube,great stuff and you can get I think a 20 ounce bottle of it.

I'm now using chainsaw bar and chain oil. After reading about it, I thought it sounded like a very economical solution. More info here.

My fun bike, which rarely goes out in bad weather has white lightning lube on it. Stays clean, works nicely.

My commute/utility bikes get tri-flow in the summer, and 30wt motor oil in the winter (when it is wet). I usually clean and lube the drive train of one of my bikes each week, and I put on an average of 150 miles total per week.

I clean and dry the chain, then put one drop on each link, and I don't end up using that much lube at all I would guess that I end up buying a bottle of lube, either tri-flow or white lightning once every 6 months. How are you lubing your chain that you are using so much, or are you lubing every bike in the fleet every week?

I also use Tri-Flow.
A couple years ago I was looking at an online site that had Tri-Flow in containers as large as one gallon.
Some quick math showed the per-ounce price of the one-gallon container was a small fraction of per-ounce price the tiny containers.
So I bought it.

I use T-9 (Boeshield) on mine. Have tried a lot of them and simply settled on that as the one I prefer the most, no black magic was involved.

I can easily get at least 200 miles per lube with ProLink, no matter the conditions and not much is used in an application, except on a new chain. Perhaps you are applying too much lube? That can actually cause worse problems than no lube because excess lube attracts dirt. I found TriFlow to be the worst lube I have ever used because it both made a mess of the chain and often needed reapplication. I used to use BoShield, and it's not bad, but no comparison to ProLink, which I have used for the last eight years.

Lately I've been using use automatic transmission fluid; got a liter-size bottle for free, so why not ttry it? Its slightly 'thin' by oil standards (seem like 20W motor oil), so probably works well penetrating the links/rivets. So far no problems.

You might also try some of the motorcycle chain lubes, which you can usually find at general auto parts stores. There are some blended specially for winter or summer, so they would probably be good for a bicycle in either season, too. Also types available that won't 'throw' off a revolving chain, but they're sticky and will collect dirt quickly. None are as expensive as specialty bicycle lubes, even if bought at a motorcycle dealer instead of an auto parts store.

I use motor oil on the chain. Tri-flow on derailleur pivots and cable runs.

tranny oil? Isn't that 75w90? do you think it out with OMS?

I use Finish Line. Wet for the winter, dry for the summer. I buy a twin-pack of 7oz bottles (one of each) at the start of the dry season and it lasts me all year.

You're thinkin' Gear Oil. ATF is usually red and pretty runny, shouldn't need to cut it with Mineral Spirits.

I use ProLink; 6,000 miles last year (lots in the rain); maybe I went through a bottle or two. And I use plenty.

I use it on all my (5) bikes plus my kids' (2).

I used to use Tri Flow; I thought it was messy.

I use Pedro's Ice Wax and Finish Line Teflon lube. Clean the chains about monthly, so no report on how it fares after a month. The Finish Line stuff is super clean.

Oh yes. you're right. I was thinking manual tranny gear oil. It;s a 75w90 which according to https://www.pvdwiki.com/images/c/cf/S...comparison.pdf
it is equivalent to a 10w motor oil.

so i'm guessing it would need OMS into the mix then?

I use Finish Line Wet/Dry teflon lube. Not as messy as Tri-Flow but that didn't stop me from finishing that bottle first.

Also only two bikes in the stable, and the one with fenders is the one i've ridden the last few weeks straight.

Chain-L #5 beats everything else I've seen by a long shot, in terms of both longevity and quality of lubrication. It also costs no more than most other chain lubes.

Rock 'N' Roll extreme, for four bikes. It helps clean the chain, so I don't have to take it off the bike to de-grit it as much.

+1 on tri flow being messy. And like an idiot I just lubed my chain with it again. I'm going to clean it off and try something else.

Triflow is a mix of lube and solvent.
If you ride immediately after applying it, yes it will splatter.
If you wait 24hrs for the solvent to evaporate, it won't.
You can tell by sniffing if the solvent has evaporated.

I used Finish Line Wet through the winter. I just switched back to White Lightning Clean Ride for the spring, summer, and fall. Finish Line Wet is great for keeping snow and salt off the chain (preventing rust), but attracts a lot of grit and gunk (increasing wear and reducing efficiency). I'm thinking about going to White Lightning Epic Ride next winter because of the Finish Line Wet gunking.

All three are available on Amazon in large jugs if I decide that the little bottles are too expensive.

3-in-1 oil. Developed in 1894 as a bicycle lube. $2.50 at Bennie's for a 8oz bottle, and a little goes a long way. Smells nice, too - and that citronella oil additive keeps away mosquitos, I'll bet.

I've tried IceWax, but it was a royal pain to apply, didn't quiet the drivetrain much, and didn't prevent a clean chain from getting grimy. Smelled terrible and attracted horseflies.