Chain Lube
 

I never knew the topic of chains could raise a number of questions. I was looking for a good lubricant after I replaced my chain. I have read posts were guys were having trouble getting off the original lube on the chain. However after reading:

http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

I see you are not supposed to remove it. From the Sheldon Brown web site:
"Some people make the bad mistake of deliberately removing this superior lubricant. Don't do this!
The factory lubricant all by itself is usually good for several hundred miles of service if the bike is not ridden in wet or dusty conditions. It is best not to apply any sort of lube to a new chain until it is clearly needed, because any wet lube you can apply will dilute the factory lube."

Anyway, on the topic of lubrication. There seems to be a few recommended brands and I just wanted feedback from anyone you has just them. I currently use Tri-Flow, but other recommended brands seem to be:

Phil Wood Tenacious oil
Dumonde Tech Bicycle Chain Lube
Pro Link Chain Lube

Any feedback would be appreciated.

I've had good luck with Boeshield T-9. I use Tri-Flow for other lubrication needs on the bike.

+1 on Boeshield T-9.

I've been happy with Dumonde Tech Lite Lube.

I use White Lightning...

Rock-N-Roll Gold lubricant. "The King of Lubes"
works very well

+1 for White Lightning.

It wears off pretty fast, I have to reapply every 100-150 miles, but it's nice and clean.

ProLink FTW.

Phil's tenacious would be a friggin mess on a chain....actually it wouldn't be on the chain, but rather everything else.

Rock n' Roll...follow the directions, wipe it down until you think you will need to redo it, then wipe it down some more. It cleans, lubes and will not attract crud.

prolink, dont go for any expensive stuff,
if you dont like taking off your chain to clean just saturate it and then wipe off the excess which will take off a fair amount of the crud, doing this before a lot of crud accumulates will keep it clean

I used White Lightening for a while too. From my experience, Boeshield is cleaner. Not as much build up of crud and wax.

I have tried Boeshield T-9 and have not had good results...

I have followed the instructions and allowed it to dry overnight...

It certainly keeps the chain clean but I get squeaking after 2 -3 rides...

I have used ProLink for quite some time now and although it does collect more dirt (relatively) it keeps the chain lubricated much better..

+1 for ProLink...


** EDIT **

I have also used Finish Line Cross Country Wet Lube...

It will keep lubricating through a hurricane but collects quite a bit of dirt...

When you guys mention you like a lube and say you are “happy” with it, what do you base it on? For example, previously I used Tri-Flow. I never had a chain rust, stick and since I clean it often, it never had much dirt.

Yet I am wondering if there is something better.

Does White Li cause chain wear faster than other lubes?

I though I remember hearing this and it sounded dumb--how could lube wear the chain? OR, rather than wear being part of the product is it just that WI requires more frequent application and most people don't mind their drive train as they should?

Dumonde Tech really decreases chain noise and is very light...I have "officially" switched from Tri-Flo

Yes...:D

White Lightning wears off very quickly. It will remain on the plates and surface of the china, but will not actually be in the rollers lubricating like it should for very long at all.

I used to use it a lot until I notcied that sometimes I could end up with heavy chain noise and some squeeking by the end of a century ride after having lubed up right before the ride.

This only really started happening as a chain would wear, but it drove home the fact that White Lightning just doesn't like to hang around.

+1 The best.

I've used plenty, ProLink is the best for me. I tried some Dumonde Tech based on a LBS recomendation. It's ok, and very quiet, but turns black very quickly, making weekly cleaning a pain. Plus it cost about 3x as much as ProLink. Easily getting 4,000+ miles on a 10 speed Dura-Ace chain with Pro-Link.

+1 billion

Gotta love triflow that accumulates crap on your chain. And prolink.

I use ProLink, and I like it a lot, much more so than the other lubes I've used (White Lightning, White Lightning Epic, & Finish Line).

But fwiw I think it's way more important just that you do lube your chain regularly than what you're lubing it with

Lots of truth to that. Kind of like picking a bike. The one you'll ride is the right one.

Dumonde, dude. The stuff lasts forever.

Ah, ha! Thanks!

Funny, not much being said about Phil Wood Tenacious oil.

If Sheldon Brown thinks it is the best there is there has to be something to it.

Pro Link is my #1 choice, and I've tried most of the competitors.

p.s. Sheldon is absolutely correct - ride that new chain with its factory protective coating until you need to apply Pro Link (~:

.. and clean the rest of the drive train before putting on that new chain (but I suppose you knew that already).

Phils Tenacious is not very tenacious - it sticks to everything else better than it sticks to what you apply it to.

It does not like to remain applied to items that rotate. That said I use it for many other applications - just not my chain.