Val23708

WD-40 for a Walmart bike. Its not really a lubricant but it'll make everything run somewhat smooth for the lifetime of the drivetrain.

Prolink for anything of value.

White lightning is a terrible product btw. Full of solids that build up and trap stuff and makes things worse.

AngryScientist 

i used to be a big advocate of pedro's ice wax - works very well, but is prone to build-up, especially between the rear cogs.

i've since switched to a homebrew lube which seems to be working quite nicely, and at a fraction of the cost of real chain lubes.

pgk

I have used Pro-Link which I think is a nice product, along with quite a few others. Some claiming that they last for over a 1000 miles depending on thw weather. But I think regardless of what you use the more often you clean your chain the longer the whole drivetrain is going to last. Earlier this summer I picked up a qt. of Castrol Synthetic gear lube, I think it's 75-90 weight. I have a quick link for my chains so I can clean and lube them off the bike, I use a heat gun and heat the chain up then put a drop of gear lube on each link, let it set for 30 min. then wipe the excess of with a towel or rag saturated with 3 to 1 mineral sprirts and mobile 1 "HomeBrew". One final wipe with a paper towel. This removes most of the gear lube on the outside of the chain still leaving a very thin layer of home brew on the chain. After every ride I wipe down with old rag. My driveline is extremely quiet and doesn't pickup anymore grime than when I was using store bought lube. Depending on the weather I clean my chains every couple of hundred miles anyways. Motor oil works fine, just wipe off the excess...

FR4NCH1SE

Hey Patriot, I took your advice and bought me this big can of it cost me 2.47 from my walmart, cant wait to use it.


btw, can we use wd-40? I was reading a new can of spray which my dad already bought new. And I read the label and it says its good for, gears, chains. ????

caloso

WD-40 isn't really a lubricant. It's a water displacer (hence the WD in the name). It's great for door hinges, not so great for bike chains.

zonatandem

We use neither!
We clean our chain (citrus degreaser to get off any dirt).
Put some canning wax (Parowax) in an old coffee can. Put can on an electric burner outside. As wax melts gently drop chain in the melted wax. After about 5 minutes remove chain with long handled pliers. Hang up to cool/dry. Re-install chain.
There will be a few flakes of wax visible on chainstay for the next couple days; just wipe 'em off.
The melted wax coats the pin rollers (not interested in lubing outside plates of chain). Lasts for several thousand miles, depending on what kind of weather you ride in.
Had chains easily last 6,000+ miles on our tandem/single bikes.
Big benefit: chain does not attract dirt like oil and some wet lubes. Can grab a chain barehanded and not leave a grease mark. No chain tattoos!
Smooth/quiet operation. If you hear a slight squak, time to re-wax.
Cheap/simple . . . and a bit old fashioned. Been doing it this way since the mid-70s.
Works great for us!
Pedal on TWOgether!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem