hhnngg1

I know from experience (and logic) that anything that works in wet conditions is a sloppy mess Total dirt magnet. I'm avoiding those like the plague given I'm a dry weather cyclist in CA.

Doug5150

I dunno much about bicycle chains specifically.... I know a few things about machine lubes tho'.

Moly-sulfide lubes well but has another issue,,,,, it is bad if you want the [whatever] to stay clean. Moly sulfide powder is jet black, and stains everything it touches black as well (your clothes, your skin...). Plus because it is black, you cannot tell when the chain is really dirty. Because the moment you coat it with moly, it looks dirty.

DuPont makes some spray-on and drip-on wax lubes with Teflon. In my area (central USA) Lowe's sells spray cans cans for $7. They have the drip bottles also, but I dunno how much they cost.
This is the "multi-purpose dry wax lubricant with Teflon", in a blue aerosol can.
Many motorcycle sites have tested it already, and found it to work as well as anything else, even stuff costing a lot more. Which is what a lot of these (ahem) specialty bicycle lubes are,,,,, ordinary ingredients in a small bottle with a big price tag.
https://m.lowes.com/mt/www.lowes.com/...v_tabs=reviews

DuPont also has some wet teflon lubes too, but using any wet lube on an exposed part is silly--particularly a bicycle chain.

DuPont also makes the "Chain Saver" lube in a yellow can, but it is the same thing as the "all purpose dry wax lube". DuPont's own website says it is the exact same stuff,,,, just put into a different can and sold to the industrial markets.
So either you can find for a decent price is good.
https://www.powersportjunkie.com/Fini.../TR-440092.htm

Graphite powder and lubes are available, but graphite is corrosive to aluminum in the presence of moisture. And Teflon and Moly both lubricate better anyway.

You can get pure teflon powder online (at Spurlock tools) and it would be the cleanest lube you could get (a white powder, totally non-toxic, has no smell, it is non-staining on your skin and clothes, it won't dissolve plastics or lift paint or decals, it is unaffected by moisture and it still has the lowest friction of any lube) but anything made of steel would still need some wax or liquid lube for rust prevention.

Teflon can be added to any other kind of lube or grease and can be used for anything on a bicycle, but it can also damage some types of other bigger & more-expensive machinery. So don't go adding it to everything blindly.

ColinL

the purpose of wet lubes on a bicycle chain is to repel water. if you don't ride in the rain, don't use a wet lube. it attracts more dust and grime than dry lube, as others have already commented.

I use white lightning clean ride. I saw a post earlier complaining that it can't make it through a long ride without re-application and I find that comment puzzling because I am pretty sure that you are supposed to let the lube fully dry before riding. This takes 20-30 minutes in my experience. I typically do not take a 20 minute break in the middle of any ride, but I guess I'm doing it wrong. I find that I only need to re-lube my chain once every 10-15 hours of use after the initial two coats are in place.

The chain is, however, not shiny silver (or gold, or whatever). It will have a dull, matte appearance. When dirty it is grey and you can see dust and grime on it. At that point, which happens every 500-750 miles for me, I wipe it down and carry on. I clean my chain with a finish line chain cleaner and degreaser maybe 2 times per year. And it's not because I'm a pig. It's because clean ride keeps it very clean.

Prolink will attract copious amounts of gunk. Guarantee your chain is black if not wiped after every ride or two, with prolink.

redlude97

You aren't applying it right if you are getting lots of gunk, prolink or homebrew needs to have all the excess on the outer plates and rollers removed(where it isn't doing any good anyways).

ColinL

I'm not going to wipe down and re-lube my chain every ride.

if I use prolink the same way I use clean ride (described above), the chain is black. it's quite dusty in Kansas, even though I generally avoid gravel on my road bike.

pallen

I think a lot of people missed this. If you want it to stay clean
1. Dont ride it.
2. Reapply clean lube more frequently and do a better job of wiping off the excess.

Every lube will turn black (except maybe wax). Its not all from attracting dirt, its from wearing metal.

redlude97

You don't need to wipe down and re-lube after every ride. It sounds like you are applying the clean ride and letting it dry without doing any wipedown. You aren't supposed to do this with prolink. You are supposed to wipe it down after allowing it to dry for a bit, before you ride on it. All the extra on the outside can/should be removed. I routinely for 2-400 miles without relubing or wiping down the chain after prolink. The key is to get it clean to the touch after lubing. The lube only needs to be on the inside.

hhnngg1

I disagree - my trainer bike, when it had a new chain, and I only rode it indoors all winter, had no black stuff on it. Some grey stuff, but I attributed that to dust that settled on it over months. Like minimal chain tattoo.

I took it outside for like 3 rides this late spring, and it got black gunk on it quick. I don't think the metal from the chain provides such copious black gunk. Furthermore, the fact that the wet weather lubes turn black much faster also suggest that those stickier, thicker lubes, are picking up more crap from the environment - it shouldn't get that much blacker if it were just from the chain.

ColinL

/agree with all that, hnnnggg.

zonatandem

Hot Wax Method:
Clean chain.
Put metal can/container on camp type stove/burner (outside).
Drop in a chunk of canning wax (available in most drug/hardware stores) and let it melt.
Carefully/slowly drop chain into the liquified wax. Let it brew for about 5 minutes.
Remove chain from hot wax with long handled pliers and hang to dry.
Re-install chain.
Canning wax in the can can be re-used several more times.
Melted wax gets in by the chain pins and solidifes. There may be some wax flakes on chainstay for first couple rides.
Chain will not have any black gunk/oil. It will not leave a chain tattoo.
If chain gives out a 'squeak' several thousand miles later, it's time to repeat this process.
Cheap, works, environmentally friendly.
Been doing my chains that way since early 1970s (over 300,000 miles)
Pedal on!
Rudy/zonatandem.

Igo

t9

bored117 

That dupont chainsaver stuff really keeps things clean. However, it doesn't seem to last more than 150-200 miles most of time. I am going to just use it for my speedplay cleat going forward. Dumondtech works great but does requires some prep time, etc. I might use it again since I have 2 unused bottle still around. For time being, I am back to the prolink gold. Not really the cleanest but works good and very easy to apply/clean. And tend to last okay (not that it matters since I don't have to spend much time applying it as others).

vg30et

I have used Prolink religiously for a couple of years and recently decided to give chain-L a try. It is a dirty sticky mess during application and for the first few rides but once you wipe off the excess, it stays clean and keeps the chain squeak free for MUCH longer than Prolink. I am at 600+ miles and the chain is clean but still as quiet as it is with a fresh application of Prolink.

Capecodder

IMO Chain-L is the best lube on the market, I've been using Chain-L for a couple years now and love it. One drop on each roller and let it soak in. Then, run the chain through a clean rag and ride. After two rides I dampen a rag with mineral spirits, and run the chain through it a couple times. Your now good for about 1000 mile of silent ridinextremelyly smooth shifting. Here are few pictures of my drive train after about 100 mile with Chain-L and this is the way it will look at 1000 miles.



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Igo

The links in that chain are saturated with grit. Can't you see that? It doesn't matter how much dirt you wipe off the blank surfaces, what matters is what is on the contact surfaces. No offense meant.

Capecodder

I'll bet my drive train outlasts yours using T9...... I'll replace the chain at 3000 mile and the cassette at 6000 or better.

009jim

I use "rock-n-roll" my chain is covered in heavy thick black stuff. I've never cleaned it off, just add more. Occasionally I scrape excess from around the derailler with a screwdriver.

Mayday328

You're doing it wrong. I have at least 400 miles since my last application of Prolink and my chain is as clean as the day I applied it. And, I live on the Colorado front range which is just as dusty as Kansas. The last time I lubed my chain I put one drop of Prolink on each roller as I spun the chain backwards and then wiped all the excess of the outer plates. Good to go and I don't have to wait for it to dry.

Pilky

ProGold ProLink for the road, White Lightening for the woods.

moppeddler

I don't know anything about lubricating chains, but I know a few things from maintenance of other metal/ moving parts. First of all, WD40 is a water displacer, not a lube. It will gum up and attract dirt/cause friction.

I use BrakeFree CLP ( clen, lubricate, protect) when I clean, lube my guns. I would think this would work well in this application, but like I said, I have no experience in the matter. Anyone have thoughts on this?

ColinL

I use BreakFree, RemOil and TriFlow on guns. I would never use them on a bicycle chain. They are too thin and would not stay in the chain's rollers and pins where lubrication is needed.

That type of solvent would be great to clean a chain, but I don't find it necessary. Chain degreaser works fine for me as is a lot cheaper.

Igo

Step one: Purchase inexpensive degreser to clean your cogs and chain. Use gear brush to clean the cogs.
Zep Heavy duty citrus cleaner at Lowes. $12 a gallon
https://www.lowes.com/pd_369895-531-Z...ner&facetInfo=

Step two: Clean the chain. Use the citrus cleaner in the scrubber. Wipe dry.
Park Tool Cyclone Chain Scrubber. Absolutely the best cleaning tool available for a chain and very easy to use.
https://www.parktool.com/product/cycl...crubber-CM-5-2

Step three: aply to all sections of your chain then wipe off excess.
Boesheild T-9. Nothing sticks to it and leaves my chain looking like it was just made yesterday. Makes my chains run almost silent.
https://boeshield.com/

Step four: Lithium in cogs and pivots/fulcrum points. Wipe off excess.
Liquid Wrench spray lithium with solvent carrier
https://www.lowes.com/pd_235861-1409-...cetInfo=Liquid Wrench

pallen

Has anyone ever changed lubes or lubing technique and noticed a dramatic and repeatable change in chain life?

I read somewhere a while back that in major tours, pros will change chains daily. Could this mean that the main effect on chain life is how much torque they are subjected to and not so much how well they are maintained, or is there another reason for the frequent chain replacements in pro tours?

pallen

Interesting, I've never ridden a trainer, but I've noticed that in fairly clean, dry conditions, a clean chain turns black very quickly. When I've looked at the leftover solvent after cleaning a chain, the fine residue has a very metallic look to it. If the black stuff is not coming from the metal, then its shocking how much gunk you can pick up on what appears to be fairly clean concrete.

Igo

I changed from a wet lube to a dry lube because of the environmental conditions here in the desert southwest. I don't even know how much longer (or shorter) my chain life is, for switching from wet lube to dry comparatively. It never rains here and the surface earth here is made up of iron and silica. Being that there is so little rain, I wanted a chain lube that does not attract abrasive grit, silica/sand, and would not end up slinging muck all over the back of my bikes. I've got almost 2K on my commuter and there doesn't appear to be any appreciable chain or sprocket wear yet but I clean it once a month and I lube and wipe once a week. I use a bike stand so it's easy to go this frequency and extent.