erig007

I discovered an eco lubricant 100% biodegradable from blue planet 2 days ago and used it in my padlock and on the bike's chain and was surprised by its performance and that it didn't freeze at 10F/-12C as it is supposed to be for indoor use. Don't know for the long term though. (my last lubricant non eco froze inside the padlock hopefully before I use it) I start thinking eco products are better performing than non eco products as it is the third time in a year that eco products perform better than other products after i notice it with eco soaps and eco jackets

So my question :
what kind of lubricant do you use for winter rides on chains, locks...?

droy45

Well, I have always used the chain lubricant from Nashbar which has worked well year round. I'm always open to new sugestions though.

Myosmith

I really like silicone lubes with teflon. SuperLube and Dupont both make good ones. They thicken a lot less than petroleum based lubes when it gets into single digits and lower. I've looked at my cheap automotive grease in a can when it is below zero F and it is the consistency of caramel. Silicone lubes have the added advantage of really shedding and not being the least bit affected by water and road salt.

Burton

WD40 on locks and locking chains

Purple Extreme on bicycle drive chains and cables

Spld cyclist

To me, the most "eco" lubricant is the one that extends the life of the lubricated parts the most. If you use a biodegradable lubricant that isn't as effective a petro-based lubricant on your chain and, as a result, the chain doesn't last nearly as long, that's be a step backward for the environment. If you have to apply it a lot more often than a petro-based lubricant, the environmental benefit could be in jeopardy.

I don't know anything about the product named, and for all I know it could be a better, longer-lasting lubricant. I'm just saying that environmental benefit claims for products can be difficult to evaluate.

I use silicon/teflon lubricants a lot and they do well in cold weather. I have used various bike-chain specific lubes and they have generally worked ok in cold temperatures as well. I rarely bike below 15F, though.

Burton

Since most biodegradable lubricants according to the labels I've read, experience over a 50% breakdown over a 30 day period once exposed to air, I wouldn't recommend their use on anything that didn't get frequent maintenaince.

erig007

Agree better to have a good non eco product than a bad eco product but as i said before up to now i have found this non organic soy based lubricant performing better than other non eco products that i have tried. I haven't tried a lot tho. If this one start not performing well in the future i will probably try yours. They claim to be better than competitors but that's marketing crap
https://www.blueplanetgreenliving.com...from-soybeans/

I think from what i know that the reason why real eco products (those usually certified or using well known standards) perform better is because lots of efforts are made to prove the viability of the product to the market against more established brands and products.
Regarding the more frequent use i think this one being more liquid won't last as long as a thicker one.
Regarding environmental benefit as you said things can become very tricky i recently heard an interview on radio about the lifecycle analysis made by a group of universities on the yogurt Liberté.
From what i can remember from a single yogurt more than 1000 products where used to make the containers from the ink used on the containers to the plastic used on the wires carrying the electricity through the factory which produce the containers.
Anyway, even if i don't know much about how a company make their products the thing i know is if the product i buy will go to the environment from my hand like petro-based lubricants or not. If on the case by case basis i hear that a product appears not to be what it seems then it's time to change usually truth always come to life anyway.



On the contrary, that's perfect since whatever the lubricant used salt and dust gather on the chain and clog everything as frequent as this period during winter, doing maintenance every one or two months seems perfect to me as it allows cleaning and lubrication at the same time even more since the spreading device is easy to use.

Maybe in a few days when i will notice failures due to this lubricant i will disagree with what i have said but up to now i'm pretty happy with it

Burton

What I was suggesting was that using biodegradable grease on wheel bearings and bottom brackets probably wouldn't be a good idea unless you like to rip things apart every couple monthes just for fun.

Wil Davis

50/50 mix of Phil's Tenacious and Finish-Line or Tri-Flow; used for most things including bike chains. I've no idea if it freezes, as I've never put it in the freezer, however it smells nice!

- Wil

erig007

Don't worry my bike is Canadian (made in China) it is built to last (until it falls into pieces because of the lack of lubricant)

Oh boy! With my old grease i had to put a mask respirator on in order not to faint!

Burton

That sounds a lot like our government - and look where THAT got us!

wolfchild

I made my own chain lube, it's a mixture of WD40 and auto oil, it works great for me... For loose ball hubs and headset bearings I use synthetic grease..unless they're sealed bearings which are maintenance free.

erig007

That's not so bad there are still a few bridges and buildings standing. But i usually try to sneeze not too close from them never know which one will collapse.

LarDasse74

Bad logic.

erig007

From what i have learned certifications and standards usually mean fewer competitors, some common characteristics of the certified products, a minimum average level of performance and additional efforts for the products qualified via those certifications over the products which don't go through the process.

If i look at the Ecologo criteria for instance:

https://www.ecologo.org/en/criteria/
"EcoLogo[SUP]TM[/SUP] Standards are developed in an open, public, and transparent process spanning approximately 12-18 months, and are designed so that only the top 20% of products available on the market can achieve certification."

"all EcoLogo certified products must also meet performance requirements to ensure they perform as well as their conventional alternative."


Not far from what i have said isn't it?

But i would like to hear your thought on it. As what most of my teachers used to say an answer without explanations isn't an answer. Why is it bad logic?

LarDasse74

BAsically, what you said was that since we expect these products to work badly, the companies will bust their asses to make sure they are better. But in most situations, bad expectations are bourne out by bad performance. Consider the first ~10 years that S. Korean cars were imported into N. AMerica. THese days Hyundai and Kia (and Daewoo made GM cars) are considered among the more reliable on the market, but the days of bad expecations are long past.

Also, my own experience with eco-friendly products certaily does not indicate better performance than conventional. My family (with whom I have not spent significant time in ~15 years) went completely 'eco friendly' and only bought products claiming to be 'eco friendly' many years ago. As time went on the buildup of grime around the stove that the eco cleaners were unable to remove became noticable, and all their clothes which have been washed in earth-friendly detergent for years are all trending towards the same faded dull grey colour.

I am only now hearing for the first time your description of the certification which requires the product to test as effectively as conventional products. Most products marketed as 'eco friendly' or 'earth friendly' do not pass such certifications, and thus my statement that a generalization about eco products being more effective than conventional is innaccurate.

erig007

That's what i thought it's a misunderstanding. I didn't imply that consumers expect these products to work badly but rather the inertia of consumers who have their habits so that to take market share and establish new standards on the market eco standards will have to generate eco products that will be better performing than conventional products. In marketing it's one of the strategies available when introducing new products and standards to the market.

I agree that's why i have specified the eco products which are certified or using well known standards. Some companies will claim that their products are eco friendly when they are not at all and sell under performing products just to take market shares of the consumers' eco interest that's why looking for certifications and well known standards is necessary.