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I've always just stuck with whatever lube I have to hand, but it ends up getting sprayed on the floor and while I have a mat down, inevitably it ends up on someone's feed and gets trodden on the carpet and through the house.
So what's the cleanest of clean lube for a bike on the turbo? It's one that is permanently set up inside so don't need to worry about how it copes with any outside use, it just needs to keep the chain lubed and be as clean as possible.
Hardly any is the answer - I kept wiping the chain until it stopped spraying droplets and it seems to work. Or a dry wax lube should work.
You really only need minimal lube as it (shouldn't) get washed off.
I haven't relubed the chain in 800km of turbo riding
Squirt
Yeah I completely forgot about lubing the chain on my turbo for probably almost 7 or 8 months and now I've started adding lube I'm not sure I notice any difference really. I guess the chain may wear a bit faster but its in my spare room so there's only really light dust that would get onto it anyway I suppose.
Wipe off excess, it says on the bottle! You're using way too much by the sound of it. Any lube will do, but add it in thin strips on the left and then the right as you spin the pedals, so it dribbles down between the rollers. Then wipe thoroughly and wipe some more. If it's flinging off then there's way too much.
Rock N Roll Absolute Dry has worked well for me over last few years, even the newer formula.
I do find, with a wheel on, that the bike gets statically charged and attracts loads of dust and dirt in bizarre patterns. On the chain itself absolute dry means you can just wipe it off.
Use scotoiler fs365. Water based so easy to clean up and as indoors wont get washed off.
Brilliant stuff.
I'd be tempted to use the driest, thinnest wax possible.
I use Squirt and by and large it's great but I still end up with sticky waxy crumbs coming off which can end up on people's feet. Perhaps I'm over-applying but I'd always thought the idea with Squirt was to apply liberally.
I'd almost prefer to apply something like Finish Line Dry after every session in preparation for the next session, I reckon that would be even cleaner.
Rock N Roll Absolute Dry has worked well for me over last few years, even the newer formula.
Interesting, thanks. I had already seen this and been tempted by the reviews, good to get feedback
Wipe off excess, it says on the bottle! You’re using way too much by the sound of it.
Don't agree, I know how to put on lube! Even with sparse lubrication there will always be either some excess, or more likely some debris which is drawn out from the rollers by the lube.
I use Squirt and by and large it’s great but I still end up with sticky waxy crumbs coming off which can end up on people’s feet. Perhaps I’m over-applying but I’d always thought the idea with Squirt was to apply liberally.
Yeah I had initially thought wax would be best but having never used wax before I didn't realise that it tended to crumb off like that. This article actually suggests wax is the best because it's easy to clear up crumbs versus oil, but I'd rather have to clean up neither!
Yeah I had initially thought wax would be best but having never used wax before I didn’t realise that it tended to crumb off like that. This article actually suggests wax is the best because it’s easy to clear up crumbs versus oil, but I’d rather have to clean up neither!
My Putoline experiences have got me thinking, the wax is doing it's job mostly inside the rollers, so you could wipe off the surface wax with a GT85 soaked rag. Looking at my chain, all the crumbly bits of wax are just sitting off to the side of the actual 'working' surfaces, so they're not contributing anything to lubrication of the chain.
Smoove, but it's just a slightly thicker and longer lasting and lower friction version of squirt so similar.
Just to note on absolute dry that my trainer is in a garage on a rubber floor - that stuff goes on like water and needs to be really well wiped off and ideally left to dry for days.
If you train indoors on carpet I would be worried first time you rev it up it sprays black drips everywhere.
Pro Gold but as above wipe off the excess. Clean chain first applying it. I stopped using GT85 to clean the chain as it has teflon which seems to fling the oil off.
I stopped using GT85 to clean the chain as it has teflon which seems to fling the oil off.
Yeah, to be clear I wasn't applying any lube on top of the GT85, the GT85 is for cleaning lube/excess wax off the surfaces where it isn't doing anything e.g. outer plates etc.
Squirt
I use Squirt and by and large it’s great but I still end up with sticky waxy crumbs coming off which can end up on people’s feet.
That happens as the wax heats up when on the turbo due to the distinct lack of air flow across the chain, so it goes gunky black and falls off. If you think about the amount of fresh air that passes over your chain even when pootling along at 14-15mph its considerably more than most normal fan set ups, and as such it stops the wax going manky.
I just use a really light PTFE based one, it's not like you need to stop the chain from rusting or collecting dirt is it.
I know many will consider this to be sacrilege, but has anyone just used a new chain, with the existing lube? If so, does it spray around and how long does it last?
That happens as the wax heats up when on the turbo due to the distinct lack of air flow across the chain, so it goes gunky black and falls off.
Interesting as that is what appears to be happening with the finishline dry I've been using. It does not last anywhere near as long as I would expect.
I know many will consider this to be sacrilege, but has anyone just used a new chain, with the existing lube? If so, does it spray around and how long does it last?
I have literally just put a new chain on and did not clear out the delivery lube other than lightly on the outer plates. I've not yet put any other lube on it either and I did clean the turbo before fitting.
putoline
That happens as the wax heats up when on the turbo due to the distinct lack of air flow across the chain, so it goes gunky black and falls off. If you think about the amount of fresh air that passes over your chain even when pootling along at 14-15mph its considerably more than most normal fan set ups, and as such it stops the wax going manky.
Huh, I'd never thought of that, although find it difficult to believe I'm generating enough watts even to soften the softest wax... Might explain why it seems (to me recollection anyway) to be dirtier than when I only used Squirt outdoors.
Will definitely try cleaning the outer surfaces a bit then.
Permanent set up> Go waxed chain.
I know many will consider this to be sacrilege, but has anyone just used a new chain, with the existing lube? If so, does it spray around and how long does it last?
Yup this is what I did when I replaced the drivetrain on the bike in question a while back. It worked fine, lasted ok (though I didn't really pay attention to how long), but is now in need of a top up.
@nixie / @tenacious_doug I'd be interested in any shedding comments and also lube duration. I've yet to go Turbo Trainer but I wondered about keeping the original sticky lube o then using that chain on an "outdoors" bike once it was it was no longer effective. I guess that only works when the ratio of outdoor to indoor miles works out.
It definitely ran cleaner than any lube I'd run on the turbo before, and to be honest it was only really after running this chain as it came that got me thinking that I should maybe put something other than my normal outdoor lube on it when it needed replaced. Can't comment on longevity to be honest, partly because I have not paid a whole lot of attention, but also because my wife and I both use that bike on the turbo and I haven't really kept track of her usage at all. That said it does seem to have lasted pretty well, even if I couldn't put a figure on it.