[Closed] Chain Lube - What works for you?

FL green at all times. Got sold something else recently and it is crap.

Wonder how TJ is getting on with hs motorcycle lube.

I'm rather a fan of Wilkinsons cycle lubricant. Never tried it off road but sticks well in very wet conditions on the road, doesn't spread itself around and egt everything all black and comes off well with Wilkos own brand degreaser/bike cleaner.

oh and I think it costs £1.99 a bottle

I don't find the Muc Off stuff that good, we sell it in the shop and it's just a bit manky.

I use Finishline Red all year round. I like a thin lube that doesn't get claggy. If I used a wet lube I'd use Finishline Green.

Nytralube Slick Caramel, similar to white lightning but holds up better when it gets wet

Finishline Red in the dry, Rock and Roll Extreme in the wet.

Rock n Roll seems to work well for me now. Used to be a big FL Green fan but it really had to be wet or the chain would pick all manner of debris/grit. Have also used the FL wax - the white bottle nice coconutty smell!

GT85. Once after washing and again before riding.

GT85!? Thats not a lube, well not for a chain?

My friend uses that purple stuff, but it looks like its soo thin it wouldnt protect anything.

Using the roadie finish line stuff, as I'm a sucker for gold caps. seems to work OK.

Another + for r+r exteme, after years of using f l green the extreme
really seems to last well and does keep drive chain nice and clean!

Been very happy with Joe's wet lube since picking a couple of bottles up in the flood sale at CRC. Maybe it's even wetter than it was supposed to be!

Not saying it's the best, but works well for me and is less gungy than FL green.

I bet that lot has helped you decide! I've been through

- Finish Line Green: used in the 90s but realised it is the worst lub to clean off. Congeals into a black paste that has to be scraped off with a screwdriver. Can't be arsed with that.
- Pro-Gold: good, would probably use again, but haven't for some reason
- Some stuff Wiggle used to sell. Was in a big ol' can so lasted ages. Can't get it anymore
- Pace Dry: Liked that. coated the chain in wax and kept it clean. Would probably use again, but haven't
- Pedros Chain J: horrendous black mess
- Park Synthetic: Very good at keeping the chain clean [i]and[/i] lubed. Not sure of its longevity in wet weather, but would use again..etc.
- Fenwicks Dry: Good. Still using it, but nearly run out and have ordered something different.
-plus others I've forgotten about
Simples.

GT85 works perfectly well. It is a lube.

Freshly cleaned chain gets a decent coating of GT85 to shift the water.

Then if it's gonna be dry & dusty, Finish Line Red but I keep it with me, as it seems to need re-application if on a long ride.
If it's wet Finish Line Green

Tried quite a few wet and waxers, even tried

'Probably the best chain lube in the world'

Rohloff Special Chain Lubricant

In the end have settled with Pro Gold, Pro link

keeps the chain muck free and looking good in all conditions

I have had some very good results using fork suspension oil. I wouldnt use it in the winter but in the summer it doesnt seem to clog up too much and it seems to work just as well as any other lube i have used. It also work out mega cheap compared to little bottles of finish line green. I just filled an old oil bottle i had and its been great

Finish Line Pro Road (why are there so many Pro... something lubes? Its very confusing) is the muckiest lube in existence. I'm never going to buy it again, but unfortunately its so good otherwise that the bottle is lasting for ever.

Leftover car engine oil at the moment.

Perhaps those who find finish line green makes a horrid mess are applying too much?

Rock Oil Chain Wax - it's a MX chain wax, only used it for two rides but impressed so far. Excluding the wax the best lube I've used has been Purple Extreme

I have been trying out putoline motorcycle chain wax as I have said on here a few times.

for those who don't know this is a solid wax that you melt on the stove. It contains graphite and cleans the chain at the same time.

Unfortunatly I have not been logging miles but several things are becoming clear.
1) its a filthy manky mess to apply
2) It lasts about 5 -10 times as long on the chain. Even wet peaty / gritty conditions the chain remains well lubed
3) It does not attact dirt so the chain and sprockets remain clean
4) It is at least as good at lubing as using traditional cycle lubes
6) It is loads cheaper - £16 a kilo and you waste virtually nothing. I estimate I won't need to buy any more lube for at least ten years.

I am certainly a convert to it and will be using this from now on. Cheaper, longer lasting and at least as good as a lube.

any of the edinburgh folk want to try it out you are welcome to have some of it.

I've gone with r&r extreme for the Exmoor Explorer ina couple of weeks. Will probably also try Pro Gold, as that's the one I was going to use last year.

FinishLine Red - Always been good, I use it as a baseline to judge other lubes by.

I also didn't like FinishLine green, too thick, did 5 road miles and my chain was black. Don't think I'll use the rest of the bottle in 10 years!

I notice some people are using GT85 as a chain lube. Surely its not thick enough to be used as an effective chain lube? Doesn't everything stick to the plates? I can almost see the chain lube being cheaper in the long run too.

Might have to test GT85 Vs Chain Lube.

Is this a trick question? Chain lube works for me too 😉

Finish line Red at home, Ribena Strawberry on the side of Walnar Scar last weekend.

Finish line Green, put it on spin the chain a few times and wipe with a clean cloth. Lasts longer and doesn't attract the muck

I read a few good reviews of a dry lube called "Squirt" and I ordered a bottle the other day. Came this morning, ill let you know how I get on with it in a couple of weeks but its supposed to stop the build up of that orible black sticky gunk, especially on the jockey wheels.

[url= ]Click here for Squirt website[/url]

Purple extreme for me. I find it much, much better than finish line wet in that it doesn't turn into grinding paste, is far easier to clean off and I find my drive train lasts much longer.

It does sound like a sex toy though :-/

Have tried loads of different cycle & motorcycle lubes over the years - my current favourite is 'Purple Extreme'. Seems to last reasonably well for general off road use and picks up very little gunk compared to traditional 'wet lubes'.

Finish line red applied after post ride clean, then finish line green added if its gonna be a wet un!

I've tried loads over the years - finish line green is the one I usually go back to. I put it on quite thin and wipe off the excess although it still builds up a fair amount of gunk on the chain after a while.

I have tried purple extreme and rock 'n' roll extreme but found both a bit thin once it was wet. I recently bought some of the Squirt stuff that Grimy has linked too above - applied it to both MTB's last night and will test out soon.

Most makes have been covered now but what about Green Oil or Pedros?

another vote for purple extreme for me.

Finish line pro road (which now appears to have been rebranded as finish line ceramic wet lube)

Not sure I notice a difference between them all.

FWIW GT85 to dry the chain, then FL red if it's dry, green if it's wet.

Biodegradeable chainsaw oil - very cheap and works for me fine.

I've been using Squirt for a month or so, off and on road.

Found that whilst purple extreme, rock n roll extreme and what ever else leaves funky blue or purple colours on my carpet but washes off my chain at the sight of the nearest puddle, this Squirt stuff is very very good.

Doesn't go black like Finish Line XC and doesn't need applying after every single wet ride like the others.

Its a dry wax but it doesn't separate in the bottle. Got a good review in Singletrack and I'm inclined to agree.

I'm going to try just dry brushing my chain to clean it like they suggest, rather than bother with degreaser etc, and see how it goes. Doesn't look like my chain will need degreasing any time soon.

sawchain oil, can't fault it.

Finish Line Red in Summer and Green in Winter.

FL green almost exclusively- I live and ride in Wales, the wettest place on the planet? A mate did a bulk buy from USA of 5 litres of it years ago. I had a Lucozade bottle full of it IIRC.

It has been washed off on some mentally wet rides in the past and I have had to resort to alternatives. Two highlights include oil from a tin of mackerel (rubbish) and hydraulic oil from a 100 litre container of the stuff we passed in the Tywi forest. Worked a treat. Chainsaw oil is PDG too I'm told and blummin cheap too.

I'm one of those people who cleans their bike a lot and when I clean it, I clean it well! I've also heard a very convincing argument from some research in the states that a dry clean chain works only 2-3% less efficiently than a lubed one. The problem comes when the chain is no longer clean. Despite all the fancy claims my lube manufacturers, the bottom line seems to be, use a lube to keep the grit and much out of the little gaps between links.

I use pedros stuff. It seems to do the job well and runs fairly clean. It also comes off with a bit of fairy liquid. I use the road rage in dry conditions and the ATB stuff in the wet. I'm also lead to believe it's a bit kinder to the environment than some others. Tried green oil once and all I can remember is it smells awful!

I've also got quite a bit of Scott Oil from my motorcycle days so once the pedros runs out, I might try some of that. Not as sticky as normal motorcycle lube as it's designed to come off (with the dirt) and be replaced.

Using white Lightning Epic at the mo and quite happy with it. Used all sorts over the years.
It needs to be remembered that we're trying to lube the inside if the chain, not outside, so thinner lubes get in better. GT or WD are fine for shorter rides, but need frequent application. They penetrate well - but be careful with aerosols - they go all over the place and will contaminate your discs. Dropper bottles are best, little and often and clean in between.

Personally, I don't think it really matters WHAT you lube your chain with as long as there's something on there, and when it gets dirty, you clean the chain and re-apply. It's the crap that wears chains, not the lube...!
Which is pretty much every ride. So, if you need to clean it, it's important that it comes off fairly easily with the muck. ATM I'm using some Pedros stuff because it was cheap, but it doesn't seem to be any better than engine oil/fork oil/whatever is in the garage which I normally use and I've never noted that my drivetrain seems to suffer for it
😀

Peter - I agree and this is why I am so impressed with the motorcycle wax - it stays on and remains clean for multiple rides / hundreds of miles.

'Cos its solid it stays on the chain / in the rollers and it is not sticky so muck doesn't stick and can't get into the rollers 'cos the wax is in the way

Thing I'm getting from this thread is a contradiction over what would seem the most popular lube: Finish Line Green is used by many riders (and I use it myself) but it does tend to retain dirt which seems to be counter to what you want a lube to do as this will increase drivetrain wear...is that right!?! Better to use a lube like Purple Extreme which doesn't collect dirt although you may have to re-apply more often.

I once used an individual butter portion from a ploughman's lunch - hot day on the South Downs and had forgotten to lube the chain at breakfast.

I'm using Spurt wax-based oil. Seems to be very good and the chain seems to remain cleaner for longer - it still picks up dirt but seems to be easier to wash off as well...

Bikemagic were running a competition for the stuff a couple of months ago, I was after some new luve and entered...didn't think much of it but got a sample through the door, tried it out and it seemed to work very well (previously was using Finish Line Wet Lube - which worked but did seem to need reapply after each slight damp ride) - this new stuff, gets applied once a fortnight and seems to last very well indeed.

It's my first use a wax-based lube and I'm immpressed with it - shifting is still crisp and the chain takes very little time to come up clean again after it gets a good drowning in muddy water. I doubt I'll go back to the Finish Line stuff as this works very well indeed (and from what I can tell I can get twice the amount of lube for the same price as the Finish Line stuff so theoretically it should last me longer as well).

Hi

I use GT85 when things are really dry ( Yeh OK so i dont use it often :roll:)
But mainly i use White Lightning wet lube... I find this works very well and stands up to the 24 miles of the red route in Dalby forest without the need to carry lube with me.
A quick clean off wil GT85 when done re apply the white lightning and things are all smooth again....works for me.
Plus the white lightning smells fantastic !!!

This stuff works a treat, lasts all ride and great value too. UK company also 😉

http://finesse-products.co.uk/multilube.htm

^ That was the one I used to get from Wiggle. Funnily enough, found a can still with loads in I didn't know I had!

I've decided to try some putonline wax like TJ's been experimenting with.

Chain lube is a recurrent theme on here when its wet, so I'll post up what I think once I've had a chance to use it a bit.

Another vote for FL Green/wet. Sometimes FL Red on the road if there won't be even a hint of damp, otherwise it just seems to disappear. Got a little sample of that Squirt stuff at a Merida so will try that soon.

I can't really be bothered to try loads of different ones- I reckon it'd be near impossible to say that one's much better than another given the huge variation in conditions when you're riding.

I've been using squirt for about the last month too, mostly just on the commute. The chain seems to stay reasonably clean at least compared with FL green, and I've not had to clean it at all. Shifts are clean and precise. I do get gunk building up after a while but a quick once over with a dry brush sorts that out.

[i]I've been using squirt for about the last month too[/i]

Just did a google search for 'squirt lube'...shouldn't have clicked on images 😯