Chain Lubes -

[Old Proflexer]

just bought some Pedro's extra dry - the larger aerosol can for 11$ or so, just to try something different.  

i'd been using Prolink (not sure what's in that stuff), on occasion some wd-40, tho not a lube, works well in a pinch, and the ever trustworthy 'Tri Flow".

i'd been looking at the variety of "wax" lubes but got turned off as most of the guys in the shops shy'd away from them with the wax flaking off during the ride and the time necessary for the lube to dry before riding.  i have a tendency to lube and ride.  i've no desire to have a buildup of material left by so many other types of lubricants.  keep in mind that as a road racer for many years, all we had was a light oil and oil is death on an mtb chain and gearing.  we used to strip a chain and soak it in wet parafin prior to a race, it was good for one go round.

interested in your suggestions and or comments good or bad on the individuals of the liquid lot -
anything better for any type of usage than say another      
sandy conditions, many water crossings, dry and dusty etc.

OP

[Di.R.T.]

I've tried T-9, pedro's dry, prolink, and a variety of heavy duty garage common oils/greases for winter riding.

Prolink works best for me in the summer, followed by pedros extra dry for summer.  T-9 in rainy/warm, and spray on marine grease for winter/salty road rides.

[Carbon_Angus]

T9 (Boshield)? is my current fav..for both mt and road.....you should lube and let it set....just do it after a ride....no big deal, you can learn a new trick!!?? hehehe. it lasts and can be used in all kinds of weather/conditions



Pedro's ice wax is 2nd



White lightening..still have it around, it's just ok



you gotta wipe all theses down anyway..do you have to wipe down the aerosol can stuff, too?

[Irby]

OP, Go to Sheldon Brown's site. You can search for "Sheldon Brown" or "harris Cyclery". Chain lube is a very personal thing. I use "white lightening race day" for my off-road riding and Finish Line Cross Country for my road bike. I think the most important thing is to find a lube that allows you to clean the drive train easily and does not collect too much crud. I have found Pedros Ice Wax to be good for dry weather riding here in NY but it lacks corrosion protection for wet riding. White Lightening race day seems to be a reasonable trade-off between rust protection and ease of cleaning. In the end, if you spend some time on cleaning your chain and gears, you'll see less wear.
I don't think any of the lubes out there work equally in both wet and dry conditions. I did use Pedros Extra dry in a drip bottle, but found it lacking in the lubricating area and ability to protect from rust. Keep in mind that my riding ranges from bone dry dusting conditions in August to salt water spray in the winter.
Dan

[Mr.Ed]

boeshield ....I use now...really like it

tri-flow....like it

pedros ice wax...not crazy about it

gear oil, wd-40, axle grease,...probably not [smiley=groucho.gif]

[GaryF52]

K-MART sells SUPER LUBE in serveral formulations; one with teflon, another with PTFE.  Both work well but I prefer the PTFE version.   In my pack I carry a little bottle of bar & chain oil (like you'd use for your chainsaw) for trail use.  It works very well but tends to pick up dirt quickly.  

I tried PEDROS ICE WAX and found it to be worthless.  I followed the instructions carefully but it didn't even last for one ride.  

[chainsaw]

I have used nothing but ProLink on my road bike. I have 9000 miles on the chain, I have NEVER ever taken it off and cleaned it, and I have never ever run it through an on bike chain cleaning machine. I just follow the instruction on the bottle. Prolink actually cleans the the chain, because it is such a "tenacious" lube.

[Joe]

here here for prolink. I loved it.  then tried finishlines krytech- not bad but wears moderately quickly
now I'm on to pedros dry- this stuff is horrible for the northeast normal riding, so I picked up a bottle of pedros wet lube
a douse of the dry, let it set, then the wet seems like a great alternative. lasting long

[Di.R.T.]

I have used nothing but ProLink on my road bike. I have 9000 miles on the chain

Prolink is my favorite.  But it fails on the Michigan winter salty roads.


For OP, with his mostly dry, dusty, sometimes wet conditions, I can't think of anything better than Prolink.

t-9 picks up too much dust (goes on wet, stays wet).  Pedros dry goes on wet, gets dry and is gone too quickly once you get it wet.

Prolink seems to stay on in a semi dry form.  And if you put more on, it seems to clean out the rollers good enough (unless you have started rusting or have gone through tarry mud).

So for OP, my vote is prolink.

[RoentgenRanger]

I'm using this stuff called Dumonde Tech.  It's made by an MX company up here in the NW.  Good for wet weather...can't say about dry weather as we never have any :-/

[Oz-SUB]

A friend of mine (gadget freak) uses a Scott oiler.  It's a small clear squeezable container that straps somewhere near the top / seat tube and has a tiny tube that goes all the way back to the deraillerur.

In it is a green flourescent water based lubricant.  Every now and agian he squeezes the container whilst riding to lube the chain.  Swears by it!

Apart from sub-zero temps, as it freezes up!

Anyone else seen this?

[Matno]

I came across the website a while back. I think there was a link from MTBR... Interesting concept, very cluttered design. I can't imagine wrapping a tube around my frame, cables, and rear derailleur just to get a little extra lube while riding. Heck, even once every ride would be way too much. I lube my chains any time they make even the slightest bit of noise, and I've been using the same 4 oz bottle of Ice Wax for 3 years now! (I don't waste a drop though - I oil each link individually).

[Scott]

I use W.L.  But if you ride road or dry conditions try a soak in Redline synthetic gear/motor oil-wipe it off, install, and you'll have the slickest most friction-free chain possible though thats just a s. o. t. p. impression.