Ultimate Bicycle Chain Lubricant Test | Best Bike Chain Lube

[Gary]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbFNrnQ4QUo

Eddie tests the eight most popular bicycle chain lubricants to decide which one to use on his mountain bike drive system.  He tests wear, sling, sand, and water performance on each lubricant to determine the best mountain bike chain lubricant.  The eight most popular lubricants include traditional, synthetic, and dry lubricants.

Lubricants tested were:

 Muc-Off Dry Lube

 Rock and Roll Gold

 Purple Extreme

 Squirt

 White Lightning Epic Ride

 Dumonde Tech Original

 Park Tool CL-1

 Roc Ride Epix

Eddie also throws in some common lubes found in the garage:

WD-40

10w30 small engine oil / John Deere Turf Guard

[Rudi Riet]

Great video!

There have been a lot of tests of chain lubes over recent years, and all come up with slightly different results. The folks at Friction Facts get different results than Eddie. Their faves are NixFrixShun (produced local to DC), Lilly Lube, Squirt, and some of the new and super pricey graphene lubes - as well as the classic hot wax treatment.

The biggest thing, though, is making sure a chain is kept clean and lubed with any kind of lubricant. Even olive oil works in a pinch! But keeping the chain clean is paramount, because any abrasives that stick to moving surfaces will cause wear. Some lubes run cleaner than others. And most people over-lube their chains, per my experience, getting their drivetrains messy and turning them into dirt magnets.

The only place that need lubricant in the chain is the inner rollers and where the plates of the chain rub against each other. The lube isn't needed anywhere else: not on the outer plates, nor on the cassette cogs or chainrings.

Some lubes are best applied liberally (e.g. Lilly Lube, White Lightning), while others are meant to be applied sparingly (e.g. NixFrixShun). All are meant to be applied to a clean chain, as they'll adhere to places where they need to go without interference from dirt and abrasive material.

A proper deep cleaning of a chain takes time, but even a cursory cleaning after a ride will help. And when you do re-lube your chain, give the lubricant time to penetrate into the rollers and for the carrier to evaporate - anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight, with longer typically (but not always, it depends on the lube) being better. Once the lube has set in, wipe the chain with a clean microfiber or other lint-free cloth. You want the chain to look clean - that lube will be where it should be.

And note that some lubes are better for wet conditions than others.

Personally I don't use just one lube on my chains. My lube depends on the season. Typically I use NixFrixShun as my go-to. I also use Lilly Lube at times, and sometimes I use Rock-n-Roll Gold or Boeshield T-9. It all depends on the situation I'm facing on a ride. I have found that NixFrixShun works great for 90 percent of my riding needs. I like Lilly if I want a light lubricant for special events. Boeshield and Rock-n-Roll are great winter/rain/mud lubes.

Most of all: use a lube, use it often, and keep your drivetrain clean! If your chain is black and gunky, or if there's buildup on the chain, jockey pulleys, cassette cogs, or chainrings: do a deep cleaning and apply your lube of choice sparingly, let it set in, then wipe off.

And then get out and ride!

Respectfully,

Rudi

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[Rudi Riet]

As we are in this mood, here are some helpful videos for when you want to go down the clean chain/chain lubrication rabbit hole:

OzCycle's Ultimate Chain Cleaning tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYxzHClWfQU

GCN has a slew of videos related to bike cleaning and such. Some of the best ones:

Drivetrain Deep Clean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf6lo6CNJPg

30-minute Bike Clean and Degrease: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ak4AzlUz5Q

Heck, there's a long playlist with these two and others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM6mzE5lQ0w&list=RDQM8DD4yBgj1iE&start_radio=1

For those of us who live in smaller apartments any suggestion of an ultrasonic cleaner is a bit much (though they work extremely well to get chains, cassettes, and myriad other things sparkling clean), but there are some great nuggets out there.

[mikeandj...@erols.com]

Monini GranFrutatto Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.  Tastes great, smells great, shifts great. What more do you want?

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