Chain lube.

joebatz

Ive never brought lube before and up until i got my new bike i used to spray my chain with WD40 once amonth or so. But now i have a new bike i want to start doing things properly, I cycle 20 miles a day always on road and cycle path so what lube should i get? Also is it ok to use WD40 on other moving parts or are there other lubes i should be looking at.
Any advice would be appreciated.

R_T_A

This stuff - cleans AND lubes:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=2608

Works for me, although there are many other alternatives that I'm sure do a good job.

anton1r

I've read/seen plenty places that state WD40 isn't great for bike bits as its water based (PTFE based is better) and that its fine for Water Displacement (WD) but not much good for lubrication. If you want a can of spray, GT85 is better for water displacement/lube.

Rather randomly, I've also got the Blue "Rock N Roll" stuff in the link above (recommended by my LBS) and whilst i'm not exactly sure what the difference is in the multiple lubes on the market, i've no reason to complain about the Blue stuff!

Happy lubing!

Underscore

I've used three lubes that I would recommend:
Finish Line Wet: Good heavy lube but gets pretty mucky pretty quickly so you need to clean your drivetrain pretty frequently. Difficult to remove with degreaser so rain, no matter how heavy, doesn't stand a chance
Progold Prolink: My current lube on the commuter + MTB. Lighter than the Finish Line so needs less cleaning but more frequent application. Provided it is applied frequently, only suffers from being washed off in the most torrential of conditions
Squirt Lube: My current lube for the road bike. Stays pretty clean but nice and quiet. Chain feels nicely waxy so should stay on OK in fairly wet conditions, but I've no first hand experience as my road bike is for nice days only

HTH,

_

will3

I use 3 in 1

Cafewanda

What was that will3? Can't quite see what you've written

will3

I believe I gave the "wrong" answer

Underscore

will3 wrote:

I believe I gave the "wrong" answer

Nah, nowt wrong with 3-in-1. What does a chain lube need to do? Get in to where it needs to be (inside the chain). Stay there for as long as possible (the problem with WD-40 - the oil is so light that it dries out too quickly). There is then the trade off between providing a water repellent layer on the outside of the chain (so preventing wash off and rust) and not allow dust and grime to stick to the afore mentioned layer (which forms a nice grinding paste to wear out your drivetrain).

From my experience, chain lubes are mainly about the trade off - I've yet to be convinced that any lube really lubricates better or worse when first applied, it's about where they are on that trade off and how that suits your usage and maintenence habits. That's why I use a different lube for my dry weather bike and my all weather bikes. 3-in-1 will work fine as a lube, I suspect, provided it is in the right place on that trade-off for your usage.

However, it's also around the same price as, for instance, prolink (I think I paid ~£1/fl oz fora 16 oz bottle whereas 3-in-1 seems (from Google) to be about £4 for 3 fl oz) so it's not really a cost saving...

_

El Diego

Purple Extreme is good stuff and smells nice too. I like to put a dab behind each ear on a night out.

fossyant

Finish Line Pro Road Ceramic.....nuf said. Buy it.

One drop on each roller. Aerosols are a waste of money...get a dropper bottle.

jthef

+1 squirt.
Just started using it and chain feels good, not needed reapplication now in over 200 miles.
Just using sample at the mo but buying a bottle v soon.
No cleaning of chain now so if I get a good life out of the chain will stick with it.

.

woodnut

you can get 3 in 1 at poundland
I use finish line dry on me posh bike, applied with a platinum drip bottle

crankycrank

For all you Squirt users. I read a tip from someone who dilutes his Squirt 1:1 with plain water which thins it out and allows it to get between the links easier. And of course, gives you twice as much Squirt. I've been using it diluted for around 3k miles so far and it seems to work just as well. Yes, I'm also cheap

wyadvd

chain L number 5 is nice just folow calvin jones method for lubing (one single drop of lube applied to each rivet in turn , not smothered everywhere. The only useful place for chain oil to be is where you cant see it , around the outside of each rivet)

nyanza

WD40 is an anti-oil! It dissolves it, basically. Use it to de-gunk by all means, but then apply a oil/lube. But it really should have a sticker on it saying it should not be used on bike chains...

Finish Line Wet for me. It makes a black mess, but it works beautifully and doesn't wash off at the sight of a puddle. Waxy lubes like White Lightning are just pointless and wore out a drivetrain in <1000 miles. Plus, Finish Line works well when you stuff it down your cable sleeves to keep your shifters and brakes working smoothly.

dilemna

Steer clear of rubbish such as White Lightning Clean Ride. It completely knackered my nice Campag Chorus chain rings and chain a couple of seasons ago. Absolute crap that stuff.

Now it's Finish Line Pro Ceramic all the way. I did buy some Finish Line Wet Lube at the same time, but have never found the need to apply it, as the FLPC is so good. Silent chain and smooth easy changing on sprockets.

pottssteve

fossyant wrote:

Finish Line Pro Road Ceramic.....nuf said. Buy it.

One drop on each roller. Aerosols are a waste of money...get a dropper bottle.

+1 for Finish Line Ceramic. Remember to shake the bottle well!

3in1 for other parts that need a little lubing....