Recommend a good chain oil please

rumbataz

I got told off by my LBS for using rubbish oil on my chain when my bike was in for a service. The bloke said it was too thick. I use Muc-Off chain oil (the wet one). It's a thickish bluey liquid.

My LBS said I should use a much lighter oil but I forgot to ask for a recommendation. So, which chain oil should I use (given that Winter is fast approaching)?

andyeb

I use this http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fen ... 167#select which I've been fairly pleased with. It doesn't completely prevent rust if you ride in the wet, unless you take the time to wipe the chain down after a ride in poor weather. Which is good practice anyway...

Duffer65

I use this and haven't had any reason to change.

http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/c ... y-lube.htm

Sprool

i thought conventional wisdom was dry lube (e.g.: Finish Line, etc.) for good weather summer use and a heavier 'wet lube' oil for winter where there's more chance of moisture and the heavier oil doesn't get washed off so easily. However, theres also more change of dirt/dust sticking. The youtube videos from FinishLine explain it all better than I can.

CiB

3-in-1 cycle oil does it for me. £1.50 a tin at the nearest h/w shop and it does what it's meant to do.

simon_masterson

I use Green Oil products all round, all year round; they're very good. I haven't used their wax lube.

As for heavy lubes, I personally think you should use as light as you can get away with (though I can't comment on dry lube as I've never used it), but that's provided that you're degreasing and reapplying regularly to keep the road muck at bay! Your chain shouldn't be swimming in oil; wipe the excess and you won't go far wrong, imho...

metronome

I use this Purple Extreme:

http://www.probikekit.com/uk/bike-medic ... tAodgi4Axw

Really like it... But it stinks.

fudbeer

In my experience unless you are de-greasing and re-applying almost every time the dryer ones don't cut it in wet weather.

drlodge

Heavier lubes provide more protection, lighter lubes will wear off quickly.

Dry lubes generally need reapplying more often but don't attract the dirt. Wet lubes are more resistant to rain, but attract more dirt.

I think engine or gearbox oil is a good protector, but its too dirty for me. I haven't actually lubed my chain in ages, just installed from new with the thick sticky goo that comes on SRAM chains and changed the previous chain after 1000 miles. I'll probably turn to dry lube since I have some, clean the chain first and reapply quite often.

tiredofwhiners

Third bike - never used oil once, regardless of weather.

I use GT85 exclusively, apply before every ride, clean the chain with a rag every other ride and once a month or so, clear out the cassette and jockey wheels. Never had a squeak, never had a chain failure and never had a problem.

I am now expecting a major mechanical in retaliation for the above.

thegreatdivide

ProGold ProLink for wet and dry riding.

keef66

I'd dearly like to try a different chain lube, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to justify buying anything else until I've used up the various bottles I have sitting on the shelf.

Finish Line Wet. Bought when I picked the bike up 5 years ago, heading into autumn. Very effective and tenacious, so I feel it provides lubrication and protection in the wet, but it does tend to accumulate dirt which means the chain / sprockets / chainrings / jockey wheels need frequent wiping to keep them looking clean.

3-in-1 oil. Massive bottle I got from Wilkos. Use it on lots of other things too, but it's still lasting ages. I'd describe it as a light oil. Best for when it's damp rather than properly wet. Probably use it on the chain in the drier months. Stays a lot cleaner than the Finish Line.

Squirt Lube. Got a free sample somewhere then actually bought some. It appears to be some kind of water / wax-based system. Downsides are that it needs to be applied to a clean chain, and then allowed to dry off. You can't lube and ride or else it just gets flung off all over the bike. Once dry it seems to work OK as a lube, well the chain doesn't squeak anyway. And the wax tends to flake off taking the dirt with it, so the chain / sprockets certainly look cleaner than with the Finish Line Wet. Trouble is, some of these flakes adhere to the chainstay and more worryingly, the rear wheel. Not good for braking. It doesn't seem to last very long in the wet either.

Halfords Wax-based lube. Interesting bluish green stuff that separates on standing. Behaves like the Squirt and was cheaper. I'll probably never use this up.

Some left over Ford transmission oil. Medium weight; tended to use it for marinating chains after cleaning, but I can't be bothered with the faff nowadays. Nearly all gone anyway.

TheEnglishman

3 in 1 here. GT85 and WD40 are too light in my mind.

As my Brompton eats rear sprockets and to some extent chains I never seem to have to worry about rust etc as I'm replacing at least once a year.

My road bike hasn't done enough miles yet to know what's wearing and how much.

smidsy

Finish Line dry (for when its dry) and Finish Line wet (for when it is wet).

The wet and dry refers to the conditions for intended use not the way the product feels/looks when applied.

simon_masterson

tiredofwhiners wrote:

Third bike - never used oil once, regardless of weather.

I use GT85 exclusively, apply before every ride, clean the chain with a rag every other ride and once a month or so, clear out the cassette and jockey wheels. Never had a squeak, never had a chain failure and never had a problem.

I am now expecting a major mechanical in retaliation for the above.

OK, I'll take the bait... But for one very good reason...

If you're using it literally every ride, you'll be getting lubrication that I would assume to be 'adequate'. But 'adequate' only. I have no reason to assume that the inner surfaces of the chain are being particularly well coated. It's wasteful, if nothing else; I seldom need to lubricate my chain. Good as your cleaning routine is, if you've never had a chain fail, you're just lucky.

But the only reason I'm taking the bait is that - with the greatest of respect - I would hate any beginner to think that this is good practice, as I truly do not think that it is.

Anyway, if I had to recommend a chain lube, it would have to be Finish Line 'cross country' wet lube (the one in the green bottle). It's really cheap, you can buy it all over the place, and it works really well.

Defyand

Anyone use the Wilkinsons cycle oil?

Drumlin

My year round commute consists of badly surfaced country lanes interspersed with sections of gravelly farm track and footpath. For several years I've been using Finish Line Wet, seems to work fine but it does seem to attract grit - summer or winter I need to clean the chain most weeks. This summer I've been giving White Lightning a go, I've had to reapply after wet rides but I've been very impressed by how clean its kept, I've been able to go for 2-3 weeks without having to clean the chain.

Sprool

Strong cider is no viable alternative to a good synthetic oil. Seems to work well as a lube on some humans though.
http://gk007a0336.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/white.htm

simon_masterson

Sprool wrote:

Strong cider is no viable alternative to a good synthetic oil. Seems to work well as a lube on some humans though.
http://gk007a0336.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/white.htm

Beat me to it.