Wet lube or dry !!

paulb369uk

Evening guys and girls, I bought my bike at the end of last year and really want to get into cycling this year, over 100k done this week (ok not massive compared to some but an achievement for me) Could you advise me of the benefits of wet and dry lube and which is best ? I am using oil at the moment, should I be using lube ??

Thanks as always

Paul

RDW

The best lube is, of course, ProGold Prolink.

giant_man

RDW wrote:

The best lube is, of course, ProGold Prolink.

No. It's crap.

Sprool

Well that was constructive.
Anyway, a recent review on some bike website not far from here ended up recommending dry lube for both summer and winter as it didn't attract so much crud as the sticky syrup of wetlube, and although there is a chance of it wearing off quicker in the wet, as long as you clean, dry and relube after a soaking, the reviewer preferred it. Others state you have to use wetlube when its wet or your chain will start to creak and seize up halfway round a long ride in the wet. I've used whatever I have on the shelf at the time, in all sorts of weather and both have been fine. I tend to give the drive chain a good dry, degrease, clean and relube after every 2 or 3 rides anyway, so I'd say use what you like, as long as you are doing the regular maintenance it doesn't matter much, just go for little and often, wipe off the excess and give it a good clean down and relube after wet rides.

simon_masterson

You'll get strong opinions on both sides. It actually doesn't matter that much. Both work, and you'll find people arguing that each is the best for every season, too.

What does matter is a) that you do lubricate, b) that you wipe off the excess, and c) that you remove the muck the road throws all over it.

Personally I use Green Oil wet lube; all year round. I started for environmental reasons and continued because it works brilliantly. I have no plans to start using anything else.

Finish Line in the green bottle is one of the most common lubes I see in bike shops, and it's a good choice too; don't let the 'cross country' label fool you, it works very well for road, particularly in autumn and winter. It's viscous, but as long as you wipe off the excess, the tenacity is an asset in wet weather.

dennisn

Sprool wrote:

Well that was constructive.

In an odd sort of way it actually was somewhat constructive. That's the kind of answers you get on forums, pretty much whatever the question was. 50% hate it, 50% love it. Give or take a percentage point or two.

rob.m

I use wet lube all year round, after all it is the UK. But as the others state, just keep a bit of regular cleaning and re-lubeing going and all will be fine.

arthur_scrimshaw

I've tried loads of different stuff as most of us have, always used wet lube in the winter and dry in the summer but late last year I started using the muc off c3 dry lube and it works well in either condition providing you give it time to dry. It forms a lacquer which seems to resist water ok. I found with normal wet lubes that you still need to dry the chain off each ride to avoid rust?

diamonddog

I use 3in1 oil year round, no problem.

MrSweary

British Cycling recommend wet lube year round if that helps.

I use the finish line wet lube - I clean my bike weekly and I've found that cleaning, oiling and removing excess works best for me. Tried a few dry lubes (including c3 ceramic) and found they just gunked up really quickly.

I think removing excess is they key part a lot of people don't do.

JayKosta

I have always used wet lube because I believe it soaks into the interior surfaces of the chain where lube is really needed. I've been happy with spray-on 'motorcycle' chain lube, or spray-on industrial 'chain lube'.

The KEY item with any lube is to clean & replace it on a regular schedule depending on conditions and amount of use.
Don't allow the chain to become 'dry', or to get coated with dust & grunge.

Also wipe off the gunk from the chainrings, cassette, and jockey wheels.
If you ride a lot, then maybe weekly. One a month (first Saturday / Sunday) is probably plenty.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Monty Dog

You can always tell people who use dry lube by the annoying squeaking of their drivetrain after an hour's riding - the stuff is snakeoil.

Moonbiker

I use 3 in 1 also am i missing out buy not getting some special stuff?

cookeeemonster

Sprool wrote:

Well that was constructive.
Anyway, a recent review on some bike website not far from here ended up recommending dry lube for both summer and winter as it didn't attract so much crud as the sticky syrup of wetlube, and although there is a chance of it wearing off quicker in the wet, as long as you clean, dry and relube after a soaking, the reviewer preferred it. Others state you have to use wetlube when its wet or your chain will start to creak and seize up halfway round a long ride in the wet. I've used whatever I have on the shelf at the time, in all sorts of weather and both have been fine. I tend to give the drive chain a good dry, degrease, clean and relube after every 2 or 3 rides anyway, so I'd say use what you like, as long as you are doing the regular maintenance it doesn't matter much, just go for little and often, wipe off the excess and give it a good clean down and relube after wet rides.

is the reviewer reviewing from somewhere thats the opposite of here? Or are they a fair weather rider? Or do they have tons and tons of spare time on their hands? :P

I prefer wet lube now after trying dry...but like so many things it's a personal choice and many people are happy with either

paulb369uk

Thanks for all your replies, I have decided to stick with wet and ensure that I regularly degrease, clean then reapply (remembering to remove the excess!!!) Always good to get more experienced riders opinions, thanks again

Paul

dennisn

Moonbiker wrote:

I use 3 in 1 also am i missing out buy not getting some special stuff?

You're missing out on spending more money than you need to. Then again all those so called high end lubes sure do come in pretty bottles. Some of the lubes themselves even come in pretty colors.

Moonbiker

Checked the oracle Sheldon & he says its not a good idea but I suppose even he can be wrong.

Lubricants Not to Use!

While it's hard to say which lubricants are best for chains, some lubricants are real no-nos:

Automotive motor oil contains detergent, to wash away combustion products, and is made to be renewed constantly under pressure from the motor's oil pump. I rode once with someone who had used it the day before, and her chain was already squeaking.
"Household" oil, such as 3 in 1, is a vegetable oil and is acidic. It tends to gum up. (It's really bad news inside internal hub gears, too...)
WD-40 and other thin sprays are intended more as solvents than lubricants. They evaporate quickly.

How about GT85?

imposter2.0

paulb369uk wrote:

I am using oil at the moment, should I be using lube ??

Last time I checked, oil WAS a lube. I think it probably still is...

cookeeemonster

Moonbiker wrote:

Checked the oracle Sheldon & he says its not a good idea but I suppose even he can be wrong.

Lubricants Not to Use!

While it's hard to say which lubricants are best for chains, some lubricants are real no-nos:

Automotive motor oil contains detergent, to wash away combustion products, and is made to be renewed constantly under pressure from the motor's oil pump. I rode once with someone who had used it the day before, and her chain was already squeaking.
"Household" oil, such as 3 in 1, is a vegetable oil and is acidic. It tends to gum up. (It's really bad news inside internal hub gears, too...)
WD-40 and other thin sprays are intended more as solvents than lubricants. They evaporate quickly.

How about GT85?

Nah won't last long at all

imposter2.0

Moonbiker wrote:

Checked the oracle Sheldon & he says its not a good idea but I suppose even he can be wrong.

Lubricants Not to Use!

While it's hard to say which lubricants are best for chains, some lubricants are real no-nos:

Automotive motor oil contains detergent, to wash away combustion products, and is made to be renewed constantly under pressure from the motor's oil pump. I rode once with someone who had used it the day before, and her chain was already squeaking.
"Household" oil, such as 3 in 1, is a vegetable oil and is acidic. It tends to gum up. (It's really bad news inside internal hub gears, too...)
WD-40 and other thin sprays are intended more as solvents than lubricants. They evaporate quickly.

How about GT85?

If that's what Sheldon says, then he is materially incorrect on a couple of points. 3in1 is not a vegetable oil, so does not 'gum-up' - and WD-40 does not 'evaporate'. The carrier solvent does evapourate, but what it leaves behind is a coating of light mineral oil. Whether that is enough to lubricate a chain is another matter.

diamonddog

+1 for ^This, 3in1 only contains a tiny amount of citronella oil.

team47b

diamonddog wrote:

+1 for ^This, 3in1 only contains a tiny amount of citronella oil.

To ward off Mosquitos?

MattC59

Wet lube : wet weather
Dry lube : dry weather

You can use dry lube in the wet, but it won't last long.
You can use wet lube in the dry, but unless applied properly will attract dust and be a black mess pretty quickly.

I use White lightning clean ride in the summer (wax lube, just to confuse things) and it's sort of self cleaning. You have to apply it properly and about every 150miles, but you don't need much and it keeps your chain beautifully clean.
In the winter I use Finish Line Cross Country. Again, applied properly it doesn't get filthy and doesn't get washed off too quickly.

Sprool

gt85 and wd40 get some bad press, but its great as a light lube, esp. the teflon-containing ones, once the solvent carrier evaporates it leaves a light teflon lubricant coating - it penetrates well, disperses moisture and acts as a degreaser. Trouble is, it will not stick around for too long so don't use it for cyclocross rides or all-day sportives. If you have a tendency to over-lube and not remove the excess with a heavier gunk then maybe a lighter spray like this may be ideal as you're likely to end up with less grime sticking to your drive chain. Just apply regularly and it works great as a frame polish and to help prevent more filth sticking to it.

diamonddog

team47b wrote:

diamonddog wrote:

+1 for ^This, 3in1 only contains a tiny amount of citronella oil.

To ward off Mosquitos?

Mostly to ward off wheel suckers.

MattC59

Sprool wrote:

gt85 and wd40 get some bad press, but its great as a light lube, esp. the teflon-containing ones, once the solvent carrier evaporates it leaves a light teflon lubricant coating - it penetrates well, disperses moisture and acts as a degreaser. Trouble is, it will not stick around for too long so don't use it for cyclocross rides or all-day sportives. If you have a tendency to over-lube and not remove the excess with a heavier gunk then maybe a lighter spray like this may be ideal as you're likely to end up with less grime sticking to your drive chain. Just apply regularly and it works great as a frame polish and to help prevent more filth sticking to it.

Slight isue here, WD40 doesnt' have teflon in it. It's a very light penetrating oil and the WD stands for Water Displacer.
So yes, it penetrates well, yes it disperses moisture well, but your last point about acting as a degreaser is contradictary to it being a great lube. Actually, that's not fair, it may be a great light lube in the right application, but its degreasing properties will remove any existing lube that is in place.

The subject of WD40 comes up fairly regularly on here, so a while back I emailed WD40 about WD40's suitability s a chain lube. Their response states that it does not have sufficient shear force capacity to act as an effective cycle chain lubricant (If you search my posts you'll find more info). Basically, it gets squeezed out/worn away from the inner faces of the chain which need lubricating.

Use it to disperse water from your chain after washing, if you want, but let it dry and then lube with something more suitable.

dennisn

Imposter wrote:

paulb369uk wrote:

I am using oil at the moment, should I be using lube ??

Last time I checked, oil WAS a lube. I think it probably still is...

That made my day.

Tiltzey Boy

My advice is never to go dry! It can cause excessive friction and result in severe wear which reduces the likelihood of future use without replacement!

Always use lube, but stick to the "made for the job" brands, and also, avoid the use of shower gel/shampoo as a lubricant, even though they are nice and slippery, they can cause irritation to sensitive areas!

:oops:

Well, someone had to say it!! And, by the way, this is tongue in cheek before anyone says I'm wrong!!!!

Sprool

MattC59 wrote:

Sprool wrote:

gt85 and wd40 get some bad press, but its great as a light lube, esp. the teflon-containing ones, once the solvent carrier evaporates it leaves a light teflon lubricant coating - it penetrates well, disperses moisture and acts as a degreaser. Trouble is, it will not stick around for too long so don't use it for cyclocross rides or all-day sportives. If you have a tendency to over-lube and not remove the excess with a heavier gunk then maybe a lighter spray like this may be ideal as you're likely to end up with less grime sticking to your drive chain. Just apply regularly and it works great as a frame polish and to help prevent more filth sticking to it.

Slight issue here, WD40 doesnt' have teflon in it. It's a very light penetrating oil and the WD stands for Water Displacer.

Yes it does - WD40 with teflon: (that's PTFE)
http://road.cc/content/review/64289-wd4 ... -lubricant
GT85 also has Teflon but I don't know if they tell you how much is in there...
Anyway, accept the point of it being thin and volatile, good use as a cleaner and dispeller of water, then lube up with something more robust.

rick_chasey

Wet lubricant is less hassle and at the level almost all amateurs are you won't notice the difference.

Main point is to look after it and degrease/lubricate regularly, however much of an arse ache it is (and let's face it, after a long ride in the p!ssing rain, getting all mucky with your chain is the last thing you want to be doing))

MattC59

Sprool wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

Sprool wrote:

gt85 and wd40 get some bad press, but its great as a light lube, esp. the teflon-containing ones, once the solvent carrier evaporates it leaves a light teflon lubricant coating - it penetrates well, disperses moisture and acts as a degreaser. Trouble is, it will not stick around for too long so don't use it for cyclocross rides or all-day sportives. If you have a tendency to over-lube and not remove the excess with a heavier gunk then maybe a lighter spray like this may be ideal as you're likely to end up with less grime sticking to your drive chain. Just apply regularly and it works great as a frame polish and to help prevent more filth sticking to it.

Slight issue here, WD40 doesnt' have teflon in it. It's a very light penetrating oil and the WD stands for Water Displacer.

Yes it does - WD40 with teflon: (that's PTFE)
http://road.cc/content/review/64289-wd4 ... -lubricant
GT85 also has Teflon but I don't know if they tell you how much is in there...
Anyway, accept the point of it being thin and volatile, good use as a cleaner and dispeller of water, then lube up with something more robust.

Well I never still wouldn't use it on my chain though.