Family friendly, commuter friendly lube?

drhaggis

So back in 2016 I got some muc-off dry & wet lubes to go with my commuter, a Giant Defy 2 w/ Tiagra 4700. Two winters and several thousand miles later, I pretty much hate that lube. The dry one disintegrates as soon as I hit the shallowest puddle and the wet one turns into black gunk in front of my eyes.

Then, someone linked to a PDF by zerofrictioncycling, and opened my eyes on lube. I may be a penny pincher, but I can't hold off anymore, and surely I'll save money by swapping to something that won't eat my mech. Ideally, I'd like something that:

1. Is easy and quickish to apply (two kids, one wife and not a lot of free time...)
2. is reasonably long-lasting and won't eat my mech
3. can be easily sourced in the UK
4. ideally, not very expensive

I understand that fulfilling all those requirements at one might be impossible, and that's without requiring minimal drivetrain losses. From the ZFC website, Squirt might be a good option. So what lube do people here use for the commuter?

CitizenLee

I always use Shimano PTFE Dry lube. I need to apply it more often over winter or in the rainy season (most of the year in Aberdeen!), but it doesn't pick up half as much crap as other lubes I've used (Finish Line etc) and my drivetrain is always nice and quiet (which I'm a bit OCD about).

shirley_basso

Some organic one. Lasts long enough but not too long. Not too thick. Usually about 5 quid a bottle. Not bad for the environment. Like this:

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-m ... -oil-150ml

Honestly have no idea what the hype about 'good' and bad lubes is, nor do I care.

lettingthedaysgoby

I use Muc Off ceramic dry in the summer, TF2 ceramic wet for winter. Both seem pretty good.

drhaggis

Shirley Basso wrote:

Honestly have no idea what the hype about 'good' and bad lubes is, nor do I care.

I've no idea either, which is why I'm asking. After either running out of lube or building a ton of black gunk on my chain, I'm totally ready to give things a go. Of course, I have no time to fully clean the chain, put it in some ultrasonic cleaner, let it dry, give wax shine wax, every wet ride. I mean, Edinburgh isn't Glasgow, but it isn't the driest place in the world and I can't see myself cleaning my commuter more often that once a week :oops: .

mrb123

Try Rock and Roll. Malcolm at the Cycle Clinic stocks it. You're meant to put a fair bit on compared to other lubes but it seems to draw out the gunk from inside the chain and then leave it nice and shiny.

ugo.santalucia

I thought you were looking for a can of oil that can baby sit for you...

shirley_basso

DrHaggis wrote:

Shirley Basso wrote:

Honestly have no idea what the hype about 'good' and bad lubes is, nor do I care.

I've no idea either, which is why I'm asking. After either running out of lube or building a ton of black gunk on my chain, I'm totally ready to give things a go. Of course, I have no time to fully clean the chain, put it in some ultrasonic cleaner, let it dry, give wax shine wax, every wet ride. I mean, Edinburgh isn't Glasgow, but it isn't the driest place in the world and I can't see myself cleaning my commuter more often that once a week :oops: .

I just stick more oil over the top of the old stuff when it starts to make a squeaking sound. Cleaning the chain is a fools errand on commuter, in spite of what Rower63 does. I used to wipe it down with baby wipes and scrape the crap that caught on the jockey wheels with a screwdriver about once a month, with regular topping up of oil when it got squeaky.

There don't seem to be many companies who make a nice mid-weight lube that will last several rides in the dry but also handle some wet weather without turning into a thick paste as you say.

I find the eco-ones as noted above are an ideal middle ground.

drhaggis

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I thought you were looking for a can of oil that can baby sit for you...

That would be pretty nice! Is it on wiggle? I just want to avoid becoming a High Priest of Lubrication, where Police Scotland might turn out to check if I'm radicalising youngsters...

prawny

I'm going to give smoove a go over the winter, I used to use lightning ride wax lube (I think it was called, don't see it anymore) bjt it caked up my mech and didn't last in the rain. Recently I've just been slathering gt85 on stuff which also works well but is filthy and I prefer a nice dry chain.

cooldad

Squirt. All year, never clean the chain, I just apply a bit more frequently in wet weather.

fenix

GT85 on a rag. You might need to do it each day but you'll be wiping a lot of the crud off the chain too.

Just adding oil onto more oil and crud just forms a black grinding paste.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I've got close to a lifetime supply, 1 litre bottle of Muc Off C3 Ceramic Wet, it might look mucky after a few rides but it keeps the drivetrain lubed for weeks on end. Plus it only cost me £7 from PX IIRC! :shock:

cooldad

Fenix wrote:

GT85 on a rag. You might need to do it each day but you'll be wiping a lot of the crud off the chain too.

Just adding oil onto more oil and crud just forms a black grinding paste.

That might get crud off the chain, but doesn't get it into the rollers, where you need lube. Oil on the outside of the chain is pointless, and just collects more gunk.

alan_sherman

Engine oil. You can choose your weight. 10W/40W is my juice of choice at the moment (and for the foreseeable due to the large leftover quantity I have).

Goes a bit black but wipe with a rag.

jds_1981

I use no nonsense chainsaw oil from Screwfix. It works well though for me and is cheap.

keef66

After trying just about every bike specific lube there is, plus a range of engine and gearbox oils, I've gone back to good old 3-in-1 oil.
It's light enough to penetrate the internals of the chain without leaving gloopy deposits on the outside, but it still hangs around for long enough in the wet.
The secret is to wipe down the chain with a clean rag first, then apply sparingly to each roller, quick spin and then wipe off any excess with another rag.

itboffin

jds_1981 wrote:

I use no nonsense chainsaw oil from Screwfix. It works well though for me and is cheap.

I've used the last of my chainsaw oil but only on occasion, its looks and behaves a lot like the phil wood tenacious oil i use for everything else all year around, chainsaw oil collects more gunk imo

norks74

keef66 wrote:

After trying just about every bike specific lube there is, plus a range of engine and gearbox oils, I've gone back to good old 3-in-1 oil.
It's light enough to penetrate the internals of the chain without leaving gloopy deposits on the outside, but it still hangs around for long enough in the wet.
The secret is to wipe down the chain with a clean rag first, then apply sparingly to each roller, quick spin and then wipe off any excess with another rag.

I reckon this is the most important thing where chains are concerned. Clean chain first with a rag sprayed lightly with GT85, apply lube to each roller, and once done spin the chain cleaning off the excess lube into a rag. This gets rid of a lot of the shi*e that gathers in the rollers. Chain is now good to go. As to which lube is best? No idea. I go with Weldtite TF2. All-weather one seems good, though you do need to clean chain and apply a bit more often when it's been wet. It also doesn't seem to gunk the chain up nearly as bad as other lubes i've used in the past.
Obvs. it helps to keep the chainrings and cassette as clean as is reasonable too.
I know I posted the link in the SCR forum, but here is is again. https://www.weldtite.co.uk/tf2/