Chain lubricants

[probertsqbe]

I thought you all might be interested in this [https://biketestreviews.com/latest-word ... ort-bikes/] I started using squirt cuz of this article.

Squirt is GREAT for mountain bikes in dry conditions, but the review matches my experience that Smoove lasts longer. (Smoove is not good off road though, it attracts too much dust and dirt)

I wish someone would test the Tungsten All Weather.

These reviewers are very detailed but I one of the best independent reviews of lubes at the moment. See link below to the Tungsten All Weather.


https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-c ... r-v1.2.pdf

[vinny]

I got squirt cuz it was easier to get and cheaper in a large bottle. Amazon now sells smoove, so i might try it at some point too.

I'll have to try the Tru-Tension Tungsten lube after i run out of the squirt amazon sells it. the price doesn't seem ridiculous (https://www.amazon.com/Tru-Tension-Bana ... 292&sr=8-1)

[MikeD]

I thought you all might be interested in this [https://biketestreviews.com/latest-word ... ort-bikes/] I started using squirt cuz of this article.

Squirt is GREAT for mountain bikes in dry conditions, but the review matches my experience that Smoove lasts longer. (Smoove is not good off road though, it attracts too much dust and dirt)

I wish someone would test the Tungsten All Weather.

I'm not seeing that with Smoove. Did you let it dry overnight before going out riding? You could try wiping the chain with a rag after working it in to remove the excess.

I have Tungsten All Weather. I put a coating of that on first, then overcoat it with Smoove and hit the chain with a heat gun to get it to penetrate well. The Tungsten lube needs to be applied often. Smoove goes a long number of miles between lubing.

[TheRich]

I thought you all might be interested in this [https://biketestreviews.com/latest-word ... ort-bikes/] I started using squirt cuz of this article.

Squirt is GREAT for mountain bikes in dry conditions, but the review matches my experience that Smoove lasts longer. (Smoove is not good off road though, it attracts too much dust and dirt)

I wish someone would test the Tungsten All Weather.

I'm not seeing that with Smoove. Did you let it dry overnight before going out riding? You could try wiping the chain with a rag after working it in to remove the excess.

I have Tungsten All Weather. I put a coating of that on first, then overcoat it with Smoove and hit the chain with a heat gun to get it to penetrate well. The Tungsten lube needs to be applied often. Smoove goes a long number of miles between lubing.

It is possible that I used too much Smoove before doing a gravel event or it might have been unique to that dirt, but I wasn't going to keep trying when I knew Squirt works good enough for my taste in those situations.

Edit: It is undeniably stickier.

Tungsten falls somewhere between Squirt and Smoove in my experience and it's cleaner and easier than Smoove imo.

[F10]

Any Campag waxers in this thread?

Yup. Chorus & Record 11 chains for me, dipped in homemade paraffin wax/PTFE mix. Bit noisier than wet lubes, but nice and clean

What quick link are you using if any?

11sp KMC Missing Link. Apparently the wipperman ones are better / stronger - but i'm sure this one will be strong enough for my needs

[itsacarr]

I wonder if those wipperman quicklinks are better than the Eagle versions for 12s. Wrong thread for this but im about to dip into all of this

[DaveS]

Wipperman 12 speed chains and links seem to be vaporware. Any link used with a different brand of chain needs to be measured for side clearance. It should be no less than 0.1mm and no more than 0.2.

[Hexsense]

zerofrictioncycling tested UFO drip. In short, it's head to head comparable with Silca Supersecret Drip lube (which is better than any other drip lube). Their results are more similar than different, infact. UFO drip indeed require more frequent application (as user experience here confirm) but it has lower running cost though.
https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-c ... p-v2.2.pdf

[Rora]

How often do you lube the chain when training indoors? I use the Squeeze lubricant and have to clean the chain and re-lube every 700-1000 kms. If not, there's black specs on the floor, etc

[TobinHatesYou]

How often do you lube the chain when training indoors? I use the Squeeze lubricant and have to clean the chain and re-lube every 700-1000 kms. If not, there's black specs on the floor, etc

Even the cleanest, driest lube like RnR Absolute Dry will fling lube onto the floor/mat. In the case of RnR Absolute Dry it will be a fine spray and you might not notice until a lot of it accumulates in a vertical line under the drivetrain. In the case of wax or wax drip lubes, little wax shavings or balls of wax will fling onto the floor/mat. You can suck these up with a handheld vacuum pretty easily.

[vjswing]

Kicking this thread, as I was trying to figure out the performance issue difference of Squirt between two different bikes. Made the decision to move away from an oil-based lube (Pro Gold) last summer, as I had gotten sick of dealing with the messy buildup. Fully cleaned the drivetrains of both my MTB and road bike. Used Squirt on the MTB, and Rock & Roll Gold on the road bike. Was thrilled with the performance on both bikes.

The MTB is used primarily as a gravel bike, and was shocked at how clean the drivetrain remained through all kinds of dusty conditions. The road bike seemed to pick up dirt a little more readily, so just before moving it indoors to the trainer in the winter, I washed and applied Squirt. Ran it through the winter, and then brought it into LBS to take care of front derailleur issue. When I picked it up, tech told me that the rear derailleur was not operating as it should, so he removed it and cleaned it thoroughly, as it appeared to have a gunky buildup. Hmmm. It was a mystery as to why the Squirt seemed to perform much better on one bike vs. the other, until I got into some of the nitty-gritty details at Zero Friction Cycling:

10, 11 and 12 speed chains have a VERY, VERY, VERY small single access point for lubes to penetrate through to the pin and then disseminate
across its length. The friction interface between the pin and the inside of the inner plate shoulders is a key high pressure friction and wear
point.

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-c ... Squirt.pdf

The MTB has an 8-speed cassette, with visibly wider chain and gaps. Road bike has an 11-speed cassette. Could this be the key element in explaining the performance difference? I can't say with 100% certainty, but I've decided to go back to Rock & Roll Gold for the road bike, as I continue to use Squirt on the MTB.

[vjswing]

Edit : double post

[spacelahanaa]

I've been using tru-tension tungsten and I've been very pleased with it. Runs smooth, stays clean. I do clean the chain (and every part of the drivetrain) completely though, as if you are going to wax the chain. A trick I found which helps a lot is to heat the cassette up with a hairdryer as you are applying the lube while rotating the cranks backward. I think zerofrictioncycling advises to heat the lube up but I find that after a minute or so of heating the cassette up with a hairdryer, the chain is heated up pretty well too and the lube goes in and penetrates much better.

[JLiukkonen]

We rode a ”test ride” with eurberg today and Silca failed after 45km riding. Applied as instructed, but chain was loud as Deep Purple in California jam.


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[Lakal]

We rode a ”test ride” with eurberg today and Silca failed after 45km riding. Applied as instructed, but chain was loud as Deep Purple in California jam.


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I had the same problem (look at page 28).
You really need to pay attention when you apply the lube. Otherwise it just slips off the chain.