Best bike lube - saves big money
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- Using the best bike lube saves hundreds of £ or $ in component wear. Meet the man who tests lubes and picks the best on his website zerofrictioncycling.com.au/ and
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Many thanks to Adam Kerin for his patient help.
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Good on you for getting the word out about good vs poor chain lubricants. I tried many top name lubes before I found Zero Friction Cycling. Adam's method is easier than expected and gives great results with MSW.
I am down grading my components to Altus, Acera and so on. Also going from 10spd cassette to 8 saves a lot of money because those cassettes are more durable and last longer.
I know from experience XT stuff is lighter but it costs a lot more money and wears out faster.
The pros get this fancy stuff paid for and it gets promoted so the average person buys it and doesn't have a team mechanic to maintain the bikes.
I ride 10 thousand km a year and I don't shift a lot so faster shifts lighter and sensitive to wear components are not an economical advantage for me. I usually just wipe the chain off and replace parts when necessary.
I try not to think too much about the components and enjoy the scenery.
Heck, I only wear normal chinos or stretch jeans and merino. No helmet, no clipless pedals.
I write this only because some people make cycling too complicated and I am out to have fun.
I am the same! 8 speed is fine. But please wear your helmet!
@@JasonDBike I feel safer without a helmet. It's personal. I used to wear one a long time ago because of helmet shaming but I live in a country now where hardly anyone wears a helmet unless you are a roadie or racing.
But thanks for caring.
@@nowayout8773 I have just recovered from a low speed crash where my wheel hit a spot of diesel and I hit the tarmac hard with my head. I was knocked out and had the really bad concussion, I was wearing a good helmet and yet the pain was immense and I lost my balance for a month. I have now replaced that helmet with an expensive full face mtb helmet. I do not care what other cyclists think about my choice of brain bucket, the Dr said that judging by the bump on my cheekbone I was lucky not to break any bones. Please wear a Helmet it does not matter about peoples opinions just save your brain with a good lid.
@@Nick-vl6yxSorry for your injuries. I slid out on ice a few times in the early morning and it was dark. I don't ride with spikes and I am careful. Made me wish I had a single speed or a IG because when the bike hits the pavement the derailleur gets banged up. 😆
Interesting that your accident affected you psychologically and now you wear a full face mtb helmet. I would never try to convince someone to wear or not wear a helmet. I
I have been bicycle commuting for so long, and I know all the arguments, and some of mine are bicycling is safe and fun. The helmet protects but could also add to injury. But I wouldn't debate it. I never judge people who don't wear a helmet the same as a skateboarder for not wearing complete knee, elbow and gloves. I have seen bicyclists with full mtb helmets, fluorescent yellow suit, riding recklessly through traffic, passing cars, and I could only think why not use the bike path and drive responsibly
Bicycle commuting is the same for me as driving a motorcycle or car: there are rules. You pay attention to avoid accidents.
People have opinions. People need to respect everyone as individual. Just because you had a bad experience or you discovered Jesus or something doesn't mean we go around and push our ideologies on people. It doesn't work. I pay attention to the road. Not if someone is wearing a helmet. I saw UK videos where drivers are yelling at people on bikes for not wearing a helmet instead of paying attention to driving.
@@nowayout8773 How would a helmet add to injury?
I’ve been using wax for 4 years now . Stripping the factory grease off a new chain then rewaxing every 500 miles or so and it’s easy and so clean 👍🏼
Useful info Simon. Thanks 👍
Very informative, as always. Thank you.
Interesting stuff Simon... We've been using Immersion Wax with PTFE method for about 8 months now and results are great and the reduction in wear rate is amazing. Biggest upside for me though is clean up, just brush off any grit, no more oily rags and mucky hands. Re-waxing is easy, rinse chain in hot water to remove any surface wax and dirt then emmerse for 20 mins with occasional swirl while watching AAA videos on UA-cam, and it's ready to go. This is not a method for those who's lubrication regime is to chuck a bit of lube on at the start of a ride but is really no hardship if you're the type to clean your bike ready for the next ride, even if it's only a wipe down. 👍
That's really interesting to hear. Most people seem to have your experience of immersion too. Thanks for that.
PTFE is evil!
Just made the switch to Silca Secret Wax (hot wax dip), good amount of prep for the first dip, should be very easy moving forward. So far I’m happy with the change. The drive chain remains clean, large improvement!
Been using Parafin wax pellets along with 10% ptfe powder in slow cooker for immersion for years on Road,Gravel and MTB..very happy,very easy,very clean. Live in Co Donegal on Ireland’s NW Coast and it rains a lot!
PTFE is very bad!
@@Gieszkanne Why to you say PTFE is bad? Apart from MolyKote D708, it has the lowest friction coefficient of all products
@@andreasdimitriades4630 For the environment!
I've been championing the Tru Friction Tungsten All weather Lube - Also known as Banana Slip Tungsten All Weather Lube that was mentioned in your video, It's doubled my chain life compared with the muck off dry and normal lubes 🙂 🙂
Sounds good. What sort of maintenance do you do after riding?
@@davidfarquhar3917 about every 150km another application, but if the bike is caked in mud - the chain usually stays clean - the bike gets a shower, so the chain gets incidentally wet, so I take it off and put it on a radiator to dry before reapplying the lube. Using muckoff lubes wet and dry I was getting 500-800 miles per chain 11sp, and with the banana Slip Tungsten 1400-1900 miles per chain
I used immersive wax for a while but got fed up with the chain squeaking every 2nd or 3rd ride. I decided life was too short to put up with the faff so went back to a wet lube and just replace the chain when the chain gauge suggests. I'm also not convinced using the right lube "saves hundreds of £ or $ in component wear".
There should be no squeaking after just 2-3 rides - especially if you use one of the specialty waxes.
It’s gotta be molten Speed wax or Silca
you can not have lot of money and lot of time at same time, i have same amount of both and i hot wax chain on bike , it takes 6 minutes every 100km and chain lasts 6 times longer and i save 5 chains but it costs some more time
I just want a quiet chain that doesn't slow down my bicycle too much. This afternoon my bicycle got something that allegedly is long-distance chain lubricant, and it's very sticky. Why would chain lubricant be this sticky if it is not supposed to pick up debris? Maybe a chain that loses too much lubricant is a worse problem than one that picks up souvenirs along the way, or at least that's what this lubricant manufacturer thinks.
@@JPRupp A loud chain is a subjective problem, you have to decide what your priorities are: quiet/loud, clean/dirty, long-lasting-cheap/short-lasting-expensive chain, little/a lot of time spent on maintenance, you can't have everything, I chose clean wax, every 100 km I wax the chain, which is quiet, the bike and the chain are clean, and the chain lasts 6 times longer, which turns out to be cheap per km traveled.
Converting to Putoline has been a maintenance game changer on my commuting bike, renewing at 500 miles with nothing more than an occasional quick wipe off of excess wax in between (as well as a thorough wipe clean on the outside after it comes out of the wax). Not as messy as wet lube and when it does get on you it cleans off more easily. Yes, you can get rust spots on the drivetrain after riding in poor conditions but bear in mind these aren’t affecting the wear rate, it’s just cosmetic; the lube is where it needs to be, deep in around the pins and rollers. Not to say that specialist bike waxes aren’t better but it’s £30 for a tin that lasts effectively forever (unless you knock it over when molten, in which case it may only last one chain treatment - don’t ask how I know this).
What product are you specifically using?
How do you know this ?
I replaced my chain two weeks ago, but didn’t clean it as carefully as I should have before the first application of Squirt. I’m squirming now, and will fix things as soon as the weather clears up enough. Excellent summary of an important topic, thanks Simon!
Seriously Andrew - go find Adam’s download sheet on Squirt/Smoove. Adam doesn’t use one word when 20 will do, so it’s long but super helpful.
Super - I will do
@@alwaysanotheradventure That’s a voluminous report, and quite concerning! It looks like I’ll be reading a few more reports to find a new lubricant to try out. I’ll start with the options you’ve summarised here though. Given the cost (and scarcity) of drivetrain components, this is something worth getting right.
Emissive waxing is the best, you need three chains, one on the bike, two cleaned and waxed ready to install. Sounds expensive but it is not, you will never be caught riding a contaminated chain again when you can easily swap it out for a new one.
Thanks for the advice Learn a few things
This is one reason I use a Rohloff system ,there is a lot less strain on the chain & it's a lot easier to clean .
Been following Adam's work for about a year. Some great information there on his website! Finally bit the bullet and started waxing my chains late last year. We'll see how it performs.
2 years later.. how did it go?
@@al-du6lb I've had a great experience with waxing my chains! Prep work wasn't bad at all. Got a mini crock pot, a bag of hot melt wax, and some extra quick links. I usually do 2-3 chains at a time, enough for all my bikes. That first ride afterwards is unbelievably quiet and soooo smooth!!! After 80 to 100 miles I top off the wax with drip on wax. Fresh hot melt every 200 to 300 miles. Put a new quick link on after about 1000 miles. I have not had a chain get even close to that 0.5% wear mark yet. Who knows how long it will take to get there? No oily, black chains anymore either! And that's reason enough for me by itself.
My Dad made me some lube. Not sure what the base oil is but it uses dry molly as the lubricant. The trick is getting the molly into the chain. Surprised know one builds their chains with it in there already. Mine is a 1500 watt electric so the chain use is minimal but at 40 miles of travel per day the grime is bad on my e bike. Seattle's bike trails don't get cleaned often in the winter. After 6 months the cheep Chinese cassette on the rear drive is already showing wear from the grime that builds up daily. Wonder if dry PTFE film from spray would help when I swap frames in a few weeks?
I have used Squirt for over ten years, both on the road and in the dirt. It has tested very well over the years, and has done very well on all of my bikes for that time frame.
That's great Jackie. It's amazing how different experiences people have with Squirt and Smoove. Zero friction cycling has great advice on how to get thge most from both.
@@alwaysanotheradventure As a shop owner, I too pay a lot of attention to my bikes and their lube. I also think that comparing different areas and lube is a can of worms.For many years, I melted the wax and did my chains. It seemed that the road bikes did much better than the bikes that were in the dirt..and I made a change for those. Different areas have various types of soil, some have more/less rain along with varying degrees of temperatures. So although I love my Squirt, perhaps in a different area it might not work as well. In my area, Squirt is the best, but somewhere else might have a completely different lube.
@@jackiegammon2065 exactly this! In Central Scotland we get a lot of rain and salt on our roads for about 6 months of the year. I have used squirt for just over a year. But I have found it can't cope with the salt and constant dampness as it does not have any rust inhibitors in squirt. Therfore, chains corrode too easily with it. Switched back to muc off ceramic lube which has helped chains from corrosion. Going forward I think I will stick with squirt for the drier months, but won't bother with it next autumn/winter. 👍
Interesting video. For years I used the small bottle brands like finish line and consistently went through a lot of chains. Once I switched to Squirt, that all changed. I ride a lot of dirty gravel roads with big climbs and I keep expecting my chain to be needing replaced, but so far I have 4,000 miles on the original chain and only halfway to needing replaced. As long as I stay on top of cleaning and lubing after a dirty ride, all goes well.
I have used Smoove for a year now (introduced by Tobias of Ride of Japan) and love it. So, after your video, I rushed off to Zero Friction side and disappeared down rabbit holes for hours. He knows his stuff. You have to be a ballsy engineer (ie not someone who built a Lego model years ago as your engineering credentials & browsed Google as your research) to convincingly argue with him. I will be reapplying Smoove the correct ZP way. Thanks for the video. PS for North American viewers - Methylated Spirits is called denatured alcohol or Methyl Hydrate in NA.
Thank you for putting in that effort Dave - I'm trying to reply to many folk who don't want to hear there's a different way to what they do.
@@alwaysanotheradventure You know you’ve hit a hot button when you have many divergent comments and replies. Perhaps your next video should not be “The best drive train - Shimano vs SRAM vs Campy” 😀. Thanks for pointing me at Adam’s site. Now to work out how to best break-in a new 12 speed chain. Any tips?
@@davet003.5 Thanks for the positive spin! 😁
I’ve got tens of thousands of miles under my belt and used nothing more than 3in1 or similar light oil if at home. On tours I just drop into the local garage, rummage in their bin for an empty bottle of engine lube and apply the dregs. No chain snaps, no mashed gears, rate of drivetrain wear doesn’t seem any worse than my friend who does use these “systems”.
A bit of bike industry encouraged overthinking maybe?
Glad it works for you
Excellent videos. Short and informatively
I like your orange jersey, what brand it is?
Hi Reto - thanks for the support on Kofi! The jersey is by Torm from their windproof range www.torm.cc/
Gates belt drive is the way to go, no worries. I just made the switch.
Run a geared hub (no new cassettes to buy). Use a thin oil on the chain. Replace the chain before it causes excessive wear on the sprocket and chain wheel. Even better go to a Gates belt.
I do not remove Factory Grease, but I do the first chain cleaning earlier.
I confirm that Silca is a top lube, not Like the shiny brand!
Thanks for your vidéo.
Thanks Simon! Chain lube & drive-train cleaning takes up a lot of my focus when it comes to cycling.
Been making my own lube for years now for mtb’ing. About make video on making a deluxe diy wet lube. Your info given here is very useful thank you 🙏
Feel free to link (or send me a link) to a video on making your own lube! I don’t know where I’d start.
@@alwaysanotheradventure 🙏 DIY deluxe wet lube ua-cam.com/video/M7G5M-R0pY4/v-deo.html
I used immersive wax on old type (non O-ring) motorcycle chains. It was pretty useless and very messy. The only system that did work was an oil drip fed to the undriven side of the chain but that had a rubber tube chain enclosure to keep dirt out.
The chain wear problem is caused by poor engineering. Allen Millyard built a mountain bike with frame mounted gearbox and chains running in oil within a single side rear swing arm. That chain has never needed any adjustment.
But your cadence is 8000 rpm on a motorbike. If you run a 10 tooth sprocket your chain begins to smoke.
Purple Extreme lube rules! I have been using this with excellent mileage performance and low chain wear for over 15 years now. But sadly I believe this may now be off the market. One bottle will keep my chain running smoothly for 4-5 years. I do currently have a couple of bottles in stock, so it should be at least 10-15 years before I need to source another lube. The other excellent lube is Australian-made Squirt lube, and I have one bottle of that on hand.
As for the factory grease, that is the BEST lube you will ever have on your chain. I never remove it, in fact my chains are currently *never* treated with any solvent, as the lubes I use do not attract junk. Solvent will only rip off the good lube that remains within your chain.
Hi Peter. Thank you for your assertions. Other people insist chain saw lube is best. Other still insist the world is flat. Evidence wins the arguments.
Adam has evidence to show you’re wrong on the factory grease argument but if you have contrary evidence I’m sure he’d love to hear it. If you’re in any doubt his testing reveals the extent to which factory grease - in itself a great lube - is a contamination magnet that damages chains. Check out his website for the evidence.
I reckon we should have the option of a no-grease new chain, but maybe it needs something to prevent rust before installation. The factory grease is appallingly sticky
Scottish regions do not provide hazardous waste disposal for households, so it may be difficult or expensive to get rid of turpentine. I guess it could be filtered, but that would still leave some pretty nasty gunk to go into landfill, and probably leave a container of rarely used turps lingering in the shed until it spills.
It’s tricky Iain but let’s be clear, we’re talking 500ml of turps only when you change your chain, not for everyday cleaning. That’s the same stuff folk use when cleaning their paint brushes. There’s not a huge fuss made about hazard waste disposal when someone decorates. What happens then?
Just tip it on the grass in your backyard. It will simply evaporate, but it’ll kill some grass too.
Told you he is good Si. 😀. He cleaned and waxed my chain for me. I then installed it and it is awesome!
That's great Suresh!
All very well but not sure how lubricant rig tested in Australia relates to everyday use in grimy damp salt- and muck covered roads in the UK not to mention gravel/offroad riding combined with that. I ride 1000s of miles a year for years and rarely have drive chain issues it's a simple thing to clean with something like wd40 and toothbrush and relube lightly with a specific but not stupidly expensive BS brand. once a week! There are way too many newbie cyclists being taken in by utter bollox since cycling became cool post the 2012 Olympics. The sport/equipment has got stupidly expensive for either zero gains or people riding equipment their talents don't match so basic every day/week maintenance does not need any additional BS.
If you’re not sure how it relates then it’s easy to find out. Adam is quite open about his testing methods.
Well there's something else to start worrying about! Seriously though, interesting stuff. The other implication here is that when you pick up your brand new bike, you should take the chain off and clean it in solvent first - I suspect most would shy away from doing that. Only job now is to remember this video when I next need a new chain.
It's too easy to worry about stuff Mike. I think knowing about this is helpful but honestly, who is going to mess about like this on every bike? Really good ones perhaps with expensive components. I think it's useful just to understand a little more about what's going on.
The best for me is the Muc-off ceramic WET lube. It cleans off the easiest using GT85 then water then I wipe off most of the excess after application. I think the worse thing you can do is apply more lube over old lube without degreasing the chain. There's not much you can do on a long off road ride when it's wet and muddy which is annoying because the new 12 speed MTB cassettes are very expensive!
I’d agree with you on all this Richard although you might want to look at Adam’s wear rates for that Muc-Off lube. I’m pretty sure Adam has found much better available.
Factory grease is great for rust protection. If keeping your chain from rusting then great is really good. I clean my chain with WD-40 and add a light bit of grease to it after. This should be done everytime the chain is exposed to a salty environment. I don't live in a world where you can spend $1000 a year on the bike's drive train. I think this advice must be great for racers who have team mechanics and super fancy bikes which don't work and don't last in my area.
You’re entitled to your view Frank but in Factory grease the evidence is exactly the opposite. It’s a magnet for debris and will abrade your components faster. This is specifically NOT for people with factory teams who can replace their components at will.
Fair enough if you’re not convinced but Adam has the evidence to back up his claims.
@@alwaysanotheradventure
Well to me, it's really about optimizing overall time, effort, resources, and reliability. I don't need to get that last micro inch-ounce of friction torque, I only need it to *feel* friction free. If I can get 99% there with 99% less time and expense, I'm saving those resources for the myriad of other things I've got going on. So for me, factory lube inside the pins and rollers keeps those inner parts lubed for a good while, thus it feels counterproductive to wash it out with solvents so I leave it to do its thing. When friction gets noticeable, I hit the chain and other moving parts with WD-40 from a spray bottle which I fill from the gallon cans I buy.
Only when I have to take things apart for maintenance (like cleaning and regreasing wheel bearings and freewheel) do I clean the chain with a bath of diesel oil and brushing, blast it out with air, then soak in a bath of differential oil for a couple days, hang to drip dry excess, and it's good to go.
I want to spend my bike time exercising, not maintaining, so I strive to be efficient with my procedures. Life is short. Cheers!
I use absolute black graphene hot wax ( crock pot was £25 ) now and again and post ride ( & during long rides ) I use Squirt. No idea which one is best but the two together seem to run silently all the time. Lifetime, tricky test. But the chain is cleaned buckets prior to any use.
From memory the absolute black graphene rates highly in Adam’s tables. Nice idea combining David.
@@alwaysanotheradventure the problem is gung which needs wiping regularly so I do use hot water from A kettle then reapply squirt and monthly or whatever do the hot wax after a 20 minute clean. But it gets squirt after a ride NOT before as well as during on 200km plus rides
I can hear my belt driven bike laughing.
Then there's always the chainless, belt drive approach. 8 speeds in my chain-free Shimano hub. Love if.
Drat! Just bought a new chain and ridden for a couple of rides. I recently bought some of the Silica wet lube as that seems to be a significant improvement over the alternatives. Wax does seem appealing but I had thought it wasn't so good for wet climes... is that a myth, then?
Well, I've just ordered 5 literes of Meth spirits...will pick up some turps tomorrow.
Check Adam’s website for details - he’s the expert not me! 😁
@@alwaysanotheradventure I'll take a look (just subscribed to his UA-cam channel) a bit reluctant to go the wax route right now after just shelling out on the (pricey) Silica wet lube. Hmm.
@@childofeternity Check Adam's website ( he's the expert not me😁) because I'm pretty sure the Silca is highly rated. I use a wet lube on one of my bikes just because I find it easier.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Yes, the Silica is rated No 1 (wet lube). It's No 1 in the wax department also. Indeed out of it's 3 lubricants, 2 are rated No 1 with the third coming in at No 2 position (pretty good going!). My 'Hmm' was my dilemma between sticking with the wet lube (just bought it) or shifting to wax. I will have a ponder...
i uses,squirt( water & wax elimination) wax lube but after being rain it create more rust and produce more squiling sound. what is the best way to avoid the sound and the rust and maintain the wax. thank you.
It’s all in how you apply it. Adam’s website has a detailed factsheet on how to do this - search for zero friction cycling
I have found that some lubes thicken and perform poorly when temperatures get near freezing.
Where I ride in Dorset is very sandy and I was going through a chain (chain wear > 1.0) in 2-3 months. Changed to Putoline deep wax method and I'm getting close to 10 months off road use.I do nothing to the chain between rides, no cleaning or reapplication. Works great for me and rewards the initial faff involved
Wow, I recommend a Gates carbon drive. I love my belt-drive commuter.
I've wondered a lot about that Putoline wax. I know it's meant for motorcycles, so I was unsure of how good it might be for bicycles. I use another wax dip and I like it, but it doesn't last more than 100km (and it gets noisy at around 60km), which is a week of riding for me. How does Putoline hold up in that regard? Thanks in advance.
You do NOT need to use a degreaser to remove external factory grease and make your proper lubricant stick and dry. Degreaser removes lubricant applied between plates that once removed cannot be replaced. A soft, dry tooth brush and dry cloth work fine.
Interesting assertion Mark. Adam has evidence to the contrary. You might want to present him with yours if you can prove you’re right.
@@alwaysanotheradventure no, he rates only what he has measured after he does it his way at the links provided. He has not even tried dry cleaning the chain before adding lubricant. Don't get me wrong, there are a few things you can do to gain 1-4 watts doing things his way (depending on which story you believe). What I suggest gives you best life.
@@MHH3180 I wouldn't want to buy all those extra solvents cuz I'm cheap and lazy.
Totally agree, removing factory lube not a good idea. Keeping the chain clean & dry is number one priority, then lube sparingly using PTFE oil. Cheap brands like Halfords or Decathlon are as good as any other.
At 1600km a month I spend time and money on chains and cassettes at a maintenance ratio to other parts 100 to 1. 54 years of serious long distance cycling (no car) I HATE chains because I need to lube and clean before every ride and replace every 4000 to 5000km. I don't have the time or place or want to use deadly chemicals to clean and lube chains. So I have accepted the short lifespan of 5000km with my simple WD40 spray on clean off immediately daily regimen. I have used every low tech to highest tech chain lubricants, and every one failed after just 120km where the chain was dry and squeaking. I am not going to waste my life or the planets life degreasing chains. (the V-belt and Constant Variable Transmission should have replaced the chain/derailleur/jockey pully system 50 years ago).
That is a well thought out argument - thank you.
Best comment so far.The industry is just about profits.
So five different types, which is best for a low budget low hassle commuter in a very sandy/windy/wet area? I’m fed up with muck-off, within a few days of short commute half the beach is clogging up the gears.
MucOff rates poorly in Adam’s testing. It’s worth looking at his website for his best choices - basically see what he sells - as these do change as product comes out and he tests it.
@@alwaysanotheradventure thanks yes I have but bear with me- I’m struggling to match his info to my needs. Think busy young mum in a 10yr old hatchback trying to work out which oil to use from what David Coulthard puts in an Aston Martin 🤣 it’s all aimed at leisure/sports enthusiasts like yourself: people doing very long rides on their days off with expensive kit, not really people like me for whom the bike is my only affordable means of transport in an extremely weird micro-climate.
@@jojojo8835 his website isn’t too clear. Try Silca Synergetic and apply it only a drop at a time to the rollers of the chain. You want to work it into the bits where the links attach to one another, NOT coat the chain. Leave overnight and wipe off excess before you ride. If Silca is too expensive, my preference (not in Adam’s chart) is Viking Juice Lube purple. Hope that’s useful.
@@alwaysanotheradventure wow thanks, yes amazingly useful to narrow it down to two! Plus as always your clear and thorough beginner guides for stuff like chain maintenance in the British climate have been a godsend, thanks for all your hard work and replying to posts. 🤗👏🏽
Racing bikes aside, I’d go with an IGH and belt drive.
I clean my chain with spray carb cleaner... Then apply bacon grease...the dogs like it...
And you can call “chase me chase me” 😁
The tongues get stuck in the sprocket every once in awhile but that's the way she goes.
What do you guys think of Rock "N" Roll Gold? LBS gave me two bottles with my bikes, says it's very good stuff I ride on the pavement only.
I doubt Adam will see this Brad. You could check his website and see if it’s one he has tested.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Thank you! I'll subscribe to your channel my friend!
I just pee on my chain cassette every 200 miles. Works like a charm.
😂 what’s in your pee!!!
Rock n Roll Gold here
A lot of Nerdy bovine odure to sell lubes, regardless of the conditions and type of the lube I find the most important thing is regular cleaning and relubing is the key. As for chainsaw oil its perfect on motorcycle chains penetrates well, great anti corrosion, retains its viscosity and doesnt gum up when dirty like other " wet" lubes. Designed for fast moving chains ...so dont know about cycle chains which are not going around so fast. May try it. Real world v scientific results on paper can be very different.
Whatever works for you
Erm Tungsten ? Heavy metal. The more present in the body the higher chance of stroke.
Ptfe (teflon) ? Multi genertation toxic agent and forever chemical polutant.
Maybe I will stick with squirt
As long as the video is not on a slippery slope. Question Is Adam saying wax come off wet weather?
His downloadable fact sheets have most answers
I use wax and would never go back to an oil based lube. So much easier, quieter and cleaner.
And a lot cheaper.
Thanks for posting. I've read several documents in the website and I have to say I'm confused now. From the outset I'll say I don't think immersive waxing is for me, so let's rule out the number one choice that he suggests
I'm trying smoove currently and have some of the issues noted below with rust spots. Adam's advice after a wet ride with smoove? Pop the chain, clean in boiling water, then multiple turps / meths baths and then 5 minutes with a hairdryer. That's a lot of maintenance to do after every wet ride, which is pretty much every ride I ever do on the bike.
And then there's wet lube which he says never to use if you ride offroad (also pretty much every ride I do).
So I'm confused. After a chain cleaning and first application of Smoove I had the best ride for some time, it really is nice. But do I have to do massive maintenance after every ride? Or is there some halfway house solution that would give most of the benefits of Smoove without the time spent on maintenance. His website doesn't get into this (even the great 43 page overall guide), it's pretty much this is the best way and don't do anything else..
David - I guess those questions are for Adam. We never did get onto how to clean a chain after riding.
I use "Singer" sewing machine oil, is this good?
I expect it’s excellent for sewing machines
Call me controversial but I hardly ever change my chain, mostly MTB riding all year around ... some wet lube in the winter and occasional GT85, still runs fine. What am I doing wrong?
Not controversial Dave, it just means you're wearing down your chain ring and cassette. If they're cheap ones and that doesn't bother you then no worries.
If they're good ones (an Ultegra groupset is about £1k) then, depending on your mileage, you'll have to spend that to replace the whole thing. £25 on a chain cleaned and lubed well makes sense in such situations.
@@alwaysanotheradventure XT on the MTB and 105 on the graveller ... could be I'm just not pushing hard enough on the pedals :-)
@@daveansell2418 😁 - might be worth asking your local bike shop to check your chain wear (take seconds) and cassette. That said, being happy with your set-up is what really counts.
Brilliant- thanks Simon- been looking forward to this since I first heard it was coming! Already been on the ZF site for a quick look- so definitely be back when I have time to satisfy my (not so) inner-geek 🤓!
(Cursing slightly as I'm not long back from Glentress with a new factory-greased, lightly lubed chain! 🤦🤬 (Sorry bike!😳)
You know what Keith - we've all (almost all) been doing that for years and didn't have the data to show otherwise. I'll clean my new chains, the others are going to get along just fine. 😁 BTW, Adam is not concise in anything he says or writes so don't expect pithy summaries on his website!
All you need to do is eco degreaser (non-bike specific, much cheaper) in a chain bath once a week/month (depending). Leave chain to dry. Re-lube with whatever lube you have lieing about. Simple as that. Even wd40. Allow to soak, wipe off excess because that is what attracts dirt....if you have time wash bike prior to this. After wet rides, spray metal parts withGT85/WD40. My advice. Drivetrain is most important.
Which is exactly how I used to clean my bike - there’s a video on it How to clean a gravel bike or road bike in the UK (my way) | Beginner tips advice and suggestions
ua-cam.com/video/vm2t1LYLqKM/v-deo.html
However, evidence suggests you and me are wrong. I know we all like to think we’re doing the right thing but the wear rates for different lubes is quite amazing.
Sorry, how is the way you're recommending different to the way I suggested? What a good lubricant or wiping degreaser on the cassette etc? Some people don't have cleaning areas to wash a bike, so it's about what's easiest imo. GT85/wd40 gets majority of gunk off and lubricates chain. What's better? Doing it your way once a month or mine every week or ride? I don't mind being wrong but I don't think I am.
@@ryand141 I’ll do my best Ryan, but remember Adam has the evidence, ai don’t.
As I understand it, it’s not the obvious lube on your chain or what you wipe off that matters.
It’s the lube that works its way into the articulating elements of the chain that does the damage. We see the dirt on the outside, but much of the damage - as I understand Adam’s point - is the dirt clinging to the lube inside the chain moving parts.
So the aim is to use a lube that attracts the minimal amount of contamination. That’s why lube matters.
Wet lube attracts most contamination.
Yes you could remove the chain and soak it in degreaser after every ride which - he says - is the only way to remove that contamination because a chain bath isn’t effective enough. But that’s a faff.
Please - I’m just drawing attention to a website I think has useful info. By all means read the details there like I did and take it up with Adam who has the evidence that I don’t.
WD40 is not a lubricant, it is as the name suggests...a water dispersant.
I went to wax to keep my mtb chain clean. Keeps the whole bike cleaner
Wipe chain after every ride, every 100 miles or so oil liberally with 3 in 1 and wipe excess off then put on flat cap and take my whippet for a walk.
😂
Does anybody else use PTFE dry spray lube??? Seems to work well for me ..low friction and clean chain
Adam is the expert on all this (not me!) and his website lists loads of lubes he has tested. I’d anticipate his saying that spray lube coats the outside of the chain but does not penetrate the working parts inside each link where the bending and flexing happens. So it doesn’t lubricate as effectively as one which does penetrate, yet still picks up contamination from the road precisely because it costs the outside of the chain.
This is my assumption based on reading lots of the articles, research notes and looking at Excel spreadsheets downloaded from his website. If you really want an answer to your question (you are a TRUTH SEEKER 😁) you might wish to check those out too.
Silca Synergetic all the way for me.
Squirt is so hard to clean from cog wheels :( I use muc off , yellow one.
Those are two lubes on which opinion and experiences seem very divided, so I'm pleased it works for you.
Waxing and rotating 3 chains on my gravel bike. Much less work when you do them together. Should out-live the bicycle so the grease stripping etc. was a one-off and the re-waxing is very, very simple.
that's a good idea
Kmc instructions say do not degrease else will ruin it. I know it is always tempting to soak the chain into degreaser so that it becomes shiny clean. But by removing the grease, you leave a void in the rollers. Mechanical friction will occur more even if u often lube the chain every ride. You will gain some watts because you have freed the joints from sticky grease. But in terms of longevity, it's gonna worsen. Moreover most people are not so hardworking enough to wipe off gunk and relube every ride.
Hi Desmond - Adam addresses this in his fact sheets. He agrees the makers’ grease is a good lube but it picks up contamination easily.
So once it’s off, it’s essential to replace it with a type of lube that gets into the moving parts of the chain, what you call the void, but isn’t a contamination magnet.
There are different techniques for doing this depending upon the lube method - dip waxing is different to chain coating and different again to drip lube. Those methods could each be a separate video (one day I might make them) but it’s all set out in the fact sheets on Adam’s website. He’s also building his own video collection too.
Wiping down the chain after a ride does nothing to remove lube from those articulating chain parts, it’ll just take the gunk off the surface.
Same with shimano
I'm using 2T engine oil, it doesn't seem to be an issue.
Should I know something?
Not really Rajesh - if you have plenty of money and can afford to replace your drive-chain more frequently. If not, and you want to reduce wear, then perhaos take a look around Adam's website.
@@alwaysanotheradventure thank you! I will.
Since the 1980's , I have used several hundred products making testing cost a lot of money & years to draw a proper conclusion . Also test referencing is impossible as Shimano , Campagnolo & SRAM are constantly revising their components . Only a small number of products can be compared in a reasonable time frame but there are still too many uncertainties & variables to list .
I tried wax once and my chain was wore out faster than I've ever had a chain wear out. Never again.
Thanks Mark
Wax is magic. i never use lube or dry lube or anything like that since use waxing. on dry weather one week, on rain weather 4 day is the best wax can stay still in the drive chain. i talk about heavy rain, down pour rain.
Informative, but I'm just worried about the amount of turpentine and methylated spirits to be used for cleaning just one chain
That kinda worried me too.
Me too, that's some aggressive chemicals - where do people leave it once they're done eventually?
@@joskoevoet9569 www.wikihow.com/Dispose-of-Turpentine
Me too but better than what I was first taught which is petrol followed by turps
how did you get on with ufo drip?
I prefer the Silca Synergetic wet lube
Hey man!
Thank you, very informative! People will always have their "go to" lubes, however, some welcome a good change!
Anything to keep us spending less I guess!
Thanks once again!
I switched our mtb's to the Silca wax products about 2 months ago. What an amazing difference. Ridiculously easy to use. The cleaner/stripper solution is a quick one-step process. The wax can be melted right in it's bag, in a sauce pan of water, on the stove.
I use Squirt and found it to be very good for my area and e-bikes
what is height of seat?
That's personal depending on leg length and body position.
From reading the comments, one thing is clear, nothing, and the only thing I would say is, whichever method you use, stick to it if your happy.
Possibly Anthony. But clearly not every viewer comments. I took from this that some people are simply not prepared to consider there might be a better way that theirs.
Some people don’t want to check out the evidence on Adam’s site that they might be using a poor lube. They prefer their assertion that they’re right over research that they might not be right.
But I agree complete with your point - if you’re happy, stick with it. After all, it’s only riding bikes.
Your voice reminds me of John Cravens voice.
So it seems Richard. I’ve heard that for quite a while although I can’t hear it myself.
It's amazing how people who make or sell a product (Hambini, this guy et al) always make the best and everyone else's is always the worst. So interesting how this happens.
'This guy' doesn't make anything Steve. He tests lubes, independently, for the bike industry. Then he chooses to sell online the ones his research shows is best, but doesn't ship to the UK. I think you're being a little too suspicious or cynical if you don't mind me saying so.
Yeah Steve, you jumped the gun. Although if it's any consolation I think you'd be right about this more often than not.
Yours, not a hambini fan
@@alwaysanotheradventure This guy still has a financial interest as he is selling lube what ever the recipe or constituents parts are or what ever name is on the bottle.
@@alexmorgan3435 but not to anyone in the uk yet got up at 4am for the chat for no remuneration. I suppose it’s easier to think the worst of people. I prefer not to have negative cynicism on this channel.
@@alwaysanotheradventure It's not about thinking the worst of people it's simply questioning if some one has a financial interest in promoting some thing what ever it is.
Chain saw oil can not be any good for a bike as it doesn't get replaced every second of movement like it would be in a actual chain saw. 😊
The oil needs replacing because a saw's chain can turn up to 10,000 rpms. On a slow bicycle chain it sticks like snot.
I don't see Tri Flow on the test list. Just about every bike shop in my area uses it. It is as smooth as it gets when fresh but does get tacky after a few rides. It is easy to remove and reapply. I clean with the chain on the bike, I think you are asking for trouble if you break your chain repeatedly for maintenance and why I don't use wax. Every lube will have advantages and disadvantages the trick is knowing when you should reapply. My opinion is if you are paying more for lube than the cost of a chain you are in the marginal gains territory.
It's not just the chain though, it's the cassette and chain ring(s). If you mean Adam's list, might it be that it's not available in Australia? Or perhaps he just hasn't tested it - there are so many brands to use.
The primary culprit on cassettes and chainrings is chain stretch. This limits the life of the chain as much as internal wear.
@@Raven5763 I'm sure that's part of it. By all means check out Adam's Zero Friction Cycling website. He has spreadsheets showing relative wear on different components due to lube choice.
I looked at the website and will do further reading. It is interesting info. Thanks for the video.
I use lard or dripping then I lick my chain clean after every ride. mmmmmmmmm
Clearly olive oil would be better for your heart health 😂
most times you ride off road in the wet the lube is gone after a few minutes.
On the surface maybe to a small extent Jonathan but not in the articulating plates of the chain and not if you have a good lube. It's explained on Adam's website if you all your lube washes off.
Kerosene and gear oil
The best bike lube. Wow who hasnt heard that 1000 times. Just watched one yesterday and they said the worlds best bike lube was canola oil. What the hell i wonder if my wifes KY lube will work well.
😂
I feel that promoting these expensive lubricants need a more critical evaluation. Whatever the claims are, mostly they have a commercial goal. The factual advantage in terms of lowering mechanical resistance is neglectable as long as there is some lubrication. Outside of the laboratory, so in real road conditions with wind and road surface being the dominant factor, you will never feel any difference. Besides this, if you clean and lubricate your chain and sprockets regularly, changing them really isn’t such a frequent task. Remember, chains and sprockets are built to last and will not quickly become unusable in normal use. And, provided you don’t believe all the marketing hype and buy a standard product, truly not that expensive.
I believe some independent analysis is better that just marketing blurb - hence my use (and promotion) of ZeroFrictionCyclibg website. I would promote Adam’s work not any specific lube - I just said the ones which worked for me based on his info.
@@alwaysanotheradventure I get your point, and my assumption is that your channel has an educational purpose. A ‘disclaimer’ that people shouldn’t expect miracles from any of these products would fit that goal. By the way sorry if my English is somewhat strange, I’m Dutch.
squirt all the way-no dirty hands and sprockets.
It’s a bit old tech now - UFO do a better coating was emulsion. But Squirt and Smoove still work if used the right way. Adam’s fact sheet has detailed instructions on using them - temperature is key and you might need to heat a chain.
So the dodgy factory lube is to sell more chains.
Or more cleaning products… the chain and component wear might be incidental if the lube maker didn’t make them. But if their lube = dirty chains then they’ll need cleaning more frequently.
@@alwaysanotheradventure The factory coating is not intended as a lube- it's there for rust protection. It is common for unpainted metal surfaces shipped from overseas to have an anti-rust coating applied. It's a pain to remove but it pretty much guarantees that there will be no rust on the component.
Silva Synergetic costa 26 USD for two ounces. No, thanks.
Tri flo
"Recommends against non-specialist waxes" I use beeswax, sue me.
Oh you are funny...
Big problem with wax lubes is that for off road and/wet weather riding, the wax will not stop your chain from rusting.
Wax is great for racing or a club ride on one day where you can fully wax again for the next day. So performance where watts are important, wax is great. For bikepacking then wax would be the last lube I choose.
This is just my experience of using the full wax method. It’s not all about saving watts, we need to look at ease of use in bad weather away from home.
I’ve followed zero friction in the past and other sites for the complete wax method. I only use wax on my road bike, all my other bikes I use other lubricants.
As an experiment I even did the full wax method on my commute bike which I use in any weather, by the end of the day to cycle home my bike chain already had rust spots on.
Wax has its place but for other cycling circumstances then I would rather waste a few watts and use another lubricant more suitable.
I’m not sure Adam would agree - I believe he addresses exactly this point in his fact sheets. Clearly you go by your experience and that’s completely understandable.
@@alwaysanotheradventure maybe he won’t, but for British bad weather and multiple days where you cant do a full immersive wax again, the chain will start to rust. Try it yourself in bad wet weather and then leave you chain. It will start to rust.
I spent quite a bit of money getting all the kit to wax and expensive wax formulations and followed different methods as well as other you tube waxing users. My chains would always have rust spots on if not re-waxed straight after a ride.
I’ve followed his site and from his results I chose one of the wet lubes as a compromise for wet weather multiple day trips as I can concentrate on the ride rather than worrying about wet weather and if my chain will rust.
@@bikepackingadventure7913 This echoes my experience exactly. Great for road biking, predominately in dry conditions, as it's so efficient. However on Gravel/MTB where it's going to go through some variable conditions, it always ends up with rust. spots. I too have followed the immersion technique religiously, only to be disappointed by this. Perhaps the wrong materials were used? I followed this video ua-cam.com/video/HHr9znwpwmQ/v-deo.html
That's exactly my experience, I used squirt for years and it's great, nice and clean and good lube properties but the chain got surface rust pretty quickly.
@@stevenmcgregor5217 That's EXACTLY my experience with Squirt too, as detailed in these videos. ua-cam.com/video/s115I417Qxg/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/jiugWo_9nBM/v-deo.html
But as explained in the video, Squirt is not immersive waxing. It's a very old type of emulsion wax, in which the carrier evaporates leaving the 'wax' on the surface of the chain where it easily comes off (hence rust). Adam's website has amazingly detailed instructions on using Squirt and Smoove correctly (it has to be at the right temperature and it's fiddly) to get the emulsion deeper into the chain links where it's needed.
Immersive waxing, in which you melt the wax in a pot then dip the chain is an entirely different concept to Smoove or Squirt.
i have never had good results with any kinds of oil.
That’s not good Ian!
@@alwaysanotheradventure probably British winters don't help. I find the chain always goes rusty and has to be changed once winter is over.
I use an internal gearbox and belt…much better
the wd40 line of Bike lubes are awful and pricey. Their "Dry Lube" stays wet and their "Bike Chain Lube" is like molasses.
Simple way to avoid all this faff and palaver? Ride a belt drive bike.
That's the future for sure....
@@jaydickey1049 No, it's actually the present!
Synthetic motor oil. I've heard all the claims re it wears things out quicker, that it has additives that damage the chain, etc, never seen a scintilla of evidence to support them. You expect me to believe that the oil people put in $100,000 engines with 1000 hp has additives that are going to damage my chain that sees maybe 1 hp? Some of the only data I've seen re its friction on bicycle chains (at ceramicspeed) placed both 3-in1 and mobil 5w-30 (plain, not synthetic) in the middle of the pack of popular chain lubes.
Hi Joey - just wondering, have you check Adam’s site for such evidence? Since he’s the guy who professionally tests lubes for the bike industry and has reams for evidence he might know the answer.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Do you mean Zero Friction? The test data I saw there did not include any motor oil.
Weldtite all weather TF2. Cheap, slick shifting, highly water/rustproof, plus you can use it on other parts, like derailleurs, brake levers, etc. I'd say just use motor oil or chainsaw oil or 2 stroke oil, but weldtite is nearly as cheap & better waterproofing imo.
Plus I ride an ebike now, so what would I care about saving an extra watt or two when the bike does all the work? I just want minimal chain maintenance at minimal cost. Even if I didn't have a ebike, like I'm going to the hassle of waxing my chain every week to save 3 seconds on my daily commute/leisure ride, or paying more than the price of a new chain just for a bottle of oil? How does that make sense? Such utter stupidity about the simplest bike maintenance job there is.
Oh yeah, as for wearing out groupsets, BULLSH!T. Never worn a cassette or chainring out in my life, they last tens of thousands of miles, & jockey wheels on derailleurs are cheap, as are new chains. Plus they all wear together from new, I put thousands of miles on one chain & cassette from new no problem, chain stretch is irrelevant, just keep it clean & well oiled it'll keep going for years. So much nonsense from people trying to sell you stuff 😂
Sooo, cycling is like sex...?
?
@4:45 you said, "Adam (from ZFC) recommends avoiding non-specialised waxes."
No surprise there, based on what he states on his website I visited a few days ago, he's only interested in testing and recommending (typically overpriced) manufacturered lubes.
(Muc-off (one type) comes to mind as one of the jaw-dropping expensive lubes, and ironically, is one of the worst lubes on offer)
As mentioned, visited his site a few days ago...he's yet to do his rigourous testing on home made hot waxing using common wax, i.e., wax candles, common paraffin. And though I admire his efforts for rigorous testing, I regard him as part of the bike industry's primary focus of profit, and I have no interest in any of his tests on expensive lubes when I can wax my chains for very little cost + waxing outperforms any wet or oil lube on the market + wax causes very little contaminants to stick to the chain thus reduce it's life.
I'll continue to do my own waxing at home using common pariffin wax...and one day start adding PTFE powder to see that additive's impact. I recommend checking out Oz cycle channel for waxing and chain cleaning info.
youtube.com/@stevenleffanue
If you can't handle the extra time and effort that goes into hot immersion waxing + doing thorough 3 stage cleaning at much shorter intervals of chain life, then take the more convenient but costly route of buying expensive manufacturer lubes.
If you’re happy with your choice then great! It’s just bike riding. Adam seems to agree with your assessment of MucOff lube. The way it attracted road grit is shown in the opening photos of the landing page (or was) as being among the worst. Drilling into his spreadsheet data show how bad and I’d choose to avoid it. It’s absolutely not one in his online shop.