I’ve always just washed and GT80 my chain before and it’s been ok.
I put silicone lube on before my last ride. Gears changed a bit better but I can see a lot more chain cleaning coming up. 🙁
What are the others like and what do you use?

I use finish line wet in winter and muc-off or pedros wax lubes in summer/spring/autumn.

I recently started using finish line dry… Seems ok

GT85 isn’t a lube, it’s designed to strip lube/water etc off components!

Putoline chain wax (the big tin you melt on a camping stove) does all my chains once a month, wipe the exterior clean and apply wet/dry lube as the season dictates, over winter the wax gets tripped off in about 5 rides, over the summer it lasts and I only re-apply it as its only marginaly more work than removing the chain to clean it.

GT85 isn’t a lube, it’s designed to strip lube/water etc off components!

You’d better let the makers now! They think it is a lube and even suitable for lubing chains! 😯 🙄

Back on topic, I use car gearbox oil, messy, but the best lube (as many have found, as the best rated chain oil (clue) out there is gearbox oil…allegedly).

Finish-line wet for me every time (except on my belt)
Tried dry-stuff. Rubbish in a true “british” summer, got washed off within half an hour.

I wouldnt use silicone as it’s not really meant for lubricating metals.

I’m tempted to try my old fork oil next as I have a pot of it sitting here out of my damper so I can soak the chain in and then leave it hanging over to drip dry before giving a quick surface wipe prior to fitting.

Transmission oil is designed to transfer load and not lubricate in a sliding sense like engine oil does. Which is best for a chain I don’t know! I figure I may as well re-use my old oil though.

I’m experimenting with Putoline chain wax right now. Wondering if it would work as a good base for Squirt lube with I also like but it doesn’t last as long.

Try Progold Prolink – it’s very very good.

I’ve tried lots of other products and keep coming back to it as no other lube keeps the chain as clean or running so smoothly and quietly.

The next best is Rock’n’Roll Extreme although it doesn’t work well in very cold conditions as one of it’s constituents goes solid.

Lots of people rave about Squirt but I thought it was utterly useless. It held grit like grinding paste and disappeared at the first sign of water.

To save you reading any more of my ramblings – my answer is Finish Line Green Top Aerosol on one bike – a cupped hand full of motor oil on the other. I’ve absolutely no frigging idea of the relative merits of either.

Has any independent body properly tested chain lubes? Magazines are not independent, they dare not p!ss off the distributors. Forum posters, such as me, are not independent as we all have a curious desperation that our choices show our erudition and ascendency.

I have a conspiracy theory that all chain lubes actually stay in place for v little time, getting squooshed out of the wearing surfaces quite quickly.

I can get a new chain for the price of 3 cans of greentop lube. I use way more than 3 cans for every chain change on my nice summer bike.

On my horrible winter hack (which lives outside, never washed or otherwise cared for) I turn the cranks until the dried mud from the last ride cracks off, then I run the chain through a cupped hand full of motor oil.

Perhaps tenderly caring for the chain, and pretending that this matters, is all part of the fun – it makes us feel like we’re doing something clever, worthwhile and important. Or perhaps I’m wrong.

http://www.rohloff.de/en/technology/chaindrive/chain_cleaning/index.html

http://www.rohloff.de/en/technology/chaindrive/chain_lubrication/index.html

Are they correct?

Well they make chains and they’re German. Must be so
Hth
Marko

rock n roll extreme has been great so far! including muddy rides for me! much less crunchy in the muck! also after applying it for the second time the chains been totally quiet in red hot, and wet muddy conditions!

plus the chain and cassette are still pretty darned clean given the shite was riding in yesterday! beats finishline wet anydays!

You’d better let the makers now! They think it is a lube and even suitable for lubing chains!

Can’t find any mention on their website of it being used to lubricate chains.

And the wiggle site makes it even more explicit.

Top Features of the GT85 Lubricant 400ml Aerosol

Penetrating Lubricant
Water displacer
With PTFE
NOT chain lube!
Penetrating lubricant with PTFE and contains no CFC’s. Great for displacing water. Ideal for derailleurs, cables, brake levers etc. Also a great frame polish.

Rock N Roll Extreme FTW

Spoon spooned though.

GT85 isn’t a lube,

Penetrating lubricant

May not be designed as a chain lube but it would appear o be marketed as a lube.

Another vote for rock n roll extreme.

Will have to try the progold though.

I use mineral brake fluid, applied with a brush. Well after reading about spray cooking oil being used I thought I’d have a go.

It stays on long enough without atracting dirt. And wear and shifting have both been excelent

Wiggle will say its not a chain lube so you buy the GT85 and the some expensive chain lube on top! Surely you can see through that! GT85 works ok for me its cheap and can be used to lube the cables and also clean crap off things, plus a whole host of other things. As said above some of the expensive oils and lubes are just not cost effective with regard to a price of a new chain. If someone can do a proper test and show me that using this, that and the other will save me shit loads of money on chains I will go with it. As it is in typical singletrack fashion we get lots of anecdotal reports from people who work for NASA and Rolls Royce and any other engineering establishment which carries lots of kudos in order to try and give there choice of lube more credence that any other mere mortal dare to use!

Wow, now that’s a rant!

By all means use GT85, cooking oil, brake fluid, transmission oil or whatever else you feel like, doesn’t bother me, Wiggle I’m sure however are crying themselves to sleep knowing you wont be buying a £2.99 can of wet lube.

Nearly as good as your rant on wanting a new bike after using it and wearing all the bits out 😉

Rock and Roll here too. MAybe not as long lasting as some winter lubes but suitable for all weathers and doesn’t case a build up of gunk which is nice.

Yet another vote for RnR Extreme. Just does the job no hassle and is the cleanest lube I’ve used.

any links for deals on Rock n Roll extreme

rock and roll is best stuff i used after muddy rides a quick clean makes the chain and cassette look like new again.

i wont use anything else now.

does any body know where you can get it online now the rock n roll lube? usually get mine from CRC but that says discontinued??? a quick google suggests only USA websites stock it???

IM WORRRRIEEEEDD!!!!

Arrrgh!!!!
Another satisfied long-time Rock n Roll Extreme user here but now extremely worried by the CRC “discontinued” bit.
I’ve emailed silverfish UK for information regarding UK retailers.

yep – cant seem to find it anywhere which is mega gutting as i only bought a small one this time , wish id have stumped up more for the bigger one 🙁 it was in stock too 🙁 !!

let us know the outcome ecky please- even if its after you have ordered 😉

It doesn’t really matter what you use, it’s washed off or clogged up with mud within 5 minutes anyway. GT85 here

Will do.
Won’t be today though as can’t get to personal email from here and will be out riding tonight, so won’t read any response until tomorrow.

Probably need to start looking at alternatives too. What’s the nearest equivalent?
Anything with a solvent carrier that dries out leaving solidified residue within the chain.

Never silicone!

Dry wax lube on geared bike in the summer. My own blend in the winter.

I use Squirt in summer and on the road bike,Finish line wet on the mtb which is tenacious but attracts dirt likshit to a blanket.

Though I do reckon chain life is probaly more about frequent cleaning and relubing than the lube quality itself in which case I should probably use cheap crap.

Ordered RnR Extreme from UK Bikestore yesterday.

http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/29/rock_n_roll_chain_4/rock-n-roll-extreme-chain-lube-4oz.html

£1 delivery so still works out ok.

I find that it lasts a faaaaaaairly long time. I only apply, when I can hear a slight squeek, which in summer is about every 4 or 5 rides. In winter, it’s every ride.

I wonder whether RnR have started pushing the pro gold instead or something, as more places stock that than the Extreme.

oh and RnR Cable Magic is great too.

This summer, I have been mostly using

If its good enough for the Husky, its good enough for the bikes.

AlexSimon – Member

Ordered RnR Extreme from UK Bikestore yesterday.

http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/29/rock_n_roll_chain_4/rock-n-roll-extreme-chain-lube-4oz.html

£1 delivery so still works out ok.

I find that it lasts a faaaaaaairly long time. I only apply, when I can hear a slight squeek, which in summer is about every 4 or 5 rides. In winter, it’s every ride.

I wonder whether RnR have started pushing the pro gold instead or something, as more places stock that than the Extreme.

Cheers alex! shame they havent got the bigger one in though, but still least can order some more! 🙂 thanks! good spot!

I’m sure I used GT85 for years and had roughly the same drivetrain life I get now. Doesn’t last as well a proper lube though.

I’m reading this thread with interest as I’ve just run out of my favourite Joe’s Wet Lube and it has been dicontinued.

🙁

Not impressed by RnR when I tried it, Weldtite wet lube was cheap but seems a bit sticky (a la Finish Line wet). Don’t really get on with dry lubes.

Anyone recommend a nice light wet lube?

Reading this thread with much interest. The blessed Sheldon says motor oil is a no-no. It’s true that my motor-oiled chain sometimes squeaks like a bastid – so I’m learning. Slowly.

http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html

I shall change to using an oilcan, maybe with auto-trans fluid, or chainsaw oil, or something that comes in 5 litre bottles, cheap. Fwiw I agree with randomjeremy, whatever you use is probably gone within minutes. I have absolutely no sound evidence for this opinion though.

i use finish line green wet and although it may get grimmy as stays put imo for quite a while. Have been tempted to use gt85 etc but i am too lazy to keep applying it.

I’ve gto some Muc Off Wet lube which seems great, long lasting, cr@p doesn’t stick to it very easily and the very good review by MBUK swings it for me

Finally received the following response from Silverfish-UK

Rock N Roll is same as its always been in the UK, not sure why CRC are listing such information very strange, we’re investigating the issue however in the mean time a full list of Rock N Roll dealers can be found on our site here:

http://silverfish-uk.com/content/rock-n-roll-lubes-and-grease_dealers.php

Let us know if you need any further information.

Kind Regards