The chain lube to end all chain lubes?
Here at Singletrack, we get all sorts of bold claims delivered to our e-boxes daily. Most are easy to disregard (if they’re even relevant – Chinese window manufacturers, I’m looking at you), but when someone claims to have a chain lube “that could survive for at least 24 hours of riding in a constant rain,” we perk right up.
NixFrixShun, or NFS, is a Cyclocross-centred company that makes chain lube, grease, and handlebar tape. While all come with bold claims attached, It’s the first that has us wondering “what if…?”
Applied precisely and sparingly, each $15 (£10) bottle is said to be good for 8,000 to 10,000 miles of road riding. How sparingly? Twelve drops per chain. How precisely? Applied randomly while backpedaling in the tallest gear combination, then backpedaled an additional fifteen times, followed by a wipe with a cotton cloth. No more, no less.
Can it possibly work? If one is judged by the company they keep, then NFS has quite the perception head start: their lube has been co-branded by the reborn Silca as well as the very ‘cross New Englanders at Richard Sachs. Neither are companies known for messing about.
Alongside the original 24-hour lube, NFS recently released an “odorless, colorless, biodegradable, non-toxic” version- Ne+Ultra. The eco-friendlier model calls for fifteen drops per chain – but that seems a small price to pay for the sake of the plants and fishes. There is also a red (“we all know red means faster”) Race Grease that’s said to stay where it’s put but not to interfere with freehub pawl action – both Good Things in terms of hub performance.
Too good to be true? Josh from NFS stands by his claims and has sent a couple of bottles winging (steaming?) across the ocean. As luck would have it, there are almost certainly 24 hours (or more!) of rain in our immediate future, so we’ll see how it fares. In the absence of UK distribution, NFS products can be purchased directly from the NixFrixShun Speed Shop.