Best chain lube retro bike

5 min argument or the full half hour?

No arguments! Putoline not going on it*! What would be good for irregular riding not in the wet, although might be possibility of damp in air where stored.

*Hi, I'm sirromj and I'm a putoline user.

Car engine oil! Served me well through all my MTB life. 😀

Peatys link lube dry.

Will it prevent chain rust?

To many variables to say for sure, depends on the quality of the chain, if he just wants to prevent rust, use something like S Doc 100

Squirt, water based dry wax lube, doesn't make a mess.

I would just use a dry lube. Make sure chain is very clean and no rust on it before lubing and don't see why it would then rust if not getting wet, unless they store it somewhere wet?

Lube properly with something fairly heavy duty and stickyish (I dunno, maybe finish line wet as a minimum, or wax?)
Then wipe down the outside with a WD40 soaked rag a) so it doesn't get covered in dust b) keeps the moisture away from the chain, especially in a damp shed.

TBH, in a damp shed, i'd be wiping down the whole frame.

If it's a retro bike then Finish Line Wet would be a fitting lube.

Keep re-applying until it builds up into the signature black gunk.

😀

Weird, i've been using it for a decade or two (but now switched to wax) and never had black gunk.
Maybe you shouldn't use a whole bottle at at time?

Putoline then thoroughly clean the outside of the chain and between plates, keep rust at bay with an oily rag wipe after every other ride...

Any decent dry lube - if it's retro will spend more time on display/ in the car than being ridden and it's prob more important to keep other stuff clean than it be the absolute best lube.

Oh and if it's really retro it'll go brown if kept in a damp environment, so I'd recommend keeping it in the house rather than the leaky shed.

Sawchain oil.