On our recent adventures to spain (w' switchbacks), the owner came clattering into our casa one morning on the hunt for veg oil or olive oil (i dont remember which, but it was one of the two) and rambling how it "is the best fricking lube duuuuuude"
we didnt have any.
anyhoo, does anyone here use kitchen oil as a chain lube?
wouldnt it go rancid
and be rubbish?
You wouldn't want to use it to lub an engine or anything that gets hot, but I suppose in the absence of anything else it would do the job.
You could also line your saddle with serrano ham if it gets torn.
Every time you stop you'll be covered in flies though.
Its used a chainsaw chain lube
[img] 
[/img]
Yes.
Oh, on mechanical things? No.
Yes makes a great chainsaw chain lube, use local smkt veg oil with my saw; studies have looked at the properties of veg oils as a chainsaw lube and it has very high tenacity and low wear rates; I personally see no reason why it shouldnt work on bike chains, although it may wash off easily
Did the Tour of Flanders one year, it rained and chain dried out - no mechanical support that we could find so bought a small bottle of olive oil for the chain - smelt like cooking chips all the way to the finish and was grim to remove from the wheels/brake blocks/tyres/stays/saddle/shorts as it just doesn't stick to the chain - served a purpose as the noise was driving me nuts - next time I'd take a small bottle of lube.
Can't vouch for veg oil tho.....mmmm.....
I once oiled the bearings on a fishing reel with veg oil, seemed a good idea, eco friendly etc...
Bottom line is that the oil "dried out" very quickly, and left a thick, sticky residue that proved impossible to remove, I had to replace the bearings in the end.
Obviously it's a very different application to a bike chain, the bearings in the reel span at an enormous speed when in use, but I still wouldn't want to chance it.
I wouldn't recommend olive oil in low temperatures (winter rides) as it will solidify.
in my youth and on the trusty Lambretta ran out of petrol 40 miles from home in the middle of the night
so nicked some petrol from a car and the dregs of cooking oil in a can at the back of a pub
got me home rather smokey. and ran the lam my for 3 years after with no problems
Yes I did carry a bit of pipe under the seat for that purpose
I used Extra Virgin in Croatia earlier in the year, when I couldnt get any propper lube, worked fine, lasted a few rides, whic was all I needed.
What made you think he was oiling his bike?