5 mph

Anyone have recommendations for a good Wet Chain and Gear Lube? It rains out here very day outside of Seattle. It can rain really hard, too.
For a while I started using 90 W manual transmission gear oil that I found in my garage.
I think it did a good job, but the bottom half of my Bike looks like one of those old cars where the oil seals and gaskets have failed,
I still have two months to go ( and lots of 90W) I don't want to see the teeth on my White Industries Freewheel eroded?
Anybody got a suggestion for something just as good as gear oil but not as Dirty?
I'm at 3/32" on my Pista and I'm buying a nice Sugino Chain Ring soon also.

veganbikes

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...you are kidding right? This is a joke? Please tell me you didn't start another lube thread out of a million lube threads on this board. Pick some bike lube up at your bike shop and you will be fine. Seriously they are all probably pretty good if they are formulated for bike chains. Maybe one is so much better maybe, I like to think my ceramic wax lube is great but it could just be average and that average is doing the job for me so I stick with it.

Chain lube is good for the chain buy whatever your local shop sells, clean and lube with some regularity and just ride the damn thing. You will be fine.

5 mph

Yes I guess that was stupid. Maybe I should have asked what is the best air for a tire? Anyway thanks for the answer.

veganbikes

Hey no worries, sorry if I was overly harsh. We just see so many of those threads and for a while if you were doing a drinking game you would have had alcohol poisoning.

seau grateau

Helium to save grams.

As for lube, I pretty much exclusively use T9 now. I can't remember if it's a wet or dry lube, and the bottle is all the way downstairs, but it goes on without the mess all over my floor (cough cough White Lightning) and stays clean pretty well compared to most other lubes I've used (cough cough White Lightning).

Rolla

T-9 is my current favorite, but Tri-Flow, Finish Line, whatever, all work fine. Anything's better than WD40. Wipe your chain, lube it, wipe it, ride it, repeat.

Senrab62 

Rock n roll gold. Cleans and lubes. Have not noticed excessive chain wear using it. Got a giant bottle that will last years for 20 bucks. Chain L is good but smelly and expensive.

franswa

Chain L is what I use and have found it to perform the best, so the price seems justified. Have not noticed any odd smell like mentioned above^

10 Wheels

Chain L is my choice.

Clean the chain then just Add One Drop to each Link

TugaDude

I've used plenty over the years and I always come to the same conclusion as several of the others that have posted here. They all work. They all may have certain features that make them advantageous for certain environments, but in my opinion, keeping the chain and the rest of the drive-train clean is equally important.

79pmooney

For Seattle where I used to live and commute 16 each way 3 days a week year round and Portland, I use FinishLine wet MTB lube for my two city/commute bikes. Works, stays on (even through very heavy rain or immersion, does pick up dust and grit. Good stuff, not magic. The dry/good bikes get TriFlo applied frequently and after every rain.

ofajen

I have used Tri-Flow with decent results. I’ve switched to (Boeshield) T-9 and prefer it. It seems to attract slightly less dust and grit.

I’m a minimalist on chains: I wipe stuff off after a ride with a paper towel or use a chain cleaning brush. I reapply lube every few weeks. When I reach 1% stretch (spec for SS) I spend another $10 on a chain.

Otto

5 mph

I'm finally to the end of my 90 weight transmission gear oil bottle. My socks are all covered with black stains and so are my legs.
I'm going to get the real stuff now. But I will say this . After degreasing my entire bike, the drivetrain looked in good shape.

jay4usc

I used to use T9 but now have converted to wax base lube which is so much cleaner. I use Squirt Lube

If you don’t want grease marks do some research on wax lube.

Unca_Sam

That research will likely show that wax lube excels in dry conditions but performs poorly in very wet conditions, where the wax can't stay where it's needed. OP specified very wet conditions, which is why wet lubes are recommended. Yeah, they pick up dirt and leave tattoos, but they also stay on the chain when it's wet.

bwilli88 

I live and ride in Cambodia where it can be dusty dry for 6 months and sloppy rainy for the other. I use ATF, it is very effective for my situation, stays on the chain, I spray or drip it on the chain, wipe off the excess and ride. Clean up is easy, take the chain off, dunk it in more ATF, hang it to drip, wipe off excess, reinstall chain, ride. In between heavy cleaning I wipe the chain with a clean rag, drip more ATF on, wipe off excess, ride. If it is rainy and I am road riding I just add a bit more ATF, on the dirt, it needs to be wiped just about every ride.

Novalite

2 years all weather riding with a motorcycle 3/16" chain and 1 year with a 1/4", using automotive oil as lubricant / rust protector.
Experiences:
- Every time I oil the chain, subsequent days I have to re-tension the chain.
- Every time I ride in rain, same.
- When dry weather for long periods, even months, never have to re-tension.
Conclusion/opinion/theory:
- Liquids drives dirt and wear particles out the joints, causing more room there, causing the chain to become longer under tension.
- Apparently, as long as wear products don't leave the place of the wear, the pin distance doesn't alter, at least not under the pressure exerted by the force of human legs.

So far I protected the chain from dirt from the wheels. The frame clearance doesn't allow a chain enclosure so I did that along covers mounted on the frame at the wheels. Plan is now to mount some cover agains rain too, idea is clamps on seat and lower tubes, and on the clamps some cutouts from fenders, goal to reduce the amount rain water on the chain, to see what it gives.