Duckie7000

Hey, so I've been looking at a water based chain lubricant for my mountain bike. Before I order it, I wanted to find out if it would have any adverse affects on my chain due to it being water based. I've done a little research, however I haven't found many answers.

SquidPuppet

What exactly is the product?

HillRider

Yes, the name of the product might help us evaluate it. However, as a general comment, if it's water soluble any rain or water you ride through is going to wash it off. Mountain bikes tend to get wet and muddy.

TimothyH

Water based chain lubes are common in industry.

Most are dry film, graphite or moly/graphite. They are typically used in high temperature applications where petroleum based lubes pose a fire risk. Flash point won't be listed because they won't ignite. Water based lubes are very friendly to the environment.

Here are two examples.

Molylube Water Based Dry Film Lubricant | Bel-Ray Company, Inc

Chain Lube 725 | Applied Lubrication Technology Inc


-Tim-

MarcusT

I went to paraffin wax and never looked back.

pdlamb

There are so many good chain lubes available. Why mess around with something that's an unknown for a bicycle? If the purpose is just to experiment with it, run the experiment and let everybody know how long it takes to rust the chain, and/or how you have to dry the lube, and how fast it washes off.

HillRider

Yes, but those chain drives are run in a sheltered or indoor environment where they never get wet. The outside industrial chain drives I've seen are covered in heavy grease.

TimothyH

I never said otherwise.

In fact, I don't think bicycle chains are a good use case for water based lubes.

To be clear, I don't think heavy grease is all that great either.


-Tim-

FrontRanger

Several wax-based lubes use water as a carrier. Not sure how toxic the wax is, but I would imagine that less is washed off compared to a traditional "oil-type" lube.

CliffordK

Probably a tiny fraction of the oils that asphalt releases, even when not considering the cars driving on them.

I think there are some organic bicycle lubes that should break down in the environment quicker than petroleum lubes.

gsa103

What? No.
The vast majority of lubes consists of two parts, a liquid thinner that evaporates relatively quickly, and a thicker grease/lube that is designed to stick inside the chain. The thinner evaporates and thicker parts remain on the chain until you wipe them off.

All that black crud that the chain picks up is lube mixed with dirt, there's very little that drips off (other than initially).

onbike 1939

I've used every kind of chain lube over the past forty years including paraffin wax et al but am very impressed with this water-based lube which not only lubricates but makes the problem of grit build-up on the transmission parts a non-issue.
Initially designed as a chain lube for motor cycles it has been modified for bike chains and it does work.

https://www.scottoiler.com/us/produc...esolution.html

TimothyH

The carrier evaporates.

Speaking for myself, the majority of the lube winds up at the bottom of a bottle of odorless mineral spirits after the chain is soaked and agitated. The grease settles, clean mineral spirits decanted and the grease is taken to the county dump once or twice each year for recycling.

Very little actually flies off the chain into the environment. If it did then it would be on my legs and bike and garage floor as well, which it is not.


-Tim-

pdlamb

I go through a 4 oz. bottle roughly every other year. The carrier dissolves, a lot more gets wiped off before the next few rides and the paper towel goes to the municipal incinerator. Less ends up on the road than one car's leaking oil pan over a week or so.