Muc-Off Hydrodynamic Lube = lots of gunk on chain?
 

So what am I doing wrong here? Mrs. NoWhammies gave me Muc-Off Hydrodynamic lube for Christmas. Once the weather turned for the better and I needed a new chain on my bike, I decided to give the hydrodynamic lube a go. I followed the instructions and thoroughly cleaned my drive train before applying the lube.

Twice now, after applying the lube, giving the chain a wipe down, and letting the lube sit overnight, this is what I'm experiencing at the end of my ride.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3242ec3697.png

So what am I doing wrong? Am I applying too much lube? Based on the videos I've watch and instructions I've read, I think I am applying the correct amount. But wow. The guck at the end of the ride. The teeth of the cassette are equally gummed up.

Thanks for your insights/experience.

Define "thoroughly cleaned". You might be surprised by what a real thorough cleaning entails.

Ick.

I can't help you with your problem, other than to echo surak in that you might be underestimating how thoroughly you need to clean (I just looked at the muc-off instructions online and they're not too detailed, but "de-grease" = a fair amount of work for a chain).

I do have to wonder, though - if you're going to go through the trouble of completely de-greasing your chain/drivetrain, why not just wax at that point? That's really 95% of the battle and there's exceptionally little maintenance afterwards. Or is this stuff supposed to be dry and clean on a similar level to waxing?

Wet lube like this needs to be applied carefully and sparingly. It looks to me like you've used far too much and not wiped off the excess. I would take the chain off and clean it and the drivetrain with a degreaser. Remount the chain and put one small drop on each link, run the chain backwards several times to work the lube into the rollers and then carefully wipe off ALL visible lube off the chain, chainrings and cogs. This should take a few minutes and the chain should not appear to be "oily" when you're done. You'll likely have to wipe the chain down after the first couple of rides as additional lube comes to the surface. After that, the benefits of wet lube start to show: much longer lasting than dry lube, a quieter drivetrain, more rust protection for your chain and much more resistant to washing off in bad conditions. A few years ago, I switched to running wet lube on most of my bikes. It's a bit more initial work but works well if you don't just slop the stuff on.

What you see is gunk coming out of the internal part of the chain. It's a mix of the old lube, dirt trapped inside and the new lube. If you want a perfectly clean chain, soak it in fuel overnight, then rince it with WD-40 and then isopropyl alcohol. It should be 100% clean. After letting it dry, you can go ahead and apply your lube.


My experience with Muc-Off has been great so far. However, I switched from the ''regular'' Dry Lube to the C3 ceramic dry lube this year and noticed that the C3 gets the chain gunkier after each rides than the regular one. I'll switch back once my bottle is empty.

Ick indeed. I gave the chain a wipe down when I arrived home and that got most of the crud off. But the cassette still needs a good cleaning.
Regarding the wax comment, I think the hydrodynamic is supposed to be dry and clean, similar to wax. I wouldn't know though since both times I've done an application and gone for a ride I've ended up with the gunk :roflmao2:

This ^^ is good advice. Thank you. I did not do what you have suggested above. I likely did apply too much - although I thought I applied what was suggested in the video/by the manufacturer - but that does explain why the chain looks like it does. Also, I did not spin the chain backwards after applying the lube. I applied the lube one link at a time and then just let it sit there. I did not cycle it though several times and I likely did not wipe off enough lube. I did a quick spin of the chain through a rag and left it at that. I am going to go for a ride this afternoon, so I'll be sure to give the lube/chain a wipe down before heading out.

What wet lube did you switch to?

Took cogs off bike, soaked in degreaser, scrubbed clean, rinsed, hung dry, put cogs back on bike
Degreased chain with degreaser using chain cleaner, cleaned with soap and water, rinse with fresh water, dry
Scrubbed pulleys and front chain rings with degreaser, cleaned with soap and water, rinse with fresh water, dry
Rebuild. Apply lube. Above happens.

You probably need to go further with your chain prep with submersion and agitation to really get the stuff out of the rollers.

Why not just wipe it off and ride the bike?

That's about all one needs to see.

That was my experience with Muc-off as well. But now I read the posts above (very helpful thank you!) and realize I never cleaned my chain and applied the lube properly. Will give it another go.

Most manufacturers' instructions say to apply liberally. Rock N Roll's video is the worst; I learned that the hard way!

But the consensus from more experienced cyclists is that a few drops per roller is sufficient. I do that multiple times, with wipe downs in between, first to rinse out, then letting the last application (a single drop per roller) sit overnight before wiping down.

Yeah, I do suspect it's a combination of not totally clean drivetrain and maybe too much lube leftover. Last year I decided to follow the multiple OMS and denatured alcohol cleaning steps, but still have yet to truly get a clean chain because I took some ill-advised shortcuts in the process like no overnight soaking.

The experts say it's easier to start with a new chain after stripping the factory lube out, which I would've done for my next attempt if the pandemic shortage hadn't made chains a bit scarce oland pricier than my cheapskate self wants to pay for say a DA 11 sp.

Honestly, it's not a very clean-running lube.

WhyFi you're probably right about the needing to go further with chain prep. I thought I had thoroughly degreased the chain by doing the ol' finger test (no black when I ran my finger over the chain) but the chain may not have been degreased enough for the hydrodynamic lube.

rower2cyclist Glad to know it wasn't just me!

SoSmellyAir How do you apply the Rock N Roll lube now? You're about about the videos. The ones I've seen online show them squirting that lube all over the chain and cassette. I ask because I have a bottle of Rock N Roll gold and am considering giving it a try when the hydrodynamic runs out.

surak You could be right about the drive train not being fully cleaned. I thought I had done a good job as there was no grease coming off on my skin. But in my reading online about the lube they talk about having a completely degreased drive train. Perhaps there was still some old lube residing in nooks and crannies that I didn't get at.

Ferrouscious Well that's disappointing. Damn marketing hype!

Squirting lube on the cassette? Oh my!

The only thing that should be lubed is the internal part of the chain, hence why the ideal method is to only put lube on the rollers and make sure it gets inside (slowly spin the crankset for 30 seconds - 1 minute, wait a while and then wipe it off with a clothe).

Muc Off C3 smells better and has a catchy fluorescent hue, but Rock N Roll is the better lubricant. This is my "good enough" way to apply any lube when I am not washing my bike.

1. Shift chain onto big chain ring and rear cog that gives the straightest chain line.
2. While backpedaling, wipe chain and derailleur pulley wheels with clean old T shirt or top that my son has outgrown.
3. Working with the section of chain extending from the bottom of the big chain ring to the bottom of the tension pulley, drip two drops onto each chain roller. Two drops ensures there is an excess that drips off the roller onto the folded packing paper that lines the ground, thereby serving as a rinse.
4. Slowly back pedal to move the next section of the chain between the bottom of the big chain ring and the bottom of the tension pulley, then repeat Step #3, until entire chain is done.
5. Repeat Steps #2 through #4 once or twice more, depending on how dirty the chain is, by comparing stains on rag; newer stains should be noticeably lighter. For the final application, use only a single drop per roller.
6. Let chain sit overnight.
7. Repeat Step #2 next day.

Muck-ON ? :-)

Srsly tho, all wet oils attract dirt and turn black fast. However most of them work just fine all the same. Just lube more sparingly. If you want a gold look chain you need some dry lube.

As said before, this is pretty common with the wet lubes. I typically run the muc off C3 dry and it doesn’t get nearly this dirty (I also clean it every week to keep it that way) but the minute I put the C3 wet on it goes all gross black on me just like you’re showing. Always do the one drop per roller and wipe off the excess with the wet and still get it looking like that. With the dry I don’t even wipe off the excess and it doesn’t. I’ve always chalked it up to differences between wet/dry lubes.

I concur.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainclean.html

Oh my! And I thought I was cool with my overnight fuel soaking / WD-40 & Isopropyl alcohol rinsing. That guy is clearly killing it.

Update. I cleaned my chain and cassette on Friday and lightly put on some hydrodynamic lube. After today's ride? Golden! No gunk on the chain and no gunk on the cassette. And my ride was quiet. I was definitely putting too much lube on. Thank you for the feedback.

I still want to try Rock N Roll gold though when this bottle of hydrodynamic is done.

This has been my experience with MuckOff, which seems to be more of a case of MuckOn. Perhaps it requires much less lube that others that I have used. But what a gunky mess. I will likely try some of the Absolute Black wax next.

Yeah, a drop or two on each roller is usually all that's needed. People tend to put a lot more than that.