Chain lube
#1
old newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 942
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 596 Post(s)
Liked 393 Times
in
205 Posts
Chain lube
I have been using White Lightning chain lube, either Clean Ride or Easy Ride. Honestly I didn’t notice they have several types.
One they have is Epic Ride. This one isn’t a wax lube. It’s a synthetic.
I was reading their descriptions and White Lightning makes all of their products sound great.
Is the Epic better or worse than the others or just different?
I don’t ride in dirt, mud or gravel-just on the street or a paved trail. I try hard to avoid riding in rain. Given all this does it even matter what I use?
One they have is Epic Ride. This one isn’t a wax lube. It’s a synthetic.
I was reading their descriptions and White Lightning makes all of their products sound great.
Is the Epic better or worse than the others or just different?
I don’t ride in dirt, mud or gravel-just on the street or a paved trail. I try hard to avoid riding in rain. Given all this does it even matter what I use?
#2
Junior Member
This is a contentious topic so be advised to posts waxing poetic about particular lubes.
I have used clean ride and wet ride, wet is really an oil that gets black and gunky like most oils over time.
Clean ride is nice and would be what I would use if you want a cleaner chain that still lubes pretty good.
I suspect epic ride is cleaner then wet ride but still oil based, I would classify it under "different" and IMO can only be found out if you like it by using it.
I have used clean ride and wet ride, wet is really an oil that gets black and gunky like most oils over time.
Clean ride is nice and would be what I would use if you want a cleaner chain that still lubes pretty good.
I suspect epic ride is cleaner then wet ride but still oil based, I would classify it under "different" and IMO can only be found out if you like it by using it.
Likes For slow rollin:
Likes For phughes:
#4
Senior Member
I have recently been using a silicone spray from PB Blaster. The chain looks amazingly clean, as does the cassette and front chain ring. It can be precisely applied to the rotating chain with little overspray and it foams over the links, giving the appearance of good penetration to interior parts. Nothing seems to stick to it. I haven't been using it long enough to measure chain wear before replacement, but it doesn't appear to accumulate the grit (present everywhere I've ever ridden) from which the fine grinding paste is made. Less grinding paste in the chain should result in longer chain life, theoretically. Until that is proven true, the chain is definitely cleaner, if you like that sort of thing. Wiping down the chain and carefully (keep it away from brake calipers and rotors) spraying it periodically is much easier than the regimen of chain waxing. There. I said it.
Likes For DeadGrandpa:
#5
old newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 942
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 596 Post(s)
Liked 393 Times
in
205 Posts
This is a contentious topic so be advised to posts waxing poetic about particular lubes.
I have used clean ride and wet ride, wet is really an oil that gets black and gunky like most oils over time.
Clean ride is nice and would be what I would use if you want a cleaner chain that still lubes pretty good.
I suspect epic ride is cleaner then wet ride but still oil based, I would classify it under "different" and IMO can only be found out if you like it by using it.
I have used clean ride and wet ride, wet is really an oil that gets black and gunky like most oils over time.
Clean ride is nice and would be what I would use if you want a cleaner chain that still lubes pretty good.
I suspect epic ride is cleaner then wet ride but still oil based, I would classify it under "different" and IMO can only be found out if you like it by using it.
#6
old newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 942
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 596 Post(s)
Liked 393 Times
in
205 Posts
I have recently been using a silicone spray from PB Blaster. The chain looks amazingly clean, as does the cassette and front chain ring. It can be precisely applied to the rotating chain with little overspray and it foams over the links, giving the appearance of good penetration to interior parts. Nothing seems to stick to it. I haven't been using it long enough to measure chain wear before replacement, but it doesn't appear to accumulate the grit (present everywhere I've ever ridden) from which the fine grinding paste is made. Less grinding paste in the chain should result in longer chain life, theoretically. Until that is proven true, the chain is definitely cleaner, if you like that sort of thing. Wiping down the chain and carefully (keep it away from brake calipers and rotors) spraying it periodically is much easier than the regimen of chain waxing. There. I said it.
I have found that Fawn dish soap on a damp paper towel will remove grease from my legs easily so I will use it to clean my bike.
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,606
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18571 Post(s)
Liked 16,018 Times
in
7,519 Posts
NFS is the best lube.
/thread
/thread
Likes For indyfabz:
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,606
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18571 Post(s)
Liked 16,018 Times
in
7,519 Posts
Likes For indyfabz:
#9
Pennylane Splitter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 1,901
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1861 Post(s)
Liked 1,518 Times
in
1,035 Posts
80W-90W gear lube. I had a bottle sitting on the shelf so tried it, been using it for over a decade. It lubes the chain, the links seem to slide easily, what's not to like.
Likes For skidder:
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,578
Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1006 Post(s)
Liked 1,688 Times
in
1,085 Posts
Automatic Transmission Fluid... ATF
I use it for cleaning the chain and lubing the chain. I also consider chains expendable devices now days...
I use it for cleaning the chain and lubing the chain. I also consider chains expendable devices now days...
__________________
No matter where you're at... There you are... Δf:=f(1/2)-f(-1/2)
No matter where you're at... There you are... Δf:=f(1/2)-f(-1/2)
#11
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,466
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6276 Post(s)
Liked 4,303 Times
in
2,412 Posts
I have been using White Lightning chain lube, either Clean Ride or Easy Ride. Honestly I didn’t notice they have several types.
One they have is Epic Ride. This one isn’t a wax lube. It’s a synthetic.
I was reading their descriptions and White Lightning makes all of their products sound great.
Is the Epic better or worse than the others or just different?
I don’t ride in dirt, mud or gravel-just on the street or a paved trail. I try hard to avoid riding in rain. Given all this does it even matter what I use?
One they have is Epic Ride. This one isn’t a wax lube. It’s a synthetic.
I was reading their descriptions and White Lightning makes all of their products sound great.
Is the Epic better or worse than the others or just different?
I don’t ride in dirt, mud or gravel-just on the street or a paved trail. I try hard to avoid riding in rain. Given all this does it even matter what I use?
That's the factory lubricant. You don't have to remove it but the chain will be cleaner if you do. Shake your chain in a Gatorade bottle with about a cup of mineral spirits until your arm gets tired...around 30 seconds. Hang the chain to dry and apply the Clean Ride. I do that upon install and then never clean the chain again.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Likes For cyccommute:
Likes For locolobo13:
#13
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,466
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6276 Post(s)
Liked 4,303 Times
in
2,412 Posts
I have been using White Lightning chain lube, either Clean Ride or Easy Ride. Honestly I didn’t notice they have several types.
One they have is Epic Ride. This one isn’t a wax lube. It’s a synthetic.
I was reading their descriptions and White Lightning makes all of their products sound great.
Is the Epic better or worse than the others or just different?
I don’t ride in dirt, mud or gravel-just on the street or a paved trail. I try hard to avoid riding in rain. Given all this does it even matter what I use?
One they have is Epic Ride. This one isn’t a wax lube. It’s a synthetic.
I was reading their descriptions and White Lightning makes all of their products sound great.
Is the Epic better or worse than the others or just different?
I don’t ride in dirt, mud or gravel-just on the street or a paved trail. I try hard to avoid riding in rain. Given all this does it even matter what I use?
That's the factory lubricant. You don't have to remove it but the chain will be cleaner if you do. Shake your chain in a Gatorade bottle with about a cup of mineral spirits until your arm gets tired...around 30 seconds. Hang the chain to dry and apply the Clean Ride. I do that upon install and then never clean the chain again.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Likes For cyccommute:
#14
old newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 942
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 596 Post(s)
Liked 393 Times
in
205 Posts
I've used Epic Ride in the past and wasn't really impressed with it. It is oilier than the Clean Ride. Clean Ride works fine even in the rain. It just has to be refreshed afterward. But oil really needs to be refreshed after rain as well. People just don't bother.
That's the factory lubricant. You don't have to remove it but the chain will be cleaner if you do. Shake your chain in a Gatorade bottle with about a cup of mineral spirits until your arm gets tired...around 30 seconds. Hang the chain to dry and apply the Clean Ride. I do that upon install and then never clean the chain again.
That's the factory lubricant. You don't have to remove it but the chain will be cleaner if you do. Shake your chain in a Gatorade bottle with about a cup of mineral spirits until your arm gets tired...around 30 seconds. Hang the chain to dry and apply the Clean Ride. I do that upon install and then never clean the chain again.
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: In the foothills of Los Angeles County
Posts: 25,518
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8422 Post(s)
Liked 9,331 Times
in
4,585 Posts
#18
I'm good to go!
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 15,276
Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020
Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6346 Post(s)
Liked 4,948 Times
in
3,408 Posts
Don't let the chain lube choices dazzle you with wondering which is best. Just use the lube that makes sense to you. If you find you don't like something about it, then change to some other type.
Some don't need to be used as frequently. Some do a tad better in the wet. Some will help keep your chain cleaner than others. I don't know that any give significantly greater chain life.
Some don't need to be used as frequently. Some do a tad better in the wet. Some will help keep your chain cleaner than others. I don't know that any give significantly greater chain life.
Likes For Iride01:
#19
old newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 942
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 596 Post(s)
Liked 393 Times
in
205 Posts
Don't let the chain lube choices dazzle you with wondering which is best. Just use the lube that makes sense to you. If you find you don't like something about it, then change to some other type.
Some don't need to be used as frequently. Some do a tad better in the wet. Some will help keep your chain cleaner than others. I don't know that any give significantly greater chain life.
Some don't need to be used as frequently. Some do a tad better in the wet. Some will help keep your chain cleaner than others. I don't know that any give significantly greater chain life.
I think I first heard about wax lubes here.
I started this thread when I was looking to buy more White Lightning and saw the varieties they sell. The Epic Ride was really different- silicon based? That lead me down a rabbit hole reading about lubes and a pro who uses a synthetic lube.
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Right where I'm supposed to be
Posts: 1,657
Bikes: Franklin Frames Custom, Rivendell Bombadil
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 126 Post(s)
Liked 216 Times
in
132 Posts
Talking about chain lube need not be contentious. Nobody has any miracle lube to boast about. That there's endless lubes is telling. They all work, and they all rather suck in that they are temporary at best.
Oil works fine for me Pepperbelly as I give the rings, chain and sprockets a quick wipe down down after every ride. The number one complaint of oil I see is the accumulated black mess, but do nothing to prevent it. Oil to me isn't just throw it on there, ride and let the expelled oil accumulate. If you've ever used Prolink or the like, I basically use that principle. Lube-wipe chain-lube-wipe chain-infinitum. I often just use WD-40, but sometimes for fun, I'll throw on another oil to see what happens. Motor oil, ATF, air tool oil. Hey guess what ? Nothing rotten happens ! I I wipe it down after each ride, it's oil, these are bikes, it's not complicated. Yes, it requires the time to wipe it down. For me though, I have endless rags, and at this time, it's the "path or least resistance". I've used Clean Ride too, as well as Squirt. Squirt is water based, but it does tend to accumulate some unless excess is wiped off. I preferred Clean Ride mostly because it was easier to apply because it had mineral spirits in it. Then it's very difficult to remove, as in nothing worked for me but a light touch of a propane torch to soften it and wipe it off. I just grew tired of having to clean a new chain, let alone take a chain off to clean at all. Seeing how my chains last as long with the method I use on the bike as they ever did with incessant cleaning off the bike, I'm not going back to doing that.
Oil works fine for me Pepperbelly as I give the rings, chain and sprockets a quick wipe down down after every ride. The number one complaint of oil I see is the accumulated black mess, but do nothing to prevent it. Oil to me isn't just throw it on there, ride and let the expelled oil accumulate. If you've ever used Prolink or the like, I basically use that principle. Lube-wipe chain-lube-wipe chain-infinitum. I often just use WD-40, but sometimes for fun, I'll throw on another oil to see what happens. Motor oil, ATF, air tool oil. Hey guess what ? Nothing rotten happens ! I I wipe it down after each ride, it's oil, these are bikes, it's not complicated. Yes, it requires the time to wipe it down. For me though, I have endless rags, and at this time, it's the "path or least resistance". I've used Clean Ride too, as well as Squirt. Squirt is water based, but it does tend to accumulate some unless excess is wiped off. I preferred Clean Ride mostly because it was easier to apply because it had mineral spirits in it. Then it's very difficult to remove, as in nothing worked for me but a light touch of a propane torch to soften it and wipe it off. I just grew tired of having to clean a new chain, let alone take a chain off to clean at all. Seeing how my chains last as long with the method I use on the bike as they ever did with incessant cleaning off the bike, I'm not going back to doing that.
Likes For Garthr:
#21
old newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 942
Bikes: Specialized Roubaix
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 596 Post(s)
Liked 393 Times
in
205 Posts
Talking about chain lube need not be contentious. Nobody has any miracle lube to boast about. That there's endless lubes is telling. They all work, and they all rather suck in that they are temporary at best.
Oil works fine for me Pepperbelly as I give the rings, chain and sprockets a quick wipe down down after every ride. The number one complaint of oil I see is the accumulated black mess, but do nothing to prevent it. Oil to me isn't just throw it on there, ride and let the expelled oil accumulate. If you've ever used Prolink or the like, I basically use that principle. Lube-wipe chain-lube-wipe chain-infinitum. I often just use WD-40, but sometimes for fun, I'll throw on another oil to see what happens. Motor oil, ATF, air tool oil. Hey guess what ? Nothing rotten happens ! I I wipe it down after each ride, it's oil, these are bikes, it's not complicated. Yes, it requires the time to wipe it down. For me though, I have endless rags, and at this time, it's the "path or least resistance". I've used Clean Ride too, as well as Squirt. Squirt is water based, but it does tend to accumulate some unless excess is wiped off. I preferred Clean Ride mostly because it was easier to apply because it had mineral spirits in it. Then it's very difficult to remove, as in nothing worked for me but a light touch of a propane torch to soften it and wipe it off. I just grew tired of having to clean a new chain, let alone take a chain off to clean at all. Seeing how my chains last as long with the method I use on the bike as they ever did with incessant cleaning off the bike, I'm not going back to doing that.
Oil works fine for me Pepperbelly as I give the rings, chain and sprockets a quick wipe down down after every ride. The number one complaint of oil I see is the accumulated black mess, but do nothing to prevent it. Oil to me isn't just throw it on there, ride and let the expelled oil accumulate. If you've ever used Prolink or the like, I basically use that principle. Lube-wipe chain-lube-wipe chain-infinitum. I often just use WD-40, but sometimes for fun, I'll throw on another oil to see what happens. Motor oil, ATF, air tool oil. Hey guess what ? Nothing rotten happens ! I I wipe it down after each ride, it's oil, these are bikes, it's not complicated. Yes, it requires the time to wipe it down. For me though, I have endless rags, and at this time, it's the "path or least resistance". I've used Clean Ride too, as well as Squirt. Squirt is water based, but it does tend to accumulate some unless excess is wiped off. I preferred Clean Ride mostly because it was easier to apply because it had mineral spirits in it. Then it's very difficult to remove, as in nothing worked for me but a light touch of a propane torch to soften it and wipe it off. I just grew tired of having to clean a new chain, let alone take a chain off to clean at all. Seeing how my chains last as long with the method I use on the bike as they ever did with incessant cleaning off the bike, I'm not going back to doing that.
I read about wax chain lubes being cleaner and lasting longer and bought White Lightning without knowing much about it. I got lucky I guess.
Chains are not expensive so I’m not going to obsess over it.
Likes For phughes:
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,606
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18571 Post(s)
Liked 16,018 Times
in
7,519 Posts
Likes For indyfabz:
#25
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,479
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2705 Post(s)
Liked 5,982 Times
in
3,068 Posts
Likes For rsbob: