Duragrouch

A sincere thank you. I would not have guessed, I would have pictured running the finished chain through thick grease (useless), not a dip in what they describe as "oil". So now I thought, they must be heating that grease to above its "drop point" (liquid point), but as others have said, it's probably not grease. It looked and felt like grease on a new chain, but it's probably a very soft wax mixture.

I'm gonna look on the comparison websites mentioned by others above, hopefully they have data on durability and not just friction, it's totally the durability that matters to me.

Again, thanks. I never mind a correction.

Duragrouch

Multiday only if needed. I could wipe down the chain after on-bike solvent cleaning, and remaining mineral oil would not bother the gear lube. But I tend to schedule chain cleanings for rainy days or the night before, so if I have sufficient time to let more solvent evaporate, why not? It's not costing me time, I'm doing other things.

When I used to wax, the slowest part was melting the wax. I've had other things splatter dangerously when heated, like something in the microwave, the food at the bottom of a bowl heating up much faster than on top, sometimes splatter, sometimes an extreme burst, and just as I open the door and lift the bowl. So with wax, I tended to put on a low stove heat, give it plenty of time to melt the whole thing. This was an old pyrex pan missing the handle, maybe 6" diameter on the inside by about 3/4" wax depth I think. So it takes a while to melt.

I'm reading on ZFC website right now, see what they say. EDIT: So far, I only see results for different chains, not lubes, vast majority of results for 11 and 12 speed chains. And, my currently running 8-speed chains on 7-speed, for perceived greater durability versus skinnier chains, WORST results by far; This means, lower grade steel than the newer chains, and inner "bushing" shoulder is probably the same size, so the chain elongation is not increased with the skinnier chains, though thinner cog wear may be worse as articles have claimed, but perhaps not if cogs are harder material, and especially if cog wear is driven mostly by chain elongation! This may require total rethinking on my part. Still looking for lube comparisons on ZFC... ah, here it is in the pulldown menu...

OK. Seems hot melt waxes, as a category, blow away all other lubricants, in one-application durability, which is apples-to-apples with my gear lube because I only apply once between cleanings, which is about the same interval as my old waxings in the '90s. Candle wax is not bad. But commercial waxes with additives are better, but at very high cost. Some online give formula for duplicating one of the better ones, I think Silca, adding teflon powder and other stuff I think. I'll look to see if there is a lower priced commerical wax, versus cost of making myself.

ZFC says my 8-speed chain quality is crappy, though dirt cheap at $10 each when on sale. I'm running 7-speed cassette, I should see if I can run 9-speed chain for a higher quality chain. It seems that 8-speed chains are using lower grade steel and no surface treatments. Especially mine which has no plating on inside or outside links. Plating outside, while pretty, does nothing for hardness. I may look for a (preferably chrome, not just nickle) fully-plated chain. If I worked where I used to, I'd get chain pliers instead of just a screw chain tool, or make a fixture for a press, pull apart a half dozen chains, send all the parts out for hard-chrome plating, put back together. Might be possible with just a super cleaning and then sending out the chains whole, not sure. The pin press fit in the outer plates, would not plate, but the loose fit of the inner pin, might get plated fine. Gas nitriding would be good, GM is doing that on truck brake discs for longevity.

Biker Pete 

Hot wax for me. For my riding style and conditions…..about 10 miles per day on flat, dry roads it just makes so much sense. And no more inadvertent chainring ‘tattoos’! I have two quicklink chains and I rotate them about every 300 miles.

Kai Winters

Whew...lotsa high faltutin sciency techy talk about oil like substances that make things that rub together more slipperier...hmmm now wonderin if ky jelly is a good lube...definitely not dipping it in hot wax...just sayin...

phughes

I tried KY on my chain. Didn't like it. There was a moaning sound. Very annoying.

bikerbob38

My head is reeling from all the lube suggestions made in this thread.
At present, I am leaning towards this one:
Wolf Tooth WT-1 Chain Lube
Pros
Pushes out contaminants as you ride
Affordable
Zero chain prep is required
Cons
Fairly expensive

Best described as a “premium synthetic drivetrain treatment” because it not only lubricates the drivetrain but also actively pushes contamination out of the chain so that it can be easily wiped away. Eventually, according to Wolf Tooth, WT-1 will penetrate completely into the chain’s internals, and displace all of the contaminants, allowing the chain to run smooth and silent while staying super clean. Perhaps the best part for many riders is that all these benefits come with zero chain prep required. So, if you’re the type of rider who chuckles at the thought of spending 24 hours prepping your chain so you can apply a $50 lubricant, the WT-1 Chain Lube is probably a better option for you. Its oil-based composition means it can go on dirty, and clean the chain while you ride, increasing your enjoyment of riding while preserving your expensive drivetrain components.

sweeks

I remain politely skeptical of statements like this.

bikerbob38

It is no easy matter to discern which advertising blurbs have merit and which are just a load of hype and flak.

I guess it comes down to trying to make the best choice you can and seeing how long that chain lasts you before it requires replacement

sweeks

I basically agree with you, but when something that is applied to a dirty chain is claimed to "actively push contamination out of the chain", rendering a dirty chain cleaner "as you ride", it cranks my skeptical sensibilities up a few notches. I'd need to see a mechanism for this "push", and maybe some independent testing data before I'd believe it. Meanwhile, there are many good chain lubes... and at the end of the day, unless they run in fully-enclosed oil baths, chains will wear out (even then, they'll eventually wear out). They're easy to monitor for wear, easy to change, and cheaper than gears.

Duragrouch

You beat me to it. I could only see a lube "pushing out contaminants" if a) old lube had sludged and new lube dissolves it so contaminants can move, or b) lube has special force-field repulsion of contaminants, both organic (silica) and ferromagnetic. Which would be a good trick.

When my lube sludges, I clean the chain and apply new lube.

Kontact 

You don't need to believe in magical physics to be aware of the fact that if you add oil you are reducing the concentration of non-oil junk in the oil. And when you wipe the extra it will take some of that junk away, leaving a much lower concentration of junk and much more oil.

Generally speaking, I don't think there are many forces driving gunk deep into the chain, but there are forces pushing fluids like lube and water out. So adding more oil and wiping is an effective way to decrease the amount of dirt in the chain. And that has been my experience performing that task and showing customers how to do it, and then getting their feedback about how much cleaner their chains remain.

Duragrouch

New lube helps. No question. And versus my old regimen of pulling off the chain and soaking it, putting back on and lubing, simply lubing is a huge timesaver. But now with on-bike chain cleaners, cleaning is really fast and easy, and I think superior to just lubing. I wish I had bought one years ago, but the Park one was $40. Finding one for $5 used at the LBS was a score. And there are cheaper ones now on amazon.

Kontact 

I have serious doubts that an on bike cleaner is going to not leave solvent behind.

As I've said before, I don't see why people expend so much effort cleaning something they are going to lube with messing liquid oil.

Duragrouch

I wipe off the solvent, and usually clean on a rainy day, so the rest evaporates, but the solvent is compatible if any remains. My reason for cleaning is to remove the metal dust, always the main contaminant.

I have been using liquid lube, but the results I saw on zerofrictioncycling only a few days ago, have convinced me that wax is better, even candle wax, and waxes with teflon micropowder and moly or tungsten disulfide are superior. I waxed all through the 1990s for cleanliness (fancy road bike, never in rain), but liquid lubed in recent decades (townies), thinking that it gave better chain life, but I guess that wax was better. I did my own maintenance but didn't know what I didn't know, never measured chain stretch until very recent years. I used that original nickel uniglide chain, hot waxing as soon as it started to squeak, for 15 years, I think it's still on that bike, long since retired to storage since I now use a townie. That chain (and cogs) has gotta have at least 50,000-70,000 miles. In the last years I used it, I noticed the UG cogs were visibly cupped, I just flipped them over, which you could do. IIRC, the chain rollers were all slightly cupped on the outside. 52/42 crank had almost that many miles, until commuting in hill country, I swapped it with a triple from a bike bought cheap and then sold, getting rid of the Bio-Pace rings, was never a fan.

So yeah, I think I'll go back to wax, after I clean the derailleur pulleys, cogs, and chainrings of sludge, the Park chain cleaner does nothing for those, that's a big job and my current residence has no workbench. Probably after the rainy season here ends.

slow rollin

When I was stupider I used to just ride until I had serious skipping/shifting problems I would get a new cassette. I used to ride 5 times a week with a club and it took... a long time for that issue to appear, since I would be riding a different bike after my first year.
Used to race, train, and commute with no lube....
Now I just use whatever degreaser I have laying around, on a rag, wipe, then drop a liquid on the links. First I plan on using old bottles of lube I was supposed to be using before. Then go to other spare lubricants I have laying around like old ATF for long gone cars, wd-40, power steering oil, etc.
On my single speed commuter to schooI almost never lubed them. Did at least 3 years on one bike before I blew up the chain climbing a steep hill, other bike I commuted to college for 2 years on is still fine on the original chain. Bikes are tough.

choddo

This post has made my spine shrink in horror.

smd4

The "Don't use any chain lube at all" school of thought.

Now I've seen everything.

Kontact 

I don't change flats. Just throw the bike away.

tFUnK

If I flat while still close to my home I grab a spare bike and deal with the flat later. On occasion I've gotten a flat while riding to a friend's place - throw my bike in his van and drive back to get a spare bike.

tFUnK

I've got a couple bikes that fall within this category. Low miles, infrequent use.

tFUnK

I don't know about these "on-bike clean and lube all in one" products but a thin oil followed by cleaning off excess removes quite a bit of gunk while keeping the chain lubed. It basically looks and feels like a factory chain at that point. It does attract gunk after a few rides but it's easy to repeat the exercise as needed.

In the past I've used a solvent-y lube the same way, but then followed by Squirt, and that seemed to keep the chain cleaner. But I ran out of Squirt and it's expensive compared to the motor oil I already have plenty of in the garage, so...

I am planning to give immersive hot wax a try but as I understand that's mostly to keep the chain clean, not so much keeping it lubed?

Duragrouch

That's what I thought, I used to wax decades ago, but switched to liquid lube (ATF and then 75W-90 gear lube) in the past decade, thinking it was better for wear. Just this past week, I looked up test results on zero friction cycling about various lubes, melted wax as a category blew away others, even candle wax (which I had used in the 1990s), but new waxes with additives like teflon micropowder, moly- and tungsten-disulfide, reduce wear. Expensive. I may do as others, homebrew my own by obtaining those additives. But candle wax is not bad. Go look.