Gravel lube.

[warthog1]

Well new gravel bike and I am wondering how people manage their chain lube.
What sort?
How do you clean the driveline?
How many ks from a chain?

I am expecting chains and cassettes to wear more quickly than on the road due to sand and grit making a grinding paste.
A wax lube would seem to be less likely to hang onto sand and dust than a wet lube.
I am hoping there is a drip on product that works well.
Currently using smoove on the roadies, but it stays a bit moist/tacky, so I expect it to hold onto too much crap.

I have to admit I am not really interested in setting up a slow cooker and going wax bath.
I suspect that may be the advice though. If so fair enough.

[RonK]

Rock N Roll Holy Cow

Squirt on, wipe off, ride.

Use a chain cleaner once a year.

[warthog1]

Rock N Roll Holy Cow

Squirt on, wipe off, ride.

Use a chain cleaner once a year.

I am liking that.
No faffing around heating wax removing chains etc.

Still, I will be doing a few ks and you can apparently do a few chains in the wax concoction at the same time to make it less annoying.

[Propagate]

Rock N Roll Lube - the blue one.

I tried waxing for a year or so on the gravel bike and MTB. Chain off, thoroughly cleaned in de-greaser in an ultrasonic cleaner then dropped into hot chain wax in a slow cooker.

Sublime when first done and would last roughly 300k between waxings, BUT, when it goes it goes. Like mid way through a ride going from smooth and quiet to rough as a bag of hammers.

The worst bit though, I got less than 1,000 out of a brand new chain on the gravel bike before the chain tool showered over 75% wear and less than 500k on the MTB!!!

Back to the Rock N Roll lube and current gravel chain is approaching 3,000k and not even at 50% wear yet (same model chain).

[warthog1]

Yeah 1000k aint good
With the RnR do you clean the chain between rides, or just keep dripping the lube on?

[Propagate]

I don't as I'm pretty lazy. If the bikes particularly filthy I just hose the worst off, then let it dry then plaster RNR all over the chain and wipe the excess off with a rag.

[trailgumby]

10:1 Parrafin/teflon mix applied hot. Keeps the crap out of your chain. Good for a few hundred kilometres.

[cancan64]

I have been using RNR Yellow, works well I can now get nearly 800km on a chain, Have squirt coming which cant be worse and about to order a chain cleaner. It is very gritty in Canberra and I was buying expensive chains, going to a cheap one next...

[Nobody]

I just use whatever wet lube. Wipe, lube, wipe and I never clean my chains. I take a rag out on my first ride and once the crud has attached to the small amount of remaining lube on the outside, I wipe it off. Then it's just a matter of keep wiping the chain as necessary. That is until such time as the chain doesn't run well anymore, then I start again. I keep the chain as dry as possible on the outside as we only need lube on the inside of the chain. I don't monitor how far I ride since I don't have anything extra on the bike that can also get broken in the next crash.

[warthog1]

I don't as I'm pretty lazy. If the bikes particularly filthy I just hose the worst off, then let it dry then plaster RNR all over the chain and wipe the excess off with a rag.

I dont find chain maintenance and lubing very inspiring either
That sounds like a workable management plan for me too
Thanks.

[warthog1]

I have been using RNR Yellow, works well I can now get nearly 800km on a chain

I am unsure what you mean by 800km?
800k per lube sounds too far and 800k per chain is too short.

[warthog1]

I just use whatever wet lube. Wipe, lube, wipe and I never clean my chains. I take a rag out on my first ride and once the crud has attached to the small amount of remaining lube on the outside, I wipe it off. Then it's just a matter of keep wiping the chain as necessary. That is until such time as the chain doesn't run well anymore, then I start again. I keep the chain as dry as possible on the outside as we only need lube on the inside of the chain. I don't monitor how far I ride since I don't have anything extra on the bike that can also get broken in the next crash.

My experience with wet lube on the roadie is it hangs onto dirt and makes a grinding paste.
I have switched to smoove and chains are lasting far longer.
I want something that ends up dry to form less of a grinding paste.
Smoove ups up a bit tacky, I want a drier lube for the dirt.

[cancan64]

I have been using RNR Yellow, works well I can now get nearly 800km on a chain

I am unsure what you mean by 800km?
800k per lube sounds too far and 800k per chain is too short.

800km per chain... In the habit now of lubing each ride since its wet lately... and tell a lie, my excel formula was wrong, 1436km for a Sram 1170 chain which I will be changed this weekend and admittedly, there is a lot of water around (mud) and lockdown rides consist of climbing and more climbing

[warthog1]

I have been using RNR Yellow, works well I can now get nearly 800km on a chain

I am unsure what you mean by 800km?
800k per lube sounds too far and 800k per chain is too short.

800km per chain... In the habit now of lubing each ride since its wet lately... and tell a lie, my excel formula was wrong, 1436km for a Sram 1170 chain which I will be changed this weekend and admittedly, there is a lot of water around (mud) and lockdown rides consist of climbing and more climbing

Yeah mud and water has got to hammer it.
Hoping for longer than that, we'll see.
Pick the bike up tomorrow

[Propagate]

I just use whatever wet lube. Wipe, lube, wipe and I never clean my chains. I take a rag out on my first ride and once the crud has attached to the small amount of remaining lube on the outside, I wipe it off. Then it's just a matter of keep wiping the chain as necessary. That is until such time as the chain doesn't run well anymore, then I start again. I keep the chain as dry as possible on the outside as we only need lube on the inside of the chain. I don't monitor how far I ride since I don't have anything extra on the bike that can also get broken in the next crash.

My experience with wet lube on the roadie is it hangs onto dirt and makes a grinding paste.
I have switched to smoove and chains are lasting far longer.
I want something that ends up dry to form less of a grinding paste.
Smoove ups up a bit tacky, I want a drier lube for the dirt.

The RNR is "wet" as it it's like a wax suspended in a paraffin type solution, you literally squirt as much on as you're wallet allows then try and wipe all of it back of with a rag. What's left evaporates and leaves the little waxy particles behind.

It sort of squeezes out the crap too, so once you're done squirting you'll find a ton of black dirt on your wipe rag (even if you've half assed cleaned the chain first).

You'll still get a chain tattoo on your calf at times, but it's nothing like a chain oil as such.

[Propagate]

Only 800k per chain! Far out, I'd be going nuts if I was only getting that regularly.

As said earlier, I got less than 1,000 from a new chain when using a hot wax method and was mortified.

Currently on 3,000+ k on the gravel chain after ditching wax and going back to blue RNR, through winter riding and lots and lots of sandy gritty gravel (and barely a squirt with a hose between rides) and I've not even hit 50% on the chain wear tool guide yet, which is much more like what I'd expect to see.

[warthog1]

The RNR is "wet" as it it's like a wax suspended in a paraffin type solution, you literally squirt as much on as you're wallet allows then try and wipe all of it back of with a rag. What's left evaporates and leaves the little waxy particles behind.

It sort of squeezes out the crap too, so once you're done squirting you'll find a ton of black dirt on your wipe rag (even if you've half assed cleaned the chain first).

You'll still get a chain tattoo on your calf at times, but it's nothing like a chain oil as such.

Yeah I've used RnR gold before.
My understanding is a wet lube stays wet. I understand the wax lubes in a bottle go on wet. They dry out though, once the carrier fluid has evaporated.
True wet lubes don't dry out and dirt sticks to them ime.

[warthog1]

Been using white lightning clean ride on the gravel and I got 3k km out of the first chain.
It is almost out though.
I have some finish line ceramic wax and some squirt.
Neither are as thin as the white lightning.
I printed off the zero friction cycling report on Squirt.
Have had a brief squiz.
It is fairly thick and apparently has trouble getting inside the rollers on an 11 speed chain.
Particularly in winter I am guessing, when it just goes thick on contact with the cold chain.
Probably an argument for hot wax bath immersion. Cbfed though tbh.
Think I'll try to source some more white lightning clean ride at least for winter.
It works ok.

[lone rider]

Got sick of using Squirt. I feel like it's just not suitable for Gravel/MTB regardless of what the marketing says, the chain feels dry way too quickly. I saw the Silca guy on a video say he believes it's too thick to get into the rollers and I think I agree. Bought some flower power about a month ago after Zero friction gave a glowing review. It went on just like a drip based wax lube but when it dried it wasnt as gunky as others I've used. Winter riding will be the test but I have a feeling this will be better just on how the chain feels by hand.

[warthog1]

I am using that flower power stuff too. Have also got a bit of squirt left. I buy them in the big bottles. Flower power may be a touch better. Haven't noticed a huge difference. Will probably get it again.

[Nobody]

Thanks WH1 for mentioning Zero Friction Cycling. Link below for others to find.

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

Subjectively speaking, I tried a drip type wax lubricant about 30 years ago and in the wet it was poor performing to the point where the drive train stopped working properly. I was advised by a bike shop to use something else so I ended up with - the now known to be poor performing - drip wet lubricants. Once again subjective, but I find the environmental footprint of my use in regard to chemical use is quite low for these. I keep the original grease on, but coat it in wet lube as this attracts less dirt. As said previously I also try to keep the outside of the chain dry by repeated wiping. Sometimes wiping more than once per ride. Good enough for me, but I may try one of the better drip waxes in the future if I want to be more of an enviro-vandal in degreasing a chain.

As for hot dip waxes, I'm just not in love with cycling or my equipment enough to do this. My off road equipment is usually cheap because it's only going to get trashed anyway. I don't track the distance because I don't care enough.

[warthog1]

Thanks WH1 for mentioning Zero Friction Cycling. Link below for others to find.

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

Subjectively speaking, I tried a drip type wax lubricant about 30 years ago and in the wet it was poor performing to the point where the drive train stopped working properly. I was advised by a bike shop to use something else so I ended up with - the now known to be poor performing - drip wet lubricants. Once again subjective, but I find the environmental footprint of my use in regard to chemical use is quite low for these. I keep the original grease on, but coat it in wet lube as this attracts less dirt. As said previously I also try to keep the outside of the chain dry by repeated wiping. Sometimes wiping more than once per ride. Good enough for me, but I may try one of the better drip waxes in the future if I want to be more of an enviro-vandal in degreasing a chain.

As for hot dip waxes, I'm just not in love with cycling or my equipment enough to do this. My off road equipment is usually cheap because it's only going to get trashed anyway. I don't track the distance because I don't care enough.

I drop the chain in a staminade container with about 25mm deep bath of mineral turps. Let it soak and swish it around. Then do the same with methylated spirits twice. I tip the fluids on my firewood stack.
Using flower power wax at the moment but have used a few others.
Doing the same for road and gravel. Oil based lubes are pretty soon grinding paste on the gravel and much harder to clean.
That'll do me. I am sure a wax bath is better but I simply cant be bothered.

[blizzard]

Flower power is on the top of my list for lubes to try on my mountain bike once the current chain is worn. Seems to have ease of use of wet lube but performance of a wax lube. So interested in people's experiences.

Road bike I have 2 chains on rotation using a homemade immersive wax but next waxing they will be used with Silca Hot Melt + top up with the drip wax (same as the cargo bike).

[Nobody]

I drop the chain in a staminade container with about 25mm deep bath of mineral turps. Let it soak and swish it around. Then do the same with methylated spirits twice. I tip the fluids on my firewood stack.
Using flower power wax at the moment but have used a few others.
Doing the same for road and gravel. Oil based lubes are pretty soon grinding paste on the gravel and much harder to clean.
That'll do me. I am sure a wax bath is better but I simply cant be bothered.

Thanks for posting. The video was more interesting than I thought it was going to be.

I'm just reading ZFC's "Key Learnings From Lubricant Testing"
https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-c ... g-2.3a.pdf

He makes a good case for top performance immersive waxing products. If I had something better than an old 26" rigid MTB with a cheap drive train I might consider it.

[Nobody]

Warning about the key learnings link above. It might put you off riding your bike before you get a immersion wax system, pot and 2 or 3 chains.