Chain lube suggestion please

Marke

Member
Jun 17, 2018
114
71
West Yorkshire
After 18 months and 2500 km's I'm still loving my trek powerfly..... although it does seem to be drinking muc off chain lube like its going out of fashion.

5 to 10 euros for 120ml does seem a little excessive. Anyone got any better value suggestions? Can I use my motocross bike chain lube?
 

Madmatt75

Member
Nov 22, 2018
43
58
London
Keep your muc off bottle and fill it with gear oil. It’s much cheaper than “specific “ lubes. I use it on my triumph speed triple and bicycle chains with no problems. Just don’t use too much.
 

Marke

Member
Jun 17, 2018
114
71
West Yorkshire
Car/ motorbike gearbox oil would be perfect as it's cheap as chips. Not sure if it's sticky enough though - i thought it might get thrown off as the chain goes round. Maybe motorbike chain lube in a muc off container? I thought their might be a oil expect on here. To be honest i don't have a clue.
 

outerlimits

E*POWAH BOSS
Founding Member
Feb 3, 2018
1,241
1,574
Australia
Throw some candles in a saucepan and heat to liquid over a low heat. Add a bit of paraffin oil to the mix. Add chain and cook it. Cool, wipe off excess wax, refit and go ride.
 

Darren Bacon

New Member
Feb 12, 2019
46
17
nottinghamshire
Car/ motorbike gearbox oil would be perfect as it's cheap as chips. Not sure if it's sticky enough though - i thought it might get thrown off as the chain goes round. Maybe motorbike chain lube in a muc off container? I thought their might be a oil expect on here. To be honest i don't have a clue.
I use gear oil. Apply with old tooth brush
 

Jamsxr

E*POWAH Master
Mar 30, 2019
518
632
Surrey
Recently switched from Muck Off to Pedro’s, it’s not any cheaper but it’s a far better product in my option. It attracts far less dirt/crap, meaning the chain + cassette don’t need cleaning as often and last longer.
 

Bndit

Active member
Jul 14, 2022
147
191
Finland
I`m a lazy guy so don`t want to lube my chains so often. i have found that Peaty`s all weather lube is best for that. It stays on for ”long” time and doesn`t attract dirt. I wash my chains with same muc off that my bike, dry them with muc off 94 after the wash and then lube them.
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,105
4,636
Weymouth
cleaning the chain is far more important than what lube to use. Regardless whether you use Mucoff or 3in1 it is not lack of lubrication that causes wear on the pins and rollers............it is dust/sand/mud etc. Far too much advice on this topic derives from road bikes that are not used in dirt, and for them a longer lasting lube with far less need to clean makes sense. For MTB if you want a chain to last it needs to be kept clean.............and just wiping it achieves nothing!!
 

Vaau839

Member
Mar 31, 2020
8
12
Uk
cleaning the chain is far more important than what lube to use. Regardless whether you use Mucoff or 3in1 it is not lack of lubrication that causes wear on the pins and rollers............it is dust/sand/mud etc. Far too much advice on this topic derives from road bikes that are not used in dirt, and for them a longer lasting lube with far less need to clean makes sense. For MTB if you want a chain to last it needs to be kept clean.............and just wiping it achieves nothing!!
Just don't use Mucoff and you're already ahead of the game by a lot. Wax, drip wax in all conditions is the reason why components last at least 5x longer compared to Mucoff
 

paquo

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2018
463
282
usa
cleaning the chain is far more important than what lube to use. Regardless whether you use Mucoff or 3in1 it is not lack of lubrication that causes wear on the pins and rollers............it is dust/sand/mud etc. Far too much advice on this topic derives from road bikes that are not used in dirt, and for them a longer lasting lube with far less need to clean makes sense. For MTB if you want a chain to last it needs to be kept clean.............and just wiping it achieves nothing!!
this is why i use either clean ride or squirt wax often.No need to clean before application, takes 2 or 3 minutes and bike shifts perfectly again
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
692
428
Belgium
cleaning the chain is far more important than what lube to use. Regardless whether you use Mucoff or 3in1 it is not lack of lubrication that causes wear on the pins and rollers............it is dust/sand/mud etc. Far too much advice on this topic derives from road bikes that are not used in dirt, and for them a longer lasting lube with far less need to clean makes sense. For MTB if you want a chain to last it needs to be kept clean.............and just wiping it achieves nothing!!
It actually the bad lubes that attracts twice as much dirt what causes the faster wear rates. In that case a lube that attract less dirt and contamination is more important then a super clean chain
 

oceanskipper

Member
Feb 17, 2021
38
5
North East
Putoline chain wax - applied hot (90 degrees)via a small deep fat fryer. Whole drivetrain lasts many times longer (I currently have a chain with 2500 miles on it showing less then .5 chain wear) . It stays fairly clean and lasts for ages between waxings.
 

Hobo Mikey

E*POWAH Elite
Subscriber
May 22, 2020
948
2,476
Where ever
GT 85 My bike gets washed down after every ride and then apply GT 85 on chain. (y) I was thinking of trying something else like Peatys. Link lube.
 
Last edited:

jimbob

Active member
Aug 3, 2020
517
427
East UK
Putoline chain wax - applied hot (90 degrees)via a small deep fat fryer. Whole drivetrain lasts many times longer (I currently have a chain with 2500 miles on it showing less then .5 chain wear) . It stays fairly clean and lasts for ages between waxings.
How far do you go between waxes? I'm currently doing it every 100 miles which I think is too frequently.
 

Tony4wd

Active member
Subscriber
Aug 3, 2022
208
169
Australia
Oils attract dirt and the chain and sprockets turn into a gunky mess. I switched to Rock n Roll wax products and the drive train stays clean and my chain seems to be lasting well.
 

oceanskipper

Member
Feb 17, 2021
38
5
North East
How far do you go between waxes? I'm currently doing it every 100 miles which I think is too frequently.
I probably do it every 150 or so in the winter and maybe 300 in the summer. Depends on what sort of conditions I’ve been out in. Tbh I could probably leave it longer as it never gets to the point where the chain is noisy. I think last summer I did it once and I do 50 miles a week.

I run two chains and alternate them so I’ve always got one ready to switch over.
 

Ark

Active member
Mar 8, 2023
384
322
Newcastle Upon Tyne
GT 85 My bike gets washed down after every ride and then apply GT 85 on chain. (y) I was thinking of trying something else like Peatys. Link lube.
Pretty sure it's not thick enough to really help, especially on an ebike.
that telfon layer is leaves behind must be like 0.01microns thick
works great for polishing a frame though, especially if you have a gloss finish, it will make the frame look brand new, works good on plastics too
 

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