Which lube...?

What lube is the current flavor of the month?

I've been using Muc Off Dry but finding it doesn't really last long enough e.g. I did a long gravel ride yesterday on a freshly lubed chain and it was squeaky dry within 50km...

I believe Smoove is well regarded but I don't think it's available in Canada (at least at a reasonable price!)

I’m using Squirt on one bike and Mucoff dry on the other. Both bikes were see similar time out there. So far pretty similar performance in terms of longevity between reapplication. But it’s been dry. Early spring and the Squirt wasn’t so good when it was damp. Not rainy, but puddles and spring conditions. I’d see a touch of rust after a couple rides washed it off. I may go for the wet Mucoff soon. 

In the past I’ve used Prolink gold with good success and Rock n Roll blue as well.

I've been using Squirt for the last 15 years, never looked back. Works for me in all but the wettest conditions.

I've got both the wet and dry lubes from Whistler Performance Lubricants (WPL) and they work pretty well on the Shore.

I use whatever falls to hand. Triflow, Prolink Gold, etc... I'm pretty much oil based wet lube agnostic. I apply every ride in the winter [every few rides in the summer] and give the chain a quick wipe down. My drivetrains last a long time with lots of coastal all weather riding. No shifting issues on my bikes that shift. Chains stay quiet. I also use cheap-ish mid-grade chains on my cheap-ish mid-grade drivetrain parts and have no issues. It's one area of my bike I don't really spend a lot of brain power on as the admittedly pretty mediocre efforts I make have produced satisfactory results.

Posted by: niels@nsmb.com

I've been using Squirt for the last 15 years, never looked back. Works for me in all but the wettest conditions.

same same. It's been a simple process, reapply every three months or so when I know my bike is going to have 48hrs downtime then apply, let dry and ride. Bonus is an extremely clean drivetrain. I haven't had to unclog a jockey wheel for the last 4 or so years I think

I was on pro-link before  for many years but i switched to Squirt for the last few years 

I apply Squirt after every 3 rides,  its wax in water solution  so it should dry overnight before riding,  

DON't let it freeze in the bottle or the consistancey will be altered 

I like how clean it is

Posted by: Vikb

I use whatever falls to hand. Triflow, Prolink Gold, etc... I'm pretty much oil based wet lube agnostic. I apply every ride in the winter [every few rides in the summer] and give the chain a quick wipe down. My drivetrains last a long time with lots of coastal all weather riding. No shifting issues on my bikes that shift. Chains stay quiet. I also use cheap-ish mid-grade chains on my cheap-ish mid-grade drivetrain parts and have no issues. It's one area of my bike I don't really spend a lot of brain power on as the admittedly pretty mediocre efforts I make have produced satisfactory results.

This is also my approach. I'll use whatever is on sale at the shop.  I have gone away from TriFlow for off-road use since it seems to wash off quickly but otherwise just about any lube seems to do the job for me.

You can run whatever petro is on sale no problem if you run petro which I have also done in the past

but if you wana run wax and be clean you gotta clean all that shipping grease off the chain out of the box and just run just wax period

there was a can of white gas (Naptha) in my shed so i gave it a try and White gas is hands down the best chain cleaner, I coil the chain in the bottom of a jam jar and cover with an inch of White gas, in the AM the chain will be spotless and it all evaps quick

WPL wet for the winter, but I'm not super committed to it. Tried the Wolf Tooth WT-1 and didn't really see a difference.

Squirt for the summer, I love the no-clean aspect especially when it's very dry and dusty but quickly shows rust once the rain starts.

The recommended cleaning procedure for the first Squirt application is intimidating, I have always just done a basic clean on a new chain to get off the surface lube and applied the Squirt. Usually takes 2 or 3 applications for a new chain, then it's good for months.

Never had any rust issues. Are you putting the bike away wet in a poorly ventilated place?

Posted by: Squint

Squirt for the summer, I love the no-clean aspect especially when it's very dry and dusty but quickly shows rust once the rain starts.

The recommended cleaning procedure for the first Squirt application is intimidating, I have always just done a basic clean on a new chain to get off the surface lube and applied the Squirt. Usually takes 2 or 3 applications for a new chain, then it's good for months.

try the white gas

after that initial cleaning  I never clean the chain again, I just keep adding wax

Anybody remove their chains to dip in hot pots of wax AKA " the queso method " ?

For those using Squirt (or other wax solutions), how anal did you get about cleaning/de-greasing the chain before applying the wax?

I've got some MEC degreaser and some Muc-off bike cleaner. Would either of these be sufficient?

(I've also got automotive brake cleaner from Lordco or somewhere...I'm not sure whether that would be more or less powerful...)

Edit: this is a chain with a couple of hundred kms road/gravel on it, so shop grease is definitely gone and I've only used Muc Off Dry on it since

Posted by: XXX_er

You can run whatever petro is on sale no problem if you run petro which I have also done in the past

but if you wana run wax and be clean you gotta clean all that shipping grease off the chain out of the box and just run just wax period

there was a can of white gas (Naptha) in my shed so i gave it a try and White gas is hands down the best chain cleaner, I coil the chain in the bottom of a jam jar and cover with an inch of White gas, in the AM the chain will be spotless and it all evaps quick

When you refer to white gas/Naptha is that the Coleman camp fuel product or something else?  I ran squirt on my last bike and was quite happy with it.  The reason I am not using it on my current bike is that initial cleaning process - I didn't want to be without my bike for a week while I went through the whole process of cleaning the shipping grease off the chain (which took me like a week using standard bicycle chain degreasers).