winter chain lube

currently using Triflow , but will be swapping to Phils or similar , Triflow can wash off in really wet conditions . Phils will be more maintenance as it will collect muck, but it,s better than a forzen link from it rusting .

http://www.philwood.com/products/gohc/oilngrease.php

I've been using chain bar oil the last few winters (and sometimes in the summer too). Good adhesion and unbelievably cheap compared to bike sized lubricants. You do need to clean your chain somewhat regularly as it attracts debris. I've used the Phil Tenacious oil in the past and it has the same tradeoff (sticks well to the chain but debris also sticks to it).

It will leave an oil slick on your driveway if you blast it directly with high pressure water but a thinner lube probably washed off while you were still out on the trail...

Triflow hasn't worked for me in winter conditions. Washes off too easily and you're left with a noisy, unprotected drivetrain halfway through the ride. Can be a decent summer lube and slightly less drivetrain friction vs the thick lubes.

WPL Chain boost.

Pro link Gold. It’s a heavy oil like Phil’s but thinned down a lot with mineral spirits. The thin nature allows the oil to get in to the rollers but the mineral spirits evaporate leaving heavy oil where it’s needed. Chain saw oil or Phil’s won’t easily get where it’s needed and will stick to the outside of the chain where dirt will stick and be messy. I’ve used Rock n Roll extreme in the past as well. It is similar in that a thin carrier fluid takes the heavier lubricant into the chain and evaporate. I may offend some folks but really, Phil’s is absolute shit.

anybody try a wax based lube? I went with Squirt from MEC and it worked good, really clean but theres  2 ft of snow now so bikes in the shed

i've used the wax,it works well. it's kind of like the stuff thats on the chain out of the box.

I hate the stuff that comes with new chains, sticky, not easy to get it off, and attracts dirt and grime like nobody's business. I used White Lightning wax based lube years ago with similar results

I like to use Triflow year around, when it's really wet and mucky out I'll put on a light coat of Phils to help protect the Triflow'd rollers

Posted by: FLATCH

i've used the wax,it works well. it's kind of like the stuff thats on the chain out of the box.

I think they put grease on chains from the mfger not wax ? I used to just soak a new chain down with Pro gold and run it like that, whatever was on the chain comes off

I used progold from MEC for many years but when I decided to go wax I used the chain cleaner device and Brakeklean to get every bit of grease/oil out of the chain and started using Squirt, makes for a really clean drive train but I did wonder how it worked in the muddiest conditions ???

I left my bottle in the shed and it froze so now the stuff is more like toothpaste than a liquid so maybe wax lubes don't like to be frozen?

next season I am gona squeeze it on to the chain and hit it with the heat gun to melt it in there

thats another thing about wax it runs cleaner doesnt end up on the bike

Way back in the day when i was young and broke I found a bottle of 90W gear oil in the basement so i mixed a little solvent in with it t for a carrier to thin it  out and put it on my Dirtbike chain, I think it worked, it also  got flung around the bike and on me

Posted by: Cabana76

WPL Chain boost.

For the win.

Ride, rinse bike and drivetrain with a hose, dry the chain with a rag, lube chain and repeat.

Posted by: Dean-W

Posted by: Cabana76

WPL Chain boost.

For the win.

Ride, rinse bike and drivetrain with a hose, dry the chain with a rag, lube chain and repeat.

Do you use it year round? If it washes off easily and doesn't attract a lot of gunk into the drivetrain then I am sold.

I'm a big fan of WPL Fork Boost and their philosophy in general so I want to give this a try. I've got a bunch of random bottles of Muc-off Wet, WD40 wet and dry etc. that I need to get through first.

Used it last for a full season. No problems. 

I also like their fork boost.

Feels good to support a local company

Posted by: grambo

Posted by: Dean-W

Posted by: Cabana76

WPL Chain boost.

For the win.

Ride, rinse bike and drivetrain with a hose, dry the chain with a rag, lube chain and repeat.

Do you use it year round? If it washes off easily and doesn't attract a lot of gunk into the drivetrain then I am sold.

I'm a big fan of WPL Fork Boost and their philosophy in general so I want to give this a try. I've got a bunch of random bottles of Muc-off Wet, WD40 wet and dry etc. that I need to get through first.

Yes I use it year round.  It washes off easily with little gunk.

If you do not spray it off after every ride or two it does get gunky...just spray your bike down and your chain is clean again, love the stuff.

Not the best for your commuter bike, but great for your mountain bike.

Reviving this thread given the current weather.

I switched to squirt this spring and haven't looked back. The only pain is getting all the oil out of the chain in the first place. I was wondering what experiences people have had with squirt in the winter months?

I've been reading about molten wax on roadie websites. The data on the improvement in efficiency and chain wear is really impressive. The worst lubes get 2000-4000k where molten wax will go 12000-15000! I never thought about the friction in a chain but they claim that the friction of all the bearings on a bike combined is nothing compared to that of the chain.

After reading their data, I feel bad for my chains. I expect our winters are off the chart with regards to chain wear. I am starting to think a rohloff with a perfect chain line may negate the loss of efficiency in a rohloff given how much crap gets in our chains and the awful chainlines making for a lot of friction.