# Chain and drivetrain lubricants, best and worst



## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

I ride in dry, dusty conditions over the summer months, and damp, sometimes muddy conditions over winter.

My experience so far is that I find Boeshield T9 to be the best overall drivetrain lubricant I've used. I mainly use it in the chain and whatever residual ends up on the cassette and seems to help with shifting through the gears. I get a good 3 to 4 rides before the drivetrain begins to make noise, which is incredible.










For jockey wheels, derailleur parts, dropper post, shock and fork stanchions, Triflow works well. I also use Fox Gold fork oil on stanchions occasionally.

The absolute worst lubricant I have ever used in the above conditions is WD-40 Bicycle chain lubricant.

This stuff works for less than 20 minutes in the same conditions that T9 lasts 4 days. Within 20 minutes with WD-40, the chain begins making noise, sticking and wrapping around the chainring. Absolutely terrible stuff.










What's worked for you?

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## norton05 (Sep 20, 2005)

You might want to try the non-aerosol WD40 brand bike lubes, they are my personal favorites. The Dry version works especially well for me here in bone-dry Colorado FR where most trails are dust over more dust. Wet version works well for snow rides. I've used most everything off the shelf plus DIY stuff like motor oil, dirtbike chain lube, and roadie-style melted paraffin wax dip, and the WD40 Dry is my go-to for cost, ease of use, and effectiveness.


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

norton05 said:


> You might want to try the non-aerosol WD40 brand bike lubes, they are my personal favorites. The Dry version works especially well for me here in bone-dry Colorado FR where most trails are dust over more dust. Wet version works well for snow rides. I've used most everything off the shelf plus DIY stuff like motor oil, dirtbike chain lube, and roadie-style melted paraffin wax dip, and the WD40 Dry is my go-to for cost, ease of use, and effectiveness.


I'm willing to try anything once. I wonder what makes the non aerosol WD40 lubes different? I was so thoroughly unimpressed with what I snapped the photo of above that I have to think the ingredients must be completely different.

I've been riding the same place for 22 years, and have also tried about everything out there, including DIY lubes. The above are just the opposite ends of the spectrum in all those years.

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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

Best- Dumonde Tech
Worst- not sure about worst but definitely most over rated was progold prolink

T-9 is damn good lube but Dumonde is superior yet.
I personally wouldn't use any product with solvent on bearings like jockey wheels.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

I hate wet lubes.

I have used Rock and Roll products but didn't care for them. Too much waste and my chain made noise before the ride has ended, when riding in hot and super dry/dusty conditions.
It's a daily brush/wipe/lube situation. And pouring it on like water to wipe it off while wet is pretty wasteful vs. the cost.

I've been using Squirt for a few years with good luck.

I've used Finishline dry and it was horrible, didn't last long whatsoever.

The first chainlube I purchased was T9, per a recommendation of a long time rider. I'm sure the product works fine, but it's a wet lube and I hate the mess it brings with it.

To be fair, I was okay with Rock and Roll lube on the road bike. I think I had the blue one (was meant to be a heavier duty product) and I used the MTB version which didn't seem any better than the blue (unless it was gold).


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

Dumonde Tech works ok except for very dusty conditions. It’s thick and sticky, and absorbs/ attracts dust, quickly creating a mess. It was much better winter lube as I recall. 

T9 has worked better overall for me. 


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

I use T9 and Prolink Progold interchangeably and for me they work pretty similarly. They both tend to set up to a somewhat greasy/waxy consistency that doesn't collect dust and grit anywhere near as badly as many other wet lubes, and both tend to last equally well. I use them in wet woods as well as dusty desert conditions. The worst recently was some Finishline samples I got years ago that I thought I'd finally use. It was viscous green lube and despite wiping off any excess as well as I could, my drivetrain devolved into a gritty mess in short order.


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## windsurfdog (Apr 5, 2018)

Purple Extreme...excellent for reticent zippers as well...especially gear bags that get exposure to salt water conditions.


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## sturge (Feb 22, 2009)

For 30 years I've just used Liquid Wrench chain/cable lube you can get at any autoparts store. Also use it on my motorcycle chains. Has additives that won't damage chains with seals on links. Big spray can is $5 and lasts forever.

https://www.liquidwrench.com/product/chain-cable-lube/

I give my fork and shock a squirt of Silicone spray every now and then after cleaning. Helps keep dust seals from drying out and creates a slick surface on fork tubes. Same thing...big can for $5 at any auto parts store and lasts for a long time.

https://www.liquidwrench.com/product/silicone-spray/


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## KThaxton (Jun 4, 2009)

I've found that Squirt works best in my dry, dusty conditions. 

After using the different Rock n Rolls, Dumond Tech and a few others, I found that I like waxes the best, and of those, Squirt lasts the longest.


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## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

Squirt doesn't make your drivetrain loud? I had to ditch it.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

Schulze said:


> Squirt doesn't make your drivetrain loud? I had to ditch it.


Squirt runs quiet for me. Rock n Roll was noisy.

My current conditions are quite dry, I'll use my chain brush before the next ride, and will apply a small amount of lube if I rode long, or if the trail I rode was more dry than some others.


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## rideit (Jan 22, 2004)

After 12 years of Pro-link gold, I finally migrated to Dumonde Tech DRY (yellow). It has been absolutely amazing for me with little to no residue. 3-4 rides as well (depending on stream crossings).


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## silentG (May 18, 2009)

Dumond Lite is really good (Arizona so dry and dusty), Maxima Chain Pro is also pretty good and smells like pina colada/coconuts which is pleasant and disturbing at the same time.


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## PissedOffCil (Oct 18, 2007)

Still got a stash of Chain-L after many years. Best for me when I bought a load of it, still liking it today!

Home Page Chain-L High Mileage Bicycle Chain Lubricant


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

I ordered a can of the Liquid Wrench Chain Lube - because I’m cheap, and why not. 

Not ready to fork more money over to WD40 either. 

I can’t tell if Chain-L is in business or not. They don’t apparently have any dealers anymore, but the order page still seems to work. 

Dumonde-Tech yellow is all I’ve used, and it didn’t work as well for me as the wax- based lubes. 



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## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

I find Squirt works pretty well for dry, dusty conditions. As someone recommended, apply frequently at first and it survives washing and an occasional wet creek crossing alright.

What is recommended for derailleur pivots and whatnot? Exposed der cable?


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## KThaxton (Jun 4, 2009)

Schulze said:


> Squirt doesn't make your drivetrain loud? I had to ditch it.


Nope, at least not until after several rides when it's time to lube again...at which time I simply run the chain through a chain brush then reapply. No need to clean beyond that.

As I said before, I much prefer waxes, I have not found another wax that lasts as long.


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## Vin829 (Mar 29, 2019)

Another user of Squirt. Love that stuff


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I only use chain lube made for 29ers. Much better than 27.5 lubes


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

Cleared2land said:


> I only use chain lube made for 29ers. Much better than 27.5 lubes


29er 1x lube is even better than the 2x stuff for sure!


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

Squirt? Where's that come from?


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## mthopton (Apr 17, 2015)

I like T9 as well and recently went thru a bottle of blue rock-n-roll. But like was said before, there is a lot of waste to get the lube on and the bottle didn’t last long. On my recent San Juan Hut to Hut trip, I used what was available at the huts each day and that was Tri-Flow. The conditions were moon dust dry in Western, CO and the tri-flow worked really, really well. It wiped clean after each ride and didn’t attract and abnormally large amount of grit and dirt. The SRAM 12-sp drivetrain shifted well with a drop of lube on each link after long days in the saddle in really dusty, dry conditions. Bonus, tri-flow smells like bananas!


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

WHALENARD said:


> Squirt? Where's that come from?


From the tip (of the bottle)


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## noapathy (Jun 24, 2008)

I've gone exclusively to coconut oil for all my lubrication needs just because it smells so nice and it's biodegradeable. It also makes me faster since I now have more insects to try to outrun!


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

That coconut oil is a great lube for all kinds of other lubrication needs!


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## OperatorBo (Mar 20, 2011)

SCC Slick
https://www.scctech.bike/


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

^^^definitely slick marketing, anyway.


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

^^^ 2 oz for $25! Wow. You have to commit fully to try that slick sauce out. 


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

2 oz. for $25...
I would hope I get an orgasmic, 3 day buzz for that $25


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## OperatorBo (Mar 20, 2011)

Cleared2land said:


> 2 oz. for $25...
> I would hope I get an orgasmic, 3 day buzz for that $25


HAHA yeah, I kind of thought the same thing. When my LBS that I Trust recomended it, I though, What the hell, give it a try. I've spent $25 on dumber thing in my life! to be honest, it works really well. Each aplication last 25 riding hours.in wet and dry conditions. drive train stays silent. It's pretty good stuff so far. one bottle is suppost to last 6000 miles if you apply it per the instructions.

anyway, I like it so far!


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

PissedOffCil said:


> Still got a stash of Chain-L after many years. Best for me when I bought a load of it, still liking it today!


A bottle of Chain-L lasts a long, long time. It's been like 3 years, and I'm only on my second bottle. I prefer to use the sample bottle while putting it on the chain. I rarely have to lube my commuters, and only have to put it on my mtb after like 4 - 5 rides or after I wash the bike.

Various dry lubes I'd tried before left more of a mess and required more frequent application. With Chain-L, I just lightly apply whenever the chain starts getting noisy and wipe down every so often when needed.


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## Smokee300 (Jul 8, 2014)

For you guys using T9, do you prefer liquid or the spray?


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I don't/won't use an aerosol lubricant on my bike. I don't want spray lubricant anywhere near my brakes.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Personally I use drip. The shop uses spray and uses it on all pivots and adjusters as well (jockey wheels, rim brake pivots, derailleur pivots). With a little common sense and care it's easy not to contaminate the brakes using the spray.


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

Smokee300 said:


> For you guys using T9, do you prefer liquid or the spray?


T9 for a while had issues with the spray cans where the propellant ran out when 2/3 of the lubricant had been used, leaving 1/3 of the can unusable. I have only used the squeeze bottle for this reason.

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## Smokee300 (Jul 8, 2014)

Squeeze bottle it is. FWIW, I typically use finish line on the chain, and a small amount of Wet in the winter and fall, dry in the summer early fall. I have a bottle of rock and roll gold that I've never even opened. So I should probably give that a shot.


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## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

I use WD-40 brand, water resistant silicone lube


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## boots (Aug 15, 2008)

Smokee300 said:


> Squeeze bottle it is. FWIW, I typically use finish line on the chain, and a small amount of Wet in the winter and fall, dry in the summer early fall. I have a bottle of rock and roll gold that I've never even opened. So I should probably give that a shot.


Rock n roll gold I used for years and loved but boy does it attract the dirt. Switched to rock n roll extreme (the blue one) now and it lubes well and attracts dirt less. I feel like no matter what you use, if you want silent drivetrain and perfect shifting, you gotta clean and lube often - i clean/lube chain every two rides typically.

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## KThaxton (Jun 4, 2009)

With Squirt (and most other waxes) little to no cleaning....just relube.

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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

isleblue65 said:


> T9 for a while had issues with the spray cans where the propellant ran out when 2/3 of the lubricant had been used, leaving 1/3 of the can unusable...


Yeah. It's a pain. Not all cans do it, but a significant fraction do. My LBS replaces stuck cans of T9 on the spot when you bring them in. I think they gather them up and periodically get a refund from the distributor. IDK if they've fixed that yet or not.


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## Smokee300 (Jul 8, 2014)

boots said:


> Rock n roll gold I used for years and loved but boy does it attract the dirt. Switched to rock n roll extreme (the blue one) now and it lubes well and attracts dirt less. I feel like no matter what you use, if you want silent drivetrain and perfect shifting, you gotta clean and lube often - i clean/lube chain every two rides typically.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Good to know about the Rock and Roll gold. I might just leave that un opened


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

Pretty impressed with the Liquid Wrench chain lube (thanks for the recommendation Sturge). Was good for a solid 2.5 rides, which is 1.5 rides less than T9, but lasted longer than any of the other proper bike chain lubes I’ve used. For under $4 a (11oz) can shipped from Amazon, the cost is cheaper than anything mentioned here. 

The anti-sling they advertise on the can works too. It gels or bubbles up on the chain and doesn’t drip, then the waxy residue wipes off for a pretty dry chain in 30 minutes. 


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## fredcook (Apr 2, 2009)

isleblue65 said:


> I ride in dry, dusty conditions over the summer months, and damp, sometimes muddy conditions over winter.
> 
> My experience so far is that I find Boeshield T9 to be the best overall drivetrain lubricant I've used.
> 
> What's worked for you?


I ride dry and dusty, and have only used White Lightning chain wax for many years. My experience has been chains last longer with the wax over wet lubes. I like the ability to simply add more as needed as it flakes off without the buildup of gunk you get with a wet lube. Chains clean up a lot easier too, in my opinion. I seldom ride wet/muddy, so I just use the wax on those few occasions as well without issues. If I rode more wet, I'd probably switch chain lubes by season as needed. But I'd stick with the wax when it's dry and dusty.

Everything else on the bike gets T9, although it collects dust.

BTW, I recently tried Finish Line's chain wax. Eh... not so impressed. A couple of rides and there didn't seem to be anything left. Chain got noisy on the second ride, which never normally happens.


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## GiddyHitch (Dec 1, 2009)

isleblue65 said:


> I ride in dry, dusty conditions over the summer months, and damp, sometimes muddy conditions over winter.
> 
> My experience so far is that I find Boeshield T9 to be the best overall drivetrain lubricant I've used. I mainly use it in the chain and whatever residual ends up on the cassette and seems to help with shifting through the gears. I get a good 3 to 4 rides before the drivetrain begins to make noise, which is incredible.


I ride in similar conditions but avoid riding in mud as much as possible and I just cannot stand the unholy sludge that T9 turns into after a few rides. I gets everywhere and just creates a messy drivetrain in my experience. I'm a Rock and Roll Gold guy these days.



boots said:


> Rock n roll gold I used for years and loved but boy does it attract the dirt. Switched to rock n roll extreme (the blue one) now and it lubes well and attracts dirt less. I feel like no matter what you use, if you want silent drivetrain and perfect shifting, you gotta clean and lube often - i clean/lube chain every two rides typically.


That's interesting in light of my experience with T9 mentioned above. RNR-G has been miles cleaner and I get 100 miles on 8/9/10 speed drivetrains but I'm only getting about ~65 miles on my new Eagle drivetrain before I get the squeaks. No reason for me to change at this point.


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## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

OperatorBo said:


> HAHA yeah, I kind of thought the same thing. When my LBS that I Trust recomended it, I though, What the hell, give it a try. I've spent $25 on dumber thing in my life! to be honest, it works really well. Each aplication last 25 riding hours.in wet and dry conditions. drive train stays silent. It's pretty good stuff so far. one bottle is suppost to last 6000 miles if you apply it per the instructions.
> 
> anyway, I like it so far!


I might get some but I have to work my way through the three 16oz bottles of RnR Extreme I just got since Jenson has them on sale.


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

Above I praised the Liquid Wrench chain lube - prematurely. It worked great for two rides, and then suddenly my chain began grinding and hard shifting 30 minutes into a ride after application. 

I realized I applied it over T9 with Just a wipe down of the chain with a rag. The old T9 was reactivating when applying Liquid Wrench on it, but after two Liquid Wrench Chain Lube applications, T9 had been washed away, and the Liquid Wrench was not up to the task. Just as bad as WD40 Bike Chain Lubricant in dusty, dry conditions. 

RockNRoll Extreme is on the way. The quest continues. 


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Schulze said:


> I might get some but I have to work my way through the three 16oz bottles of RnR Extreme I just got since Jenson has them on sale.


If you have any water in your area that should only take a few weeks


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## Suns_PSD (Dec 13, 2013)

Molten Wax is easily the best system for maintenance of drivetrain components imo.

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## tfinator (Apr 30, 2009)

I'm another squirt guy. Chains don't get messy. I quick wipe, allocation, let dry a bit, wipe and I'm good to go!

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## Schulze (Feb 21, 2007)

J.B. Weld said:


> If you have any water in your area that should only take a few weeks


I only ride in the dry. Wet weather is for road biking.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Schulze said:


> I only ride in the dry. Wet weather is for road biking.


I only ride in the dry on the road or trail. There are occasional stream crossings though.


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## GiddyHitch (Dec 1, 2009)

J.B. Weld said:


> If you have any water in your area that should only take a few weeks


RNR Gold definitely doesn't work in the wet but you're saying that Extreme is just as bad?


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

GiddyHitch said:


> RNR Gold definitely doesn't work in the wet but you're saying that Extreme is just as bad?


In my limited experience, pretty much. I can't recall ever finishing a ride with a quiet drivetrain while using that stuff. I'm jaded, maybe I should give it another chance.


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## KingOfOrd (Feb 19, 2005)

Am I the only one around here still using white lightning?


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

GiddyHitch said:


> ...I just cannot stand the unholy sludge that T9 turns into after a few rides. I gets everywhere and just creates a messy drivetrain in my experience.....


That's not my experience. I do wipe off as much excess as I can after generous application. My drivetrain always looks pretty clean. Other wet lubes I've tried have not worked this well.


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

GiddyHitch said:


> RNR Gold definitely doesn't work in the wet but you're saying that Extreme is just as bad?


I can confirm neither gold or Extreme were any good in dry conditions. 
To back-pedal a moment, I may not have used Gold. I had extreme for MTB and blue for road bikes. Extreme was crap, in my opinion. I wasted most of the blue, and all the Extreme by dousing the MTB chain each ride, regardless of length of ride. Once extreme was used I switched to the blue just to get rid of it.

Now.....I have been using Squirt for a long time. I recently raced in very dry condtions. My Squirt chain was very noisy before the end of day. I had recently cleaned the chain with degreaser while doing a thorough wash of the bike. A few days later I applied fresh Squirt. The following day (hadn't ridden) I applied another coat of Squirt -day before race. Wiped it clear later that night and drivetrain was silent in the morning. 
It was extreme conditions and drivetrain needs some love (haven't ridden the bike since the race).

Everybody could have different results of their favorite chain lube. Can widely depend on just how dry the conditions are, how many miles they ride, etc. Some 'dry' is different than other 'dry'. Some mud is different than other mud. blah blah blah.

Doesn't hurt to try different lubes though and make educated opinions of how long the product lasts for each person's condition.


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## Guest (Oct 13, 2019)

Schulze said:


> I only ride in the dry. Wet weather is for road biking.


I'm just the opposite...I only road ride when it's dry, and MTB more during the Winter...when there is no dust.


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## nhodge (Jul 6, 2004)

Cleared2land said:


> I don't/won't use an aerosol lubricant on my bike. I don't want spray lubricant anywhere near my brakes.


i bought a can of Liquid Wrench's chain lube & spray it in an empty plastic bike chain lube bottle. don't remember the maker, but the type you easily squeeze a drop at a time. pretty cost effective & seems to be pretty lube effective & way cheap compared the price of 4 oz bike lube


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## arnea (Feb 21, 2010)

I like Rex Domestique. Good in dry and wet. Initially needs 3-4 applications to become fully effective.


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## GiddyHitch (Dec 1, 2009)

Lone Rager said:


> That's not my experience. I do wipe off as much excess as I can after generous application. My drivetrain always looks pretty clean. Other wet lubes I've tried have not worked this well.


Interesting and funny at the same time. Lubrication is always such a hot topic of debate, and ultimately a rabbit hole, in any sufficiently mechanical endeavor, not just mountain biking. I've come to learn that if you have something that works for you and you're happy with, that's all that ultimately matters.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

GiddyHitch said:


> ... I've come to learn that if you have something that works for you and you're happy with, that's all that ultimately matters.


If that were true, it would be the end of on-line forums as we know them.


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## GiddyHitch (Dec 1, 2009)

Lone Rager said:


> If that were true, it would be the end of on-line forums as we know them.


Heaven forbid! What would I do with all of that extra time? Master the guitar? Get a solid 8-9 hours of sleep? Hang out with my wife??? Madness!


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Misplaced enthusiasm


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## fuzzymusketeer (May 22, 2019)

I use White Lightning Clean Ride. It can be bought at any Walmart for around $7. The bottle doesn't last too long, but this is all I have ever tried. I'm probably going to try something different next time though just to experiment. I have a bottle of ProGold prolink that I only use on the derailleur pivots and pedals. It seems to work really well for that, but didn't ever like the wet lubes on my mountain bike drivetrain. Wax based lubricants seem to stay quiet and it lasts longer before reapplying.


Train Wreck said:


> Am I the only one around here still using white lightning?


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## GiddyHitch (Dec 1, 2009)

Cleared2land said:


> Misplaced enthusiasm


that's what she said


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## ToYZiLLa (Feb 4, 2019)

Train Wreck said:


> Am I the only one around here still using white lightning?


I use White Lightning as well. Have been since the 90's. After reading this thread I am going to try Squirt and see how that works.

Now that winter is coming, what is everyone using for wet/muddy riding?


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