# anyone use wd-40 bicycle chain lube?



## LONO100 (Jan 10, 2012)

Hi all, just wondering if any one had thoughts or experiences usimg wd-40 chain lube. Ive been seeing it on the shelves at my local shops but have always gone with other brands like white lighting. The reason i ask is that i do some mechanical engineering work and i use a lot of different lubes including lithium grease. I recently got a can of the wd -40 stuff and its the best lithium grease ive ever used. Any info would be aweome, thanks.


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

I have found their wet/dry lube to be comparable to the finish line wet/dry:green/red lube.


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## sasquatch rides a SS (Dec 27, 2010)

I got a free bottle to test out earlier this year. I do not suggest buying it. It is the dirtiest chain lubricant I have ever seen. It collects a ton of dirt and turns black and gritty very quickly. I've always used Rock 'n' Roll and absolutely love it. RnR is self cleaning, stays clean and keeps my chain quiet. The WD-40 does the exact opposite. The only other complaint I have is the odor of the WD-40 lube. It may not bother some, but after coming home with the bottle and cleaning/lubing every chain in my garage with it, the garage stunk of it. Like I said, it may not bother some, but if you store your bikes inside the house you will definitely smell it, even with just one bike/application.


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## Ride-Aid (May 20, 2013)

sasquatch rides a SS said:


> I got a free bottle to test out earlier this year. I do not suggest buying it. It is the dirtiest chain lubricant I have ever seen. It collects a ton of dirt and turns black and gritty very quickly. I've always used Rock 'n' Roll and absolutely love it. RnR is self cleaning, stays clean and keeps my chain quiet. The WD-40 does the exact opposite. The only other complaint I have is the odor of the WD-40 lube. It may not bother some, but after coming home with the bottle and cleaning/lubing every chain in my garage with it, the garage stunk of it. Like I said, it may not bother some, but if you store your bikes inside the house you will definitely smell it, even with just one bike/application.


+1 to everything Sasquatch said.

Rock and Roll Gold Chainlube is the best!


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## customfab (Jun 8, 2008)

sasquatch rides a SS said:


> I got a free bottle to test out earlier this year. I do not suggest buying it. It is the dirtiest chain lubricant I have ever seen. It collects a ton of dirt and turns black and gritty very quickly. I've always used Rock 'n' Roll and absolutely love it. RnR is self cleaning, stays clean and keeps my chain quiet. The WD-40 does the exact opposite. The only other complaint I have is the odor of the WD-40 lube. It may not bother some, but after coming home with the bottle and cleaning/lubing every chain in my garage with it, the garage stunk of it. Like I said, it may not bother some, but if you store your bikes inside the house you will definitely smell it, even with just one bike/application.


How clean were the chains before you lubed them with the WD-40? I've been a dumonde fan for years and the one thing I've noticed as that it doesn't play well with other lubes. So if there is something else on the chain in even a small quantity it can get pretty messy like you experienced with the WD40. But if the chain is sano it's the greatest thing out there. I don't remember the last time I did anything more than wipe my mountain bike chain down with a rag. It's not a great lube for really wet conditions though.


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## sasquatch rides a SS (Dec 27, 2010)

customfab said:


> How clean were the chains before you lubed them with the WD-40? I've been a dumonde fan for years and the one thing I've noticed as that it doesn't play well with other lubes. So if there is something else on the chain in even a small quantity it can get pretty messy like you experienced with the WD40. But if the chain is sano it's the greatest thing out there. I don't remember the last time I did anything more than wipe my mountain bike chain down with a rag. It's not a great lube for really wet conditions though.


I cleaned the chains beforehand in a solvent tank to prevent this from happening. I also used the WD-40 exclusively for about a month to really test it out. I was not impressed.


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## wickerman1 (Dec 24, 2003)

I use White Lightning Clean Ride...excellent stuff. dries like a wax and actually takes the dirt off with it as it comes off the chain...yes you have to lube more often but the chain remains very clean.


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## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

customfab said:


> How clean were the chains before you lubed them with the WD-40? I've been a dumonde fan for years and the one thing I've noticed as that it doesn't play well with other lubes. So if there is something else on the chain in even a small quantity it can get pretty messy like you experienced with the WD40. But if the chain is sano it's the greatest thing out there. I don't remember the last time I did anything more than wipe my mountain bike chain down with a rag. It's not a great lube for really wet conditions though.


+1. Use Dumonde and nothing else if you can. It does a great job binding to the surface of the metal, but it gets messed up in the presence of other solvents.

How do you prep your chain? I usually give mine a soak in paint thinner (or isopropyl alcohol.) leaving the factory grease in the links has yielded some mediocre results so I try to get the chain as clean as possible before applying the Dumonde.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

I used WD40 on a bike chain that wouldn't bend. It worked great busting up the rust and bringing an old abandoned bike back from the dead. That's the only time I'd use it on a bike though. Too sticky/grit collecting for anything else.


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## SandSpur (Mar 19, 2013)

another thread for reference: 
http://forums.mtbr.com/general-discussion/wd-40-offically-entering-chain-lube-market-814567.html


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## jtmartino (Jul 31, 2008)

watts888 said:


> I used WD40 on a bike chain that wouldn't bend. It worked great busting up the rust and bringing an old abandoned bike back from the dead. That's the only time I'd use it on a bike though. Too sticky/grit collecting for anything else.


OP is talking about the WD40 brand of bike-specific chain lube. Different than regular WD-40.

And for future reference, Evapo-rust is magic.


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## zephxiii (Aug 12, 2011)

I've been using the WD-40 Dry and it works a lot better than Prolink Gold. A lot better. My chain is pretty dirty too though


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## GRAVELBIKE (Oct 7, 2006)

I am a huge fan of the WD-40 family of bike products. I reviewed the lubes and cleaners, which you can read here.


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## ShopMechanic (May 9, 2009)

I've been using the WD-40 dry lube for the past 4 months and I like it quite a bit. I was surprised by the performance because I generally don't like dry lubes. The trick is to not use too much. If you go overboard on the application it gets oily and messy. As far as durability goes, I get 2-3 rides worth of lubrication out of each application. It does attract a little dirt but the dirt comes off so easily that I don't mind.


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## marathon marke (Sep 26, 2012)

sasquatch rides a SS said:


> The only other complaint I have is the odor of the WD-40 lube. It may not bother some, but after coming home with the bottle and cleaning/lubing every chain in my garage with it, the garage stunk of it. Like I said, it may not bother some, but if you store your bikes inside the house you will definitely smell it, even with just one bike/application.


A guy at our shop started using it a while back. One day I walked by him and thought, "Mike sure went heavy on the cologne this morning!". A little while later I realized it was the WD-40 chain lube. The stuff has a very unique odor, and I have to believe that the company added this scent intentionally. Well, I got a free bottle myself and used it on one of my bikes. I had the bike in our hallway and the odor was very strong, again, like a men's cologne. Then the next day it seemed the odor had changed. Not quite as pleasant, almost like urine.


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## SandSpur (Mar 19, 2013)

marathon marke said:


> A guy at our shop started using it a while back. One day I walked by him and thought, "Mike sure went heavy on the cologne this morning!". A little while later I realized it was the WD-40 chain lube. The stuff has a very unique odor, and I have to believe that the company added this scent intentionally. Well, I got a free bottle myself and used it on one of my bikes. I had the bike in our hallway and the odor was very strong, again, like a men's cologne. Then the next day it seemed the odor had changed. Not quite as pleasant, almost like urine.


Sorry, I couldnt find the restroom....


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