# A great chain lube for ebikes.



## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

I've been using Maxima chain wax for a long time now. One can will last for years. Only need to apply like once a month. Spray on and wipe. Let dry. Holds up to moon dust. Doesn't wash off in water like Teflon lubes. Works great for ice biking. Since the ebike chain is under extra torque than a chain on a conventional bike it makes sense that your chain lube is critical. At 1500 miles on a KMC chain my park tool gauge was just at the .75 wear mark. You'll thank me. Available at your local moto store or online.

Cheers

https://www.amazon.com/Maxima-74920-Chain-Wax-Aerosol/dp/B0012TZ1RU


----------



## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

Thanks for the recommendation! Ive been using Rock&Roll chain lube for all of the 1300 miles on my KMC X10e chain. It was at the 1.00 wear by the time I replaced my chain and cassette.

I’ll give Maxima a try, does it do a good job of keeping the chain clean too?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

I would say the chain stays clean. I used the Maxima for years on my dirtbike. One time I ran out of the Teflon lube that I was using for my mountain bike and decided to try the Maxima on the bicycle. 

My chain is the KMC X11EL. Longevity seems to be way better than the tons of SRAM chains that I have used. The local LBSs around here don't seem to carry KMC so I got several online from the UK at Merlin cycles . They could actually ship one to Utah from the UK for cheaper than I could get a SRAM here. I don't really like that a tool is needed to get the quick link apart but what can you do. I've repaired a broken KMC chain with a SRAM 11sp power link and keep spare power links in my camelbak. 

I replaced my SRAM 1150 cassette at around 1900 miles. It didn't have any perceived wear compared with the new cassette but it had a bent tooth. Maybe a rock or improper shifting I don't know. The tooth actually flipped upside down. It ran for around 1000 miles like that but I figured I was pushing my luck and changed it out. LOL


----------



## rocky.289 (Oct 7, 2017)

I use Squirt.
Got a KMC X10e EPT chain comming up to 8k on a Haibike SDURO Fullnine.


----------



## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

8K on the same chain? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

8K sounds pretty good. Have you put a chain gauge on it? I noticed that you can get 3-4 times the amount of Maxima for the price of Squirt. The Maxima also comes with a straw and is pressurized. My riding weight (rider plus bike and gear) is around 250-260 lbs for reference and my rides hit 2-3000 ft of climbing. I have also heard good things about Squirt.


----------



## rocky.289 (Oct 7, 2017)

Chain gauge shows very little wear.
The gears arnt too bad either.
My weight is around 140 so that may make a big difference.


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Why would you need a moto chain lube on a bike that isn't motorised and is no more powerful than a standard pedal bike?


----------



## Austin-nc (Apr 18, 2018)

I use maxima on my non e bikes and my motorcycles. Didn't see a reason to buy 2 different kinds of lube, I've always used the wax on motorcycles as it doesn't fling off the chain making a mess and water beads off better. If it works for motor bikes it will work for bicycles far less load and stress

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

Austin-nc said:


> I use maxima on my non e bikes and my motorcycles. Didn't see a reason to buy 2 different kinds of lube..


Of course that makes sense. I'm just curious why mountain bikers almost always use dedicated MTB/bike lubricant yet someone is recommending a lube aimed at motorbikes for eBikes. Why would an eBike need a specific lube? Surely a standard MTB lube would be fine?

The two things that are trotted out time and time again in arguments with eBike advocates is 1, an eBike is not a motorised vehicle and 2, an eBike is no more powerful than a regular MTB with a fit rider. If these things are true, why would eBikes need a 'best' chain lube? surely it would just be the same lube as any other bicycle?


----------



## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

Some moto lubes for o-ring chains gunk up the chain. This one doesn't. I find it laughable that some purists have no life and actually want to debate chain lube in an ebike forum. Ebikes are heavy, I am heavy, I carry extra gear, an ebike has extra torque. A clean chain with good lube is paramount on an ebike. Try climbing an 18% grade in granny gear under full torque as a Clyde.


----------



## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Giant Warp said:


> I find it laughable that some purists have no life and actually want to debate chain lube in an ebike forum.


Especially during a debate about chain lube. Sheeez, some people.


----------



## rocky.289 (Oct 7, 2017)

It's worth debating if you can save having to buy new componants.
I have a friend who had the same bike as me & used only wet chain lube.
We both ride the same trails & he went through several chains, cassette & chainwheel while I was still on the original. We are similar weights too.
Have another friend with a large motorbike & he uses Maxima.
We discussed the possibility of using it on my ebike.
He thought it would be ideal on a road bike but not so good for off road.
He had an occation to travel some distance on a gravel road & found the dust tended to stick to the lubricant.


----------



## Double Butted (Jan 27, 2015)

Mr Pig said:


> Of course that makes sense. I'm just curious why mountain bikers almost always use dedicated MTB/bike lubricant yet someone is recommending a lube aimed at motorbikes for eBikes. Why would an eBike need a specific lube? Surely a standard MTB lube would be fine?
> 
> The two things that are trotted out time and time again in arguments with eBike advocates is 1, an eBike is not a motorised vehicle and 2, an eBike is no more powerful than a regular MTB with a fit rider. If these things are true, why would eBikes need a 'best' chain lube? surely it would just be the same lube as any other bicycle?


Assuming you're just an inexperienced cyclist and this isn't just another sad attempt at a troll and thread derailment.... Lots of people use moto lube on cyclocross and gravel bikes as well as MTB's. Some people even chainsaw bar oil. If you do a search on MTBR you'll find dozens of threads discussing motorcycle oil on chains.


----------



## Double Butted (Jan 27, 2015)

rocky.289 said:


> I use Squirt.


+1 I've had pretty good luck with it on all my bikes.


----------



## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

Giant Warp said:


> I've been using Maxima chain wax for a long time now. One can will last for years. Only need to apply like once a month. Spray on and wipe. Let dry. Holds up to moon dust. Doesn't wash off in water like Teflon lubes. Works great for ice biking. Since the ebike chain is under extra torque than a chain on a conventional bike it makes sense that your chain lube is critical. At 1500 miles on a KMC chain my park tool gauge was just at the .75 wear mark. You'll thank me. Available at your local moto store or online.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Maxima-74920-Chain-Wax-Aerosol/dp/B0012TZ1RU


Yup. I have used that on my motorcycles works great for motorsports applications. :thumbsup:


----------



## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

Curious as to why I would feel the need to use different lube on a bicycle chain just because is has a motor assisting it?

Are ebike chains not still bicycle chains (just more robustly constructed)?


----------



## Mr Pig (Jun 25, 2008)

jeffj said:


> Curious as to why I would feel the need to use different lube on a bicycle chain just because is has a motor assisting it?


This is my point. Yes, I am trolling but we are constantly being told that eBikes are the same as pedal bikes. They are not motorized and no more powerful than a regular bike.

If these things are true then why would you ask for an ebike specific chain lube? And doesn't it seem odd that the first thing recommended is a lube designed for motorbikes?


----------



## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

jeffj said:


> Curious as to why I would feel the need to use different lube on a bicycle chain just because is has a motor assisting it?
> 
> Are ebike chains not still bicycle chains (just more robustly constructed)?


It is the same regular bicycle chain. If I ride a regular bike for 10 miles in the moon dust, then a low grade lube might work just fine for one ride. If I ride an ebike for 20-30 miles in moon dust or wet snow then better lube is needed. You could spray on some Maxima and head to Moab for the weekend without any need to apply more lube on your trip. If you show up to Moab with a wet chain you will pretty much ruin your drive train. I've actually seen people post that they kept some type of lube in their camelbak for really long epic rides. The Maxima will prevent that. There are probably lot's of other similiar moto lubes, I only posted the one that I liked and could back up with a chain gauge measurement.

So who is saying ebikes don't have more torque than regualr bikes? I haven't seen those posts. If the purist is having trouble with this then I suggest they might want to look up the difference between torque and speed. They are not the same thing. Low powered ebikes have plenty of low gear torque. They do not have high end torque, will fall on their face at the first sign of a hill, and are limited by not only a speed governor but are also gear bound. Contrary to the wisdom of the purist, speed hacks do not magically give the motor more torque at high speed and they don't magically change the gearing of a bike from mountain bike gearing to road bike gearing. Please see attached photo of what a low powered ebike is really like. Climbs steep hills, can't reach freeway speed.

Cheers


----------



## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Giant Warp said:


> So who is saying ebikes don't have more torque than regualr bikes?
> 
> Cheers


No one, you threw it out there.


----------



## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

GW, thanks for the tip. I've had good service from Squirt (qualitatively since I didn't compare the "mileage" for a bunch of lubes), but I'll try yours when the Squirt is exhausted. Should make sense for my territory since we receive precipitation very infrequently.


----------



## Outerlimits (Jan 6, 2018)

Maxima chain wax is for bikes too. Not just motorbikes.


----------

