A basic guide to lubrication
Good drivetrain maintenance can make a real difference to ride enjoyment, the key to this is looking after your chain. If you choose the right lubrication and put in the groundwork you will enjoy many miles of silent riding and slick gear changing.
Personally, I prefer to spend the time riding my bike over cleaning it, however I do make sure that I keep my chain and all the things it interacts with clean and well lubricated, choosing the right lube for the conditions is almost as important as putting lube on in the first place and there is no “one size fits all” solution. Whilst the world of lubrication is absolutely huge, the information below will help you to make an informed decision on the basics.
Wet lubes – Wet lubes (as the name would suggest) are oil based lubes that once applied remain wet & oily. Wet lubes are all weather lubes that due to their oily nature help to repel water in wet conditions. However wet lubes allow dirt and grime to stick to them so require regular cleaning and re-application. You might want to use a lube like this during the colder months but as the weather starts to dry out, you might want to consider a dry lube.
Dry Lubes – These are lubes that come in liquid form but are designed to dry out, leaving a low friction compound attached to your chain. They don’t attract dirt and grime like wet lube however they do wash off your chain when it gets wet meaning you will need to clean your chain and re-apply if you get caught out in a summer shower! Both wet and dry lubes require a rinse and re-application at regular intervals, the interval will vary depending on the conditions you've been riding in, but they don't require the meticulous preparation that a wax based lube would require.
Wax & Ceramic Lubes – These are more of a long-term solution providing longer lasting chain protection and lubrication in for all conditions. They do, require a little more prep work than wet and dry lubes though so depending on how much time you want to spend maintaining your bike you might just opt for a standard dry lube. As the names suggest, these lubes contain wax and/or ceramic elements to help provide long lasting lubrication for the drivetrain. However, to give these elements the best chance of adhering to your chain, you need to make sure that your chain is completely clean and free of any other lubricants before you start, otherwise that nice slippy buttery wax or ceramic compound is just going to flake off leaving your chain unprotected and squeaking away like a flock agitated budgerigars.
So which do I choose?
Which lube you choose really depends on how happy you are maintaining your bike. Personally I don’t worship my bikes, I just enjoy riding them (Plus I have two demanding young children). As such I would give them (the bikes, not the kids) a quick once over with a hose pipe after every ride and a good clean down once or twice a year – possibly more depending on how the weather has been. Because of this, I tend to use wet/ dry lube because it means I can just give my drivetrain a quick rinse at the end of a mucky ride (or not at all if it’s been dry) and re-apply new lube without really worrying about anything else.
If you’re a bit more meticulous and don’t have children you will probably want to go for a wax/ceramic lube, they will give you more miles between re-applying and are relatively resistant to dirt and grime meaning if you get caught out in a shower or do the odd ride that’s a bit muddy, you don’t need to worry too much about re-applying after a ride, you will just need to be able to judge when it’s time for a top-up. The down side particularly with wax is that you will really want to start with a new chain and make sure that it is completely clean before you start applying. Depending on the kind of wax you choose will determine how you carry out the process but you will want to leave your chain to dry overnight for maximum protection. The world of wax is quite broad so i will inevitably do an article about that at some point.
All Weather Lube?
Well, because we sell Juice Lubes on our site, I’d like to talk about Juice Lubes Viking Juice all weather lube. This was developed specifically for the Paris-Roubaix but is suited to any conditions that you can throw at it. Viking juice is similar to a dry lube but with the added protection of a wet lube. Juice Lubes recommend that you apply at least four times the fist time before use leaving a few hours between coats , however. Once you’ve done the ground work, you treat it like a normal wet lube and just give it a hose down and re-application after your ride. I’ve only recently started using it and I’m only cycling on the turbo trainer at the moment so I’m yet to give it a proper challenge however I’m looking forward to seeing how it performs over the next few months. Currently, it's super slick though!
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