Velo News-Chain Lube

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

Since it has not been mentioned yet, I will put in a vote for Chain-L lube. It is everything they advertise it to be.

I have a sample bottle and yep, it lubes and quiets everything but it reminds me of 30w. Very thick and boy, does it get dirty.

[keevon]

1 part chainsaw oil to 3 parts (or so) mineral spirits. Consistency should be in the neighborhood of maple syrup. Homebrew and be done with it.

[VA-Scooter]

Very little has been said about the VELO article that seemed unbiased & scientific. It had numbers to back up that paraffin wax made your drivetrain more efficient. "The only real argument against paraffin wax is its more intensive application process. It's obviously the fastest in ideal conditions, & even in nasty conditions it is still an exceptional single-day lube." I found this surprising but have not used paraffin wax on a chain since I was a child. {a long time ago}

[Pars]

Originally Posted by cfox

LOVE Cahin-L. If you absolutely strip and dry your chain, apply a teeny weeny drop to each link, let it soak in a while, wipe the mother loving bejeezus out of it, I've found it stays clean. Super quiet chain and it lasts forever.

Agreed. If you limit the application per quote, and wipe the chain down occasionally, it doesn't seem to get any dirtier than anything else I've tried.

[drhule33]

Yeah, it (waxing) seems like a lot of trouble to go through for what seems like a pretty small amount of benefit (in terms of wattage). Maybe if your Team Sky and the mechanic does it for you, but a Joe-Schmoe like me... I'll stick with my ProGold ProLink.

[Rueda Tropical]

http://www.friction-facts.com/ultrafast-overview

[LegendRider]

If waxing truly results in a chain with the lowest friction losses, will pro teams show up to the Tour with 20 pre-waxed chains for their GC leader? Wash the bike, pop on the new chain and get your leader a few extra watts.

[morrisbenedict]

Originally Posted by Rueda Tropical

http://www.friction-facts.com/ultrafast-overview

Gotta be suspicious of so-called objective scientific studies that cost $4.95 to read them. A bit of peer-review would take these claims down, I suspect.

[thirdgenbird]

I grew up using white lighting but have debated trying chain-L but the idea of dirty chains isn't attractive. Does anyone have a happy medium they would reccomend?

[rnhood]

The key to low friction metal surfaces is PTFE. Any lube rich with it will provide excellent lubrication properties....pretty much second to none. The wax in Ultrachain appears to be the carrier for deposition and to help stabilized the PTFE and keep it in place until its embedded in the metal pores. The teflon is the key element.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

I grew up using white lighting but have debated trying chain-L but the idea of dirty chains isn't attractive. Does anyone have a happy medium they would reccomend?

I sell a bunch of prolink. I could GAS about the 'watts' lost when using it. It means if used correctly, then the __ you will not lose is $, from wasted chains and cogs.

[dancinkozmo]

i like to use velo news to wipe the excess lube from my chain....

[BdaGhisallo]

I am willing to give the wax thing a try, out of curiosity more than anything.

The real question I have is how it holds up in bad weather. If you have a rainy ride, do you need to re-wax the chain? How many miles does it take for rain to wash out the wax and render the chain sans any lubricant? I am concerned that if I get caught in the rain that I might get home with a chain that is behaving as if it had no lube on it and squeaking like hell.

The idea of an ultra clean drivetrain does sound great though.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

I sell a bunch of prolink. I could GAS about the 'watts' lost when using it. It means if used correctly, then the __ you will not lose is $, from wasted chains and cogs.

Would you reccomend fully cleaning the chain if converting from white lightning to prolink?

[pbarry]

Originally Posted by VA-Scooter

Very little has been said about the VELO article that seemed unbiased & scientific. It had numbers to back up that paraffin wax made your drivetrain more efficient. "The only real argument against paraffin wax is its more intensive application process. It's obviously the fastest in ideal conditions, & even in nasty conditions it is still an exceptional single-day lube." I found this surprising but have not used paraffin wax on a chain since I was a child. {a long time ago}

That should have been the lead phrase. Impractical for normal use. Bicycling magazine had a DIY article on paraffin 30+ years ago and I fell for it. Maybe 150 miles till my chain started squeaking. Unless you're going for the hour record, stick with your favorite lube.