Best Drive Train Oil?

[Lovacott]

I get around this by making a point of not getting down on my hands and knees and sniffing the chain.

I find that licking the chain is far more indicative.

 

[fossyant]

Once a week, on Saturday mornings, I give the bike a clean and I pay special attention to the drive train.

Afterwards, I oil it up with bog standard 3-1 oil.

However, if it's a wet week, by Wednesday, I find my drive train misbehaving itself and I end up giving it a clean and a fresh coat of 3-1.

I've heard about special winter waxes which reduce the need to constantly oil the chain.

Are they any good?

You need to oil and clean after every wet ride. Simple solution.

 

[Lovacott]

You need to oil and clean after every wet ride. Simple solution.

So far I have managed six hours of wet miles between cleaning and all I am asking is for something which might help me to extend it to 10 hours.

 

[DRM]

In a pinch when I’ve been on holiday, a bit of extra virgin olive oil has done the trick, if it’s oil and it’s slippy, it’ll be reet

 

[oldworld]

From time to time I'm tempted with some new type of purpose made lubricant but have never found one that makes chains last longer than chainsaw oil.
Like diff oil it does pong a bit. What makes a difference is the cleaner you get the chain, the longer it lasts,
I used the, put the chain in a bottle of white spirit and shake method for years.
I've now bought a small ultrasonic cleaner and use a water based detergent from Screwfix.
Cheaper and better.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Unless you are doing mega miles every week then oiling a chain once a week is overkill. Why not just oil the chain when it needs it?

 

[slowmotion]

I use Finish Line Wet. I've no idea how it stacks up against the rest but it seems to work.

 

[Profpointy]

To be honest any vaguely reasonable light oil will be fine and there's really no need to overthink this or pay too much for the stuff. Currently I'm using car engine oil as I have a load left over in the wrong grade for my car. Maybe it's a bit too thick, but it means I can use the "Mickle method" (basically just clean the chain with lubricating oil and a rag, then keep going till its clean and oiled) without worrying about how much oil i'm using. Back in the day we all used 3-in-1 as a handy light oil for this sort of thing

 

[Dan77]

I have been really happy with Rock'n Roll gold. Have only tried it briefly in the wet but it performed well when I did.

It also cleans and lubricates when applied so reduces the need for cleaning. When wiping off after application it tells you to wipe it thoroughly...you can't overdo it.

 

[Lovacott]

Unless you are doing mega miles every week then oiling a chain once a week is overkill. Why not just oil the chain when it needs it?

I'm doing muddy miles so I clean the drivetrain once a week and pop on some fresh oil.

 

[rockyroller]

smells umpleasant

fwiw - Muc-Off Bio Dry Lube smells like apples

 

[andrew_s]

I use Finish Line Ceramic Wet, which I find a bit cleaner (or less mucky) then the basic Finish Line Green (^ @slowmotion), but just as long lasting.

My experience is that there are wet lubes, which don't wash off in the rain, but pick up muck and give a chain that leaves indelible black marks on anything that touches it, and dry lubes, which are nice and clean, but which wash off at the first sign of rain, giving a squeaky chain.,

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

It's hard to see what's going on, but the chain takes a few moments longer to settle onto its selected cog when it's not well lubricated. Bit of a pain when going up hill and shifting.

I've got the indexing bang on (after many hours of watching you tube and taking advice from others on here).

The lube I use (3-1) is good but I just wanted to know if there was something better?

Have you checked that the chain isn't worn/stretched? I've found that poor changes are often a sign of a worn chain

 

[Johnsco]

The oil can in the cellar sits next to a 5-litre container of car engine oil.
When the oil can is empty, it gets refilled.
I use this for the chain, DR pivots and other general pivot points.
When I need a good penetrating oil, I use Unicorn Unilease.
For packing bearings, I use Millers Millergrease WG2 waterproof grease or Castrol LM.
Anything that I'm going to have to unscrew or take apart, I coat with Rocol "Never-seize" on assembly.
WD40 is wonderful for what it was designed for .... as a water dispersant. It does have some penetrating properties and can be used for VERY-LIGHT lubrication.
For chain lubrication, it's not a sh*ts-worth of use.
[My dad was the UK agent for WD40 when it was first introduced into the UK, having been developed for keeping dampness out of the electronic systems in the Atlas Missile program].
For chains ... Oil it - Use it - Clean it (when it needs it).
Don't be too-precious about it.

 

[LJR69]

I'm currently using a hydra carbon based lube. I initially didn't like it when I was applying it to the chain as it's very thin, and you do have to leave about three hours before you go riding with it, but bloody hell it doesn't half make your chain quiet and lasts a couple of mtb trail rides and washes (you can test as it shines under a uv light), and about week's worth of riding on my road bike - probably more tbh but I just tend to only let it go that long. Great stuff (imo). I also have PTFE and wet lubes because...well, there's no such thing as having too much oil, spray, grease stuff in your bike shed