Wet Lube....isn't it just a dirt magnet?

[grellboy]

Just replaced my sharks tooth chainset on my cx, my own fault due to my own shabby maintenance routine. Anyway, have turned over a new leaf (honest!) And have promised myself to keep on top of cleaning. I have 100% success rate so far! However, it occurred to me what applying the wet lube that surely this could be part of the problem. Doesn't it's sticky nature actually attract dust and dirt, thus exacerbating the problem? I know dry lube has it's place, but why exactly is wet considered superior for most if the year? Please bear in my mind that I'm asking this in relation to off road/trail riding on a cx, rather than just the straightforward grime of the road.

 

[mjr]

Yep, dirt magnet, unusable in coastal areas IMO. I don't go any thicker than "all weather" and that seems to remain liquid in the barely subzero we get here.

 

[grellboy]

Yep, dirt magnet, unusable in coastal areas IMO. I don't go any thicker than "all weather" and that seems to remain liquid in the barely subzero we get here.

That makes sense. I live a stone's throw from the beach on the East coast.

 

[fossyant]

Wet lube is better in mucky conditions, dry lube just collects it all into a mass. MTB - wet lube, road, no muck, dry, winter wet.

 

[si_c]

It's a difficult one. I try and adjust my lubricant to the weather. During summer I'll often use dry lube, but I have to carry some with me as even a modest downpour can strip it from the chain and that's not a good thing. Wet lube sticks to the chain much better in inclement weather I just ensure that I give the chain a good wipe down after riding, and then during winter I'll throw it in the sonic cleaner once every week or so.

FWIW I live right by the coast also, and never really noticed much build up of grit/sand unless riding on paths right next to the beach.

 

[Moodyman]

Wet lube year round. The key is to oil the bushings only and clean off the excess once it seeped into the rollers.

 

[ColinJ]

As for chainsaw oil ...

(Several people recommended it but I found it horribly gloopy and ended up with strings of it all over the back of my bike.)

 

[iandg]

My lube of choice in the Outer Hebrides (Finish Line tho' not Muc Off)

 

[smutchin]

As @Moodyman says, you’re supposed to wipe off the excess from the outside.

I thought everyone round these parts was a devotee of the @mickle school of chain cleaning, but I guess not.

unusable in coastal areas

As someone who lives by the coast, I’d say that’s nonsense.

 

[mjr]

As someone who lives by the coast, I’d say that’s nonsense.

Bit naughty of you to edit out where I put "in my opinion". I lived by the Wash and I've lived by the Bristol Channel and wet lubs has given very poor results in both places. You can have a different opinion if you like but I won't use wet lube while there's anything else in the shed.

 

[NorthernDave]

I use wet lube (Muc Off C3 Ceramic) year round.
Just mickle the chain every couple of weeks, or more often if needed. No problem.

I've tried dry lube during the summer and it's fine but as has been stated upthread it only takes a shower to strip it all off mid ride.

 

[smutchin]

Bit naughty of you to edit out where I put "in my opinion"

Any post on an internet forum is a statement of opinion so the qualifier is redundant.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

This is fascinating. I normally favour TF2’s wet lube which reminds me a bit of chainsaw oil seeing the ‘strings’ as you apply and also on the jockey wheels.

This summer I tried TF2’s dry lube which just seems to be a thin oil rather than a solvent with suspended wax. I’m not certain of all of the above. The TF2 dry lube, like the wet lube, seems to go black.

I tried Finish Line’s dry lube which is definitely a solvent with (wax?) suspended in the liquid. Easy to apply and dries quickly. I haven't noticed any blackness or gunk from wax (shavings) building up. Only used daily for 2 weeks so it is early days. No heavy rain or freezing conditions either. I’m going to try it on my Audax bike and see.

 

[Spiderweb]

As @NorthernDave mentioned, I too use a ceramic wet lube (finish line). It really sticks to the chain but surprisingly isn’t sticky like other wet lubes. Every other week to clean the chain I spray a rag with WD40 or GT85, run the chain through the rag, then reapply lube.

 

[Blue Hills]

After many adventures in oil, including dry stuff and wax, I have settled on TF2 "performance" wet lube. Recently bought a litre of it for not much more than a tenner.

I have decided that I like it and that there is probably something in the argument that wet fairly liquid lube helps flush bts of junk out.

No great problem as long as you keep it away from carpets or give it a good ride after applying.

Years ago I used to use the thick finish line cross country lube as I was impressed by the way it stuck on. I don't think I twigged at the time that oil was supposed to have a lubrification effect and probably just imagined that it was there to stop rust/shed water.

My bikes definitely seem to run smoothly on it.

By the by, I have a suspicion that one of the oils sold by Decathlon and one sold by Wilco are exactly the same stuff. Could this be true?