Lubrication comparisons

[corky]

Claims about lubricants are generally overstated. If anyone wants to take a real look at a comparison of almost every bike lube(and other industrial lubricants) out there, under a controlled test situation, just type in: Dupont Teflon bearing grease for bicycles. This will take you to a site by S and S Machine, toward the end of the site is an independent comparison of just about every type of lubricant on the market, up to and including vegetable oil and WD-40(neither are recommended as lubricants, by the way).

What you will see is the wide difference between claims and performance. I have used two of the recommended lubricants: Dupont Krytox (VERYgood but expensive) and Liquid Wrench Super Lube with PTFE (old formula). The Super Lube w/ptfe was pretty good and cheap, but rather thin,,although I never seemed to experience any under-lubrication symptoms, as I lube my bicycle chain at least weekly, and ride several times a week on flat and hilly paved roads. I have used these lubes for at least four years, and have never broken a chain, nor have any of my chains, on any of my bikes, exhibited significant stretch, to the point that they need replacement, and all have hundreds of miles on them, with some well over a thousand.

The chains I use are Wipperman, nickle-plated nine speed, and I do try to keep them clean and properly lubed. Fellow riders make frequent comments about how bright and shiny my chain and gear train is. I believe good maintenance is a combination of proper cleaning and proper lubrication, and if one factor is neglected, the other can't make up for it. Most riders I know simply take AWFUL care of their equipment, and expect magical results from one chemical or another. By the time they resort to one of these "Magic Bullets!", pretty much anything they put on the chain will make it sound and feel better, but the real damage has already been done to the metal surfaces. Anyway, keep an open mind and you WILL be surprised. Corky.

[srglassw]

Very interesting and thorough web site but I fail to see the relevance for bicycle chain lubrication. The testing seems to be very specific to lubricating bolts threaded to a compressed nut and relevant to their bicycle frame coupling system. They in fact state that,

" The results don't tell us anything about how well these lubricants will perform in other situations. Don't be tempted to apply our findings to ball bearings or other applications where galling isn't a problem."

Nevertheless, the search for the "perfect" bicycle chain lube goes on. I have used Cross Country Finish Line Wet Lube and Dupont Multipurpose Wax Lubricant. Both I think work pretty well but the Wet Lube attracts dust and dirt and the Wax Lubricant washes off quite easily. Neither works well in the S and S bolt test.

[JonB]

It really depends on where you live what's best. A popular one in wet Wales is GT-85 because it's cheap, easy to apply and is designed to displace and remove water (ideal for where we ride). It gets the thumbs up from our resident Orange Monkey (a sponsored rider who is very good with numerous championships to his name). Don't know what it's like in dry sandy conditions, but I suspect you'll need something different.

[chris608zz]

I don't know about Krytox for chain lube. It is VERY expensive as it has aerospace approval. Dupont do GPL greases without the aerospace approval that are much cheaper. These greases are completely inert and not affected by water or chemicals. A word of warning.. if you use these perfluoropolyether (PFPE) greases, you cannot change to a different type of grease until the PFPE grease has been totally removed and you cannot do this with normal solvent. To remove Krytox/GPL grease you need the special Dupont solvent. Any other will leave a thin film of PFPE on the metal surface so any non-PFPE grease will not adhere to the metal. However, you're OK to relube with a PFPE grease.

[DuPont Dave]

We have a Teflon (PTFE=ploytetrafluroetheylene)-based dry lube for chains called ChainSaver. Contact McMaster-Carr. http://www.mcmaster.com/
email me for a data sheet.

[Skyguy9999]

While on the topic of chain lubricant, what would be a good recommendation for a lubricant that both works, and doesn't stain everything it touches?