On a standard bike, the chain is by far the hardest working component, converting each pedal stroke into forward motion. Handling all of this leg power takes its toll, but the whole chainset will run smoother, sound better and wear much slower when the chain is lubed correctly.
Lubing a chain is a simple job until you start exploring the range of lubes available, at which point everything can become a bit overwhelming. There are lots of different types available and, to make things a little more confusing, they all have different benefits.
To help you untangle this confusing web, we’ve pulled together this complete guide to chain lubes.
Immersive waxing
We’ll start with what, in Ollie Bridgewood’s opinion, is the best option: immersive waxing. Ollie belongs to the marginal gains school and is always on the hunt for any performance advantage. That’s where immersive waxing beats the competition, offering a large efficiency bonus over traditional wet lubes.
As the name suggests, immersive waxing involves dipping a chain into wax. Don’t try melting candles over your chain, though, as you’ll need to use a dedicated paraffin wax.
As traditional wet lubes are stickier, they attract more dirt which hampers efficiency. This issue is compounded on particularly dirty and dusty rides when all of the grit on the chain grinds down into a paste. In comparison, wax is less sticky so will maintain better efficiency.
Those of you who share Ollie’s marginal gains philosophy will be pleased to hear that this added efficiency converts into significant watt savings, usually around five, although this can vary significantly depending on other variables.
This efficiency also converts into longevity too, which is why wax is often regarded as the best all-round solution for every type of cyclist. The aforementioned paste that can develop with regular wet lubes accelerates wear, damaging components on the drivetrain and, eventually, your wallet too.
Everything’s sounding good for immersive waxing, so what’s the catch? Wax takes a lot longer to apply to a chain than regular lube. Even once you’ve got used to the process, it’ll still take around 15 to 30 minutes. That’s not a huge amount of time, but it’s more than many time-strapped cyclists can spare.
Wax is also water soluble, which isn’t ideal if you ride in rainy conditions. It should be fine on shorter riders, but for prolonged outings in the rain, you might want to steer clear.
Drip-on wax
If time is of the essence, a drip-on wax may be the next best solution.
These often contain the same additives as immersive waxes, but they’re much easier to apply by, as the name suggests, dripping it onto the chain. This comes with a caveat as the wax won’t penetrate as deep into all of the rivets of the chain, which results in a small hit to efficiency.
This can be partly remedied by putting the chain in the largest chainring and cog on the cassette when applying the wax. This will stretch out the chain to open up the links and help the wax to permeate deeper.
While it’s faster to apply drip-on wax, a chain often has to be left over night before it can be used. This allows the water-based solution which the additives are dissolved in to evaporate, which will leave the wax and additives behind on the chain. That’s obviously not practical in certain situations, like on ultra endurance rides when you may need to regularly top up your chain. If you’re the type of cyclist who remembers that you need to lube the chain just as you’re leaving your house, you may want to steer clear too.
Like immersive wax, drip-on wax is also soluble so is best avoided in particularly rainy climates.
Wet lubes
Up until the waxing revolution that has taken over cycling in recent years, wet lubes were by far the most popular choice, and they still are, although that popularity is waning.
We’ve already touched on its flaws, with wet lube attracting more dirt and offering less efficiency, but it has one major advantage over waxes: performance in rain. Unlike wax, wet lube isn’t soluble and won’t wash away. In these conditions, it actually takes over wax as the most efficient option as, well, washed away wax isn’t much good to anyone.
Throughout the winter months when rain is a near constant menace for cyclists, particularly in the northern hemisphere, wet lube is the safest option. As an added bonus, it can be reapplied out on a ride which is useful on longer endurance outings.
This durability isn’t limited to wet conditions and wet lube will generally last longer on a chain than a wax treatment, which has a shorter service interval, usually of around 200 to 300 kilometres. A wet lube will last significantly longer than this.
Which lube is best?
The best lube is the one that meets the needs of the conditions you ride, married with the level of convenience you want. For the majority of the time, this is likely to be immersive waxing or drip-on wax.
Both are more efficient than wet lube, with immersive waxing pipping it’s drip-on rival for the overall title. The latter is a nice compromise, though, if you don’t want to go through the immersive waxing rigmarole.
Of course, there’s a rather big caveat to this in the form of autumn and winter, along with the rain these months tend to bring. These conditions are far from optimal for waxed chains, at which point wet lubes become more efficient.
If you’re lucky enough to live in sunny climes for most of the year, this won’t be a worry and wax wins every time. Most cyclists aren’t this lucky and a compromise between using wax for some of the year and then wet lube for the rest may be the best solution.
Chain lube dos and don’ts
Regardless of the option you opt for, there are a couple of things that you should always avoid doing.
Don’t over apply lube
This rule applies to every type of lube, but especially wet lubes. The more you apply, the more dirt and grit that will be attracted to the chain. When applying any lube, the aim is to restrict it to the pins and rollers on the inside of the chain. Avoid getting it on the outside of the chain and if you do, wipe it off before riding.
Not all lubes are built equal
It’s the old cliche, but you really do get what you pay for. Go for the cheapest option and you’ll get performance to match. From our experience, cheaper lubes are particularly bad for attracting dirt. So, wherever possible, buy something from a reputable brand like Silca, whose products regularly score highly in independent tests, like those conducted by Zero Friction Cycling.
You can find more buying advice and how to guides on the GCN website, linked here.