How To Choose the Right Lubricants
An overview of 3 essential types of lubrication, complete with brand recommendations.
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DownloadIn today’s tutorial we’ll take a look at lubricants. Please keep in mind that none of these companies are paying me to recommend their products… these are all brands that I trust and recommend after years of heavy use in the bike shop. There are three main types of lubrication you should have: light oil, chain oil, and grease.
Light Oil
When I talk about light oils, I’m referring to a product called TriFlow. There are many other types of traditional light oil available, but a lot of these are vegetable based and tend to gum up. TriFlow is synthetic, teflon-based, and comes with a lubrication tube that makes it easy to lube inside cable housings, pivot points, and other hard-to-reach areas. TriFlow will penetrate quickly and thoroughly, so you only need a few drops of it.
Chain Oil
For chain lubrication I recommend a product called Finish Line Cross Country. I’ve tried a lot of different brands and found this to be the longest lasting lubricant. It’s a synthetic “wet-style” lubricant capable of sustaining high torque pedaling over long distances and nasty riding conditions. See the chain cleaning and lubrication tutorial for some more tips on applying it.
Phil Wood
Another highly recommended chain oil is called Phil Tenacious Oil. It also works great as a lubricant and water repellent, but some people find it a bit too thick for chains. I find it is best used to lubricate the inside of internal gear hubs like Sturmey-Archer 3-speeds. If you have an older bike with a 3-speed internal gear hub, Phil Wood should be all you need for both your chain and hub.
Wax Lubricants
A third type of chain lubricants are wax-based and are best for very dry climates. The best brand I’ve used is called Boeshield T-9. While wax-based lubes don’t collect as much dirt, they are a lot of hassle to apply correctly. You have to make sure your drivetrain is spotless clean before you apply it, which usually requires soaking your chain in cleaning solvent first. Then after you apply it you have to wait 2 hours before riding. It’s also important to remember that wax is simply not as good a lubricant as oil.
Waterproof Grease
You should always have some waterproof grease handy for overhauling bearings and greasing threads. There are so many different brands available. You can get it in a tub for shop use or in a smaller tube for occasional home use. You can use the tube along with a grease gun for squirting oil into tight spaces like bearing cages. Another thing you can do is keep some grease in a film container with a small brush, which makes it easy to quickly grease threads.
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Comments & Questions - Help Forums
23 Responses to “How To Choose the Right Lubricants”
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Hey man, great site.
What kind of grease gun are you using with your grease tubes?
It looks much more ergonomical than the metal one.
Thanks a bunch.
The Grease Gun I have has the name ‘EXUS’ on it, but it functions the same as this one.
Yet another awesome tutorial, I see you have a dvd out now! Sweet, I think I might order a copy, keep the tutorials coming!
What do you think about Vaseline as a waterproof grease?
Vaseline is not grease, so I don’t recommend it.
I’ve been reading reviews on various websites and have found the ProGold Prolink chain lube, which also comes with a lubing pen which really helps with lubing the chain and cable housings. Have you tried the product? What do you think?
I haven’t tried that brand, but it looks like it will work as a chain lubricant.
My bike dealer advised me to use Wurth Motorcycle Chain Spray Grease. I’ve tried for 5 months . It seemed reasonable to use motorcyle chain lubrication for bicycle and also it was very simple to apply. But I had to re-lubricate after every 70km ride. Two times I forgot lubricate before riding and noise coming from was horrible. I can’t imagine what happens if it is used for motorcyle chain.
Is the “Gold ” chain lube above the “Rock and Roll” Gold chain lube?
Thanks.
I’m a bit confused on terminology. Is a TEFLON (PTFE-BASED) lubricant also known as “Dry Lube”? Is a wax-based lube also a dry lube? Does it have PTFE?
I use GT-85 for the chain and it seems to work well but on longer rides my chain will dry up. What is the proper way of applying it? Does the chain need to be spotless first? Am I supposed to wipe away excess or let it sit or dry for some time before riding?
Thanks for your help.
Wax-based lubricants are commonly known as ‘dry lubes’, and you’ll need to have the chain spotless before you apply them. I believe you should let the wax lube dry for about 1/2 hour before riding.
I don’t think GT-85 would be considered a dry lube, and it is not recommended by most mechanics (although I’ve never tried it).
When you say to clean your chain with cleaning solvent, would varsol be okay?
Yes, Varsol works as a chain cleaner!
I’ve noticed that the finish line grease gun is not sold with a tube of grease; where can I buy a tube of grease that fits the finish line grease gun?
Is this tube right?
http://www.super-lube.com/super-lube-synthetic-grease-tube-3oz-model-21030-p-22.htm
Yes, that tube of super lube will work great with the grease gun!
Great site. Installing handlebar tape is a great video — instructions wouldn’t be nearly as good without the video.
Hows about the Dumonde Tech lubes? This is a category of lubes you don’t cover — plastic coating lube.
I use the lite version on my road bike and the regular during wet conditions. I find that it takes me a couple hundred miles at least before needing re-applying. And I clean the chain with soap and water instead of using the nasty degreaser stuff.
Hi, what are the differences between a wet and dry lube?
And which condition is one preferable over the other?
Wet lubes are meant for wet weather or all-around riding, and generally lubricate better. The downside is they will collect more dirt and require frequent cleaning and re-lubrication.
Dry lubes (like wax lubes) need to be applied very carefully and don’t lubricate as well, but don’t pick up as much dirt. They are more appropriate for dry/desert regions.
Alex, can i just use the tri-flow oil on my chains?
thanks
You can use tri-flow on your chain, but it is thinner, so you’ll have to apply it more often.
Thanks alex. How about the other way around? Can finish line wet be used on brake cables, derailer pivots, etc?
Do you have to get the degreaser off the chain before lubing. Can you lube immediately after cleaning the chain with a cloth soaked in degeaser?
Hi David,
I’d wipe it down with a rag and wait 10-15 minutes before lubing.