You may see that we sell lube labelled both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’, the difference in what they are used for are outlined below. Dry Lube Whichever lube you prefer to use, for the best results Trimnell suggests that you leave the lube on the chain overnight before riding for maximum benefit.

Best practice for this type of lube is to apply sparingly to each link in the chain and wipe off any excess before riding. With that in mind, avoiding a contaminated drivetrain is key to optimum efficiency and ensuring long-lasting parts. Wax lubes are predominantly made of wax, although they'll have a carrier solvent to help the wax to penetrate into the chain. The wax forms a dry film which lubricates the chain and is less likely to attract grime. This means you’ll have to completely strip even a brand new, box-fresh chain of all grease and oil.

Common questions:

You also need to leave enough time before you ride for the wax to completely dry and harden on the chain (overnight, ideally). If you ride in wet conditions the chain will also need to be cleaned, dried and lubricated soon afterwards to prevent corrosion. Immersive waxing So if the type of lube is unimportant for efficiency why is there so much choice? Alex Trimnell, Muc-Off’s CEO, has this advice: “Keeping your drivetrain clean and well-lubed is important for a smooth riding experience, but you need to make sure that you use the right lube for the conditions.” As Nash also points out: “Value is an issue — in a bottle of wet lube, 100 percent of the formula will lubricate. In a dry lube, some of the formula is solvent, which is there just to aid application.” Because highly refined paraffin wax contains practically no oil, waxed chains are prone to rusting after wet rides. You’ll have to be prepared to dry, clean and re-wax the chain, or top it up with a wax-based drip lube, as soon as possible after riding. Wet lubes are designed for riding in wet or year-round conditions and, as such, generally contain greater quantities of higher viscosity synthetic oils, as well as additives such as PTFE.

In an ideal world, yes, every time. However we understand this is not always possible, for example on a really long ride I carry a small bottle to top up my chain lube and keep everything running smooth and quietly! You might hear people referring to chain lube as ‘chain oil’. Whilst lots of lubes can be oil or petrochemical based this is not always the case. Our lubes, for example, are vegetable or wax based which makes them biodegradable!Squirt's Chain Lube is a wax and water-based lubricant that is noticeably drier and cleaner than most oil-based options. Ideally, it should be applied to a sparkling clean chain and then left for a while to penetrate fully before use, so no last-minute applications before diving out the door on a Sunday morning. If you’re thinking, “That sounds like quite a lot of hassle…”, you wouldn’t be wrong. It is, at least initially. For watt-conscious racers who don’t fancy themselves as chain cookers, companies such as Ceramicspeed, Watt Shop and Zero Friction Cycling now sell pre-prepared waxed chains. If that’s to be believed, you could also make an argument that you’re spending your money mostly on carrier fluid that’s designed to disappear into thin air.