Graphenlube does appear to reduce friction, and it's certainly pretty tenacious in real-world conditions. It's very expensive, but so are a lot of other bike-related things. If you're the kind of person who looks to buy a bit of extra performance, then here's another thing you can spend your hard-earned on. For the sort of savings you can expect I wouldn't say it was particularly good value, but you might have snaffled all the low-hanging fruit already, or you might not care. And it probably is the best lube I've tried.” Wax doesn't seem to last as long in Winter as I'd like, but I've gotten used to wiping off and re-waxing my chain after rides (not before) and leaving it to dry overnight. I've not stretched to two-chains per bike, though technically there'd be no real hassle involved. Taking a chain off takes seconds these days, and shaking it clean in a bottle of solvent a few minutes. Ditto dipping it in wax and hanging it. BehindTheBikesheds replied to StraelGuy: Only a thousand miles, christ what are you riding through dust, dirt, mud, rain with road salt for good measure and not wiping post ride or any cleaning at all?

The best bicycle chain lubes get right into the links of your chain to lubricate it, and then stay there. The latest chain lubes include fiendishly clever additives which allow them to coat metal surfaces without attracting crud. They're expensive, but arguably worth the money if you're running an expensive transmission and want to prolong its life. Dry lube comes out of the bottle wet, commonly a fast-flowing liquid but once it dries it leaves a wax film on the chain. It’s this wax that provides the necessary lubrication, the liquid is simply the carrier for the wax.Finish Line says: "WET Lube is typically recommended for extreme conditions. Formulated with high viscosity synthetic oils, water repelling polymers, and advanced anti-wear additives. WET Lube is Finish Line's strongest, longest lasting and most water resistant lubricant. WET Lube goes on wet, and stays wet, to provide maximum drivetrain smoothness, extremely quiet rides, and ultimate rust protection in the harshest of environments. It's simplest on a new/clean drivetrain, you just need to degrease/clean/dry the chain then wash in the hot wax. So there is some outlay in electric hotpot, thermometer, wax and degreasing/cleaning chemicals. Conventional wisdom points to a wet lube for wet winter cycling, and a dry lube for summer cycling when it’s dry and conditions are good. It’s a good rule of thumb to follow and you won’t go wrong if you choose this approach. Cafe wisdom: road.cc readers weigh in on chain lubricants mikepridmorewood: I've had 10,000k out of a chain by cleaning with wet wipes and lubricating with GT85

If you’re riding in dry and dusty conditions, then Finish Line dry lube will keep your drive train running smoothly and shifting well every time. The advanced formula means the lube goes on wet and creates a wax-like barrier over your chain links which keeps the dust and grime out.

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I left the factory lube on like Sheldon Brown suggests, but after as little at 200 miles the chain was already 0.5% stretched. hawkinspeter replied to Argus Tuft: I've tried paraffin wax myself, but I didn't use any solvent with it. I used to melt the wax in a small frying pan and put the chain in it. Then, sprinkle some micronised graphite on top of the chain and put some paraffin wax granules on top so that they melt and carry the graphite into the chain. Swill around a bit and then remove the chain and let it cool. Once cool, spend a bit of time removing excess wax and flexing each joint of the chain and then pop it on the bike. With the changeable summer weather we had during testing a once a month clean of the chain and re-lube with the Pedro's kept everything running smoothly. You'll need to re-apply more often in winter.” So, I have been adding drop wise to the top of the roller for a few years now, the thing that I discovered was that if I did a small drop on each roller and then after doing the full chain doing another drop, it seemed to aid penetration and staying power. With overnight set up and wiping down before riding. I might lose a little more on the rag but it seems to work for me.

One of the best recognised names in cleaning and maintenance products is Finish Line. They have been creating lubricants for over thirty years and are the go-to choice for pro teams such as Giant Factory Off-Road, BMC Racing and Trek Factory XC. Thorough cleaning seems more important than choice of chainlube. You can wipe the chain down till you're blue in the face but the damaging grit is on the INSIDE. Argus Tuft: Dissolve a rounded teaspoon of grated paraffin wax in 100ml of shellite (I don't know what it's called over there – Stoddard's Solvent?). Using pliers, carefully pull the nozzle out of a R&R lube bottle and refill using a small funnel. Close enough to free. A small amount of moly or bearing grease – less is more – makes it even better.

FINISH LINE No Drip Chain Luber Combo (4oz Wet Lube + No Drip Chain Luber) (4oz / 120ml) (On display in Maintenance » Lubes) Previous to MB I used the molten wax routine which was great but a lot of work, not worth the hassle. I want to spend time riding my bike, not tinkering with it. visionset: How many miles you get out of chain is irrelevent unless you also state oyur maintenance philosophy. If you are running the whole drive train into the ground (or at least cahin and cassette) you probably can get 10,000 miles out of it. No one is gonna be impressed with the shfiting on said drive train after say 3000 miles. Or alternatively you intend to keep your cassette throun many chains, and you can for probably 10 chains if you wear to 100.2% Yep that's just 0.2% of wear. equates to about 5mm of 'stretch'. Over this and you start to shag the cassette. If you are on Ultegra or better then the latter approach is cost effective and always a crisp change to boot.