Ultimate Bicycle Chain Lubricant Test | Best Bike Chain Lube
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- čas přidán 28. 05. 2024
- Eddie tests the eight most popular bicycle chain lubricants to decide which one to use on his mountain bike drive system. He tests wear, sling, sand, and water performance on each lubricant to determine the best mountain bike chain lubricant. The eight most popular lubricants include traditional, synthetic, and dry lubricants.
The links below are affiliate links, meaning at no cost to you, Simply Mountain Biking will earn commission if you click through and make a qualifying purchase.
Lubricants tested were:
- Muc-Off Dry Lube - amzn.to/3t7Kky5
- Rock and Roll Gold - amzn.to/3jp7hth
- Purple Extreme - amzn.to/38jtXor
- Squirt
- White Lightning Epic Ride
- Dumonde Tech Original
- Park Tool CL-1
- Roc Ride Epix
Eddie also throws in some common lubes found in the garage:
WD-40
10w30 small engine oil / John Deere Turf Guard
This video was not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned in the video, all opinions are our own.
This video should be considered for entertainment purposes only, any action you take based on the content of this video is strictly "at your own risk".
#simplymountainbiking #SMB #mountainbiking - Sport
Project farm meets bikes with better video quality. 👌
Thank you! -Eddie
Project farm is still amazing though and so is simply mountain biking !
Every time he read the product claims I was waiting for "we're gonna test that."
Made with global components!
Yes,,, I don’t think PF would would pick a bath test for a dry lube. For me it’s impossible or at least to expensive to do this kind of stuff correctly 🥴
Wow I’m thoroughly impressed with the amount of detailed work that went into this video. The testing was controlled and measured. It was refreshing to watch.
Glad you liked it! -Eddie
Completely agree! 👍
I enjoyed watching this as I'm subsc6to Project Farm too. I appreciate the 10w-30 and WD-40 as a ton of customers use it. There was a time I used Mobile1 for bike chains...with good results. The two lines I was hoping you'd test are my favorites...Pro Link " Pro Gold," and Boeshield T-9.
@@outlaw7x77 Haha - yes. Many people use what they have in a pinch (like me) and others use non-specific lubes exclusively. Thanks for your suggestions - I'll add them to the list to consider for a future test! -Eddie
You should NOT be impressed...
The test is invalid. All it proved is that evaporative liquid lubricant carriers are poor lubricants.
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He needs 2 test sets. Many of these chain lubes have a liquid carrier that adds no lubrication at all. IT is simply a carrier that floats off dirt and deposits the actual lubricant that is waxy or a grease. The liquid then evaporates off. This never happens in this test! Other lubricants are oils and they don't use evaporating carriers.
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1. Test 1: ALL chain lubes that use a liquid evaporative carrier. Get rid of the liquid carrier and test just the lubricant! The liquid is a washing agent and does NOT lubricate!
2. TEST 2: All oils. They don't use evaporative carriers. This video is valid as is for them.
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Again...these tests are invalid. Good tools, bad test set because he ignored the nature of differing chain lubricants. I'd LOVE to see a valid test that accounts for the types of chain lubricants! This wasn't it!
By far one of the most Official “At home” experiment Iv ever witnessed on CZcams!!! Bravo 👏🏼
Keep up the AMAZING content and thank you for helping me decide on a MTB chain lube.
Wow, thank you! -Eddie
its just an add...
I can't believe I'm now one of those who say "you should have a million subs", but the scientific approach, fitting to this kind of video pace and way of presentation - just perfect. People get just right what they came for. This kind of videos is really appreciated by the community, thank you
Thank you! -Eddie
@@SimplyMountainBiking you should check out zero friction cycling.... dry lubs are TERRIBLE for bicycle chains
NOTE on SQUIRT: These tests took me a total of 3 weeks to record. Squirt dried overnight for the sand test (15:33). It dried for at least 3 hours in the sun for the wet test (17:15) - and was totally dry (but even if it wasn't completely dry - it still came in first place for that test). Squirt also tied for first place in the sling test - assuming it would have no sling after testing Muc-Off. Finally, I assumed that testing Squirt wet for friction would actually work in its favor. A few viewers disagree so be on the lookout for a dry test of Squirt against the friction testing machine! -Eddie
Very interested to see how squirt goes in the friction test when dry, great video 👍👍
I have zero chain wear using Squirt for 2 years. It's awesome stuff.
Now do this test:
Wash all the oil out of the chain. Soak it in fuel overnight. Get all of it out. Melt paraffin candles. Soak the chain in it.
I've used many oils. They're all rubbish. Once you go wax, you'll never get dirty fingers or running gear again.
Relube: Wash chain in boiling water, soak in metho and dry. Now soak in melted wax.
It's just that your test doesn't correspond to the intended use of this product. There is no doubt that a wax should come first on the last 3 testes. And about the friction, independants testes (such as the ones done by Zero Friction Cycling) put always wax above oils.
@@damienmarguerite827 Totally agree - except for your testes... ;-) The friction test and sling test for wax emulsion is simply not representative of a dry lube product, such as Squirt's, intended use.
Very comprehensive and well thought out tests. Clear, concise, scientific. Thank you!
Thank you! -Eddie
Agreed these tests is prolly what these lube creater do. I wouldn't be surprised if these tests are actually more scientific like u sed holy moly good video I love this kinda stuff like actually in your face info and than basically all comes down to hey you decide what you wanna apply on ur gear man... Ok 👌 I shut up basically all that to say agreed man 100
The amount of testing for this video is incredible! I'm so happy for such a thorough dive into chain lubes
Thank you! -Eddie
Mate this is absolutely epic. I love these incredibly detailed reviews. Please do more videos like this!
That's the plan! -Eddie
Rock N Roll Gold Lube is STILL my go-to lube even after all these years. I call it a tune up in a bottle. Great review.
Thank you! Yes - for me, I plan to apply Muc-Off after a chain cleaning - but keep a bottle of R&R Gold in my go bag to use at the trail head. -Eddie
Agreed, Rock n Roll is my daily driver. I will say I like how Squirt holds up on really long rides.
If you don't mind a lowly long-miles roadie agreeing with you, Rock 'n' Roll is, has long been (15 years) my goto.
Great work! Interestingly, I've used many different chainlubes over the years (Triflow, Progold, Finishline, R&R Extreme) but somehow I keep coming back to my 2 staples - Muc Off Dry Lube and R&R Gold. You definitely validated my unscientific albeit real world observations/experience. And of those 2, I definitely prefer the Muc off, but the R&R Gold I say I use more due to it's cheaper price! Great channel, glad I stumbled upon it!
I think in not classifying rock n roll gold as a dry lube he often overlooked letting it dry. It really should state on the bottle that it's supposed to dry since the solvent needs to dry off. I don't know if it really classifies as a dry lube, but I usually apply rock n roll gold or extreme after I ride. I love that it does a really good job of cleaning my chain off, and it's been an excellent lube in terms of staying clean, lasting a long time in variable conditions, and keeping my drivetrain super quite. My friend uses squirt and it works really well, and is probably cleaner than rock n roll in terms of attracting dirt, but the stuff kind of builds up and is a pain in the ass to clean off.
Killer vid my dude. Can't wait to see more from you!
Thanks! -Eddie
Thank you so much for doing this testing. You deserve an award for your fair design-of-experiments, fair comparison and unbiased results for this trial. Essential viewing - I'm subscribing.
Thanks! -Eddie
This arguably might be the most informative cycling video ive ever watched. Thank you so much!!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks! -Eddie
Wow. Incredible work. Thanks for all the time you spent on this
Much appreciated! -Eddie
WHAT A GREAT VIDEO! Thanks for taking the time to test all the brands, I had no idea of what could be the final result, and the test was so well put together, really helpfull. I think your channel is going to soar very fast with so strong and solid content. I will surelly pass the link to friends! Keep up the really great work you are doing, and thank you for helping us in deciding on an propper MTB chain lube. Best! 😀
Thank you! -Eddie
Thanks for the tremendous amount of effort that video must have taken. you have answered a question that has been on my mind for a tremendously long time.
OUTSTANDING & THANKS!!
You are welcome. -Eddie
This was such an in-depth and well thought out analysis. Very informational. Thanks for putting in all that work!
Thanks! -Eddie
Epic video. Really detailed and so well presented and edited. You've got a bright future on youtube.
Wow, thank you! -Eddie
I wouldn’t call this “simple, but those are some pretty impressive tests. Very fun to watch and informational.
Thanks much! -Eddie
Excellent video and thank you. I found either high quality videos that were subliminal ads for sponsored products or genuinely objective videos with poor methodology; this is the best of both worlds!
I very much like your wit. ;) Feedback received. -Eddie
Just came across your video and wanted to thank you for all the test you performed. Very informative. Thanks
Very welcome! -Eddie
Best chain lube test anywhere on CZcams! As a beginner, your video not only educated me on lubes but on helping me decide on best lube. I hope you can do a follow up video soon using other brands like Finish Line, etc. I'd love to see 1 test for just wet lubes and 1 test for just dry lubes. Thanks again Eddy!
Wow, thank you! -Eddie
Impressive test - I was getting suspect that R&R Gold wasn't a great lube as my chains wear fairly quickly, and I do apply regularly and keep the chain clean on my road bike, but I can relax now and put it down to my awesome power output! :)
Great video and thanks for the hard work!
Thank you! -Eddie
I’m impressed by your detailed analysis
Thank you! -Eddie
Thanks Eddie for making such a thorough video on lubricants. I've been using Rock and roll lube for a few months. So far so good. You've really put in a lot of effort and research into your video. Thanks so much
Thank you! -Eddie
Great test! Thanks for doing this, it was super helpful.
Very welcome! -Eddie
Great video! I appreciate the effort that you put into doing these extensive tests.
Glad you like them! -Eddie
Wow. I respect your effort to be so thorough and for explaining your results!!
Thanks a lot! -Eddie
This is one of the best videos on bike components. Great job and thank you.
Glad you liked it! -Eddie
Read the instructions for the proper application of Dumonde Tech and try it again. Everywhere it performed poorly was a direct result of not being applied properly. It requires the chain to be thoroughly degreased. Then a drop of lube on each roller and where plates come together. Then wipe off all of the excess and allow it to DRY COMPLETELY. Now you'll have a completely clean chain for several months with no maintenance, zero sling, and it is totally dry/bonded so not attraction to dust/sand/etc.
Thanks for the feedback. -Eddie
Mate, great vid! Loved the effort you put into this - also helps that my favorite chain lubes where the top two! Keep up the great work.
Thanks, will do! -Eddie
Very impressed with the work you did on this. First rate consumer information. Thank you.
Amazing review! Unbelievable thoroughness. Thank you!
My pleasure! -Eddie
We genuinely appreciate the amount of work that has been put in to this ❤️
You are welcome! -Eddie
One of the most empirical videos on MTB tech I've seen so far. Really refreshing in this time of mostly sponsored reviews on the bigger channels. Keep up the good work!
Glad to help! Thank you! -Eddie
LEGEND! A really well done test. Thank you so much for your time, effort and attention to detail.
You're welcome! -Eddie
This is the best review I’ve seen in my life. A well designed of experiment with controlled measurements and results.
Thank you so much! -Eddie
Truly excellent work! I've used many different lubes over the years - Triflow, Progold, Finishline, R&R Extreme etc. Interestingly, I keep coming back to both the Muc Off Dry and R&R Gold. I feel like you totally validated my non-scientific albeit real-world observations/experience. I do prefer the Muc Off but it's hard to beat the R&R Gold for the price! Again, excellent work here!
Thanks for sharing! -Eddie
I love the muc off dry lube, easy to clean off and re apply.
Noticeable smoother and more effecient pedalling .
Smells great too!
I've been using it for years and know I now why I hardly replace my drive train components! Thanks for doing the test, I'll stick with muc off dry lube!!
You are welcome. -Eddie
Very impressive! Thanks for putting so much detail into this video. Best I've seen!!!
Glad you liked it! -Eddie
It's an old video, but I have to give credit where it's due. So much work put in to this video, well done.
I am using only Muc-Off (Dry) on my MTBs and I can say that even though after about 50km in wet conditions you can hear it's almost gone, I still prefer it as it's easy to clean, it attracts very little dirt on the chain. Ride, clean, relube - repeat (and it smells nice) :]]]]
Thank you for sharing! -Eddie
This was GREAT, and very well done. Felt like I was watching a Project Farm video!
One suggestion. On the wet test, You should have weighed the chain while it was dry, then weighed it after you saturated the lubes. That way, we would have then known how much lube was on and in the chain. It would have given us a better reference for how much lube was lost after being sprayed with water.
Hope you guys do more tests like this. It not only lets us consumers pick the best product for our money, and environment, But it also will hopefully force these companies to keep working hard to make their products better!
Thanks - great suggestion! -Eddie
I thought the same - without knowing how much lube each chain retained in the first place, measuring how much has washed off is almost meaningless.
A very well put together video. Love your work on this test. Kept me watching until the end!
Thank you very much! -Eddie
Awesome analysis testing here in your video!
Thanks a bunch! -Eddie
This really helped me decide which lube I should buy, cause i dont know much about bike lubricants, and this made it all much clearer and easier to understand why you picked them. Thank you!
I'm glad it was helpful! -Eddie
Amazing test! Great job on the video! Would love to see the Muc Off C3 dry as well and see if it actually improves over the regular Muc Off dry lube. Subscribing!
Thank you! I may test more lubricants in the future. If I do, other Muc Off varieties will certainly make the list! -Eddie
Hi Matt I was looking at the C3 as well and was wondering the same esp. since it’s has a premium cost.
Muc off lubes are genuinely awful. Go look at zero friction cycles and you’ll never touch them again
@@cocoplops4982 Yes, BUT he just tested the fancy ones I also have terrible experience with C3, but will try this cheapest one since Squirt that I am currently using is not actually performing good in any tests I saw.
C3 has reviews all over how it leaves gum like film all over drive train. Pass for me
Thank you for this thorough evaluation! Thumbs up.
You are quite welcome. -Eddie
Immediate sub for all the effort gone into this! Also happy with Evans for suggesting the muc off for my first mtb purchase, didn't even realise it's biodegradable too 💚
Awesome, thank you! -Eddie
Been using Dumonde for a while and it works really well against volcanic dust found in eastern Oregon and the Sierras in CA. The biggest issue is it collects the dust and makes "build up" on your pulleys and chain ring. I've found Dumonde to be a bit of overkill for my local trails near Santa Cruz. Still after 30 years, my favorite for my conditions in dry weather is TriFlo. I'm sad it didn't get included in the test.
Thanks for sharing. Maybe I will test Tri-Flow some day... -Eddie
Nice job! I was not surprised about WD-40 as it is generally considered a solvent and not a lubricant. Would have loved to see you test Finish Line DRY Bike Lubricant. It has a good reputation in the industry. Also, despite being more time consuming to apply, testing a chain that had been parrafin waxed (re: Oz Cycling) would have been really helpful for those who ride in dirty conditions but still want great protection for their chain. Keep up the great work!
Thank you!.Great suggestions! -Eddie
I'm honestly annoyed whenever anyone refers to WD-40 as a lubricant.
Holy hell! What a fantastic video comparison! This is the gold standard for any comparison video
Wow, thanks! -Eddie
Awesome test! Thanks for the video!
Welcome! -Eddie
For what its worth, the rock and roll lube is meant to set up for a few hours or overnight. The directions also say to remove excess with a rag. I think this would have made a big difference in the sand retention test in particular, but most of the other tests as well. It should have been given similar treatment as the dry lubes.
Need to get Farm Project to test chain lube.
Thanks for your feedback. -Eddie
A very well put together test setup.
If you ever do another round of testing, I would love it to see both Finish Line wet and dry ceramic lubes, not to mention the muc-off c3 ceramic dry and wet lube, one of them might be another top contender. 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions! -Eddie
Well, this just became the benchmark for testing cycling products. Excellent! :)
Thank you! -Eddie
Wow thanks for the awesome tests !!!
Glad you like them! -Eddie
Absolutely loved this video. Was up in the air what chain lube to buy, now I know. Thanks
Glad I could help! -Eddie
No you don’t, test was fun to watch but rather meaningless. Comparing apples and pears. Can’t compare regular oils with lubricants that are using a carrier that needs to evaporate before the lubricant will do it’s job.
I don’t know if the product that “won” is good, it might very well be. But the way these tests were carried out were not correct at all.
A lot of excellent work here, thanks!
I do think, however, the block-on-ring test would have been more realistic had it been done by wetting the block/ring, let sit for 10min, and running with nothing in the reservoir. Also consider acetone between fluids to clean the previous off. A flir camera might show temperature differences indicative of friction.
I appreciate you sharing these points and ideas! -Eddie
Thanks for taking time to make this video..very informative!!
Glad it was helpful! -Eddie
Wow that was a terrific analysis!!
Thanks a lot! -Eddie
This is an incredibly well orchestrated test. My only wish is that you had included other super popular chain lubricant brands such as Finish Line and WD40's bike specific dry lube.
Yes - I may get to them some day... - Eddie
Well if you look up "Finish line wax lubricant zero friction cycling" (without the quotation marks), you'll find that it was basically the worst thing they'd ever tested. Guess which one I've been using?
@@SimplyMountainBiking "ProGold prolink" is also extremely popular, easily top 8.
Excellent test. I can vouch for Muc-Off Dry as well, having used it with good results. If availability wasn't an issue in my neck of the woods, I'd keep buying it.
I'd love to see you put Boeshield T-9 and Weldtite TF2 All-Weather through their paces in this test as well.
Thanks for sharing your suggestions. I'll add them to the list to consider for a viewer's choice video. -Eddie
Agree about Boeshield T-9. It's the only lube I use after 35+ yrs of biking. I don't have any complaints.
Amazing video! Great work creating those creative tests!
Thank you! -Eddie
Great tests. Clearly it was a lot of work, thank you!
Thanks! -Eddie
Very helpful and impressive testing. Thanks Eddie.
Thank you! -Eddie
Absolutely amazing work on the tests! Very nice methodology and a great setup for repeatability.
I only have one small point to criticize.
The first test is fairly unrealistic in any bike related scenario and none of the bike lubricants are designed to work this way.
I would have loved to see the same method as used with the Muc-Off dry lube as that is a lot more realistic.
I would wager that WD-40 could actually perform better that way as the cleaning agents that are part of the WD-40 that are designed to loosen and solve particles from metal would have evaporated potentially leading to less wear.
Thank you for the comment and suggestions! -Eddie
Awesome comparison. You’ve answered a question most of us are asking.
Glad it was helpful! -Eddie
I've been riding dor 12 years and have never used anything except R&R Gold. Thanks for the validation. Awesome test.
Our pleasure! -Eddie
I’ve been using muc off for a while now with great success. I also make sure I lube every ride and my shifting has been a dream. It’s cheap way to keep a bike running smoothly in my book. I would have liked to see tri flow tested as it’s widely used.
Thanks for sharing - I'll have a look at flow. -Eddie
This looks like a great experiment, thank you for sharing! I'm curious as to how White Lightning's Clean Ride dry lube stands up to the Muc-Off, as well as Finish Line's dry lube.
Great suggestions! -Eddie
Definitely agree on a dry lube shootout
Yes add more lube. I use this one
Well prepared and thoroughly tested. Nice work.
Thank you! -Eddie
Amazing amazing content with insanely well defined and well measured test! Not sure why I didn't came through your channel or videos before. It was refreshing and this channel should have way more views than random review channels. Keep up the good work and design more such tests. Thanks!
Thank you very much!
During the Wet Test I think it would have been valuable to note the weight of the chain before it went through the lubing process. With that you could effectively calculate the percentage of lube lost. Some lubes may deposit less material so may have less mass to lose and could sqew the results
Thanks for your feedback. -Eddie
Loved the tests, so comprehensive. I wish some other very popular lubes were tested like Finish Line Dry Teflon, WD-40 Dry and Pro Link Gold. Although these seem similar to other lubes tested and probably wouldn't stand up to Muc-Off.
Great suggestions! I'll have a look at these if I do a "viewers choice" video review. -Eddie
Also maxima chain pro, finish like wet, 3M Chain saver, Tri flow…etc
May I suggest that you test a bottle [not spray can] of 3-IN-ONE Multi-Purpose Oil?
A big thanks for all the work you put into these tests.
Thank you! -Eddie
Amazing work, sir! Thank you for making such awesome content!
You are welcome! -Eddie
@Simply Mountain Biking thanks a lot for this scientific detailed test! So amazing and so well done! The time you spent for providing the community experimental results of bike lubes! Indeed, I was expecting from sand-test results that Muc-Off would be the winner! I'm starting to use it!
Bravo Muc-Off!
Thank you very much! -Eddie
Pretty thorough! These days, if you don't have immersive wax in your test, you're missing it. On MTB for dry conditions it's ultra fast, and attracts zero dust/dirt.
It's does well in wet conditions also
@@pewsician2388 I would differ with you there. I started with it here in OR this early spring and was caught a few times in steady rains. On a solid, wet, gritty ride like that the wax is gone gone gone when you get home. Testing shows it's not great in wet or muddy conditions--where you'd be better off with a wet lube--Silca's Synergetic. I'll use that in Winter and Super Secret in Summer here. DOesn't rain all summer.
I don't ride dry and was selfish in this test - testing only lubes I would consider using... -Eddie
Beg to differ. I'm in Oregon and used it for a full summer with great results. Winter weather showed up and my Silca wax is GONE after one wet gritty ride. I went to Synergetic wet for Winter, Wax for summer.@@pewsician2388
Jeez this was a thorough review my God. Impresive. Thanks a lot for your time!
Haha - it took some time to make. Thank you! -Eddie
woo i use rock n roll gold for years.. glad it finished 2nd!! thanks for the cool video. took a lot of time to make this and much appreciated!
Glad you liked it! -Eddie
Great video overall, well executed tests imo. Mucoff in my experience offers those little details that matters to me and maybe other riders aswell. I've got the UV light lube and i love that even tho i just get to see it when im doing my maintenance at home.
Thanks for sharing! -Eddie
Love how in depth your tests are and subscribed off the back of your chain cleaner tests.
Stumbled across this test and must say I am and am not surprised. I've just switched to Squirt after years on Rock n Roll gold. in the month I've used it on both my MTB and gravel bike I've noticed that I don't have to apply it as frequently as I did Gold and that my drivetrain is quieter with Squirt.
The issue with the wear test here is that you are testing metal on metal at high rotational speeds. This high rotational speed will cause more heat build up at the contact area and will brake down some lubricants faster than other, particularly some of the waxes which will melt. Bike chains don't move very fast, don't have high rotational speeds and therefore don't get hot so a lube designed for a bike chain won't necessarily do well in your test as it hasn't been designed with high rotation and heat in mind. There is a reason why there are so many lubricants out for for different uses and this test isn't really indicative of how a bike chain works.
What I've noticed in the real world is that I'm liking Squirt more than any other lube I've tried so far. Sure, I don't have a long time on the product so don't know how it will fair long term but usually a quieter, cleaner chain would indicate less wear occurring.
Keep up the good work, I know how time consuming these videos are to create!
Thank you for your feedback. I love it when people share their real world experience here - to contrast against the lab tests! -Eddie
I like the way your mind works. For non-lab conditions you did a remarkably creative and credible job. A big Bravo. I am so tired of sloppy people pontificating with "facts" when they really have no idea…this was refreshing. And thanks for settling some questions for me.
Awesome, thank you! -Eddie
Absolutely brilliant, thank you. I'm unable to find a fault with your methods.
Appreciate it! -Eddie
The directions for Dumonde and possibly others are to put it on and work it in. The carrier dries leaving a coating. The initial friction test is only valid in a bath setting, not on a chain over hours of riding. I don't think any part of this is valid. Chains on sprockets for simulated thousands of hours, with chain wear and power loss is what is needed.
Agreed that field testing is also valuable. However, it is hard to duplicate exact conditions in the field. -Eddie
Agree with this statement. I made a similar one...
@@SimplyMountainBiking I’m confused as to why none of the dry lines were allowed to dry. They are not designed to be used while still wet. I do appreciate all the work you did for the video though
Exactly what I was thinking
@@joeyr4869 which is why "dry lube" is a joke. Nobody has time to wait for it to dry..."I want to ride my bicycle. "
This is the most detailed chain lube test i have seen to date!!! Muc-off Dry Lube coming out on top. Thankfully, the Muc-off products are easier to get access to. Thanks for sharing the vid 👍
Thank you! -Eddie
Great job , and I like your thoroughness and thought process of testing them.
Thank you! -Eddie
Now I know whom to look for; for bike videos. That was incredible. Thank you
Glad you liked it! -Eddie
Interesting result and great detailed video. From my personal experience I find Muc-Off lubes collect too much dust & dirt and cleaning the chain just with a cloth will be dirt smear all over the place. It takes more time to completely clean your drive train on a wash and even a quick wipe off and re-lube results in a lot of dirt. I switched from MucOff to Squirt and find Squirt superior. It might not last as long or have slightly worse efficiency in wet conditions BUT wiping off and re-lubing takes 5 mins incl. a _clean_ drivetrain. I rather lubricate every 150km instead of having everything dirty as hell on every wash. Being a roadi / gravel guy here though
Thanks for sharing your perspectives and experience! I guess I'll see how Muc-Off does in real world conditions. -Eddie
@@SimplyMountainBiking Great test! I use Muc-Off Dry Ceramic lubricant since over a year on my MTB and I find the chain to stay very clean. On the other hand, the Wet (non-Ceramic) lube does collect quite a bit of dirt on my city bike, but there I don't care as much and drive even while it's raining.
@@patoberli Thanks for sharing! -Eddie
@@SimplyMountainBiking I've been using mucoff dry on my mtb in dusty and wet conditions and I really like it. I find one of the best things about it is how it sheds dirt and how easily it cleans off with a chain cleaning machine. Depending on how muddy the rides are, I usually clean and lube my chain after 3 rides. With about 3K km on it, it has no noticeable wear. On my commuting e-fat bike that I ride all year round including some pretty bad snow, slush and salt conditions, I tried paraffin wax the 1st winter and it was OK but too much of a pain for cleaning and relubing. This past winter I used rock and roll gold and probably was not all that diligent and it worked OK too and was way less effort for maintenence. I've also used a schwinn wet lube that looks a lot like chainsaw oil and as long as you wipe it down well, it doesn't attract too much dirt, resists wash off well and is the longest lasting. I rode 10K km last year, its a 1000W mid drive ebike and I have steep hills over 15% on my way home. I use it as my main mode of transport and often load it up with 230lb me and another 40 or 50 lbs of stuff so it's really punishing that chain. I've gotten as low as around 1000km on a chain in winter and maybe 4K km in summer. I probably go through 4 chains a year, I get KMC plate silver or ept 8 speed chains and change them around 0.75 percent wear. At almost 14K km ice gone through 1 drive sprocket and 2 cassettes. Still way cheaper than a car :-) I usually start off with just the factory lube and decrease the outside of the chain and that lasts quite a long time and doesn't attract much dirt. I'm pretty much now about what's easy and quick to use. At about $30 a chain, it's not worth wasting too much of my time on maintenance.
@Stephen - thanks for sharing! That's a lot of experience shared! -Eddie
Would like to have seen WD40’s actual chain lube(s), instead of the water displacer. Also, Tri-Flow is a popular lubricant that I’ve used for years. Otherwise great video!
Thanks! -Eddie
+1 I've always just used tri-flow. Too bad it wasn't tested.
Came for the results but was wowed by the test itself. Kudos for the effort!
Thank you so much! -Eddie
Amazing effort you put into these tests…
Thanks a lot for sharing 👍
My pleasure! -Eddie
Good video and tests. Funny thing though, I replaced Muc Off after years of use and went to Squirt, it is head and shoulders better in real world application. I have doubled chain life, which increases cog life. Also you dont have to perform deep chain cleaning ever again, just wipe of surface dust and add more lube. Maybe you could have explained a paraffin lube to oil base lubes better. Again, good video.
Thanks for sharing! I'll have a dry test of Squirt soon. I'll also be comparing Squirt to another paraffin. I hope you'll watch it. -Eddie
@@SimplyMountainBiking Hope to see you adding a "OZ cycle recipe (pure parraffin with a 10th 1.6micron PTFE)" Heat wax bath to that test.
I did the same! I was really disappointed with Muc Off...the only "positive" for me was that it smelled nice. It wears off completely after each ride on my gravel bike...the drivetrain starts sounding like a bird sanctuary after 60-70 km...
I got a free sample of Squirt for a race a few years ago. That's now my go-to lube. I ride in the SW US and it's perfect.
Wow, I just shifted to Squirt also. Not picking up dirt and dust is important! I was using Muc Off, but it seemed to gum up the chain after a while.
Great video! Although most tests don't reflect wear conditions on a real chain, I recommend the channel Zero Friction Cycling. It has more accurate tests. My go to would be Squirt
ZFS is a distributor for MSW. I'm just a dude in my garage. I have no sponsors or interest in any lube winning. I didn't find wax to be a good lubricant at all. -Eddie
@@SimplyMountainBiking you might want to revisit wax , it's unmatched in chain and drive train longevity and also the fastest. It's not for everyone in every situation.
You worked hard on this testing Great job!!
Thank you! -Eddie
Thank you for the painstaking effort in conducting this test. Most impressed.
Thank you! -Eddie
Wow Eddie that was an extensive test. Thank you for doing that. I'm glad I use Muc-off dry lube, and it smells great.
Fatty's Rock!
🤘🏽😎🇺🇲
Thank you! -Eddie
Measuring the weight loss of the cylinders instead of the size of the scar would have been a much more accurate way of determining which lubes lubed better. But great video and thanks for all the information!
Thank you for your feedback. -Eddie
Are you in mech eng
Amazing quality level for the test! Kudos to you man.
Thank you! -Eddie
Took a while but I watched every second. Thank you for such a great test. Riding an $8500 old trike and really don't want to have to buy a chain for it. Thanks so much. Just rode my longest on the trike today at 30 miles. 59 years old. But I was looking at the chain and I think the powers that be said lube the chain. So here we. are. Thank you so much for your thorough study. You rock.
Glad it was helpful! -Eddie
Wow! Super video. Loved it! Really appreciate all the effort and time you put into it!
I happen to use Rock n Roll Gold. Glad to see it did well. It's sold as a drip on dry lube (goes on wet, wipe dry, then let dry for 8 hours before using the bike). Wonder how it would have scored in the sand retention test if it been allowed to dry first. Really keeps my chain clean.
Thank you - and I appreciate the perspective on letting R&R Gold dry. -Eddie
I use the RnR Gold on the Recc of World Cup Champion mech Brad Copeland. He's tried 'em all. I believe gold is not marketed as a dry lube .."creates a wet membrane..." It works best after sitting a few hours because it apparently pushes contaminants out to the surface over time which you then wipe off. Works great five minutes after applying as well.