SMOOVE Long Lasting Universal Bicycle Chain Lubricant for MTB, Road, CX, Etc. 125ml

Product Information

After a wet ride ideally try to clean your chain and remove as much contamination as you can. Start by wiping down the outside, then you can use a spray degreaser to keep the chain on the bike, or remove it and essentially repeat the submersion bath in chain degreaser or white spirits etc until the liquid remains clear. You can refer to the ZF maintenance guide to help you here. What's the best way to apply drip lube? Again, for each new chain, I would use a new CS-6800 11-28T. Once these tests were complete, I was sent several of the new wax-based chain lubes to use. WHY DIDN’T YOU USE (100%) WAX/PARAFFIN? I used only one lube for each new chain, i.e., I used the same lube for the entire life of a chain. This really is one thing where dirt cheap is actually technically superior to all the potions, lotions and sauces they sell by the ounce. The only genuine hassle is the first degrease and clean - but you were doing that between regular lubes already, no? Thereafter I just pre-rinse the chain in boiling water, then rewax. However, if you are in the habit of giving your chain a thorough clean and re-lube, once a week or so, then this maintenance routine is no worse and a lot less messy than a wet lube. Smoove recommends citrus degreaser for the job, but when I ran out I tried white spirit and it worked just as well, bringing the chain up sparkling.

You can source the ingredients separately yourself, but ZFC says that commercial blends such as Molten Speed Wax use more highly refined paraffin wax than what is normally available to consumers, for optimum performance and cleanliness. You can also use an ultrasonic cleaner do to this, but using a resealable container is cheaper. When the cleaning solution is running clear with no discolouration or contaminants you know your chain is clean. Should I spend more on chain lube? We would recommend simply splitting chain lubricants into hot melt immersive waxes and drip lubricants. I.e lubricants that come out of a bottle as a liquid and go from there based on your requirements. Is it ok to use WD40 on my chain? The key with bicycle chain lubrication is to get it in the internals of the chain ( among the rollers and pins). Before lubricating, you also need to clean it as thoroughly as possible, to remove contaminants.When a company claims to make 'probably the hardest-wearing wax-based chain lube on the market,' which 'allows you to ride hundreds of miles between applications,' I'd expect to see some results. Well, I did. I tried the Smoove Universal Chain Lube, and it's true. What is chain wear? For those that want more information on the term “chain stretch”, please see http://sheldonbrown.com/chain-wear.html. Basically, the side plates don’t actuallystretch, but in reality, the pins get a groove worn in them which ultimately makes the chain longer. Despite the seemingly endless differences, chain lube can be broken down into just two simple categories: wet and dry. How often do I need to apply chain lube?

It’s fair to say not everyone will have the inclination or patience for it though. After all, outright efficiency and cleanliness almost certainly matter less to most commuters than the ability for your bike to last a couple of weeks in all weathers without cleaning it. Every bike cupboard should have both a wet and dry lube. Dry lubes are for the driest conditions and cleanest chains. CeramicSpeed claims the new formula lasts for 300km each time – not even 'up to 300km' but 300km – and makes no mention of any conditions affecting that. In my experience the UFO Drip lasts just over 100km in typical British winter, at which point the screeching from the chain was a bit of a giveaway. Given how clean the chain stays, noise is the easiest way I found to tell. Tester Stu writes: “ChainJ is made from renewable materials, and is biodegradable making it 'safe for the people and the planet.' If that sounds like too much hassle, a wet lube will help prevent corrosion between rides and provide lubrication in a wide range of conditions.The reason I stopped doing that was that the wax treatment only lasted a week or two unless topped up with some other wax lubricant (e.g. Smoove), so in the end I thought it was less trouble to just go with the pre-made lubricant. After months of testing and development, SMOOVE launched SMOOVE Prep. Think of SMOOVE Prep as the conditioner to your shampoo, the milk in your coffee, the seat on your seat post… ok, you get the idea! In a study of the efficiency of bicycle chain drives by James Spicer in 2000, it’s suggested that chain lubrication has a negligible effect on efficiency under laboratory conditions, and that friction can account for only a few percent of the overall losses in drivetrain efficiency.

It’s also going to attract every bit of grit, dirt and grime you come across and will be a nightmare to clean off properly afterwards. 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. For the past 4+ years, I have been testing chains and lubes. Mainly 11-speed chains and name brand chain oils. For these conventional/oil-based lubes, I followed 5 rules for all tests; Simon Nash of Green Oil, which makes environmentally friendly lubes, explains: “Wet lube was the original lubricant of choice. Early brands used something like car engine oil. Its consistency trumped basic spray lubricants that were primarily designed to displace water. If your chain looks anything like this, it’s costing you watts and wearing out your parts. David Rome / Immediate MediaOff-road, SMOOVE is also market-leading. 300-600 miles is achievable through a mixture of terrains and during a harsh water-logged British Winter, makes 150-250 mile epics a total breeze. When conditions are reasonably dry then it lasts very well and I have used it without issue on road, gravel and mountain bike drivetrains, but I confess that my chains do get very regularly cleaned. If you prefer to layer on lube after lube without recourse to a brush and cleaner, then perhaps look elsewhere. If you’re thinking, “That sounds like quite a lot of hassle…”, you wouldn’t be wrong. It is, at least initially.

However, for the habitually lazy or fair-weather cyclist, a dry lube is going to be the preferred option. 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.”And if you’re wondering why you can’t use WD40 or GT85, they’re water displacement products and should only really be used after cleaning your bike and before correct lubrication. They have some lubricating properties, and plenty of uses on bikes and round the house, but they're not up to the job of keeping a bike chain properly protected. 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.