Chain lube - Dry vs Wet

I've been using White Lightening on my chain since Nov.  I'm not impressed.  It is supposedly "self cleaning" but my chain still ends up completely greasy and gunked up.  I completely clean the chain about every 150 miles.  After this bottle is empty, I'm going to try something different, so I am interested in what everyone else has to offer for advice.  I don't know advantages or disadvantages of the different options, so hopefully someone else will.

I've used both and found that for me it just doesn't matter all that much. I clean the chain about every two weeks anyway. That may or may not be the optimal but it seems to work for me.

After 25 years of cycling (riding and racing), I use and recommend Pedros Dry Ice.  I use it on the road bike, the tri bike, and the mountain bike in all weather conditions. 

I tried White Lightning once and did not like it for lubricating the chain (lots of wax build up).  However, I do like White Lightning for lubricating pedals/cleats.

The best answer is to get a bike rack. I just started using White Lightning so I can't comment how it works long term but the gears run smooth and quiet now. It also has to be reapplied freqently

All time favorite is a product called Squirt, its a long lasting dry lube, wax based.  Amazing product!!

p.s.  Scotch Guard (even the regular protectant) works really well to take chain grease off of cloth seats in the car.

We use one form of White Lightning or another (Clean Ride, Epic Ride, and Wet Ride) on all our bikes (road/tri, MTB, commuter, and track). Good stuff.

Edited by mmrocker13 2010-05-11 9:38 AM

I use white lightening on my nicer bikes. The commuter and kid cart puller get triflow.

You will need to reapply it more often. If I am riding often it's once a week. On the mountain bike, if the trails are really dusty, it might be before every ride. It only takes me a couple minutes to apply it so it's not a big deal. This goes for all dry lubes I have tried, not just White Lightening. I can tell no difference between the pedros Icewax and white lightening. I buy whichever is cheaper or available.

For the people who say it gets messy, the key is to apply it, let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe off the excess. You only need lube between the plates and rollers of the chain, not all over the outside. This goes for all lubes. Messy chains are often the result of over application and not wiping the excess off.

I assume you know this, but just a note to be sure...

"dry" vs. "wet" can also refer to the conditions you will be riding in.  Make sure not to get the two confused.  Some lubes will quickly wash away in wet conditions.  Others might attract a bunch of gunk in dry/dirty conditions.

It actually wasn't your lube that caused the stain in the car.  It was a bunch of dirt that had stuck to the lube... making a greasy/dirty mess.  The only real solution is to clean your chain, and get a bike rack

That! 

When I clean mine, I use kerosene on a cloth to get all the old lube and dirt completely off.  It's a good trick I use on my motorcycle because the kerosene cleans that chain without damaging the o-rings on the mc chain.  It strips the old stuff off very well though.  I then apply a light coat of oil and run the chain across the cloth to remove the excess.  Otherwise dirt will quickly stick. 

x3.  I use a citrus based degreaser, but the same point applies.  Get the chain as clean as possible, wipe it dry, then apply the lube sparingly.  Let it sit a minute or two, then run it through a cloth.  One of the nice things about the wax based lubes is that they dry, which means if you clean the excess off, there is less "wet lube" to hold dirt and later rub it on your clothes/leg/car.

does anyone use these ?

ProLink Pro Gold
Rock-n-Roll
Purple Extreme
Boeshield


I've been using TriFlow, but its messy

Edited by metafizx 2010-05-11 2:57 PM

I've tried most lubes and like a lot of them. White Lightning is by far the worst chain-lube I have ever used and Boeshield T9 is at the top of my list.
As others have said... clean chain, apply lube, let penetrate into plates, wipe away excess lube and let dry/set before use. Better to clean and lube after a ride than right before one.