How I Lube a Bicycle Chain and Pros and Cons of Different Lubes

My guide to choosing the right lube and how best to apply lube to your bicycle chain for longer chain life, better performance and no squeaks!

Content
00:00 Intro
00:49 Lube options
2:03 Wet lubes
3:58 Dry lubes
5:27 My personal fave lube
6:20 Future of lubes
7:03 Expensive lubes worth the money?
8:54 How to lube your chain
10:33 Your lube of choice?

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[PatrickLino]

I find that popping my Squirt lube bottle in the microwave for a few seconds works best, because the wax needs to be hot in order to really penetrate the rollers. This also avoids the wax gumming up the drivetrain. Coincidentally this tip was offered in one of Silca's videos.

[onenotesolo]

I use the Synergy wet lube that you showed for the gravel bike; and Ceramicspeed UFO on the road bike. The latter has been amazing in terms of smooth running and gear changes, and the chain is clean again with a few quick wipes with a rag. Not cheap, but the best one I’ve used.

[clas]

Thumbs up for a non sponsered video made to help consumers.
Here in Sweden many bikepaths are maintained snow/ice free during winter using plows and a nasty thing called salt which feasts on your drivetrain. Wet lubes has it downsides in dryer, dirtier conditions but is the best option in wet, icy and salty conditions. You still need to clean your drivetrain though and not just apply more and more lube..

[theMJL]

Squirt user here too. Big fan. Started using it at the beginning of the season over a wet lube for the first time and I love it!

[BeatzarrAudios]

been using dry fluid bike and absolutely love it. my whole drivetrain stays clean without washing, its super silent, long lasting and works in the rain. i like it better than drip wax because the chain runs smoother and i dont need to aplie 12h before riding.

[Jacob]

I love your even approach to your presentations. No exaggerations, no sarcasm.
Thanks

[scottbradbury]

I've been using the Silca hot wax every 500 miles or so, and relubing between rides with the Silca Top Secret liquid wax. My drive train stays spotless and smoother than anything
I've ever tried before. I don't mind the extra effort to hot wax the chain (I actually kind of Nerd-Out when dipping it) and the results are just amazing.

[svenerlandsson]

Thank You David for a really good review!

[JackY-punh]

Just started using Squirt, went out and rode a couple of time and I already love dry lube. Thanks for the tip, it’s really helpful!

[MrLuigi-oigm]

I just hot waxed my chain for the first time and used Silca Hot Wax. One thing I forgot to do was wipe off the excess wax with a clean cloth at the end of the process. It's been about 400km since I did the waxing and the drive train is still humming along. Best of all, the chain and drivetrain is still squeaky clean!

[ryanS]

Been using squirt for a bit over a year and love the stuff. Can definitely feel the difference

[desaljs]

David, thanks for this information. I have been using ProGold ($7.99/4 oz) for years, and it works well on all my bikes. No significant wear on my components, so I will keep going with this one.

[chrisobyrne]

Been using Silca Secret Chain Lube for around a year now and it’s great. No more sticky black grime on your drivetrain and hands. Yes chain prep requires far more effort but ultimately more than worth it.

[jeansebastienroy]

I use Squirt dry lube for a couple of years now. It works well, keeps my chain and cassette cleaner than all other products I used before; you have to follow instructions (real deep degreasing of the chain is mandatory before lubing the chains).

[bobzuidema]

I use Squirt lube for about a year now and I am thrilled with it! Just had the greatest compliment from another rider who said "nice new drivetrain!". while the drivetrain had 3K of experience, it keeps looking as new!

[chiefrocker]

I am on the CS UFO Drip; a bottle has lasted me almost 18 months. One tip is to have 2/3 chains with a rotation and ultrasonic cleaning in between each lube application. This ensures cleanest chain each and every time lube is applied and therefore reduces wear on your drive train components. Apply the lube with the chain laid out flat on the floor, applying at each roller and letting the lube penetrate over several hours. The 3 chains have lasted several thousand k's with hardly any wear signs.

[inabit]

I've been using Squirt for a while. Works well and stays much cleaner than any oil based lube I've tried. It's pretty warm where I live and over time, the Squirt would get thick and be difficult to apply. I emailed the manufacturer and they said it was ok to add water to the bottle to reduce the viscosity. I added water and shook until the consistency was a little thinner than suntan lotion which seems to work well. Will try the microwave hack next!

[Wyliedawg]

I switched to Squirt in the fall of 2021 (was using Muc-Off Ceramic Dry for the 3 years prior) and have no complaints at all, understanding of course that it does need to be re-touched every 300-400km in completely dry conditions, 100% road riding.

[stevedouglas]

Good sensible video clearly explaining what to do and let's be honest, these are bicycles we're talking about not an F1 car. Think of your cadence, around 80-100 rpm so the forces involved are pretty small really. Don't overthink things, some manufacturers try and baffle with science but basically clean your chain and cassette etc and apply sparingly. Job done.
For what it's worth I've always used Squirt and find it very good. Just about all my riding is done in dry so a dry lube/wax is perfect.

[dperreno]

Rock N Roll Gold for my road bikes during the dry summers, Rock N Roll Extreme for my other bikes and for the rainy winters! (PTFE-based lube) I've tried doing the hot wax thing but I found that it only lasted around 200 miles or so before the chain started to squeak, not much better than using the Rock-N-Roll lube. But it's way easier to just wipe and lube the chain after every other ride than it is to remove the chain and go through the whole hot-wax process. Frankly, I'm not after marginal gains, I'm really all about having a long-lasting clean and quiet drivechain, so the Rock N Roll works well for me. Been using it for 10 years or so - ever since I found out about it.