I was in DIY chain waxing, but due to the fuss of it I looked elsewhere. I tried almost anything, even ended messed up with Squirt due to not cleaning thoroughly the chain prior to applying and ended to Silca's Synergetic. You clean your chain thoroughly once before the initial application and then you just wipe the chain after each ride and apply it in the 500Km-600Km mark. Due to its ease of use and its effectiveness, I don't thing I will ever replace it with anything but an improved Synergetic.

Hi Adam... the GCN video got uploaded earlier and just watched it. I just wanted to say nice job! 😎👍

Regarding the stripping of factory grease, maybe you could try extreme heat to determine the amount of factory grease remaining on the chains. Measure the weight of the factory chains out of the package, then measure after using use the stripper to determine the loss. Next, use something like a self cleaning kitchen oven to turn all non-metallic substances to carbon ash. Due to fumes you’d need to make sure it’s well ventilated. Then use an ultrasonic cleaner to remove the ash followed by a >200°C baking to dry any remaining liquid. Of course the chain would likely be ruined, but the result after the extreme heat, cleaning and drying would get you to the base weight of the bare chain. A little math would tell you how much of the factory grease the stripper removed and how much it left.

I'm pretty sure that including Wolf Tooth and Muc-off was purely a marketing decision... both portions of the article are very carefully worded in such a way that it won't piss off the brands, and they can still include it on the list, in ways that they're technically at the bottom, when really neither one should be at all. and if you think about placement in the article wolf tooth is about the middle but the category itself was "easiest to apply" which sounds like a top placement if you don't compare it to the rest, but when you do compare it to the rest it's more of a diplomatic way of avoiding saying it isnt any good

I bought some silca synergetic. My chemical engineer buddy was curious to see how i spent so much for a 50mL bottle of lube so he checked it out. Told me it's literally the same thing as differential oil; identical, even.

I’ve been using WD40 dry conditioning lube for almost two years now. Haven’t tried the wet conditions version yet, but I use the dry in all conditions including winter snow and wet. Easy to use and clean up after application. Doesn’t hold dirt like a few other lubes I’ve tried.

More great content. Thanks, Adam. I've used Silca hot melt for my outdoor bikes for a couple of years now and it's the absolute best thing I could have done for them. At the same time, I decided to use Silca Synergetic for my road bike that stays on my indoor smart trainer. My thinking at the time was that I didn't want to have to remove the chain or clean up the minuscule amount of wax that sheds off of the chain the first ride after rewaxing. If I could do it all over again, I would just immersive wax that chain as well. It's just so simple to do and the 5-10 seconds to clean up after rewaxing is not even worth mentioning. Overall, Synergetic is a fantastic product but it does get me in trouble because of the chemical smell that fills the house when I reapply it. I only use one drop per roller but it does have a strong petroleum smell for days. I would make the switch to hot melt now but the Synergetic is also so good that I've hardly had to use any of it over almost 2 years and the chain still shows no sign of any wear. At this point, that tiny bottle of Synergetic will last 10 years!

Figure I have some value to add here. I used Synergetic for about a year and a half or about 6k miles (educated guess on the miles). My bottle had a needle applicator, and my main cue to reapply was my front shifting going to shit. I run 3x8 claris btw. When I ran out of Synergetic, I switched to Silca hot melt wax cause of ZFC, and I'm never going back. In addition to the usual adulations, it's way easier to reset in my tiny apartment; I don't even have to go on my balcony to degrease after riding in the wet.

What happened to your comments regarding absoluteBLACK GraphenLube? You started out saying "this one's a fun one" and then cut out to the next lube. I would have really liked to hear your opinion on this one. Thanks for all the work you do for the cycling community

is another fun fact to throw into the mix is that if you can test some motorcycle chain lube LOL

You've used the previous version of CeramicSpeed's UFO drip. It's been updated since with 3 different lubes suited for all conditions, wet and Indoor/track.

I used some "goof off pro strength remover" to soak a brand new sram chain for about 45 minutes. When I took it out the chain felt sort of gooey. I cleaned it the rest of the way with simple green aircraft de-greaser because the claim is it won't decarbon the metal. Waxed with silca and seems to be working very well. It'll be interesting to see how long the initial wax holds up.

Waxing on company grease? I did this for fun and for finding out what happens. SRAM PC-971 + Squirt: I rode it for about 200km on the company grease to thin it, then started to add squirt. I don't see the Squirt's performance yet, but there is less then 400km in the chain. So far it wears like if I were use oil. I used the new chain on a worn cassette, that might be a problem as well (I was not even able to use two sprockets as well, because they were so worn) Shimano CN-HG53 + candle wax: I boiled the chain for like 3 hours in candle wax. Some dirt came out, but whatever. I used it for 200km, and then rewaxed. The boiling water did not strip much dirt from the chain, but when I put it into the candle wax it was like I were pou mud into the wax :D The chain is currently on the bike, I wait for the second waxing. It worn like it was oiled or something. Same worn chainring problem applies. KMC Z99 + Decathlon drip wax: Because the cassette with the previous two chains went so bananas, that I wasn't able to ride well, I changed it to a new one. However. These things are bollocks. At first it did not show any problem, but after 200km, the chain worn like 0.1%, and worn one of the smallest chainring so much, that the previously mentioned Shimano chain sort of skipping on it (sometimes, when I apply power). The Decathlon drip wax is a very thick product anyway, can't penetrate well, and the chain looks rusty after using it. I stripped the chain with benzin (petrol if you like), and boiled in the Decathlon wax, which I thinned up a bit with water. I will see how it works maybe in the summer. SRAM PC-951 + StripChip: It did strip the outside of the chain, that is for sure, but I am not sure of the insides. I haven't tried that chain yet, but I am playing around with so many chains, I can't even guess when I will use it. BTW, KMC has some bollocks company "grease". It is ridiculously thin, and my biodegradable degreaser can't even touch it (CyclOn Bionet Chain Cleaner), while it ate happily the SRAM company grease. My verdict so far: -If you have time and materials to strip your chain before using any kind of wax: DO IT. -If you don't have, then do not buy KMC chain, but any other brand. Ride your chain as is or after a long wax bath for a relatively short ride (50-100km, just to make the company grease loose), then rewax it. If you use drip wax, start to use it immediately. Only one thin layer is enough as the chain is full of lubricant, but the emulsifying compound may help get rid of the company grease without making a big mess. It is advised to clean the chain frequently with like kitchen paper towel, because it will sweat a lot of material. -Or use StripChip, might work. I guess you should avoid KMC chains with StripChip as well, but I won't try it for a while.

12:02 I had it as a part of a clearing bucket package I bought in a bike shop. I remember the red bottle the dry lube stank of alcohol. Maybe this one does too. But the dry lube was very watery. As I remember it it was meant to clean the drivetrain and apply the lube at the same time, I guess that's where the alcohol part comes in. But that makes no sense, as that would compromise the lube. I forgot how the Wet lube did. It was years ago.

Just as you were ripping on Muck Off I got an add for them Gold 😂

The Motorex PTFE Chain Lube is new. I am kind of surprised because in general like you said more and more producers rather go away from PTFE. What is a good thing.

What would be really interesting is high quality motor oil because many use that to lubricate their motorcycle chain.

I would appreciate if you Adam could put out some information about the best preparation of chains going to be used in conjunction with Effeto Mariposa lubricant. Thanks. Rgr

Great that the cycling media seems to have moved on and is getting more educated re lubes....see also GCN moving on from their poor choice of affiliate back in the muc-off sponsored age! Regarding Squirt, i have been using it for years as i travel a lot and not only is it cheap, it is almost universally available in my experience. Currently riding in Vietnam and its easy to get here. Looking forward to hearing news of improved recipe but i have to say that in my experience (riding over 20,000kms a year), chain wear doesnt seem to have improved a lot of late. Definitely interested to try the Effetto next

I am using squirt as its more in budget cuz they sell refill packs and from which i can buy whatever quantity i need thats why i love this brand if other brands start doing same thing the expensive factor and packaging plastics can also be removed just take your container with you take as much need, my chain looks clean for now little to no dirt stick on it i generally cross chain before applying this lube as you told its has penetrations issues i am gonna try putting the bottle in warm water for few minutes then apply it on the chain i use my fingers to apply the lube into the links after dropping 1 drop on each link that way i can assure it will have less problems going in the links

Instead of the FinishLine wet lube. You might wanna try Finish Line Wax Bike Lubricant (not the Finish Line ceramic wax lube)

I’m a big user of Dumonde Tech. How do they stack up??

As waxing provides no protection for the exterior of a chain, do you think there will be any benefit, or otherwise, of running a waxed chain through a lightly lubed rag to transfer a thin film to exterior parts of the chain?

RE Squirt, they have a product called "Squirt E-Bike Chain Wax" which comes in a green labelled white bottle. Apparently helps with the extra pressures E-bikes exert. At least that was what the bike shop told be when I asked them for a good lube for my E-MTB. Should be their latest formula being E-bike branded it can't be all that old. Hopefully you can add that to you test list!

I used WD-40 last season and it "works" as in sounds smooth and feels fast and smells quite nice. It feels like it does very good in the wet however it is a very gunk attracting lube that turns into a grinding paste very fast. On my MTB my entire drive train cassette, chainring and 2 chains were done in the year about 2000 miles I did go a little over .5 on chain each time. on my gravel bike it ate the drivetrain in about 1000 miles. this lube was the last straw and made me actually research and look for something better. I have moved to wax & true tension for this year so far so much cleaner but don't have any useful life span data yet however 100 miles on MTB park CC2 chain checker still at .25 and gravel 800 miles same thing still around .25. and I have ordered the Shimano TL-CN42 chain checker to add some verification to my chain checking task.

Hi Adam, After converting to waxing my chains almost a year ago, I have to thank you for tall the tips and info - it really has been a game changer. My question is how often can I reuse my quick links when fitting and removing my chains........? I generally run to just over 150 miles before switching out and am currently running 6 or 7 chains on a rotation. Thanks, Stu.

DuMonde’ Tech lube would have to be added IMHO. I certainly haven’t tested/ used every lube in this test. Dumonde’ tech lasts by far the longest, doesn’t gum up unless you over-lube. Tests conducted I’ve seen don’t utilize this polymer correctly. Why ? Only after 3-4 applications does it “Polymerize” chain rollers and even cassette. Upon reading these instructions I thought this was kinda cheesy and marketing hype. However I swear I can feel the metal on metal contact is if it’s coated, cushioned.. Hope you give it a shot. Thanks for great content

13:10 ''Find-it anywhere''? Maybe sometime,s it was not for me for a few years. I struggled to find it I've looked trough international retailers, even they did not have it in stock when I looked. No Norwegian retailer has it anymore. Only found a wet and dry pack once in one retailer, but that's probably gone now too, I see a retailer sells it now coming soon, I see European retailers have their products now.

hi! FWIW I started watching because Durianrider goes after you (he's doing it again). I actually consider it a tick in your favor

Did you try the Finish Line Wet as a chain cleaner? Might do better there.

Talking about Effetto Mariposa lube, i texted them and asked if it's possible to use their lube in conjunction with immersive waxing. I was told that their wax is compatibility with any paraffin wax, "basically with all the waxes used for immersive waxing".

Currently I use Weldite Wet Extreme, it's a bit sticky, creates spiderweb if overlubing, but works well in sub zero temps, even down to - 10c. Probably colder. But it has PTFE in it. I will use up my last bottles but won't buy mor eof it unless I have to. Used Muc Off wet before too also worked in same conditions. But I want to try something less harmful

Hi, thanks for your videos, Can I suggest that you redo the paraffin wax test (which seemed to go really well) this time using a high quality wax (ie not candle wax) plus a readily available additive from say amazon? This is the obvious the next step from your original test and for all those DIY waxers out there, we will be able to make a comparison with top end commercial products and do a cost check. cheers

For testing the chain strippers, could you do the chain stripping process and take apart one of the end links to see if inside is free of grease compared to your normal method? It wouldn't be perfect but you should be able to see or feel if all the grease is removed or not

We need to get the bike shop on board

Thanks for all this great info. I just switched over to immersive waxing with silca and my family appreciates my house not turning black from the oil-based lubes. Do you think squirt is good to top off the chain every 100km or so? Much more affordable than the other options. Also I seem to be getting some hard wax deposits on parts of my cassette which causes some problems with shifting and some resistance in the cranks. I am peeling off but wondering if there is anyway to prevent?

What is the basis for the go-no go numerical limits for chain wear for different speed chains? How subjective are these limits?

Question - do you think wet lubes perform so poorly partly due to the testing methodology? If i recall correctly, you don't reapply between test blocks - with the classic wet lubes, they've probably "washed off" (not exactly, i think you know what i mean) by this point, and lost effectiveness. It would be interesting to see yow they perform over time with more frequent application... I imagine they'd still perform worse than an immersive wax, or even a drip wax, but it would be interesting to see if you can still get benefits of a prolonged drivetrain, even if it doesn't come with drag improvements and would "cost" mote due to the more frequent application. When it comes down to it, most bikers I know don't do things the "right" way - they dont completely clean the chain for each application, or use an ultrasonic cleaner, or (insert method here). They will be willing to reapply some more lube at a higher frequency and wipe off excess (which wet lubes seem to do well, even if there are still contaminants present), instead of reapplying with a product that sludges up over time (thinking of some of the drip wax luhes). Hypothetical, but would be interesting to see

Cassette and chainrings need to be as extremely clean as the chain itself when you're doing the prep work before waxing for the first time? Because I'm currently trying to remove all the gunk from past oil lubes and it feels like regardless for how long I'll scratch that with soap, water and turpentine, rags still pick up some black stains, it's kinda frustrating 😂 but i don't want to start waxing and mess up the whole thing.

Working for me.

I've discovered a lube from UK, that's environmentally friendly, but I've no clue about the performance. It's called Green Oil, there's several lubes. No idea if they can handle -10C or as far down as -20C or below. I found a review that says the Green Oil Wet lube lasts for ages, but no data is show, like in which conditions, and what they mean by ages. So Road CC did a bad job. Also I read claims of lasting 200km, if that's feasible, and it actually does perform well that long, that sounds great, so far I've not had any lube that felt freshly lubed, smooth after around 3 or 4 hour ride, I could always feel the difference. Cycling Weekly review claims it was smooth and quiet over 100 miles (160,9344 km). But the review did not go into detail about the conditions it was tested in. I need a lube I can blast trough deep puddles, ride trough snow, cover the drivetrain in snow.

We could use a chemist join these podcasts

One thing thats over looked it the bottle thats provided by the brand. Squirt lube bottle really sucks, imo...

10:26 Rock n' Roll Extreme is an awful lube. In wet, snowy conditions it washes off in minutes, making the chain creak horribly. It keeps the chain very clean, but useless, anything more than just a drizzle and it washes off.

I saw a comparison between UKs popular motorcycle chain lubes on youtube and 4 chain lubes got good results, better that trutention banana slip wax. XCP professional and scottoil and S100 chain spary 2.0 and Maxima chain wax which has paraffin added to it, would you continue his work and try them in your lab testing ?

Hate to say it, but no audio at the moment.

Durianrider is on the attack again. He goes quiet for a few months and then picks on you again.

Adam , you look exhausted and tired . Good sleep habits . I don't sleep that well due to side effects of my type 2 diabetes complications .

Cleans as it lubricates 😂 If it does indeed do that then it will be taking the oil off too.

Interflon fin chain dry lube?

You should test peatys linklube wet

Shorter videos, please.😆🤣😆🤣

Please, Please, get Cam Nichols to shout negative comments for you at his screen in his “Old Mate” character. @roadcyclingacademy6476 I need this laugh. Thanks to both channels for high quality content, with integrity.