55 Chain Lubes Tested

I like lube on the center rollers too, regardless if they roll even a little or not. There is obviously friction between the rollers and sprocket teeth as they will slowly lose lube and become dry and shiny with miles. Been using Maxima chain wax for 30 years and the O-rings never fail, and the chain and sprockets last a very long time.
As far as the external rollers there is no rotational friction there. The rollers are shiny because they are getting burnished by a powerful motor jack hammering pulses into a few square inches total of roller/sprocket interface. We are talking thousands of PPSI going through these components.
 
As far as the external rollers there is no rotational friction there. The rollers are shiny because they are getting burnished by a powerful motor jack hammering pulses into a few square inches total of roller/sprocket interface. We are talking thousands of PPSI going through these components.
If there wasn't some friction between the sprocket teeth as they mesh and un-mesh then sprocket teeth would never wear out and there would be no reason to have free spinning center rollers. The rollers rotate a small amount the sprocket teeth mesh and un-mesh with the rollers. If there wasn't the need fpor center rollers the chain designers could simply make the inner non-moving pin the same diameter as the rollers and have no rollers. Also, if the rollers never moved, then the chain manufacturers wouldn't have a reason to lubricate the inner diameter of the rollers.

Take a sharpie pen and put a line across a group of rollers and to ride a couple of miles and look at the sharpie marks and see how much they have moved.

 
If there wasn't some friction between the sprocket teeth as they mesh and un-mesh then sprocket teeth would never wear out and there would be no reason to have free spinning center rollers. The rollers rotate a small amount the sprocket teeth mesh and un-mesh with the rollers. If there wasn't the need fpor center rollers the chain designers could simply make the inner non-moving pin the same diameter as the rollers and have no rollers. Also, if the rollers never moved, then the chain manufacturers wouldn't have a reason to lubricate the inner diameter of the rollers.

Take a sharpie pen and put a line across a group of rollers and to ride a couple of miles and look at the sharpie marks and see how much they have moved.


Next time you get a new chain and sprockets installed rotate the rear wheel and look very closely. As a roller approaches the sprocket the teeth do NOT touch the roller. the rollers MESH (Drop) into the sprockets like straight cut gears dont scrape across each other as they mesh. If there were real friction going on those rollers wouldn't last a hundred miles. So why are rollers there?

The reason rollers are there is that once the pins/bushings begin to wear even a tiny bit the distance between the Pins.bushings/rollers increases while the sprocket cutout distances do not. this misalignment begins to cause the rollers to SLIGHTLY touch the sprocket teeth just before dropping in. As wear progresses this rolling across the teeth faces the sprocket increases until the sprocket teeth look worn over like shark fins.

I do not disagree that lube inside the rollers is beneficial just that it is not critically needed IF the pins/bushing are keapt in good order. So to get 50K out of a commuter chainset.
- Always keep the sealing rings slippery so they don't wear out. IMO diff lube works better than dry lubes for this.
- Never use solvents of any kind to clean unless they also carry additional lube that gets left behind (Clean with more lube)
- Never over tighten the chain. I have seen ppl destroy brand new chains with this OCD behavior.
 
Next time you get a new chain and sprockets installed rotate the rear wheel and look very closely. As a roller approaches the sprocket the teeth do NOT touch the roller. the rollers MESH (Drop) into the sprockets like straight cut gears dont scrape across each other as they mesh. If there were real friction going on those rollers wouldn't last a hundred miles. So why are rollers there?

The reason rollers are there is that once the pins/bushings begin to wear even a tiny bit the distance between the Pins.bushings/rollers increases while the sprocket cutout distances do not. this misalignment begins to cause the rollers to SLIGHTLY touch the sprocket teeth just before dropping in. As wear progresses this rolling across the teeth faces the sprocket increases until the sprocket teeth look worn over like shark fins.
The first time a chain needs to be adjusted that means it has already stretched and the distance between the link main pins has increased. That also means the rollers are going to start touching the sprocket teeth ramps as they drop in between the teeth. So yes, a reason for them to be lubricated inside and out. Any lube between two sliding surfaces is going to reduce friction and reduce wear.

I do not disagree that lube inside the rollers is beneficial just that it is not critically needed IF the pins/bushing are keapt in good order. So to get 50K out of a commuter chainset.
- Always keep the sealing rings slippery so they don't wear out. IMO diff lube works better than dry lubes for this.
- Never use solvents of any kind to clean unless they also carry additional lube that gets left behind (Clean with more lube)
- Never over tighten the chain. I have seen ppl destroy brand new chains with this OCD behavior.
Yes, item #3 is the biggest killer of a chain and sprockets. And yes, don't let O-ring friction increase where they can break and lose the seal. Of all the years I've used a chain wax lube I've never had an O-ring go bad or disappear.
 
Negative... the 4 points of an X ring are as effective as your fork seals in
separating external and internal fluids and don't require lube...

You can submerge the chain into a sea of oil and not one molecule will migrate
pass the effective X ring seals held in tension to lube the seals...

Currently we have the X rings designed out of the new fluoroelastomer
product known commercially as Viton or Kalrez and reasons are:

1)Excellent Resistance to Drying Out
2)Low Drag
3)Seals at 4 points
4)Grooved Reservoirs of Lube

What that means for us is the fact Viton or Kalrez X rings will be
100% serviceable far beyond a chain's first adjustment mileage point
where metal to metal wear begins to happen at the critical pin and
roller junction...

If you wish to lube reach the critical pin and roller junction just
remove X rings with razor knife...

14746956046_fb75bdf189.jpg
Who is making chains with Viton x-ring seals? Viton can lead to more fay surface wear compared to Buna.
 
like the Utbe video. Explained the long time mystery of how the factory lube between the solid and hollows pins only needs the rubber seal on the outside.
Previously thought the hollow pin did not protude past the side plates:rolleyes:
 
Dupont Chain Saver is clean and last! I have used a LOT of different types and brands. So far DCS is best for me. Another that works really well but ends up being super dirty is differential lube. Gear lube/80-90w is very quiet running, very low cost, but I do not like the smell or dirt.
Seems like it would be the best garage door, bicycle chain lube, or most any chain lube also.
Explain what The negatives are to Dupont Chain Saver, if there are any. Thank you.
 
Dupont Chain Saver is clean and last! I have used a LOT of different types and brands. So far DCS is best for me. Another that works really well but ends up being super dirty is differential lube. Gear lube/80-90w is very quiet running, very low cost, but I do not like the smell or dirt.
Seems like it would be the best garage door, bicycle chain lube, or most any chain lube also.
Explain what The negatives are to Dupont Chain Saver, if there are any. Thank you.
DCS is a wax-based chain lube.
I bought a bike earlier this year from a gentleman who only ever used wax chain lube, and was more than diligent to apply it frequently.
I brought it home to clean the area. The amount of sling-off in the front sprocket area, chain guards, and inner rim was probably 6 oz, distributed. A good 4 oz in the front sprocket area, which was amassing on/towards the exhaust and burning. There are no conventional solutions to solvating hardened wax; I had to pick and wipe out gobs of basically gritty, gooey asphalt from these areas.

I was a little on the fence before this. Can now confidently say I'm not a fan of it, it's grandma, or its whole [goshdarn] look-alikes. [Forget] that mess.
I put on gear lube mixed with a little bit of calcium sulfonate grease (1 gal in total). Its got EP and corrosion prevention taken care of, just gotta wipe it down after applying and the rim after the first ride. No other accumulations. I do this roughly every 800 miles or after driving in rain. For how much I have, I'll probably never have to buy more--cheap as beans too. Totally understand the aversion to gear oil smell, but the smell is largely lost after the clean up sessions, JMO.
 
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DCS is a wax-based chain lube.
I bought a bike earlier this year from a gentleman who only ever used wax chain lube, and was more than diligent to apply it frequently.
I brought it home to clean the area. The amount of sling-off in the front sprocket area, chain guards, and inner rim was probably 6 oz, distributed. A good 4 oz in the front sprocket area, which was amassing on/towards the exhaust and burning. There are no conventional solutions to solvating hardened wax; I had to pick and wipe out gobs of basically gritty, gooey asphalt from these areas.
Maxima Chain Wax is waxed based too. I've used Maxima for 30+ years and the throw-off isn't bad if you don't over-lube the chain and don't ride if for at least 12 hours (24 hours, even better) after lubing the chain. I've also used the DuPont Chain Saver, and the same can be said about that lube, pretty similar to Maxima, but Maxima seems to set-up a bit more solidly. Overall, I still like the Maxima Chain Wax, as it seems to remain on the outside of the center rollers a bit longer than the DuPont Chain Saver. The DCS is about half the price of Maxima however, and is even available in-store at Walmart.

Both those wax based chain lubes can be cut and cleaned pretty well with kerosene.
 
DCS is a wax-based chain lube.
I bought a bike earlier this year from a gentleman who only ever used wax chain lube, and was more than diligent to apply it frequently.
I brought it home to clean the area. The amount of sling-off in the front sprocket area, chain guards, and inner rim was probably 6 oz, distributed. A good 4 oz in the front sprocket area, which was amassing on/towards the exhaust and burning. There are no conventional solutions to solvating hardened wax; I had to pick and wipe out gobs of basically gritty, gooey asphalt from these areas.

I was a little on the fence before this. Can now confidently say I'm not a fan of it, it's grandma, or its whole [goshdarn] look-alikes. [Forget] that mess.
I put on gear lube mixed with a little bit of calcium sulfonate grease (1 gal in total). Its got EP and corrosion prevention taken care of, just gotta wipe it down after applying and the rim after the first ride. No other accumulations. I do this roughly every 800 miles or after driving in rain. For how much I have, I'll probably never have to buy more--cheap as beans too. Totally understand the aversion to gear oil smell, but the smell is largely lost after the clean up sessions, JMO.
Sounds like a real mess.

I have no dog in this fight, my high mileage m/c is shaft drive, the rest have chains that are probably over-maintained for the miles I put on them. I use old-school kerosene clean and have tried different chain lubes and can't tell the difference.

But I wonder if your gentleman seller was making the same mistake that FortNine did in his chain lube evaluation, which is applying a wax lube and then running the bike before the proper drying-out period listed on the can. I've always made it a point to lube and then let the bike sit at least overnight before riding (no matter what lube is involved).

Not trying to sell you on wax lubes, gear oil has always worked fine for me.
 
Schaeffer chain lube is my go to. We have hundreds of roller chains some of which run in very dusty conditions. I wash the cosmoline off a new chain in the solvent tank and hose it down with the lube. It doesn’t attract dust and they’ll still look just as good when we go back to lube them again.
 
Many years ago when i was young and rode motorcycle,(road&dirt),always liked PJ 1 chain lube worked really well,got at the cycle shop,did not seem to attract much dirt on it and stayed on chain well
 
Regardless of what I put on the chain I could never get 1000 miles on a chain. I do miss this bike.
Sweet looking bike, I would miss it too.

You probably keep your chains too tight. Chain lube is to protect from rust and oring/xring damage, not wear.

Proper chain adjustment is key to long lasting chains, and I would say most people have them too tight, even if they follow manufacturers specs, mostly because they adjust to on the tighter end, thinking it’s better and in North America at least, the rider will most likely heavier than a design average from Asia or Europe.
 
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