Chain lubrication.....suggestions?

[surfguy13]

I have been using GT aerosol oil as a chain lubricant for years but I am finding that it doesn't seem to last anything like as long as it used to. I am definitely using a lot more these days. I just wondered if anybody had found a decent, and not too expensive, lubricant for chains. Possibly something like a slightly thicker non-aerosol lubricant. This is for an early to mid 90s 8-speed Vitus.

Any suggestions most welcome!!

 

[Markybeau]

Post in thread 'Grease chat'

Jun 13, 2025

Can i hijack.. my question isn't worthy of it's own thread..

Last summer i bought a new chain.. removed the factory grease.. cut it to length and put it on my bike.. had to do a bit of fine tuning on the rear mech but every change was perfect.. i thought 'new chain, new lube' rather than switching lube part way through the life of the chain and bought this stuff.. the reviews are fantastic .. 10,000+ peeps can't be wrong.. right?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ANNR15G/ref=pe_27063361_485629781_TE_item?th=1

I followed the instructions to the T.. applying liberally and waiting to...

• Betsy

• 

Thread 'chain waxing'

Nov 3, 2024

Last week, a friend emphasised how much he had got into chain waxing. He took me through what he did, using an approach like this:

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wax-instructions/

I knew I had to give my chain a refresh, since it has done 4 years in the grind paste which is Thetford. So I ordered a new chain (genuine not fake Shimano - two silver bars on the front logo, stick on barcode on rear) - and got everything ready for a chain replacement and wax. Only the following happened.

Click ping with the KMC quick link. Chain has not been cleaned for maybe 4 months. Rather than...

• 2manyoranges
• Replies: 17
• Forum: Bike Chat 1998 -->

Post in thread 'Is peanut butter a good lubricant?'

Feb 28, 2025

He/she who sells enough teeny bottles of muc-off chain lube (120ml £9) can bathe in olive oil evermore

• bikeworkshop

• 
• 

 

[pigman]

Lidl currently have various cycling aerosol lubes and cleaners in at the moment. There are 2 chain lubes on sale - standard and heavy duty

 

[2manyoranges]

I have been using GT aerosol oil as a chain lubricant for years but I am finding that it doesn't seem to last anything like as long as it used to. I am definitely using a lot more these days. I just wondered if anybody had found a decent, and not too expensive, lubricant for chains. Possibly something like a slightly thicker non-aerosol lubricant. This is for an early to mid 90s 8-speed Vitus.

Any suggestions most welcome!!

Do you mean GT85? Def not a chain lubricant. It can get inside the rollers, which is good, but can’t cope with the pressure whih it experiences there. There are many factors which determine the suitability of a lubricant in a given context - and for open environments like chains you do need to consider water resistance. But…

General rule of lubrication:

Light load high speed = low viscosity
High load low speed = high viscosity

Guess which of these a chain is…clue = chains do not spin at 10,000 rpm and ALL the energy to make the bike go forwards is going through those tiny tiny rollers.

Low viscosity oil which you drip on to a chain is something which will immediately end up on the OUTSIDE of the chain and not lubricate rollers. AKA snake oil. There’s a lot of it about.

What you want is something THIN to get inside the chain and onto the rollers, where it THICKENS and becomes a pressure-resistant film. Ultra clean chain, then apply. This almost impossible ask is not impossible at all. MucOff Wet chain lube does exactly that - very thin in can, but lighter fractions evaporate after 5 minutes to form a thick wax layer insider the chain. And these guys really know what they are doing too:

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/

There you have it. GT85. Nope.

 

[Y282]

I use a good motorbike chain wax. Wurth is pretty good.

 

[surfguy13]

Do you mean GT85? Def not a chain lubricant. It can get inside the rollers, which is good, but can’t cope with the pressure whih it experiences there. There are many factors which determine the suitability of a lubricant in a given context - and for open environments like chains you do need to consider water resistance. But…

General rule of lubrication:

Light load high speed = low viscosity
High load low speed = high viscosity

Guess which of these a chain is…clue = chains do not spin at 10,000 rpm and ALL the energy to make the bike go forwards is going through those tiny tiny rollers.

Low viscosity oil which you drip on to a chain is something which will immediately end up on the OUTSIDE of the chain and not lubricate rollers. AKA snake oil. There’s a lot of it about.

What you want is something THIN to get inside the chain and onto the rollers, where it THICKENS and becomes a pressure-resistant film. Ultra clean chain, then apply. This almost impossible ask is not impossible at all. MucOff Wet chain lube does exactly that - very thin in can, but lighter fractions evaporate after 5 minutes to form a thick wax layer insider the chain. And these guys really know what they are doing too:

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/

There you have it. GT85. Nope.

Just brilliant, thanks a million for that. I genuinely had no idea that GT85 was not the right lube for the chain. Fantastic also to have a suggestion of the MucOff too. I will get some this week and try it!!!

 

[surfguy13]

Lidl currently have various cycling aerosol lubes and cleaners in at the moment. There are 2 chain lubes on sale - standard and heavy duty

Thanks for the nod. We do have a Lidl here in Ely but it's a small one so I doubt it will have any but will investigate!!!

 

[2manyoranges]

Just brilliant, thanks a million for that. I genuinely had no idea that GT85 was not the right lube for the chain. Fantastic also to have a suggestion of the MucOff too. I will get some this week and try it!!!

If you are in Ely (I am in Swaffham Bulbeck just down the road) then Halfords in Ely has the Muc Off wet chain lube. Comes in a spray can.

Things to do:

If you can remove chain, then remove it, put it in a big jam jar, spray with GT85, rattle it, then pour in about 5cms of Muc Off pink cleaner OR hot water with a good squirt of washing up liquid, plus some hair shampoo. Then lid on and rattle lots. Rinse off with lots of HOT water and dry in sun quickly or use hair dryer. If you twist chain there should be no crunching or grinding if you twist it.

If you can’t remove chain, then place a rag underneath it and spray with GT85 and run it through and through the rag, by holding rag in a bundle around the chain and turning the cranks.

To apply Muc Off wet chain wax, hold a rag underneath the chain so that it doesn’t go everywhere and GENTLY trickle-spray the links as they pass over the rag. Look at the chain as it passes and do it in sections, so each link gets some. Leave to dry before riding - around 15 mins.

I ride in Thetford a lot, which is incredibly sandy - really abrasive - yet through this cleaning and lubing regime my chain and cassette and chainring have lasted thousands of miles there - currently five years of constant riding.

 

[NimbleRider]

I live in the desert and almost never ride in anything wet. Sand and dust stick to oil making the chain a complete mess. The best invention in my opinion for bikes has been wax based lubes. No more greasy sand making my chain noisy while it destroys itself. I use Muc-Off dry weather and really like it. I start with a de greased chain and then put a drop on each roller, apply again after a couple hours, and then let it sit overnight. Then I install the chain on the bike and apply once more. After a few hours I'll give it a wipe and it's ready to go. I reapply after about a hundred miles. After that I just wipe the chain and reapply as needed. The chain runs completely silent and won't make a mess of everything it touches.

 

[Repacker]

I'm a big fan of Purple Extreme and find it lasts well enough and does such a great job its worth the extra price.

Once again with a UK dealer following some difficulties getting hold of it.