How often do you lubricate your bike chain? After every ride? Twice a year? Or not at all? The latter would be fatal, because one thing is indisputable: any lubrication is better than none at all. And what do you lubricate with? The variety of products on offer is enormous. We have compiled more than 50 lubricants from 20 manufacturers from five countries, including such legendary alternatives as Ballistol, engine oil, sewing machine oil and saw chain oil.
The spectrum ranges from thin, crystal-clear water to oils with the craziest colours to a substance that looks as if a packet of Prince Pückler ice cream has been left out in the sun. Magic additives made from Teflon, ceramics and, of course, the infamous nano particles promise all-round carefree care for every chain; oils, greases and, more recently, waxes claim to be the best choice in each case.
SHORT & SHORT
Whether oil, grease or wax - the type of lubricant does not provide any information as to whether the road bike chain is well maintained. The dividing line tends to run between the different manufacturers. Good products come from Dynamic, but the products from Pedro's were disappointing. Using household oil is better than not lubricating at all, but the speciality products are clearly superior.
Clear: A test cylinder from the Brugger test shows the different lubricity: A very good lubricant can be recognised by the small wear surface (1), a poorer one by the large wear surface (2)
You can find the results of our test below as a PDF download.
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Jens Klötzer
Editor
