Best Lube Ever!

Just curious, what's ATF?

I think he means automatic transmission fluid. (?)

I like Dumonde Tech Lite for the drivetrain and their Liquid Grease for bearings, etc. Best stuff I've ever used.

hgnr.comhgnr.comOpen ↗

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Lube/product_22251.shtml

1_fez_rider said:

I found out about a lube called Purple extreme while I was at Interbike. I applied on my Fezzari Alta Peak and to my surprise this stuff is amazing! I've taken my bike out for at least 100 miles mountain biking and its still smooth. The company says you can get 400 miles per application.

But then I heard about using ATF for lube for chain lube. So I've been trying that too. It's actually just as good, but not quite. I've completely stopped using White Lighting because of the purple stuff.

Lube-ing is one thing but wait till its time to clean the chain and your drivetrain. A good chain lubricant should not only do the work but also be easy to deal with in terms of cleaning.

Try Parafin.

Tried Purple Extreme and wasn't satisfied. Tried Dumonde Tech and thought it was ok but not optimal. Now, I use Pro Link and am completely chuffed with it.

FWIW, what lube works best for you will also vary, to some extent, with what sort of environment you live in.

I'll second that vote for ProLink Gold.

Worth the extra cost.

schmoopy said:

I'll second that vote for ProLink Gold.

I used to use ProLink. I found it works really well for the dryish climate I live in. I stopped using it because the bottles I bought have a crappy applicator design that leaks and makes it hard to put a drop on each chain link. It also smells pretty bad.

Now I used home brew and I cannot tell the difference. It's not really a fair comparison, though. It's easy to make a liter of homebrew so I tend to use more of it more often.

Bro Deal said:

I used to use ProLink. I found it works really well for the dryish climate I live in. I stopped using it because the bottles I bought have a crappy applicator design that leaks and makes it hard to put a drop on each chain link. It also smells pretty bad.

Now I used home brew and I cannot tell the difference. It's not really a fair comparison, though. It's easy to make a liter of homebrew so I tend to use more of it more often.

Whats your home brew forumla ?

mikesbytes said:

Whats your home brew forumla ?

One part synthetic motor oil (Mobil 1) to three parts orderless mineral spirits. You should experiment with what works best in your climate, but the standard formula seems to work well enough for me.

Basically it works on the same principle as ProLink. A solvent breaks down gunk and thins the oil out so it will flow into tight areas. The stuff is dirt cheap so you can put a lot on and let the lube that drips off carry away the [censored] on the chain. The solvent then evaporates and leaves a residue of oil.

I typically apply it to the chain after every ride or, at most, every other ride. Another benefit of the cheapness is that I don't care about wasting it so I can put it on quicker than I can with other lubes, where I carefully put one drop on per link.

Bro Deal said:

You should experiment with what works best in your climate

Thanks

Where do you live ?

Bro Deal said:

It also smells pretty bad.

Does anyone know if ProLink "outgasses" during use, or does something else that would cause a ProLink'd drivetrain to exude its fragrant bouquet periodically while riding?

While I wouldn't go so far as to characterize ProLink's odor as "bad" per se, I will admit it is both distinctive and quite pungent. And there always seems to be some point during a ride when I catch a whiff of that distinctive & pungent ProLink odor, even if I haven't lubed my chain in a week or two. (Or three.)

Is my chain spewing ProLink molecules into the atmosphere as a normal function of its operation?

Or is it just that ProLink smells like a million other petroleum-based chemicals that are being spewed into the atmosphere by those other vehicles I'm sharing the road with?

Bro Deal said:

One part synthetic motor oil (Mobil 1) to three parts orderless mineral spirits. ...Basically it works on the same principle as ProLink. A solvent breaks down gunk and thins the oil out so it will flow into tight areas.

Do you mix up a big batch in advance, or do you only combine the oil & the solvent just before using it? I'm just wondering if this thinning of the oil is something that you wouldn't want to happen too extensively during storage?

Bob Ross said:

Do you mix up a big batch in advance, or do you only combine the oil & the solvent just before using it?

I usually make batches of one and a third liters then put some in a small bottle for application and store the rest. It looks like apple juice.

Bob Ross said:

I'm just wondering if this thinning of the oil is something that you wouldn't want to happen too extensively during storage?

I am not sure what you are getting at here. It does not appear to separate during storage.

Bob Ross said:

Does anyone know if ProLink "outgasses" during use, or does something else that would cause a ProLink'd drivetrain to exude its fragrant bouquet periodically while riding?

While I wouldn't go so far as to characterize ProLink's odor as "bad" per se, I will admit it is both distinctive and quite pungent. And there always seems to be some point during a ride when I catch a whiff of that distinctive & pungent ProLink odor, even if I haven't lubed my chain in a week or two. (Or three.)

Is my chain spewing ProLink molecules into the atmosphere as a normal function of its operation?

Or is it just that ProLink smells like a million other petroleum-based chemicals that are being spewed into the atmosphere by those other vehicles I'm sharing the road with?

I've never caught a whiff of my ProLink while on the bike, whether I'm at a stop or moving, no matter which direction the wind is blowin'. When I put it on, it's not even that bad.

Bro Deal said:

I am not sure what you are getting at here. It does not appear to separate during storage.

Not separation that I was wondering about; more a question of compromising its efficacy. If, as most Home Brew users contend, the whole point of mixing the solvent with the oil is to "thin" the oil, I was wondering if that was something you would want to do well in advance of its use. If the oil is mixed with the thinner for too long, is there any risk of it becoming *too* thin? Can the oil's lubricating properties be compromised by being mixed with the mineral spirits for a long period of time before the Home Brew is applied to your chain?

That's what I'm wondering. I don't know squat about lubrication science, & until I started reading these cycling forums I'd never even heard of Mineral Spirits, so this is all new to me.