The best bike chain lubes will keep your chain running smoothly, even in wet conditions, and resist debris build-up. There is a bewildering choice of chain lubes out there, so should you opt for an all-weather bike chain lube or switch between wet and dry lubes based on weather conditions? Here's everything you need to know, including the best bike chain lubes after extensive testing in various weather conditions, covering tens of thousands of miles.
Best overall chain lube: Silca Synergetic Drip Lube
Best budget chain lube: Oxford Mint Wet Lube 75ml
Best dry lube: Morgan Blue Dry Wax
Best value chain lube: Squirt Long Lasting Chain Lube
Best chain lube for all conditions: Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lube
Best chain lube for performance: Blub Graph Premium Race Quality Bike Lube 120ml
Best money-no-object chain lube: AbsoluteBlack GraphenLube
Ensuring your bike's chain remains well-lubricated is often overlooked, but it's essential for a smooth, efficient, and durable ride.
The best chain lubes penetrate the chain's internal components, ensuring that the lubrication reaches where it's needed most, which creates a protective, low-friction layer on the chain to prevent corrosion and extend the life of the drivetrain. Some chain lubes can be expensive but, arguably, they're worth the money when compared to replacing drivetrain components.
Choosing the right lube will depend on factors such as weather conditions and riding style, but you should always clean your chain thoroughly before applying any type of lube. Lubing a dirty chain will wash grit into the link where it causes wear.
Choosing between wet and dry lubes will depend on the riding conditions and environmental factors. Wet lube is designed for wet and rainy conditions whereas (you guessed it), dry lube is suited to dry conditions. A lot of cyclists will switch to dry in the spring and summer - although if you're from the UK or a similarly unpredictable territory when it comes to the weather, you'll know that summer doesn't necessarily mean you won't get rained on.
Wet lubes are often oil-based, designed to repel water and prevent rust. On the other hand, dry lubes are typically wax or Teflon-based, creating a drier coating that reduces friction and doesn't attract much dirt. Dry lubes are cleaner but need more frequent application.
Below are some of our favourite lubes for various conditions and bike types. You'll also find plenty of extra tips and info below our selections if you still need more advice.
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29 comments
I'm standing with Fenwicks 'Professional Bike Lube'.. I love the stuff and it's still made using the dust from moth wings.
(I was disappointed to find the article on road.cc where this was specified appears no longer to be online, ergo has slipped into urban legend status).
Asking cyclists to recommend a lube is the very definition of YMMV, normally. It's a nest of opinion and conjecture. What works for someone, doesn't seem to work for someone else - small changes in use and application always skews the narrative. But it'll tell you this - Synergetic is the only thing I've used which absolutely delivers, on everything that every review has ever said. Yeah, it's that good.
I've been using Synergetic on all but one of my bikes since Silca released it and it really is exceptional stuff. Super quiet drivetrain and, while it's not as clean as a waxed chain (my other bike runs Silca hot wax) a swift wipe down with a rag after a few rides and the chain looks great.
I'm about to finish my first bottle of Silca Synergetic and I liked it so much that I got another two bottles. A more detailed comment will be going on the review page at some point, but I reckon it's the best bicycle chain lube I've ever used.
I'd be interested to hear more. I'm not convinced that the tester's comments after only 800 km help much.
I found I needed to reapply after wet conditions more than I expected to.
My friend got a later batch where the dispenser was larger than the original 'needle'. He said he got a reply to say the original did not dispense enough.
I've ordered a bottle to try out based on the reviews here and by ZFC, so your opinion & comment is encouraging thanks. Current lube is Muc Off Hydrodynamic which was highly rated on road.cc (9/10) some time ago, yet roasted on ZFC.
Lube reviews that don't reference and rely heavily on the results of independent testing are next to worthless. Which means that, at road.cc, it's really not worth reading anyone other than Mike Stead on the topic.
@LookAhead - Get a grip.
If you've got a substantive objection to my claims, I'm happy to take it under consideration!
White Lightning Epic Ride is the go-to for me on a commute of crappy roads and light trail.
Have you read Zero Friction Cyclings review of this lube? It's shocking!
I hadn't, but have now. I'm really surprised by how badly they rate it. For me, it seemed to be working well and whilst I hadn't noticed a lot of wear, I guess it must be, so will take a better look. I'd never seen zero friction before
Green Oil is great, and non petrochemical. It lasts a long time, but eventually (2 months) being plant based, you need to give it a good degrease as it starts to stiffen up. It runs quietly and stays on the chain rather than spraying off into your frame. It's made in the UK as well, and isn't mega bucks but somewhere in the middle. It's also good for lubing spoke holes on a rim when building a wheel.
Green Oil were doing a free bottle refill too.
Given how sparing I seem to need to use it, hope that offer wasn't time limited
Disappointed not to see EFFETTO MARIPOSA Flowerpower Wax on the list given how good it is.
zero friction facts tested it, and it's performance was outstanding, only beaten by hot melt wax.
i've been using it this year in the UK and Ireland in shitty weather and it's been awesome. Perhaps not as long lasting in super wet weather, but wax never is.
Squirt had been my favourite for a while now. Cheap enough so you can just apply liberally and also a convenient form of wax lube. I started using it when I was mucking around with a wax bath (more like a small frying pan) and micronised graphite as a top up to keep the wax treatment going for a few more days. Then I figured out that I might as well just use the Squirt by itself and not spend so much time on chain treatment.
I've stuck it out with hot wax (ordinary food grade paraffin wax, no extra toppings) for my own bike, yielded to Squirt on her bike. She goes out in the rain occasionally, I'm not that daft!
You would have to be a real mug who deserves to be defrauded to buy anything from Absolute Black. I'm not expecting people to believe what they see on YouTube, but these OSPWs are beyond a joke and beyond even the Emperor's Suit of Clothes parodies
'What's the difference between wet and dry lube?" ,the answer given by the author is just plain wrong! It has nothing to do with wax, nothing to do with how it comes out if the bottle. Dry lube (eg Mucoff dry ceramic, which isn't even wax at all) is intended for dry conditions, and as I can attest, washes off at the first pass through a puddle. Wet lubes are designed for use in rain.
You're wrong. They are correct.
Really? You saying all "dry lubes" contain wax? Read the sales bumph on almost any dry lube, its all about envoronmental conditions FA to do with wax.
No, not all dry lubes contain wax. But dry lubes are not for dry conditions, and wet lubes are not for wet conditions.
dry lubes evaporate when you apply them and - dry.
wet lubes remain wet when you apply them.
it has nothing to do with the conditions you use them in, just the state they are when applied to a chain and ready to use.
edit- there can be confusion as some companies market Wet and dry lube targeted at wet and dry conditions, but it doesn't mean the wet is for wet and the dry is for dry 🤓
It seems you are on your own, because even Emily Tillet (the author) elsewhere in the same article says ""Wet lube is designed for wet and rainy conditions whereas (you guessed it), dry lube is suited to dry conditions. "
Or if you want a second opinion, Bike Radar's definition "Dry lubes, so-called because they’re designed for riding in dry conditions, are often made up of ....."
Or a third, cyclist.co.uk "Wet lubricant is for wet weather conditions. It’s thicker and doesn’t need to be applied so regularly, and won’t wash away. " "Dry lube is for dry weather conditions. It’s thinner and runs very smoothly. Needing to be applied more regularly; it’s more prone to being washed away by rain or when hit with a hosepipe. "
..Yellow Jersey "Dry and wet are pretty much universal terms and most chain lubricant manufacturers will offer these two variants as a minimum. As a very simple rule of thumb, use dry lubes in dry conditions and wet lubes in wet conditions."
Bike-mag.com "It’s a general rule of thumb that when riding in dry conditions, you use dry chain lube, and in wet riding conditions, you opt for wet chain lube. "
Cycling Weekly" Dry lubes are much cleaner to use and attract less dirt build-up even with repeated applications. This makes them much better in dry or dusty conditions, especially off-road or on gravel.
However, even a light rain shower will wash dry lube off the chain and it is less durable; an 80-mile ride in dry conditions can see lubrication drastically reduced."
Calm down chaps, you're both right (or both wrong, depending whether you're a glass half full or empty type): as the contradiction in the article itself pointed out by Griff shows, different people use the same terms to mean different things. Personally I tend to say dry to mean for use in the dry seasons and wet for wet seasons but I know plenty of other people who are just as or more knowledgable than I who say wet to mean thick liquid lubricant and dry to mean the thin type where the liquid evaporates to leave a dry covering, or just straightforward wax. 'Tis not, in the grand scheme of things, that big a deal.
And many including silcas josh poertner say the opposite.
whatever. Both are equally shit at being lubes anyway. Wax is the only way to go to achieve low friction and relatively long lasting results.
The "Best chain lube for performance" has, by the author's own admission, "Unratified efficiency claims". And the "Best budget chain lube"--again by the author's own admission--"Attracts dust and dirt", which means those things will grind down your drivetrain faster and the few dollars you saved on the bottle of lube will be far eclipsed by the premature wear of your components.
That tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the value of this list.
If you want to know real facts about chain lube, leave this page and head over to Zero Friction Cycling.
ZFC is a great, just be prepared to lose half your day reading about various lubes, when you visit!
Only half a day? You got off easy!