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review

Muc-Off All Weather Lube

6
£6.00

VERDICT:

6
10
Slick, thick and very resistant to water, but needs regular redoing – it blackens with road filth rapidly
Gloopy and tenacious
Pricey
Traps dirt rapidly
Weight: 
59g
Contact: 

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Muc-Off All Weather Lube is thick and clingy enough to resist vast amounts of flying water while keeping your chain running smoothly. Use too much and it turns into Muc-On though, rapidly making your chain look like charcoal from a wet fire and attracting all kinds of abrasive debris. It's also quite expensive, especially in this tiny bottle.

Want more choices? Check out our guide to the best bike chain lubes

Muc-Off says this oil is 'readily biodegradable' and 'derived from renewable sources', and is basically suitable for any riding in any weather. Personally, I might prefer something lighter for any long dry, dusty spell, as it's pretty good at gathering grime.

Rain and spray will not wash this off any time soon, and if you put your bike away wet, the chain won't rust either – this clings to the links like a D-list celeb to fame. If you're still unsure it's there, it even contains a UV tracer dye so you can go all CSI Miami on it with an ultraviolet lamp.

It's not long before you don't need a blacklight, though – just look for the black crud. This lube seems to quite quickly trap the contaminants it's there to protect against, so while it technically lasts very well between applications, you'll probably want to remove it and apply a fresh coat sooner rather than later. I typically only got three to four rides in before the coal-coloured build-up between the rollers and side plates started to make my teeth itch.

You really don't want any meaningful amount on the sides of the chain either, or the whole thing will look like you used Marmite by accident.

Admittedly, my local lanes are currently absolutely filthy with mud, storm debris and flood/frost damage, but then this is recommended for mountain biking as well.

Value

This 50ml bottle is £6, which works out at 12p per millilitre, which is fairly expensive – roughly £540 a gallon – if not as expensive as really important liquids like insulin or printer ink.

At £13.99 for 120ml (up £1 since Stu tested it last year), Squirt Long Lasting Chain Lube comes in slightly under – 11.6p per millilitre – while Motorex Chain Lube Wet Conditions is 10p per millilitre (£9.99 for 100ml).

If you buy the 120ml bottle of this Muc-Off instead, it works out cheaper at 10p per millilitre (£12), but you can pay significantly less: Oxford Mint Wet Lube, tested by Ashley last year, is around half the price at £3.99 for 75ml, which works out at 5.3p per millilitre.

Overall

This sticks very well no matter how wet the roads (or trails) get, and while it's clean it runs very quietly and smoothly too. It quickly blackens with dirt, though, which means you'll probably want to clean and reapply it way before it starts to wash away – which only makes it feel more costly still.

Verdict

Slick, thick and very resistant to water, but needs regular redoing – it blackens with road filth rapidly

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Muc-Off All Weather Lube

Size tested: 50ml

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Muc-Off says: "The Muc-Off All-Weather Chain Lube is a high-performance synthetic lubricant. The unique water repellent, non-fling formula penetrates deep into the chain link, to create a durable protective coating which guards against corrosion metal-to-metal wear."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Muc-Off lists:

Ideal for MTB, Road, Cyclocross and Commuting

Suitable for use in all weather conditions

Added protection against contaminants

Provides smooth and quiet gear shifting

Reduces friction and improves efficiency

Derived from renewable sources

Can be applied to chain, cables, shifters, derailleurs, pedals & cleats

Pipette system for easy application

Readily Biodegradable*

Integral UV tracer dye - aids accurate application to ensure total protection.

*Only contents are readily biodegradable.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

It's better value if you buy bigger bottles.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well when clean – it clings on for many miles even in very wet conditions. However, it does quickly get contaminated and turn black.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Works very well when fresh.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Holds grime and quickly blackens.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's at the upper end of the typical range, though this small bottle is the most expensive way to buy it.

Did you enjoy using the product? Mostly

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's quite good: it runs smoothly, stops rust forming and sticks very well – but it does attract debris, so you'll need to reapply it fairly regularly.

Overall rating: 6/10

About the tester

Age: 48  Height: 183cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Vitus Zenium SL VR Disc  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: general fitness riding, mtb,

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3 comments

Avatar
agp | 8 months ago
2 likes

Muc-off wet is a sticky dirt attracking mess. It took a huge effort to get rid of it from the drivetrain (I ended up just throwing one chain away rather than deal with trying to get the sticky stuff off). I'm never going anywhere near their lubes ever again...

Avatar
ktache | 8 months ago
1 like

I tried some of this, and their blue wet weather one, only one bottle for each.

Went back to my standard finish line cross country.

Both worked for their conditions. Their application nozzle works very well.

One thing, especially noticeable with the pink, would be that it would set if left for some time, many weeks without riding, and be properly difficult to shift.

Avatar
Awavey replied to ktache | 8 months ago
1 like

Yes I saw a bike mechanic on YouTube bemoaning MucOff specifically on that point it sets more like paint than lube and you just wreck chains keep using it apparently other lubes don't do that and they advise all their customers to steer clear of the stuff.

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