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Ryder Innovation Luberetta

7
£4.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Reduces waste and stops your chain's sides from gumming up, but it's only slightly better than the usual methods
It works
It's portable...
...but so are lube bottles
Dirt-removing fins don't do much
Weight: 
13g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Ryder Innovation Luberetta aims to reduce waste by making sure you only lubricate the rollers of your chain. It does work, although it's slower than using a standard squirty bottle and it's not exactly a game changers. It's inexpensive, handy and great for conserving spendy lube, though and would make a good gift.

Most of us, myself included, liberally apply lube and end up wasting a fair bit on parts of the chain that don't actually need it. This results in either having to wipe off the excess or it 'gunking' up during use. The Luberetta aims to overcome this by only applying lube where it's needed –on the rollers.

> Buy now: Ryder Innovation Luberetta from Freewheel for £4.99

The idea is that surface tension keeps the lube in the bottle until it comes in to contact with a roller, at which point a single drop is let out. It works too, though you do have to go slightly slower that with a standard squirty bottle to avoid missing links.

I didn't end up with an excess of lube on my chain, or the floor for that matter, and the whole process is certainly quicker than alternative waste-reducing methods such as using a pipette, a lá Revolube. Videos of how to use the applicator can be found here, but it is pretty self explanatory.

The little bottle holds 15ml, though when you buy it it's just air. Ryder Innovation is apparently working on its own yellow wax lube, but this a bottle only so I filled it with a few different brands, such as Muc-Off C3 Ceramic and Zefal Pro Dry. It worked well with both despite a big difference in viscosities, though inevitably the thicker lube needs a bit more squeezing to get it out.

2022 Ryder Innovation Luberetta Chain Lube Applicator 3.jpg

The head of bottle is angled which feels natural to use, and the guides will happily fit 9-12 speed chains with no issues. The silicone fins are supposed to remove dirt, which I found of limited use: if your chain is that grubby it needs a proper degrease, and there's not enough inwards pressure to clean the inner links anyway.

> Get your gears shifting sweetly: How to tune a rear derailleur

Ryder says the spare silicone dispensers that you get with the Luberetta will be good for 100+ applications and as I've got 30 out of the first one this seems like a realistic claim.

2022 Ryder Innovation Luberetta Chain Lube Applicator 1.jpg

Cleverly, the plastic cap has a little pin to prevent the hole getting blocked, so I found the Luberetta just as effective after six weeks of use as when new. It could be a useful little thing for bike packing too.

Value

We haven't tested many things like this. The Finish Line No Drip Chain Lube Kit is similar and goes for £13.99, but that comes with a 4oz (118ml) bottle of lube. It's available on its own and empty if you search around, but it's typically £7-8, though.

Overall

The Luberetta effectively applies lube and minimises wastage, but is it completely necessary? No, not really. For the cheap stuff it's a bit too much of a faff for me, but for £4.99 this appeals to me as a stocking filler far more than another bike-shaped pizza cutter – plus it's great for dispensing fancy/expensive lube you want to be frugal with.

Verdict

Reduces waste and stops your chain's sides from gumming up, but it's only slightly better than the usual methods

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Ryder Innovation Luberetta

Size tested: n/a

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?

Ryder Innovation says the Luberetta is "perfecting chain lubrication."

It works well and helps minimise wastage, but isn't completely necessary. I think it's worth it for very expensive lubes.

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

Ryder Innovation says:

No mess or wastage: Patented silicone dispenser puts a drop on each link

Holds 15ml Ryder yellow wax lube

Dirt removing fins with silicone dispenser and chain guide

Designed and manufactured in South Africa

2 spare silicone dispensers included

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

It's good but not exceptional.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Better than foam-based rivals, and will last 100+ uses.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10

Very light and portable.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

It's cheap! If not exactly necessary.

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

It performs well but not perfectly; it's only marginally better than a standard drip bottle. It does reduce waste, but I didn't find the dirt cleaning fins overly effective.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I can save expensive lube.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Slower than using a standard drip bottle.

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

We haven't tested many things like this. The Finish Line No Drip Chain Lube Kit is similar and goes for £13.99, but that comes with a 4oz (118ml) bottle of lube. It's available on its own for around £7-8, though.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This is a good product and reasonably priced; it delivers on its main function of reducing wastage, but is neither a perfect nor (wait for it) indispensable dispenser.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 23  Height: 6ft  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride: Specialized venge pro 2019  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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