Squirt Low Temperature Chain Lube

As the name suggests, Squirt Low Temperature Chain Lube looks after your chain in cold conditions, especially when they are also dry. Riding in the wet will see it require pre-ride applications near constantly, though, which means it can work out pricey in the long run.

Check out our guide to the best bike chain lubes for more options.

I reviewed Squirt's Long Lasting Chain Lube back in the summer, and overall I was pretty impressed. This Low Temperature version follows a similar theme, being a water-based, 100% biodegradable blend, but with the formula tweaked to be at its most productive when temperatures are below freezing.

First up, it needs to be applied to a completely clean, degreased chain for it to adhere, so that is your first job. Even the grease on a brand new chain needs to be removed, but once that is done, application is actually relatively simple. Just drip feed it onto the links of the chain, as sparingly as possible as it is a very runny liquid and if you overload the chain then you'll waste a lot of it on the floor.

Before your first ride it'll need to solidify and turn 'waxy', so you'll need to be organised and get it done the night before at least. If you can leave the bike outside in the shed or garage that'll speed up the process. The first couple of times did it I left the bike in the hallway so that it was ready to go first thing in the morning, and it was only just about dry before I left.

During testing we had a couple of periods here in the South West where the thermometer barely went above freezing both day and night, and this was the ideal conditions for the lube.

Apart from the cold, the roads were relatively dry, the only moisture being the residue left over from the salt that had gone down. With little road spray, the Squirt remained waxy and in situ, the small amount of spray from the roads being easy to wipe off so I could keep the chain clean.

In conditions like this I was probably reapplying it every 10 days or so, about every 150 to 175 miles.

If the roads are wet, though, and the temperatures start to creep above mid-single digits, the lube does tend to wash off quite easily, making reapplication times around half of that.

Value

Priced at £13.99 for a 120ml bottle, it's £1 more than the standard Squirt, and about 50p more than Bike Medicine's Purple Extreme Synthetic Lubricant which performed reasonably well in similar cold and dry conditions.

We were very impressed with Bat Chain Lube, though, when we tested it in all kinds of conditions, and it costs £8.99 for a similarly sized bottle.

Conclusion

If you ride regularly in very cold and dry conditions, this Squirt lube is a very good choice. It stays put on the chain for a reasonable number of miles, and as long as you are careful when applying it you shouldn't see much wastage. In changeable conditions, though, it won't last long.

Verdict

Great for the conditions it's designed for, not so much if things turn wet