General purpose chain oil for touring

[bidi]

Can anyone recommend a chain oil suitable for long distance touring? It will need to cope with all conditions – wet/dry/hot/cold/dusty/etc. and be in a leak proof 'travel friendly' container.

Thanks.

[foxyrider]

I take a small pot of Finishline all purpose lube - same pot (now depleted) has lasted since 2004! Very rarely had to resort to using on tour.

[fossala]

I prefer finishline (green), it does the job without making too much fuss. I use it all year round commuting (don't drive) so it has to deal with all weathers.

[andymiller]

I doubt you're going to get any agreement here. Chainlube is one of those things where you find one you like and you stick with it. I like Purple Extreme - I can't say it's particularly long lasting (I tend to apply some every few days) but a bottle lasts for a long time.

Use the one you would normally use - buy a small plastic bottle for it if you need to (eg Nalgene or Muji).

[Dudley Manlove]

I use finishline green, but for no other reason is it's the one you tend to see in the LBS and it's in a handysized bottle. I'd use anything I found tbh.

I do tend to find the chain needs oiling every 2-3 days however, and I use mudguards. Then every now and then you get sand in the chain, or wet mud strips it dry, etc - it's worth carrying some.

[iviehoff]

Since car engine oil is a pretty good chain lube, and it's pretty easy to scavenge enough of this at filling stations and the like, provided you aren't heading off into the really remote wilderness where a heavy rainfall might leave you lubeless for a few days, if you are unfussy you can be a scavenger instead of carrying it.

I don't spend money on expensive cycle oils: once a decade I spend a few quid on a litre of hypoid gear oil, as recommended by Chris Juden. Yes it's smelly sticky stuff. But I find that, except during the period of road salting, it lasts for months at a time on my commuting bikes which are left all day parked out on the street in all weather.

[Mick F]

Can anyone recommend a chain oil suitable for long distance touring? It will need to cope with all conditions – wet/dry/hot/cold/dusty/etc. and be in a leak proof 'travel friendly' container.

Thanks.

How far and where are you going?

I've done a 1,800mile ride in UK and just took my normal lube in its bottle. Ditto for any distance in UK. Small bottles fit anywhere in your luggage.

No doubt if you're going trans-continental or trans-am or Africa, you may need something more "agricultural", but then I'd be suggesting a hub gear system rather than a derailleur.

[bidi]

Can anyone recommend a chain oil suitable for long distance touring? It will need to cope with all conditions – wet/dry/hot/cold/dusty/etc. and be in a leak proof 'travel friendly' container.

Thanks.

How far and where are you going?

– 5 years around the world.

No doubt if you're going trans-continental or trans-am or Africa, you may need something more "agricultural", but then I'd be suggesting a hub gear system rather than a derailleur.

What exactly do you mean by 'agricultural', can you be more specific?

I did think about hub gears but haven't been able to justify the £1000+ for Rohloff, which is probably the only one worth considering.

[Vantage]

I bought a 2oz bottle of that FinishLine cross country wet lube at the same time I bought my bike and that was near 2 years ago. Despite the lead rider from the club I was in emptying half the bottle over his chain one day (no mechanical knowhow) there is still some left and it works quite well.

[Mick F]

– 5 years around the world.

Wow!

My thoughts are that in five years round the world, you're going to get through a few chains and a few cassettes, and the least of your worries would be expensive chain lubes.

I'd be surprised if you could find a better suited gearing system as a Rohloff for what you're doing. My thoughts are solely based on what I've read as I've no practical experience of them. By using a hub gear, the chain maintenance is down to a minimum, but if you use a derailleur it is of paramount importance - and cleanliness and good lubes too.

I can't advise you specifically about chain lubes for a epic trip like yours, but by "agricultural" I meant an oil that was easily found in the back of beyond and was cheap as chips. In order to use a good lube, you'll need to clean the drive train thoroughly, so maybe you won't be able to do it so a good lube would be wasted.

I buy a posh chain lube - White Lightning Clean Ride - and buy it in 240ml bottles at £9 a pop. It lasts me over 12months, but I only ride on roads here in UK and keep everything clean.

[geocycle]

I agree with Mick, Rohloffs are not maintenance free but avoid the low-level irritation of keeping a derailleur system in good shape. It would have been my weapon of choice for that sort of journey and would begin to pay for itself.

On the original question, I'd think something like finish line would be as good as anything. It does pick up the crud but it works ok under most conditions. The lighter lubes are excellent if you want to keep the drive chain clean and are prepared to use very regularly but that won't be an option. You'll be running chains and cassettes into the ground so you might as well just keep replacing them as they wear out.

[meic]

I bought a 2oz bottle of that FinishLine cross country wet lube at the same time I bought my bike and that was near 2 years ago. Despite the lead rider from the club I was in emptying half the bottle over his chain one day (no mechanical knowhow) there is still some left and it works quite well.

The nozzle part pops out if you give it a sideways pull and then you can refill it with whatever oil you have at home (in bigger cheaper containers) for carrying on the bike.