Garage Mechanic tip: On the cheap bike Lube

There are so many lubes out there marketed to bicycles. You know the old standbys: Tri flow, Finish line, Pedros, White lightning and the newer ones: Pro Gold, Rock n Roll, etc.. and those with the hip names, something snot, etc...

I've tried a bunch, and haven't really done anything scientific, but honestly, can't really tell one from the other. Sometimes I can tell when one doesn't work worth a hoot, but between the others it is hard to say. Ride, chain gets dirty, clean, relube, etc. So the whole marketing behind the lubes of this is better, etc. seems pointless to me.

Mike T. over at the MTBR forums as a SWEET web page dedicated to chains. Mike T. Chain pages. This place is a treasure trove of info on chains, and has links to even more technical info on chain suck.

His web page has a home brew concoction for bike lube. I've been using it for over 8 months now, and love it. Cheap, does what it should, plain and simple. Not very complicated: basically 50/50 of Mineral Spirits and Synthetic motor oil.


Give it a shot, you might be surprised. Save an empty bottle of your other lube and put this mix in there.