Finally saw the difference a good chain lube makes on my commuter

I used to just grab whatever cheap 3-in-1 oil was in the garage for my bike chain. After 3 months of riding in the rain here in Portland, my chain was a rusty mess and shifting was horrible. A shop guy at Citybikes convinced me to try a teflon-based wet lube, and after just two weeks the drivetrain is quiet and smooth as butter. Has anyone else had a similar turnaround with switching lubes for wet weather?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_david6h ago

I made the same mistake last winter in Seattle with that cheap 3-in-1 stuff, and my chain was shot after a month of wet commutes. Switched to a wet lube from Muc-Off and it was night and day, my drivetrain finally stopped sounding like a coffee grinder. Now I just reapply every couple weeks in the rain and my chain still looks new after 6 months.

lewis.diana4h ago

Wait, after only a month with the 3-in-1? Man, that's brutal. I didn't realize cheap lube could wreck a chain that fast in wet weather.