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Old timer at the co-op swore by dry lube in wet conditions
Told me I was wasting my time with wet lube on my commuter during rainy season. After three chain rust-outs in two months, I finally tried his plain old wax-based dry lube. Has anyone else found dry lube actually holds up better in the rain than the stuff labeled 'wet'?
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the_lucas18d ago
Fifteen years of bike commuting in Seattle taught me something weird about chain lube. The trick is to boil your chain in paraffin wax first, let it dry for a solid 24 hours, then apply dry lube on top after every few rainy rides. That wax base keeps water from getting into the roller pins way better than any wet lube I've tried. Wet lube just attracts grit and turns into grinding paste in actual heavy rain. The old timer might have been onto something about how dry lube sheds water because it doesn't let the grit stick around to wear things out.
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carr.brooke17d ago
Does the wax base actually hold up in weeks of constant drizzle though?
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hart.mark18d ago
Fair enough, but I've had way better luck with wet lube in Seattle's actual downpours.
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