Which Chain Lube should I use… and when?

Bike parts maintenance with Peaty’s Products means your bike will be faster and quieter every ride. Your gears will run smoother, shift better, last longer and be easier to clean whatever the weather too.

We get asked all the time which of our awesome chain lubes do you need to use and when, how should you apply them and what’s the tech that makes them rider and racer favourites?

We’ve answered as many of these common questions as we can below, so this can be your one stop shop to find out everything you need to know about selecting the right chain lube for different riding conditions, and how to apply it perfectly. If you’ve any more questions then please drop us a line anytime in social DMs or at hello@peatys.co.uk 🍻

How do I apply chain lube? +

How do I apply chain lube?

With an average of 110 links per chain and 32 teeth on your chainring, it takes 3.5 backward turns of the cranks to be sure you’ve coated every link. If you’ve got an Ebike (yes our lubes work just as well on an eBike!) use an Allen key in the chainring bolt to rest against the cranks when turning them backwards. Once applied, spin your cranks about 20 times to allow the lube to work into the depths of your rollers before wiping off any excess on the outside of the chain.

What’s the difference between wet and dry chain lube?

Put simply, a dry chain lube is for riding in dry, dusty conditions and a wet chain lube is for riding in wet, muddy conditions. This is because riding in wet weather conditions and riding in dry weather conditions have completely opposite requirements.

When riding in the wet, your front tyre constantly sprays your front chain ring (and so chain) with water, mud, grit and slop. This means that chain lubes can wash off very quickly leaving you with a squeaky, unlubricated chain which won’t pedaly smoothly, won’t change gear well and would eventually go rusty. The best wet lubes will therefore keep your chain running smooth and quiet for hours in wet weather, and typically have much higher levels of corrosion inhibitors to stop your chain from going rusty after being sopping wet all day.

When riding in dry, dusty conditions, your front tyre covers your chain in fine sand, dust and grit. If you were to use an oily wet lube, which never fully dries to the touch, then all of the sand, dust and grit will stick to the oil on your chain and quickly turn into a cutting paste. This sandy oily sludge will then grind away on the inside of your links and rollers, speeding up wear on your chain massively! A dry lube then is usually wax based and leaves your chain dry to the touch so that even after a full day of sunny sandblasting your chain will still be shiny, clean and running smoothly!

What is an all weather chain lube?

Rainy one day, muddy puddles the next, hero dirt the day after. Starting a ride in a storm, ending in sunshine or the other way around. You know, the typical random conditions we have to cope with in the UK, Northern Europe and the Eastern US. If that’s what you’re dealing with, LinkLube All Weather is our one lube that does it all.

You’ll see from the bottle that this minty smelling master of all conditions is a carefully tested and perfected three part mix. The blue part is a blend of waxes, to help keep the chain smooth and clean in dry conditions, and a careful balance of greases, to protect the chain in wet conditions - but not so much that your chain and gears will gum up with dirt in the dry. We make sure these get straight to exactly where they’re needed straight away with a penetrating oil carrier that’s also anti corrosive. Because letting your chain rust is the fastest way to ruin your bike.

What’s the cleanest running chain lube? +

What’s the cleanest running chain lube?

When you first start using our LinkLube All Weather or LinkLube All Weather Premium lubes, you might notice that your chain could look black and dirty after your first ride. That’s not dirt collecting on the chain though, it’s actually dirt being pushed out from inside the rollers and links as the lube penetrates and delivers it’s wax and grease goodness. Just keep degreasing, reapplying and wiping away the excess and your chain will soon run cleaner than ever!

Why are LinkLube bottles transparent?+

Why are LinkLube bottles transparent?

Our lubes are a carefully balanced blend of compounds, waxes and greases - some of which can settle to the bottom of the bottle over time. This means it’s essential you shake the bottle thoroughly to get the correct mix before applying to your chain. That’s why we’ve made our bottles transparent; so you know when it’s shaken enough to work perfectly.

But which is the best all weather chain lube?

You’re off on an epic but not sure what the weather is going to do and want to be damn sure your bike couldn’t run smoother, quieter and with less mess? Peaty’s LinkLube All Weather Premium Lube is the perfect answer. Essentially All Weather Premium has all of the benefits of our original LinkLube All Weather, but with the performance dialled up to 11! An even more refined blend of ultra high performance waxes, greases and corrosion beating carrier oil for the ultimate clean, fast, quiet and smooth running chain. It also lasts 30% longer. That means it works brilliantly in all conditions without attracting a ton of dust in dry weather or washing off immediately in wet weather. Simply apply and wipe away the excess before you ride. Paying you back for investing in the best by protecting your drivetrain for longer on every ride. Oh and it doesn’t just work mint, it smells minty too.

Easy roller! +

Easy roller!?

As well as making our bottles clear so you can check you’ve shake up the perfect pre application mix we’ve made the tip the ideal applicator. The twist on, twist off nozzle means a controlled flow and the rounded end rolls over every chain link to put each drop of lube exactly where it needs to be. No lost cap, no mess, no waste, better value.

Which is the best wet chain lube?

If it’s wet, cold and miserable but you still need a warm glow then reach for Peaty’s LinkLube Wet. Because not only have we given it a whisky loaded ‘Irish coffee’ smell, we’ve also distilled our Wet blend to work differently too. A refined blend of greases and waxes in a high performance anti-corrosive carrier oil that still penetrates and starts working straight away, stays on longer however grim the conditions, yet doesn’t turn into an impossible to clean gunk. That way your shifting stays sweet but your transmission is still easy to clean with our bearing, paint and component safe Peaty’s Degreaser.

The cleanest running wet lube!

We didn’t take the easy route when developing our LinkLube Wet chain lube by simply using crude, heavy duty marine grade waterproof greases. These greases are very durable in wet weather (because they’re waterproof) but the consequence of this is they create a gunky grinding paste of mud, sand and silica that will wear your chain, cassette and chainring out much quicker and screw up your shifting.

Waterproof greases are typically non-biodegradable and very hard to clean too, so you’ll also need to use a super aggressive, solvent degreaser to get it off. But that same solvent degreaser will also potentially strip out your bearing greases and damage your paint, anodising and the planet. To avoid all of that mess, we spent a huge amount of time researching and testing different blends of oils, waxes and (non waterproof!) greases to create LinkLube Wet.

The result is a lube which can suffer a full day in the worst wet weather conditions whilst not only remaining quiet, running smooth and shifting perfectly, but also be readily biodegradable and easily washed off with our (non solvent) Foaming Drivetrain Degreaser!

Which is the best dry chain lube?

When it’s hot, dry and dusty you need a chain lube which runs dry to the touch so that dust and grime won’t stick to your chain and create a horrible grinding paste. Our LinkLube Dry is a water-based emulsion of readily biodegradable waxes which does exactly that! We’ve used water as the carrier because we can load it up with a much higher concentration of premium natural waxes - compared to traditional fast-drying solvents - which results in a much smoother, quieter and more durable lube, however hot the pace you’re riding at!

Simply apply the milky blue lube to your chain then allow it to dry - once the lube has turned clear you’re good to go! The drying time can vary depending on the ambient temperature as you’re waiting for the water to evaporate away from the lube. Peaty’s LinkLube Dry is a cocktail of Summery goodness for your bike. That’s why we made it smell like Pina Colada! 🍹

Why do I have to wait after applying dry lube? +

Why do I have to wait after applying dry lube?

The wax rich water-based mix that makes Peaty’s Dry Lube perform so well relies on a water-based carrier solution, which also needs to evaporate away before you can ride. This can take anything from 5 minutes in sunny hot conditions to several hours in cool conditions. More traditional solvent based dry lubes can dry very quickly (since the solvents evaporate much faster than water) but solvents also can’t suspend anywhere near the same amount of wax as a water-based formula, so solvent dry lubes tend to wear off equally as quickly as they dry!