Picking a bicycle is tricky business; from mountain biking to road cycling to pro cycling there are numerous options for riders out there to get started in the cycling scene. If that wasn’t tricky enough, later will come the maintenance of the bike. What good is a bike if you are not keeping up with its’ needs to roll smoothly after a couple of months of riding?
After a few hundred miles, a top to bottom service may be appropriate in most cases to revive a bike back into its’ best form. However, it’s important to remember to keep the bike clean and lubricated before and after rides specially if one were looking to score a hankering ride or two during weekends. So what’s the best brand or product to keep those spaces rolling smoothly on your bike?
Let’s skip to what keeps a bike running smooth until your next professional service – we are all aware that lubricants play an important role in maintaining friction & resistance in any machinery. The ultimate machinery we deem godly is the bicycle – so what difference does a lube make in this mechanism?
Any lube itself only makes a relatively small impact to gain efficiency. But lube used in all the right places will get you increased efficiency and without a doubt will double the performance expectancy than no lube at all. Lubed and maintained correctly, your bicycle won’t have spaces filled with dirt & grime in unwanted places. A performance based lube will keep the friction limited between the chain & rest of the drivetrain. This will get your muscle power used efficiently on the bike with reduced friction & resistance on your bike parts.
Lubrication have a limited uses to it when we take a look closely – so why are the countless lube options?
Wet and dry are two of most the popular choices while there is ceramic and wax based lubes introduced to the market for specific turnovers. With all of these options available to purchase off counter, how certain are you what is the best choice for your bike & riding style?
To keep your saddle game smooth & running, your drivetrain needs to be clean and thoroughly lubed – there comes the need for choosing the right lube for your bike and riding conditions. This will play a vital role in keeping your ride trouble-free.
There can be endless differences to all the types of lubes they have out there -for the everyday rider we can simplify it to just the two, “wet” & “dry”.
Wet & dry lubes both have its strengths given the right condition ; so are weaknesses.
Generally, wet lube is recommended for every weather condition but can be utilised in rainy wet conditions as they are water-resistant and help keep the drivetrain noises to a minimum. However, if you fail to clean your chain and drivetrain after heavy miles there will be a gunk build up on the components from dirt that the lube attracted – ergo the need for constant cleaning and degreasing of bike parts to avoid unnecessary hassel from dirt build up.
In comparison, dry lube offers a wax-based lighter lubrication that can be used during dirty off road rides in the sunny season. If you are someone who’s not so pedantic about cleaning your drivetrain regularly you could opt to choose dry lube for your bike. Dry lube, albeit durable & reliable in dusty conditions, it can be easily washed off in light rain showers ; therefore the requirement for constant application.
Whatever the lube you choose, correct application is important to ensure performance and efficiency of your bike. The type of lube you choose to use comes down to where and when you will ride your bike – if you are fastidious about cleaning your bike regularly and determined to ride into adventure wet lube will suit you best.
If you are not so pedantic about the cleanliness of your bike and weather conditions before hopping onto the saddle, dry lube is obviously the right choice for you.
In short, it’s absolute necessary that you use appropriate lubrication on your bike to avoid unnecessary part replacements you will have go through from poor maintenance. You will be thankful for doing so after few years into riding your bike.
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