Best Chain Lube for Commuter Bikes

The humble commuter bike is oftentimes overlooked when it comes to efficiency and for good reason.  If you are riding to the market, to work, or to the local coffee shop, you probably aren't concerned about saving a few watts because it just doesn't matter for that ride.  

The thing that might be getting missed is the role that efficiency plays in noise and longevity.  If you are using low quality lubricant, or the sad reality for most bikes we see parked outside our local coffee shops, no lubricant at all, you are creating massive amounts of wear on the drivetrain.  It is certainly possible to be inefficient and low wear, but it is impossible to efficient and high wear.  This means paying attention to the lubricant will keep your drivetrain lasting longer.

The final big piece that should be important for commuter bikes is cleanliness.  If you have commuted enough, you have almost certainly got your pants into the chain and stained them for good.  If you can use a clean lubricant it will keep your bike, clothes, and for me personally, your toddler's hands (and subsequently everything around) much cleaner.

1.  Durability - Nobody wants to spend their time doing a bunch of maintenance on their commuter bike.  It is a tool and most people want to treat it as such.
2. Resistance to the elements - The potential for some crushed gravel paths, dirt, and more is fairly high.  A lubricant that can resist this is really helpful.
3. Cleanliness - Keeping your bike, hands, and clothing clean is certainly something that needs to be considered when choosing your commuter lubricant.
4. Ease of application - How much time and effort are you willing to commit to the lubricant on your commuter bike.

Wet lube is probably the most common lubricant for commuters.  If you choose a high quality option in this category it will do a good job of lubricating, last quite a while, prevent rust, but will likely create a pretty dirty chain.  Of the four factors above it performs really well in all categories except for the cleanliness category.  It can be a great option for the commuter looking to keep their bike working well but looking for the absolute least amount of work to do.

Dry lube creeps into the picture with a smaller segment of the commuter riders.  It is almost always the choice for riders who have used wet lube and wanted to fix the dirt and grime issue that can arise.  The dry lube is great at fixing this because there is so little lubricant in this type of product that there is nothing for the dirt to stick to.  This also means that if we were giving grades, it would get an F in drivetrain durability and weather resistance.  It is easy to apply and cleaner than wet lube but it will also be guaranteed to destroy your drivetrain.

Wax based lubricants are a newer entry to the category.  They will typically require a little bit more up front work, but they are vastly superior in the other three categories.  Your commuter bike will thank you when it stays quiet for months and months of riding, all while protecting your drivetrain and limiting the amount of time the bike spends in the shop getting parts replaced.  

At SILCA we are big fans of the wax category.  Depending on the product or blend of wax, 1 application could last an entire season or two if you are commuting shorter distances.  It is also by far the cleanest option and stops the destruction of your drivetrain which are both big plusses in our books.

Wax lubes are likely the biggest variation in how long they last. Some lower quality drip waxes might be 100-150 miles, SILCA's Super Secret is around 200-250 miles, and then some hot wax blends can easily last over 1,000km/620mi.

Noise is the most common indicator that it is time to reapply chain lube to your commuter bike. A ride or two in the rain, particularly dirty rides, etc will also have you wanting to at the very least wipe the chain down and reapply any lubricant.

The most set it and forget it option at SILCA is our Synerg-e lubricant.  This was originally developed as an e-bike lubricant but is perfect for the worst possible conditions and has won the single application longevity test at ZeroFrictionCycling.com. In clean conditions it lasts seemingly forever but in reality somewhere around 1,500km or almost 1,000 miles per application.  The downside is that is is more likely to cause wear in dirty conditions due to its tendency to attract dirt.

SILCA's Synergetic Oil-Based Lube, is a close option to Synerg-e.  It is a very similar formula that is a little thinner and doesn't last quite as long at about 600 miles per application.  It is the best performing wet lube ever tested at ZeroFrictionCycling which means it will keep your drivetrain running smoothly for a very long time.  The downside here is that, while cleaner than Synerg-e, it is still susceptible to attracting dirt as all oil based lubricants are.

Super Secret Chain Lube is a choice for thousands of commuters.  It is a big step forward in cleanliness compared to the previous two options, does much better in any dirty conditions, but does require some up front cleaning and more frequent reapplication.  Super Secret can last up to 200-250 miles per application.

Hands down the best chain lube for commuter bikes is the combination of SecretChain Blend Hot Wax with the addition of EnduranceChip.  This will give you the absolute best protection keeping your chain lasting 15,000 miles plus if taken care of properly.  Per application you are likely to get 600-800 miles and will be clean enough you could wipe your hand on the chain and sit down at the dinner table (even though we still think you should probably wash your hands).  This is the go to for all of us at SILCA for our commuter bikes and you would be hard pressed to find us doing anything differently.

Applying chain lube to your bike is a pretty simple process.  The process will vary slightly depending on the lubricant.  For wet and dry lubes the process is the same.  Drip one drop per link on the chain and spin the cranks in reverse 10-12 times.  This will help the lubricant penetrate the links.  After two minutes or so, wipe the excess lubricant off the outside of the chain.  This is because that lubricant isn't actually doing anything for the lubrication, but it does attract dirt to the system turning your lubricant into more of a grinding paste.

For wax lubricants you want to make sure the initial application goes onto a perfectly clean/dry chain. The SILCA StripChip is a great shortcut for new chains, letting you clean and wax in minutes without harsh degreasers.  This ensures adhesion of the wax to the chain.  We have plenty of blogs and videos on that on our YouTube channel.  The application itself is different from above.  If it is a drip wax it ends up being the same but instead of wiping off the excess, you simply let it sit for 4-24 hours and allow the carrier to evaporate.  

For hot wax that process is a simple dip for a few minutes and hang to dry.  We have videos on that below as well.