I used to use the White Lightning lube most of the year. Keeps the chain very clean and fairly dry. However, you do need to use it quite often and especially when the chain gets older, it does not prevent sounds as much as others do.
In the wet season I switched to Finish Line wet conditions lube. That stuff is super sticky but that also means it attracts dirt more and will lead to the nice chainring tattoos on the leg and/or clothing.
Recently I bought the first bottle of ProLink and I think I'll stick with that. It is not quite as clean as the White Lightning but better than the Finish Line in terms of dirt. But what really blew me away is how much more quiet the chain has gotten. Noise = friction so I believe it is a great lubricant.

Chain-L No.5 here, too. Super-quiet and long lasting, but I must say it also gets super-dirty: Have a permanent chainring tattoo on my inside leg - which doesn't bother me much, mind you.

Here's the bottle - no extra credit for guessing where they took the design clues from!

Chain-L here. It's thick oil but effective. You have to keep wiping off the outside of the chain to keep the outside of the chain clean but the insides of the chain are well lubricated and you really only have to re-apply every 1000 to 2000 miles. In the past i've always used the lighter weight dry oils but they only worked for a ride or two and the chain wear was excessive. Im now a Chain-L believer.

I think I shall try that Chain-L stuff too. All I find is positive reviews.

I like the Phil Tenacious Oil but I've never tried Chain-L.
Can anyone provide a comparison?

Also, what do people like for keeping their chain clean (has this been covered elsewhere already)?

Strait hot wax would be a mistake. The property's of good chain oil can't be replaced with simple wax.

Love Chain-L No 5 but it would be better if they could actually make it smell like Chanel No 5. Why should my bike have to smell like chain oil? :face-devil-grin:

FYI on the chain waxing question, EcoVelo had an extensive write up on it a while back:

Chain Maintenance for Clean Freaks

I don't think I'll ever try it, but Alan makes it sound like a feasible option.

I ran a chain, ok on a recumbent, 10,000 miles with Chain-L and had no cog issues when I replaced the chain.

Chain lubes are like religion and helmet discussions, but in my opinion this is the best chain lube in the world.

Just the "spin the cranks backwards" test (remember I've got 3x the chain length and two additional pulleys on the geek-cycle) shows the difference.

Quiet too.

Yeah, good stuff. At first people were reluctant to buy Chain-L in the store but now it's the most sold lube we sell.

Give it a try, I guarantee it will be the best lube you have ever used on the tandem. The wife and myself just did a 200 mile loaded off road bike tour and did't even bother to bring lube with us. I knew all along that the Chain-L would hold up. It's pretty much non-existant to have that much trust in a lube until Chain-L came along.

I know he's going to deny it, but I need to stop by to pick up some Chain-L tonight since my husband constantly keeps stealing all my stuff and hoarding it at work.

I cleaned my chain over the weekend with Simple Green and a tooth brush but this morning no lube to be found anywhere. I made it to work okay though.

Haha, that's funny. Not that you went too long but that it was too quiet. If you ride a lot on one bike I wouldn't go anymore than 6 months without changing out the chain.

Velo Cult:Haha, that's funny. Not that you went too long but that it was too quiet. If you ride a lot on one bike I wouldn't go anymore than 6 months without changing out the chain.

I ran my last chain with ChainL to 10,000 miles without ill effect on the cogs. NOW granted I have 3x the chain length AND the chain is a good distance away from the road ... but that was pretty amazing. I did check 'length' for wear (chains don't stretch, the pins wear down) and changed when it was past spec.

Perhaps I'll give this wax thing a try some day.

went to Adams yesterday for some stuff & decided to pick up lube... i am a die hard Rock&Roll Gold fan, but the dude there convinced me to try LILLYLUBE... so far it is amazingly smooth & very good at cleaning. we'll see if it goes the distance, but so far i really like it! even on first impression...

...

I've been pretty happy with paraffin with the 7 speed drive train. It lasts between 200 and 300 miles and keeps the drive train extremely clean, even if I don't wipe it down all that often. It's effectively dirt repellent.

However, it doesn't really work so well with the 10 speed chain. It lasts maybe 30 miles or so before I start hearing chain friction. I'm not sure why. Maybe my 7 speed chain has more space for wax to get inside the links?

I've tried the Rock-n-roll Gold that PacMUle recommended. I followed the instructions carefully and I wipe it down after every ride. Maybe it's being spoiled by the cleanliness of paraffin but this stuff doesn't really keep the drive train all that clean in my opinion. I get lots of black stuff every ride and gunk on the pulley wheels. It doesn't last all that long either. Maybe 100-150 miles. On top of that, when I lube with it, it's so thin that at least as much ends up on the floor as on the chain.

I think I may finally break down and give Chain-L a chance. At least it should last longer.

Theres more to that story Paul....

The day I met Jason Lilly in Alpine a few years back, he told us all about the crazy 368 mph RC glider he built/flew. the speed was like a drug. He was obsessed, lying to his wife how much $ he was spending on epoxy and parts. Fucking crazy fast. He said if you lost control, in about 4 seconds it would be out of sight, and if it hit a human, it'd cut you like buttah. It sounded impossible so I had to look, sure enough, he's in the blue jacket/goggles.


My friends later on the ride told me of his work at Holland and his anodizing business
Interesting local for sure....
So I had to try his lube
I'm impressed and happy to give him my $.
He does promos/free samples at local event rides. Say hi.

Jason has created or helped create many great bicycle products.

From Bill Holland Cycles:
By 1997, Jason Lilly was becoming masterful at annodization techniques and pursued his dream into his own OE supply business for the biggest wheel makers in the bike industry. Years later Jason would release what has become one of the benchmark lubricants in the industry… Lillylube.

Shut Up Legs:Theres more to that story Paul....

The day I met Jason Lilly in Alpine a few years back, he told us all about the crazy 368 mph RC glider he built/flew. the speed was like a drug. He was obsessed, lying to his wife how much $ he was spending on epoxy and parts. Fucking crazy fast. He said if you lost control, in about 4 seconds it would be out of sight, and if it hit a human, it'd cut you like buttah. It sounded impossible so I had to look, sure enough, he's in the blue jacket/goggles.


My friends later on the ride told me of his work at Holland and his anodizing business
Interesting local for sure....
So I had to try his lube
I'm impressed and happy to give him my $.
He does promos/free samples at local event rides. Say hi.

Jason has created or helped create many great bicycle products.

From Bill Holland Cycles:
By 1997, Jason Lilly was becoming masterful at annodization techniques and pursued his dream into his own OE supply business for the biggest wheel makers in the bike industry. Years later Jason would release what has become one of the benchmark lubricants in the industry… Lillylube.

Yep. I get it from the source. Also all my nipples and most of my spokes.

This is amazing. I used to fly RC Gliders in the 1980's, but this is extreme.

So cool.

Shut Up Legs:Theres more to that story Paul....

The day I met Jason Lilly in Alpine a few years back, he told us all about the crazy 368 mph RC glider he built/flew. the speed was like a drug. He was obsessed, lying to his wife how much $ he was spending on epoxy and parts. Fucking crazy fast. He said if you lost control, in about 4 seconds it would be out of sight, and if it hit a human, it'd cut you like buttah. It sounded impossible so I had to look, sure enough, he's in the blue jacket/goggles.


My friends later on the ride told me of his work at Holland and his anodizing business
Interesting local for sure....
So I had to try his lube
I'm impressed and happy to give him my $.
He does promos/free samples at local event rides. Say hi.

Jason has created or helped create many great bicycle products.

From Bill Holland Cycles:
By 1997, Jason Lilly was becoming masterful at annodization techniques and pursued his dream into his own OE supply business for the biggest wheel makers in the bike industry. Years later Jason would release what has become one of the benchmark lubricants in the industry… Lillylube.

Has anyone tried WD40 Bike lubes?
https://www.wd40bike.com/products/

I like to run a dry lube for MTB (collects less grit) and wet lube for road (stays on longer, especially when wet). I've steered away for the new WD40 Bike product as I was concerned that it would be just their water displacing solvent repackaged and marketed to cyclists; however, it appears this may actually be a real chain lube.

White Lightning doesn't last very well in dusty conditions (i.e. MTB). I like Squirt (wax emulsion). And it's on deep discount here:

https://blueskycycling.com/collections/all/products/squirt-long-lasting-dry-chain-lube-4oz

I bought several bottles from Blue Sky--the labels are slightly different from the current label, and the bottles seemed older, so I imagine they are clearing out old inventory they got somewhere. But the lube itself looks identical to, and seems to work the same as, the most recent bottle I had.