CycleStar Nanotech (1000 mile) lube

[redefined_cycles]

Just noticed a review from 3 weeks ago by bearbonesnorm. Has anyone here got any long term experience of this stuff as I am contemplating getting a bottle!

Thanks in advance

[ianfitz]

I'm trying some out too. So far have ridden 200km of muddy Peak District MTB wetness. It's been ok so far...

[redefined_cycles]

Perfect Ian... thats sold it to me

[Richard G]

So how do you guys clean your drivetrain at the end of the ride? I don't think I've ever used a wet lube that could stand up with a spray from the hose (usually next time I go to ride the bike, it's got no lube left, or it's rusty).

[ZeroDarkBivi]

If this stuff is as good as it claims (there's always a first), it could be good for the road bike and perhaps long days/weekends off-road. However, it doesn't sound like any use at all for longer trips if it needs to be applied to a spotless chain.

Had a look on their website, and there is a distinct lack of information there. The video I found on Bikerumour was also an entirely underwhelming non-demonstration of how to apply the lube to a chain.

[redefined_cycles]

So how do you guys clean your drivetrain at the end of the ride? I don't think I've ever used a wet lube that could stand up with a spray from the hose (usually next time I go to ride the bike, it's got no lube left, or it's rusty).

I run it through a chain bath with petrol in it. Better is if you can remove the chain and switl it round a few times in the petrol. Come out spotless but need to wait a bit for the residue to properly air off... works for me for a apotless chain.

Have ordered the nano stuff so will see how goes it

[Bearbonesnorm]

So far

Just come back from a wet and muddy ride and am very surprised by how clean the chain is. The other chain that had 'normal' wet-lube on looks a very sorry state.

I think the idea of using it on a long ride is sound, just clean your chain and apply before you go. Granted, that won't cut it on something like the TD but if claims turn out to be true, it'll suffice for most distance events.

[Richard G]

I run it through a chain bath with petrol in it. Better is if you can remove the chain and switl it round a few times in the petrol. Come out spotless but need to wait a bit for the residue to properly air off... works for me for a apotless chain.

Have ordered the nano stuff so will see how goes it

Sorry, I meant when you have something like this lube on it already.

I pretty much gave up on any lube surviving more than one ride in the wet / mud so every time I go out now I clean mine fully with a chain cleaner and re-apply...

...which obviously isn't the point for something like this.

[BigdummySteve]

I wonder what would happen if I put a bottle in my rohloff

[slarge]

I wonder what would happen if I put a bottle in my rohloff

Blimmin great hole in your wallet

[BigdummySteve]

I wonder what would happen if I put a bottle in my rohloff

Blimmin great hole in your wallet

A standard oil change kit is about £20 anyway so not too much more, despite rohloffs dire warnings I'm sure you could mix a 15ml bottle in with the standard oil. Might be worth a shot.

[ianfitz]

I did brush some dried mud off the chain with a dry rag s couple of times. During the above

[johnnystorm]

I wonder what would happen if I put a bottle in my rohloff

Blimmin great hole in your wallet

A standard oil change kit is about £20 anyway so not too much more, despite rohloffs dire warnings I'm sure you could mix a 15ml bottle in with the standard oil. Might be worth a shot.

What is it you'd be trying to achieve? Don't Rohloff's run and run anyway? Wouldn't this oil be designed to not be washed away, not a problem with a sealed unit?

[BigdummySteve]

Just wondered if it would reduce friction, my rohloff is nice after 6000 miles running in but....you know

[Richard G]

You ever finish testing this stuff? I just bought some of that Rex oil that I'm hoping will be better than all the other poor show I've tried (including the "hand blended" Team Sky crap).

[Bearbonesnorm]

You ever finish testing this stuff?

Yes and no - while I'm tempted to believe the claims about lubrication properties, the Welsh weather through the start of the year isn't kind to uncoated steel things like chains. After 200km or so, the chain still felt lubricated but looked a proper rusty mess. From a mechanical point of view, rust isn't good even if it only appears to be on the surface ... so, I cleaned the chain and re-applied but then added a coat of wax over the outer surface which really negates the test but I simply couldn't live with the chain like that.

Now, it's dry and dusty, I've applied it to a different bike and am in the process of seeing what happens.

The upshot of all that, is that I'm starting to think that it's a very special lube best used in special circumstances like racing ... not something to use week in week out through winter. However, I'm fairly certain it does offer a marginal 'performance' advantage but performance might be a bad choice of word, perhaps better to say that, a reduction in resistance is noticeable.

[Richard G]

Realistically I just want something that'll last a decent length offroad ride in Wales (~100 miles) then allow me to add some more to the chain without complaining too much.

I'm upwards of 9 different lubes tested now and none of them have been a 100% success. They either seem to wash out overnight (squirt / epic) or go insanely gunky after you've been riding a while (muc off wet / team sky).

[NorwayCalling]

Realistically I just want something that'll last a decent length offroad ride in Wales (~100 miles) then allow me to add some more to the chain without complaining too much.

I'm upwards of 9 different lubes tested now and none of them have been a 100% success. They either seem to wash out overnight (squirt / epic) or go insanely gunky after you've been riding a while (muc off wet / team sky).

I wonder how folk in the 1920's/30's survived on unpaved roads and the like.... not being flippant or anything, just wondering? What oil did they use (most likely something unsophisticated like the 3-in-1 like I used in the 70's/80's).

[ScotRoutes]

I've been using Muc-off wet lube applied sparingly recently and have been very impressed with it. Lasts for several rides ( 200km or more) and doesn't gunk everything up.

[Richard G]

Must be different mud where you are. I had it completely gunk up in less than 50 miles the other day. I could actually hear my chain sticking to the chainring.

As for the earlier days of cycling... I doubt they cared too much about efficiencies and suchlike as a general rule.

[Adventurer]

This looks like a great idea for chain lube, and I've been thinking about doing it myself. Have a look at a few of this guys videos some interesting ideas.

https://youtu.be/gF9nbwsaSHs

I did look at some research on different lubes and what this guy does and uses is partial used in commercial lubes that give best performance.

[Zippy]

I’ve played around with lubes a bit – although I think I’m gonna try that paraffin wax thingy – especially now I can use the ultrasonic cleaner for perfect prep! Thanks

So, I commute a lot, all weather, all year – fairly consistent journey to experiment and measure things. A couple of years ago, I bought 3 or 4 different train stretch measurers (and used a ruler) to measure wear over the year. (As an aside, if you want to maximise drivetrain length of service, swap between two chains (more gets confusing) regularly – i.e. once a week and run them ragged – this lasts fairly well and is considerably cheaper than replacing chains the moment they stretch a bit).

Anyway, measuring chains once a week with spreadsheet by my side – well basically it was a waste of time and all to do with how dirty the roads were and how much grime the chain picked up…


Lubes wise, after much experimentation, I’m mostly settled on some finish line ceramic wax stuff if I want longevity without mess, on the commuter and just riding generally I use “white lightening epic lube” which is a good trade off of cleanliness, longevity and price (I bulk buy to save considerably money, the finish line stuff is about 3 to 4 times more expensive than the white lightening!), and when the weather is really bade, I use the white lightening wet ride stuff. I could keep experimenting, but I think it’s diminishing marginal returns from now, so unless someone comes up with a “game changer”, or another lube that looks alright is on super special offer, then I know how these lubes perform – when they’ll likely need re-lubing and so will stick with them.

I also throw drivetrain components into the ultrasonic cleaner – which 1. Makes them super clean, and 2. Is super easy. Yes it flushes all the grease out – so you need to lube more often, and perhaps clean more often; but crucially you can pull all the grit out which is what destroys your components. I don’t use it on new chains though – that factory grease they come in lasts ages!

My ten penneth worth. Always open to new ideas and others findings though.

[Richard G]

I don't think my ultrasonic cleaner works particularly well. I have to run it over and over (it's a very short sequence) to get any sort of progress.

I've just bought finish line ceramic and finish line wet to try out. Hopefully I'll have better luck with them.

[whitestone]

On my road bike my chain and drivetrain get filthy - I think it's all the oil and diesel and c**p that's about, within a couple of hundred Km the chain will be black. Off-road things get mucky but it's just mud and it basically washes off so getting everything clean isn't too difficult. The worst will be if I've ridden through muddy puddles, the suspended particles seem particularly capable of getting between the plates then when the water evaporates off I'm left with a really squeaky chain

My chain lube of choice is Finish Line Dry - doesn't attract dirt in the same way that the Wet does and lasts a reasonable length of time.

[Zippy]

I don't think my ultrasonic cleaner works particularly well.

What cleaning fluid are you using? And what temperature?

FWIW, I use 10% APC mix, at 25 degrees C, comes out sparkling after about a hour. Perfectly acceptable in less time than that.