Found out my chain lube was making things worse in wet weather

I was using that dry wax lube for months on my commuter bike here in Seattle. Last week after three days of rain my chain started sounding like a coffee grinder. Turns out the water just washes that stuff right off and leaves you with nothing. Anyone else switch to a wet lube for rainy months and notice a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara_kim28d ago

Wait what are you serious?! A coffee grinder noise after just three days of rain with dry wax lube? That's wild to me because I live in Portland and I totally thought dry wax was supposed to be the miracle solution for everything. I used that stuff once during a dry summer and it felt like butter but I never tested it in actual wet conditions. Now I'm honestly shocked it just washes off completely like that. I definitely switched to a wet lube last November for the rainy season and it made a huge difference for my chain staying quiet and smooth even after riding through puddles. The downside is it gets gunky fast so I have to clean my drivetrain way more often but it beats listening to that grinding sound any day.

matthewross27d ago

Totally feel this one. I had the same rude awakening last winter when I was still new to bike maintenance and thought dry lube was the standard for everything. Went through a whole month of that grinding noise before I realized I just needed a different bottle for the crappy weather months.