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Why does nobody talk about how bad chain lube gets in desert dust
I was working on bikes in Moab last week and my usual wet lube turned into a sandpaper paste after 10 miles. Anyone else running dry lube in sandy conditions and actually happy with it?
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charles_young921mo ago
Man, wet lube in Moab is basically self-destruction. Ran it once in the San Rafael Swell, my chain sounded like grinding coffee beans after half a day. Dry lube works but you gotta reapply every single ride, no exceptions. The trick nobody tries is just using engine oil - a tiny drop per link. Old school dirt bike trick. Lasts way longer than any fancy bike lube and doesn't turn into mud. Costs about nothing too.
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the_christopher1mo ago
Tried that engine oil trick after reading @charles_young92, worked perfect in the dry Colorado dust for weeks.
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susan_adams1mo ago
Gonna push back a little on the engine oil thing... that's gonna attract grit like crazy once it picks up any dust, even a tiny drop. I've run my chain wet through four desert trips now and yeah it gets messy but it's not the end of the world, just clean it after the ride. Dry lube never feels like it's actually protecting anything to me, just disappears after twenty miles. Seems like people overthink this stuff when a basic cleaning kit and some wet lube works fine if you stay on top of it.
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