I like Dumonde and Bosheild T9, but whatever you do make sure you clean off the chain first, then drip just a bit on, and make sure you wipe the excess off. You'll find most lubes are pretty good as long as you keep your stuff clean.
T9, Pedro's Synthetic or Dry, or Finish Line Wet or Dry lubes have all worked well for me...even Tri-Flow is OK. I avoid White Lightning because it's more of a wax than a true lubricant.
If you have a polycarbonate bashguard you must use a lube lacking petroleum distillates as they will dry out the plastic and make it brittle/prone to cracking. A synthetic lube would be best in that case. Its not just a warning label on bashguards, it really happens. Mine cracked and I was an early adopter before it was common knowledge about that issue - I was using prolink chain lube, so avoid petro lubes with plastic bashguards.
never use a oil that has solids in it IE teflon or wax as they have a way of migrating and finding a way to bond in areas that can cause serious performance issues. The solids also do not clean easily off the chain with normal chemicals.
Always clean a new chain down to bare metal then lube each roller with one drop each let it sit for 45 min then return and ensure it is not dry if so oil again and wait. When the waiting is over wipe the out side of the chain until it is dry and clean.
Oil belongs on the inside of the roller in a chain not on the out side, if oil is on the out side of the chain it picks up debris and make a crude and coarse lapping compound that wears away at cogs, pulleys and chain rings.
check your chain every ride wipe it and oil as necessary being sure to keep the out side as dry and clean as possible
I suggest using only high quality syn oils my personal favorites are Pedros products they tend to bod with metal a bit better than most others.
If you want to save on a drive train rad riders should change their chain every 1k-1.2k mi of off road daily riders should change every month. Smaller monthly expenditure instead of tri monthly major bills. I have had pros get a season to a season and a half on one cassette.
I like Rock'n'roll Gold for the MTBs and Dumondtech for the road bike. Both keep the chain clean. If I was regularly mountain biking in wetter areas, I'd consider something other than the Gold, although it still works well in the wet. Both applied to chain, which is then rotated continuously for a minute or two to help distribute the lube and help it work into where it needs to go, then wiped clean with a rag.
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