If your chain looks anything like this, it’s costing you watts and wearing out your parts. Racers will find easy gains to be made from a properly cleaned and lubricated drivetrain because a dirty, poorly lubricated chain can decrease drivetrain efficiency by a few per cent, for example. From there, the only way to reset the balance is to clean your drivetrain thoroughly. When you ride in wet or dirty conditions, your front wheel sprays huge amounts of contaminants onto your chain (although good mudguards can mitigate the effects to a degree).
With that in mind, avoiding a contaminated drivetrain is key to optimum efficiency and ensuring long-lasting parts.ĭoing so is a challenge, though. Real-world conditions don’t usually mimic those of a laboratory though.Īs well as correct lubrication, drivetrain efficiency is dependent on things such as cleanliness, chain line, and the size of the chainrings and cogs in your drivetrain. Under laboratory conditions, geared bicycle drivetrains have been shown to reach above 98 per cent efficiency, meaning just 2 per cent of energy inputted is lost to friction. If these get in your drivetrain they essentially form a paste (think ‘liquid sandpaper’) with the lubricant literally grinding away your gears.ĭrivetrain efficiency describes how much of the energy (usually described as ‘power’ because it can be measured in watts) you put through the pedals reaches the rear wheel, to drive you and the bike forward. In the real world, however, dirt and other contaminants enter the equation. Under clean, laboratory conditions, more viscous lubricants would be expected to decrease drivetrain wear rates. It’s not all about efficiency though, friction and drivetrain wear are closely associated too. When most cyclists think about lubrication, they likely think about decreasing friction and increasing efficiency.
Whether you’re a racer looking for a performance edge or a commuter who simply wants a fuss-free solution, we’ll lay out all the chain lube options and explain the positives and negatives of every approach.
However, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to chain lubes – with countless brands offering a range of different types of lube and formulas – so finding the best chain oil isn’t always easy. While an under-lubricated chain increases friction by enabling too much metal on metal contact, an over-lubricated chain will attract dirt and grit, which will increase friction and drivetrain wear as well.