A properly lubed chain increases efficiency, protects against contaminants, improves shifting, protects against corrosion, reduces wear, and makes riding more fun. Chain lube is also helpful in other applications on the bike such as derailleur pivots and shift/brake cables. Chain lubes are commonly categorized into three main types: wet lube, dry lube, or wax lube. Wet lubes go on wet and stay wet. Dry lubes go on wet and then partially or fully dry leaving a "dry" coating. Wax lubes are a special type of dry lube that use waxes together with or in place of oils. In many cases the type of lube aligns with riding conditions, wet lube for wet weather, but other factors like mileage, frequency of reapplication, or drivetrain cleanliness are important to consider as well.

While choosing the right chain lube can seem daunting, there are a few basics that can help guide you to the right lube for your ride. First and foremost, here at Pedro's we believe that chain lubes do not need toxic and harmful ingredients, and we don't use them in our lubes.

Next you want to think about what conditions you want to ride in, how many miles you want to ride, how often you want to apply more chain lube, and whether you want a lube that keeps your chain especially clean. Our Quick Compare: Lubes tool, found at the top of this page and on each lube's product page, rates each of our lubes for these properties providing a side-by-side comparison.