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review

White Lightning Wet Ride chain lube

8
£6.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Super-tenacious lube for the worst conditions. Requires good drivetrain hygiene
Weight: 
129g
Contact: 
www.madison.co.uk

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White Lightning Wet Ride is exactly what it says on the label: an extreme conditions heavy lube. It’s well suited to wet, salty coastal climes, and bikes with a constant chainline such as singlespeeds and fixed-wheel bikes. Being tenacious and sticky it doesn’t get rinsed off easily by rain or waterlogged roads, but it easily accumulates grit and grime. You’ll need to be fastidious about drivetrain hygiene to prevent premature component wear.

The purple juice is so thick it can be applied to bikes stood in the living room without dripping over the carpet! Before applying it, clean the chain – maybe not in the living room – and then pour sparingly over every link, turning the cranks to aid penetration. It’s not just useful on the chain. A drop or two silences rough and ready OEM singlespeed freewheels, and it’s effective as a grease substitute on pedal and derailleur threads, carrier fixings, bottle mounts, etc. Its consistency is too thick for pivot points, jockey wheels and control cables – unless you’re looking for an unfair advantage over a training partner and plan to apply it to his bike.

I’ve been using Wet Ride on a fixed-wheel bike, belting along winter lanes and riding axle deep on flooded salt-water causeways. There hasn’t been even a hint of orange rust on cleats, chains or bargain basement sprockets.

It’s a similar story on derailleur-equipped bikes: 70-odd mile loops taking in river crossings, muddy farm tracks, and green lanes have made negligible impression on the lube’s integrity. Silt, grit and other contaminants have, however, quickly accumulated on the chain’s side-plates and derailleur cages. It’s horses for courses. Gear changes have remained slick, if slightly remote compared to drivetrains treated with lighter lubes.

In terms of miles per application, we’ve been getting about 300mpa on fixed-wheel bikes and singlespeeds and 225 on derailleur bikes.

Verdict

Super-tenacious lube for the worst conditions. Requires good drivetrain hygiene

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road.cc test report

Make and model: White Lightning Wet Ride chain lube

Size tested: 4oz

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

'A Heavy Bodied Synthetic Lubricant

Wet Ride™ excels over long distances and in the most extreme weather.

Wet Ride is a thicker, heavier bodied lubricant that is totally waterproof. Wet Ride is made using only premium synthetic oils and water repelling polymers. The result is a lubricant with unmatched film strength.

Wet Ride lasts and lasts, through the longest of rides and the ugliest of weather conditions. Special anti-corrosion additives prevent rusting of parts even when subjected to snow or sleet, heavy fog or coastal salt-air.

Because Wet Ride is so durable, it’s a popular choice for off-road cyclists who are faced with muddy conditions. Wet Ride is heavy enough and waterproof enough to easily counteract the effects of mud and crud on the chain.

In dry conditions, Wet ride is especially popular with road cyclists seeking optimum performance over ultra long distances.

Wet Ride eliminates drivetrain noise, it delivers super smooth shifts, unmatched lubrication intervals, and total protection against water.'

It has been too wet to evaluate its long-haul dry weather prowess but has otherwise been faithful to the claims.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
7/10
Rate the product for value:
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, for those riding in the worst weathers.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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