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review

Motorex Dry Chain Lube

8
£6.49

VERDICT:

8
10
Exceptionally long lived and deceptively clean lube so long as you can get past how quick chains look grotty
Weight: 
100g
Contact: 
www.raleigh.co.uk

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Motorex dry lube is a semi synthetic blend of wax and synthetic oils that has proved phenomenally long-lived despite the winter's characteristically hostile conditions and the fact there hasn't been much dry to test it in. Even in the wet it's tenaciously stuck to the chain without becoming a gritty, transmission chewing mess. Oh and I've just passed three hundred miles on a single helping…

Having stripped the chains of the bikes I was testing it on of pre-existing lubes,I was expecting to apply something with an emulsion/wax consistency but instead it oozed from the twist spout as a middleweight synthetic - the dry in its name refers to the conditions it's designed for rather than the type of lube it is. There hasn't been much 'dry' around this winter or indeed last summer/autumn, and spring. So much of this test was conducted in the very opposite of dry... and so far this Motorex lube had coped easily.

Coursing through each link's most intimate regions, the carrier lacks the flammable potency of some but keep some kitchen towel or clean rag hovering beneath to catch any overspill. A single helping is quite sufficient. Galvanised coatings can get distinctly arthritic but a deft nudge of the pedals saw ours glide serenely and with none of the sluggishness sometimes associated with traditional wet potions.

I was stunned to return from my initial outing to find the chain and cassette looking decidedly grimy-residual lube everywhere! Convinced I'd made a schoolboy error somewhere, I cleaned both in stale petrol, dried thoroughly and applied afresh, this time leaving overnight. Fifty miles in and once again, the chain looked filthy...Further enquiries suggest while unsightly, this is perfectly normal, the muck sticks to the bonding agent but stays safely on the outside.

Taming my revulsion, tubby tourer and frisky fixer settled down to some serious, saddle moulding mileage. Numb bum aside we cruised past 150 miles without hint of grittiness/squeaking (although I wiped the tourer's side plates twice weekly). Most ceramics last around 220 in foul weather, so I took to the trails convinced that some long grass and shallow stream shenanigans would lick this curious hybrid lube clean...

200 came and went serenely, the fixer too (no surprise since we don't venture beyond tarmac). Just as well since the fixed doesn't wear mudguards so by this point was fiendishly filthy around the fork crown and rear triangle. Cutting the saga short, it took three hundred miles and two thorough citrus based de greasings before arthritis set in.

Verdict

Exceptionally long lived and deceptively clean lube so long as you can get past how quick chains look grotty.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Motorex Dry Chain Lube

Size tested: 100ml

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?

"Chain lubricant for use in dry conditions

Biodegradable, fully synthetic oil wax-based lubricant. The MOTOREX DRY LUBE penetrates faster and forms a homogeneous surface that protects the chain against dirt and dust. This lubricant provides enhanced lubrication combined with outstanding protection against corrosion and wear and reduces abrasion. Ideal for lubrication in dry, dusty conditions". Not my idea of a dry lube for dusty conditions but very competent on an everyday basis.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Biodegradable, fully synthetic oil wax-based lubricant. The MOTOREX DRY LUBE penetrates faster and forms a homogeneous surface that protects the chain against dirt and dust..

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

300 miles on a single application should speak for itself.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Stays just where its put and needs very sparing application.

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

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Getting past the identity criss, Motorex dry is another extremely sophisticate lube that offers phenomenal staying power. However, in keeping with wet types, chains appear very dirty, very quickly and I've hastily cleaned sideplates on a weekly basis.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Staying prowess.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Makes the chain/cassette look grotty very quickly.

Did you enjoy using the product? On balance, yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 38  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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