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review

Green Oil chain lube

9
£5.20

VERDICT:

9
10
Damn good lube, whether you're bothered about the environment or not
Weight: 
114g
Contact: 
www.green-oil.net

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Oil. It's expensive, smelly and the cause of more global conflict than the old Mac vs PC debate. Sadly, even switching from four wheels to two still leaves the eco-friendly cyclist reliant on the stuff for keeping chains happy. Happily a solution is at hand in the form of Green Oil.

The clue is in the name and Green Oil proudly boasts that it contains no environmentally harmful chemicals, such as PTFE, and no palm oil, which is implicated in the destruction of rainforest. What it actually does contain is a secret. Green Oil only admit to "naturally occurring plant extracts" and no animal derivatives, so that's whale blubber and boiled seal pup out of the picture.

Frankly, I'm no scientist, so I'll just have to take it on trust that this stuff really is as clean as it sounds. But, to cut to the chase, is it any good as a lube or is the happy-clappy eco-marketing the only slick thing on show? The simple answer is hell yes. In fact make that a double hell yes with whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry on top. My wife ran it on her commuter during some of the wettest and nastiest weather that we've had all month. Even riding through an axle deep flood failed to coax out a squeak. Eventually, after 250 soggy miles, her nerve weakened and a fresh application was dripped on before the chain mouse philharmonic even had a chance to warm up. That's pretty impressive mileage under the circumstances and with better weather I reckon it should be good for well over 300 miles per application. It doesn't leave your chain covered in black gack either, which is nice.

One final bonus is that the bottle is not only recyclable, it's refillable. Just send it back to Green Oil and they'll refill it for you and give you a 20p discount into the bargain. Not that you'll need to take advantage of that very often, given how long this stuff lasts for.

One minor point to watch out for is the temperature that you keep it at. In our unheated outhouse it had started to set into a thick slush, just like olive oil does when you put it in the fridge. This shouldn't affect the way it works but my advice would be to keep it somewhere slightly warmer.

Some people won't give a drowned polar bear for all of the eco-waffle (and the Green Oil site can be a little overwhelming, truth be told) but this is seriously good stuff.

Verdict

Even if you're not bothered about acquiring a green halo, this is damn good lube. Highly recommended.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Green Oil chain lube

Size tested: 100ml

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Definitely

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yup

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 5\' 8  Weight: er....86kg

I usually ride: GT Rave - singlespeed conversion  My best bike is: Guess SC1 scandium

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: time trialling, commuting, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,

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3 comments

Avatar
miro_o | 9 years ago
0 likes

Their charging £5.99 these days, which is still cheaper than Finishline and similar.

It's very easy to buy direct from Green Oil. Their online shop uses Paypal and postage is free.

I'm looking forward to giving this stuff a go.

Avatar
dave atkinson | 13 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

it seems their ethical and environmental beliefs are genuine and not some kind of greenwash

nope, they're totally genuine. and the oil is excellent. Earlier blends were a bit prone to freezing but it's more stable at low temperatures now...

Avatar
Simon E | 13 years ago
0 likes

I have been using this stuff for over a year now, it works brilliantly.

Green Oil was featured in the CTC's mag recently (Jan 2011), it seems their ethical and environmental beliefs are genuine and not some kind of greenwash.

They now have a UK distribution deal with Upgrade, so they are encouraging dealers to stock their products. I have now bought some of their white chain wax to try as well.

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