Best bike chain lubes 2024 — keep your bike's drivetrain happy for increased durability and efficiency

Silca's Synergetic Drip Lube lasts for ages, is very clean, and will save you loads of money on drivetrain components. Yes, its RRP is £32 a bottle which is around £53 per 100ml, but that will last you a year and save you many times that amount by replacing prematurely worn components.

Tester Mike writes: "The compelling argument for Silca Synergetic is long-term. It's easy to apply, lasts ages and keeps things clean, but the real benefit is the protection it gives your components. Even if those components, like mine, live in Scotland. The longer you use it, the more you offset the price, and happily it lasts really well.

Based on my experience over 800km of mostly off-road riding, Silca Synergetic can save you enough money – over time – that it's functionally cheaper than the 'cheap' options. It's extremely effective, very easy to live with, and will keep your bike out of the shop and rolling in those hills where it belongs."

Also available at Amazon.com from $19.99

Morgan Blue Dry Wax chain lubricant provides effective, quiet and long-lasting performance in dry conditions in particular. Like other wax-based chain lubes, it keeps the chain cleaner than an oil-based lube. It's not recommended for cold weather though, Morgan Blue suggests not using the lube below 0°C, which isn't unusual with wax-based lubricants. 

It's a really good option for general riding and racing as it applies easily, runs clean and performs well in mixed conditions. It's also effective at keeping the drivetrain quiet and smooth running, and it's reasonably priced costing around £7.95 per 100ml. 

Wolf tooth's WT-1 all conditions chain lube is easy to use, long-lasting, weather-resistant and – perhaps best of all – makes your transmission really easy to keep clean.

Tester Neil writes: "Wolf Tooth's WT-1 Chain Lube may be the first I've tried that really delivers everything I want from it – and quite a bit more besides. It's a blue-green liquid that's thick enough to apply sparingly, one link at a time. There's no need to remove old lube first, but I started with a freshly-degreased drivetrain anyway, because I wanted to see exactly what this does differently."

"Once it's applied you can run the chain through the transmission a couple of dozen times, or go for a short ride. This allows the 'detergent-like' component to get to work. After this, a wipe with a 'micro-cloth' brings off a remarkable amount of black gunk – so much so, I found it hard to imagine any lubricant being left behind. However, on the next ride the chain ran impressively quietly and smoothly."

Also available at Amazon.com from $18.95

Absolute Black claims that Graphenlube is 'The ultimate bicycle chain lubricant'. And, in terms of what it appears to deliver in friction losses, and its longevity in normal riding conditions, it's definitely up there with the best. Which it absolutely should be given how much it costs.

Tester Dave writes: “We tried to test out AbsoluteBlack's watt-saving claims using our own slightly less scientific setup of a Tacx Neo 2 indoor trainer and a Rotor 2InPower crank-based power meter, ranking it against a few other lubes. And do you know what? It really does seem to reduce drivetrain friction. Graphenlube's tenacity is pretty impressive too. I found that I needed to re-apply the lube after about 400km of mixed weather riding, which is on a par with the better wet lubes I've used, and miles ahead of any wax-based lube that I've tried."

It's very expensive, but so are a lot of other bike-related things and if you're looking for a bit of extra performance, this is something you can spend your hard-earned cash on.