Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Lubrication
White Lightning Epic Ride Light LubeWhite Lightning Epic Ride

White Lightning Epic Ride Light Lube

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Mar 6, 2011

0
£6.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Surprisingly effective and very clean three season's lube but needs regular and careful application
Weight: 
115g
Contact: 
www.madison.co.uk
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

White Lightning Epic Ride light lube sounds like a contradiction in terms but the combination of low friction and relative tenacity will win friends among racers, club, audax and even mountain bikers looking for a thin, yet durable lube. Bang on for chains, it also tames squeaky cleat mechanisms, derailleur jockey wheels, pivot points and other metal on metal surfaces. Stoical in the face of wet roads and singletrack, to my surprise it hasn't vanished come the first river crossing and, in these contexts achieved eighty-five miles between applications. That said, an incredibly fluid consistency demands careful management, otherwise tyres and flooring will be the main benefactors.

Epic ride is a semi synthetic blend of petroleum distillates and 'non toxic base oils' which admittedly sounds vague but goes a long way to explaining its remarkable cleanliness. Chain ring calf prints are definitely consigned to history and roadside replenishments can proceed without so much as a wipe-over. By the same token, you'll still need to remove all trace of existing/factory chain-prep before dribbling it slowly and methodically over each link. Unless preparing machine(s) for storage, apply two coats- three for forest frolics or more adventurous riding. The directions suggest suitability for control cables but ours gummed up, demanding roadside WD40 bypass surgery.

Surprisingly, performance is very similar to its dry sibling. Friction is notably absent on ultra sensitive nine/ten speed derailleur configurations, cantering up and down the cassette with remarkable finesse. Tenacious, we've ridden three hours in torrential rain, through waterlogged rural backwaters and partaken in moderate river crossings without the irksome telltale metal on metal abrasion when powering up the climbs. By no means a bad choice for fixed, aside from track duties I'd suggest something thicker during the darker months.

Verdict

Surprisingly effective and very clean three season's lube but needs regular and careful application.

road.cc test report

Make and model: White Lightning Epic Ride Light 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 Light Bodied Synthetic Lubricant

Extreme Durability, Smooth Shifting & Quiet Riding - In All Riding Conditions

 

"Epic Ride™ is an excellent all-conditions bicycle lubricant that satisfies the demands of road and off-road cyclists.

 

Because Epic Ride is uniquely formulated with non-petroleum based synthetic oils, it provides long haul durability without the excessive grime build-up common with conventional synthetic and non-synthetic wet-style lubricants. This unique technology was awarded a patent in 1999.

 

Epic Ride is a superior chain lube that also works great on derailleurs and cables. Epic Ride will also smooth out stanchions and rejuvenate suspension seals and wipers.

 

Epic Ride is a 'lube-and-go' product, so no chain preparation or dry-time is required. Just apply and you're off!"

Faithful to the design brief and extremely convenient but needs more frequent reapplication.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
6/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
6/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, If they were looking for a light lube but weren't keen on wax types

Overall rating: 7/10

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,

White Lightning Epic Ride Light Lube
Wet lube
Shaun Audane

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)

Latest Comments