My Year with Chain Brew:
In the summer of 2013 I was introduced to the company Chain
Brew at the Oregon Enduro Series race in Hood River, Oregon. I obtained a few of their sample size bottles
of chain lube as they were tossed into the crowd during the awards and raffle
after the race.
https://www.facebook.com/ChainBrew
http://terraincontrol.com/chain-brew.html
Two things interested me right away; this chain lube was locally made by some
of my fellow racers and it smelled good.
Yes, chain lube that you actually enjoy smelling. I am not sure exactly how they do it but the
lube smells like root beer and does not have any chemical odor to it at all.
At the Bend Oregon Enduro stop the Chain Brew folks were set up and selling
larger bottles of the lube and several of my EPIC Racing Cycling Team members and
I bought a few bottles.
I began using Chain Brew throughout the remainder of the dry
summer months. I was impressed on how
clean the lube was and after the first ride only a minimal amount of dirt
collected on my drive train. With a rag you could just wipe the chain, cogs,
chain rings, and derailleur pulleys clean and the drivetrain would remain
clean ride after ride.
Old habits are hard to break and growing up on the “wet” side of the Cascade
mountains had taught me to re-lube my chain after every wet and muddy ride
otherwise even the highest quality chain would turn “orange” by the next day
even using thick and sticky “wet” lubes from various companies. What I discovered with Chain Brew was the mud
and water would bead up and drip off my chain resulting in a cleaner drive
train during these mucky rides. I also
noted less of the dreaded “orange” chain whenever a bike was put away without
cleaning and drying immediately after a wet and muddy ride.
2014 Spring XC Racing in the PNW - Mud was not sticking to my single speed chain today!
I do not use any electronic devices when I ride or race so I
cannot give you exact figures on how long my chains, chainrings, and cogs last
in miles, hours, or feet of elevation gained before I replace them. But, from January 2013 to January 2014 I
entered and finished 42 races that were a balanced mix of cross country, enduro,
downhill, and cyclocross. I also ride an
average of 4 days a week year round and in Western Washington the majority of
those rides are in wet and muddy conditions.
I have a 4 bike
quiver: A Santa Cruz Blur LTc for general riding, a Specialized Crave SL for cross
country and cyclocross racing, a Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc for enduro racing, and
a Santa Cruz Nomad for riding bike parks, enduro and downhill racing. I run Wolf Tooth Drop Stop single chain rings
on all 4 bikes and either a Sram 11sp or Wolf Tooth Giant Cog converted wide
range 10sp rear cassettes. I am
meticulous in my maintenance regiment and I measure my chains with a Park Tools
chain gauge regularly and replace them once they reach 5% stretch. I also replace the front chain ring after the
2nd chain is replaced. Doing
this has eliminated the need to replace the expensive rear cassettes for
several seasons and I have not suffered any drive train failures during
competition.
In 2014, on the
Tallboy LTc, I replaced the chain twice and the Wolf Tooth front chain ring
once but at the same time I replaced the Sram GXP bottom bracket twice to give
you a sense of the use and abuse that bike took. On the Crave, I replaced one chain in 2014. The Nomad and the Blur LTc don’t see near the
miles of the other bikes and still have not reached 5% chain stretch nor needed
any other drive train part replacements.
So, in summary, my 2014 riding/racing was spread out over
four bikes and I replaced 3 chains, 1 chain ring, and 2 bottom bracket bearing
sets due to wear. It may be worth noting
I am 6’ tall and weigh 220lbs so I do put a lot of stress on my bike
components.
In 2013 prior to my
sole reliance on Chain Brew Chain Lube and Wolf Tooth Chain Rings I used 3
bikes and they were set up with 2x9 drive trains. My amount of riding and racing in 2013 was less
than in 2014 (no Down Hill or Cyclocross racing). In 2013 I wore out 2 bottom bracket bearing
sets, 5 chains, and 2 sets of 2x chain rings.
Note: Chain ring wear is not directly comparable between 2013 and 2014 due
to spreading the wear over multiple front chain rings on the 2x set up’s versus
the dedicated 1x set up’s used in 2014.
I fully admit that there no way I could claim this is a
scientific test of how Chain Brew reduced drive train wear because I never kept
track of my miles, hours, or feet of elevation gained. The only thing that I can vouch to is; I put
a lot fewer miles on my drive trains in 2013 using another company’s wet lube
vs. 2014 when I used Chain Brew exclusively.
So, the anecdotal evidence is I wore out fewer chains and chain rings even
while increasing the amount of riding and racing significantly the year I used
Chain Brew exclusively.
I do know for a fact that Chain Brew has significantly reduced my drive train
maintenance. I have not needed to break
out brushes and degreaser to remove any build up of greasy gunk from my chain,
chainring, cassette, or derailleur pulleys.
I do not miss the greasy chain tattoos on my right leg or clothes when I
brush up against the bike. And, I can
lube my chain in the house or a motel room without stinking up the place with
chemical odors.
Just finished a CX Double Header in Dec 2014 - good and muddy it was!
Other uses:
I was having difficulty with the free hub pawls sticking on
my Easton Haven wheelset so I began using chain brew as the lubricant. I have enjoyed a year and a half of reduced drag
and consistent and positive pawl engagement. I also begun using it on my Crank Brothers
free hub pawls and have felt improved performance on them as well.
It seems to make a clean and effective cable lube and has
extended the life of some derailleur cables that were getting sticky and
affecting shift performance.
I used it on some door
hinge pins in my home but the dogs keep smelling and trying to lick them. I attribute that to the root beer smell and
Chain Brew even places a large warning on the bottle to keep away from children.
More details on Chain Brew formulation:
While Chain Brew holds their exact formula a close secret,
the following information was researched on the main ingredient found in Chain
Brew and how it works to reduce friction and provide the excellent drivetrain
performance I have experienced.
The main Ingredient in Chain Brew is a high concentration of
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) most commonly known as the DuPont trademarked
material Teflon. PTFE’s coefficient of
friction is the third-lowest of any known solid material and is the only known
surface to which a Gecko cannot stick (actual fact).
Chain Brew’s formula seals out moisture,
inhibits corrosion, and is highly resistant to dust and dirt build-up.
Chain Brew is considered a dry film solid lubricant and is an
aqueous dispersion of finely divided PTFE particles that are less than 10
microns in size. It goes on wet but will
air cure leaving the PTFE solids bonded to the chain surfaces providing a
durable, dry, colorless coating with excellent lubricating properties, a low
coefficient of friction, good corrosion protection, and excellent mud shedding
characteristics.
Dry film solid lubricants are useful for conditions when
conventional lubricants are inadequate, such as sliding or reciprocating motion
that requires lubrication to minimize wear in gear and chain applications. Dry
film solid lubricants offer protection beyond the normal properties of most
mineral and synthetic oil-based fluid lubricants. Mineral and synthetic oil-based fluid
lubricants will squeeze out and quickly lose their lubrication and wear
protection ability plus they attract dirt and contaminants to your drive train
that will require frequent degreasing.
Dry film solid lubricants do not squeeze out and they prevent corrosion
while offering greater friction protection for longer periods of time. Dry film solid lubricants do all this without
attracting dirt and contaminates to your drive train like mineral and synthetic
oil-based fluid lubricants do.
For optimal results Chain Brew should be applied to a clean,
dry chain by applying a single drop at each chain roller location. Turn crank several times to aid in wicking
lube into the chain rollers. Let stand
and then wipe chain off with clean rag.
Re-lube intervals depend on your mileage and riding
conditions. In dry weather conditions,
periodic wiping off of the slight amount of surface dirt should be all that is
necessary. Chain will appear clean and
dry but the dry film of PTFE is providing the required friction and wear
protection. Reapply Chain Brew as soon
as the chain is beginning to “sound” dry and is making some slight noise.
In wet weather, it is recommended to apply Chain Brew much
more frequently for corrosion protection.
I have found that in the very wet winter months in the Pacific Northwest
I need to reapply Chain Brew after about 2 rides or if I washed the bike off
with a hose. You will notice during
muddy ride the water and mud literally beads up and drips right off the
chain. This reduces drive train wear by
reducing the amount of “grit” that tries to grind away at you chain, chainrings, and cogs. It also minimizes any
mud buildup that will cause shifting problems during rides and races.
Early Spring 2015 The XC Racing has been a bet wet!
Since the PTFE particles settle in the aqueous solution
during storage, agitation is required to maintain a uniform dispersion. Make sure you shake bottle vigorously prior
to removing the cap and applying to your chain.
Marc Garoutte
