Lube when long distance touring

[staehpj1]

A mechanic once advised me "Use the cheapest chain you can find and change them every 800 miles" I may try that in future: not the most convenient for a long tour but I find the chain cleaning quasi ritual a PIA and I'm not sure it makes them last any longer.

Wow! Swapping chains 4 times on a coast to coast trip is definitely a nonstarter for me.  Also cleaning is a non issue if you manage the lube process well.  I've generally done no cleaning on even multi month tours once I started using T-9 or Pro Link and applying lightly, spinning the cranks a bit, and wiping off thouroghly.  The chain stays shiny and clean and requires no further cleaning.  Chain life is generally excellent and I see no need for cleaning.  I have gotten 10k miles on chains and rings and cogs seem to last forever on my bikes compared to the frequency others report replacement.

I do agree with the comment that cleaning does not extend chain life.  I avoid excessive use of solvents and use of detergents on the chain and consider that actually harmful if anything, because it temporarily breaks down the lube and allows more grit to penetrate deeper.

[froze]

Also cleaning is a non issue if you manage the lube process well.  I've generally done no cleaning on even multi month tours once I started using T-9 or Pro Link and applying lightly, spinning the cranks a bit, and wiping off thouroghly.  The chain stays shiny and clean and requires no further cleaning.  Chain life is generally excellent and I see no need for cleaning.  I have gotten 10k miles on chains and rings and cogs seem to last forever on my bikes compared to the frequency others report replacement.

Have you compared T-9 and Pro Link to Dumonde Tech Lite?  If so, what are your thoughts?

If you had your choice of either the T9 or the Pro Link which would you choose and why?

[staehpj1]

Have you compared T-9 and Pro Link to Dumonde Tech Lite?  If so, what are your thoughts?

If you had your choice of either the T9 or the Pro Link which would you choose and why?

I have not tried Dumonde Tech Lite.  I basically tried a bunch of lubes that were varying level of failures to okay before settling on T-9.  It worked well enough that I no longer felt the need to look for anything else.

I don't think mixing lube types is a good idea and out of an abundace of caution I generally don't even mix brands.

I was ready to do a tour with my daughter and realized that she was using Pro Link.  It seemed as if it was probably equivalent to T-9 and I didn't want to mix lubes on the trip so I used Pro Link.  I decided that the two were pretty much the same.

You could probably mix and match lubes with wax based lubes with zero issues, but I prefer to stick to one lube and only would mix lubes if I was somewhere that I couldn't get the same thing that was on the chain.  At home I'd probably clean the chain (something I usually don't do) before changing lube types.  I'd consider applying Pro Link oner T-9 or vice versa without cleaning though.  On the road I'd break that rule If I couldn't find a wax based lube and was out of lube.

[wildtoad]

Oh my, a long-running thread about lubes.
For what it's worth, I like T-9 for my pavement bikes, works well, no fuss, and handy to have around the house, garage, barn for other purposes. Pretty easy to find as well.
For dirt-oriented touring, I prefer Wolf Tooth WT-1 over T-9. Works well, no fuss, lasts a long time...no problem doing a 10 day dirt bikepacking trip w/out reapplication.  With WT-1, it does help to wipe down your chain w/ a small rag periodically between applications.