White Lightning Clean Ride

White Lightning has been my favorite go-to chain lube for decades. Every time I stray from the path and try another product, I find myself running back to find this one. I prefer the Clean Ride formula and buy it over the other available options. I have also tried the Epic Ride formula, but not the Wet.

I live in the high desert environment of Western Colorado. It is very dry here. For perspective I can count the number of wet, rainy rides in the last year on one hand. Dry also means dusty so any chain lube that holds onto dirt will quickly become crusted.

Clean Ride is a "self-cleaning" chain lube which means it will not hold onto dirt like a traditional oil-based lube. The wax-based lube goes on with the help of a solvent so it is important to shake the bottle. It goes on thin and then quickly evaporates to leave a shiny, white coating on your chain. This coating isn't sticky, it is slick and waxy. Dirt and dust does not collect on it. The added bonuses are that it stays put on your chain and you do not need to clean your chain between applications. 

You can quickly wipe the chain with a clean rag and re-apply immediately rather than multiple steps of scrubbing your chain, drying it and re-applying a traditional oil-based lube. The wax-based lube also stays put on your chain and doesn't drop off like thinner oils. I usually only lube my chain once per ride at the start and even if I forget to do it, there is plenty there from the last ride. 

And now the bad news. The kryptonite to this lube is water. A sudden downpour or deep creek crossing or two and the chain will quickly lose that slippery coating. The chain will even begin to squeak if you lose the majority of it. If you do get caught in too much water, you need to carry a bottle with you and re-apply as needed. If I see the rare rainy day in the forecast or if I am riding up in the mountains towards thunderstorms, I use something else. The other 95% of the time I use White Lightning Clean Ride. It's Five Star lube for your bicycle chain in dry conditions!