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AMSOil
Semi-Synthetic Bar & Chain Oil
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Submitted by
Zen NMotion
a Racer
from VA
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Shenandoah (respect, don't poach!) | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$4.00 | | Purchased At: | Advanced Auto Parts | | Strengths: | Great in wet/mud/snow,lubes well, protects in the worst conditions, sticks on chain, dirt cheap ($4-5 a half gallon???) | | Weaknesses: | Sticky, grimy, you have to wipe it off well. | | Similar Products Used: | Pedros Ice Wax, Pedros Synlube, White Lightening, Boeshield, Triflo, Phil Wood | | Bike Setup: | Classic Bontrager racelite steel hardtail, Marzocchi Z2 fork | | Bottom Line: | I use another house brand of bar lube from the local auto parts dealer- but it's all good...People laugh- but this stuff is made for chainsaws that see a lot more abuse than bike chains. Yep, its a bit messy- don't overlube! It's not for prissies who avoid rain rather than get a little dirty- use your wax lube stay home and admire your nice dry links. Bar lube is very sticky, much like Phil Wood- I wonder if Phil's is actually bar lube repackaged? Allow it some time to seep into the links and wipe it off well- you'll probably want to wipe it off again after a short ride. This stuff is the best in the worst conditions- if you're riding in snow, slush, mud it lasts much better than anything out there. It keeps your drivetrain from freezing up and actually sheds the mud. I use it in all condititons including dry Summer as well. If you ride ONLY in dry/dusty conditions this is probably not your best choice, but generally wet lubes work better and longer and this is the best protecting wet lube out there, I use it on my road bike, cyclocross bike, fixed gear etc. If you use this I recommend a good chain cleaner (I like Pedros model) with Simple Green. Then just rinse with water (I use a plastic soda bottle, no need for fussing with a hose), wipe the chain off and apply the bar lube. 3 min. operation. My chains last a long time- well protected, never dry, and while they get plenty grimy, there's no wax or gum buildup. When I've been lazy, I've been through several long rides in pouring rain without lubing between. Not recommended, but you can do it- excellent for tours or long weekends of hard riding. For cyclocross races in soupy mud I actually coat the whole drivetrain, brake arms, pedals etc with bar lube using a toothbrush to keep the mud sliding off the bike- it's gross but it works better than WD-40 or cooking spray that some people use. We cross racers are an odd, retrogrouchy, opinionated bunch... I use the stuff for lubing all the other parts too- I have a plastic syringe that gets to all the hard to reach places like the backside of the rear derailleur. You can get these from a veterinary supply place- very handy. Did I mention that its real cheap? | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
louie52
a Weekend Warrior
from kc MO USA
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2002 | | Favoriate Trail: | landahl | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$3.00 | | Purchased At: | website | | Strengths: | quiet, smooth shifting, long chain life, economical, each application lasts a long time. | | Weaknesses: | can pick up some dirt in very dusty conditions. | | Similar Products Used: | white lightning, prolink, pedro's ice wax, finish line teflon. | | Bike Setup: | fisher hardtail MTB and lemond road bike. | | Bottom Line: | this is a better lube than any of the so-called "bicycle" chain lubes out there. you have to use it right for best results; 1. start with a CLEAN chain (i use SRAM chain with powerlink and shake it in a solvent filled bottle, then dry with compressed air). 2. lube with ONE DROP on the inner side of each roller (overlubing attracts dirt and is often worse than no lube at all), spin cranks to help lube penetrate rollers. 3. let set overnight, then wipe off ALL excess.
if you can't find amsoil, other bar and chain lubes work well, also. bicycle and saw chains share a very similar construction, although the saw chains spin at a much higher rpm. both operate in dirty environments under high loads. i've heard that some bike lube companies actually package chain and bar lube in a different bottle and sell it as bicycle lube ( at a very inflated price).
for an applicator, i use an empty contact lens solution bottle. with this setup, a quart will last for years. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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