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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: FEBRUARY 21st
HOW DO WE REACH THE OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
Blub Wet Lube
120ml £9.99
The Blub Premium Wet Lube is the weighty one in their range – with winter use or all-year mud and muck use in mind. In a competitive field it is, in my opinion, a definite challenger at a decent price. If not a lube-and-go potion, it is pretty rapid, which may appeal to feckless fettlers like me. And it has other merits, as well as sharing some less enjoyable features common to many wet lubes.
Pros: short curing time, colour, viscosity, little waste, decently durable.
Cons: needs a degreased chain.
Spec
Well, oil-based lubes like this may not get you far up the eco league, but they can be highly effective. I am keen on eco lubes, but know that not everyone is. I know a number of frequent off-roaders and river-forders who are very conscious of polluting watercourses, in particular. This review does not take that into account when it comes to scores.
Blub don’t offer much in the way of a list of ingredients or technical information, other than to store it in a cool dry place and keep it away from children. I can’t comment on its effects on children, but if you regard four days with temperatures at or below 0C as cool – the UK press calls it “arctic” – then I am pleased to say that, unlike some potions, Blub Wet Lube has not started to solidify and turn into a sort of semi-fluid gunge. That has been my experience with some lubes. Clearly, there’s a blue pigment added. I like this, and not because it is my favourite colour.
Blub describe their Wet Lube as the strongest of their range, completely water repellent and great for any terrain, however filthy that might be. They point to great adherence and durability (they say 160-200k, but I think that is under tough conditions and probably undersells things a little in more. They sate that there is no need to top-up continually, although I have tried adding a coating when things have started to run thin. Blub say that a degreaser is need to ensure a clean chain before application.
Contexts
I waited until late autumn to commence use. My Surly Long-Haul Trucker serves as my commuter and utility steed, as well as being used for some leisure rides. It is out and about in all weathers on mixed surfaces. It has experienced heavy rain, ice, snow, slush, flooded country lanes, and dirty crushed lime and mud. Sounds perfect.
Application 3.75/5
Clean the chain thoroughly (I used Blub’s Bio Degreaser) and dry it. Application via the dripper nozzle is superbly easy. Although not the most viscose lube ever, it reminded me of a lighter Chain Oil No5. The lube holds onto the links and, with its blue tint, one can see where one has missed a bit here and there. Whilst this is particularly helpful to mildly cack-handed folk like me, it is something even steadier hands may well appreciate. Rotate the chain backward two or three times to ensure coverage and you’ll still see traces of the blue.
Even better, there’s very little waste to wipe away. Despite being pretty generous with the coating applied, there was not a single spot of lube on the chain-stay. They weren’t exaggerating the adherence.
Curing time is two minutes. So, not quite get up and go, but the next best thing.
Blub reckon you’ll get up to 80 applications from the 120ml bottle. Whilst this is distinctly possible, I tend to be more generous in the context of winter riding – which is possibly why I think Blub undersell their re-application mileage.
Almost needless say for a wet lube, a bad does a nice emergency job on bolts, cleats, pivots etc. Mind you, keep of the Wilton in the lounge if you use it on your cleats.
Durability 3.5/5
When Blub suggest that it’ll die between 150 and 200 km, one can only assume that they have given it a thorough torturing in the most extreme conditions. First time round, during a period of stormy and wet weather, with melting snow and plenty of dirt on the roads, things were still running smoothly after a 200 mile very necessary bike wash (I deliberately did not degrease the drive train, but it did get plenty of water poured over it). The chain began to sound tinkly at 230 miles, but it was another forty before things gave out completely.
A light top up added a further hundred miles, however, a proper degreasing of the drive train works best with the Blub Wet, in my opinion. Second time around I went a bit lighter on the application, but results were very similar. In fact, they were a little better with more distance made. Whether this shows that less is more was related to a spell of drier weather.
I have not got the massive mileage I have had from some weighty wet lubes. However, the durability is pretty good and it has been given a tough time – although not a violent as it would have had on a purely gravel or technical MTB test.
Friction 3.75/5
From the off, the chain ran silently and gear changing was as smooth as one would hope. Even as the chain has blackened with the muck of winter mileage, things have felt very smooth. A bit of a squeak appeared around 180 miles, but a brush of the jockey wheels dislodged some lumpy stuff, and smooth running returned. In fact, that was the case right to the end of the lube life. That has not been my experience in all cases.
Cleanliness 4/5
With little waste, things were off to a good start. Sixty miles of mixed surface riding produced a predictable slime, but one that was gunge free. Two neat greasy marks on my finger tip were all it could offer in the way of filth. Maybe there would have been even less had I not been very generous during application. Some hefty wet lubes attract gunge that eventually drops off; that had already happened or it had not stuck at all. Two hundred miles of mixed surface riding at England’s muckiest time of year and the chain is free of any lumpy matter, although smeared in black fluid in places.
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​Lumpy stuff did not cling to the chain, being either flung off or stripped by the jockey wheel and drive train. The latter could be easily brushed off. That does not mean this won’t contaminate fingers or flappy commuter trousers, but it is certainly amongst the tidier wet lubes.
Value 3.5/5
Whilst not hitting the heights of some rivals, in terms of durability, smooth running and cleanliness certainly give this an edge. Having said that, margins are tight in the field of lubes and things are pretty competitive.
Big mile munchers may still prefer real of hefties like ChainL High Mileage (pricier, quite fussy to apply, and openly dirtier, but a good option for off-roaders).
Silkolene’s Premium Cycle Lube Wet also runs smoothly, is pretty frugal, but a tad less cleanly, and comes in at a similar price.
Michael got great mileage from Weldtite TF2 Extreme Wet Lube, which can be found at around £6 on the web (you’ll find discount from the rrp for other lubes, too, of course) for 100ml. So, similar in price, and a bit of an olf fave for us at the Seven Day Tower.
Michael felt that Zefal Pro Wet Lube was a good choice for longer distance touring and Audax duties as opposed to off-roading, but good value. However, more prone to gunge accumulation that Blub.
Those with green cred high on the list are increasingly well catered for. Green Oil Wet Chain Lube is an old favourite, but there are competitors now.
Finally, there are pricy lubes, such as Muc-Off Hydrodynamic, which cater for all-sorts of riding and give high end performance for a much larger initial outlay. In my opinion, you need to be aiming for pretty high mileage to get value for money here, but it does have a lot to offer in all conditions.
Summary
The Blub Wet Lube does not, in my experience, have the durability of some, but it matches most and has other charms in terms of consistent smooth running and cleanliness. It is probably best suited to the mixed surface rider, although it’ll work well for the off-roader, although with, I expect, lower mileage between applications. It’ll also do well for the roadie, I imagine, who is keen on smooth running and cleanliness. A good all-rounder, I suppose, is what I am getting at.
Verdict 3.75/5 Likeable and effective all-rounder at a competitve price.
Steve Dyster
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025
