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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: OCTOBER 14th
HOW DO WE DECIDE OUR OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
NZero Lubricante Organic Wet Lube
100ml 11.49
NZero Lubricante Organic Wet Lube is an eco-friendly brew designed for general cycling duties during wetter weather. It will boost your green-cred, and works well against rain and spray. It does not function as well as some other wet lubes in mixed weather, but comes into its own when the real rainy season arrives. I have found it durable and, as I like environmentally friendly products, I’ll certainly use it again.
Pros: eco-friendly, durable.
Cons: long curing time produces best results, will attract dirt.
Spec
Also available in a 500ml version, the NZero Lubricante Organic Wet, is free from any petro-chemicals, PTFE, ceramics, silicon, and just about all the other things I have got used to over the years. Of course, Green Oil products have blazed a trail, but, like Green Oil, NZero are cagey about what actually is in the mix.
Well, we know what it isn’t; so here is what it is. We are told it is plant-based, totally bio-degradable, and independently certified as a truly “green” eco-friendly product. That can be a big plus for those who want to build their eco-cred or who are into river crossings.
The potion promises low friction, slick gear changing, corrosion prevention, and durability. That is a pretty familiar refrain from manufacturers of lube. Mind you, eco-friendly, does not mean meek and mild: there are lots of modern products that are both “green” and tough.
Context
Well, after the wettest spring for ages, the NZero one arrived just in time for an English late summer. Imagine my disappointment when an unusually dry period began. Fortunately, the familiar pattern of a couple of hot (yes, I know, but we really think of 24C as hot) days followed by a day of thunderstorms and heavy showers followed. Whoopeee, said I, much to everyone else’s annoyance. Even an English summer is not the natural habitat of a wet lube, so the test has been extended into autumn and wetter weather – nice to have something to look forward to.
Most of my riding is mixed surface, however, for reasons that will become apparent, I tried to test on asphalt as much as possible for a few hundred miles, as well a testing out on my usual mixed surface routes.
Application 3.5/5
As ever, it is a good idea, if not always totally necessary, to clean the drive train, removing the unwanted remnants of the previous lube and associated grot. Some lubes are less fussy than others, but I’d always get things neat and Bristol fashion before introducing a new one.
Though not the most viscose wet lube I’ve used, the NZero is pretty slow to ooze its way onto your chain. So, having made the chain spotless, or as close as you can get it, prepare yourself to drip a little onto each link. The golden potion will stay visible for a couple of links before disappearing – it is worth keeping a rough idea in mind of where you started. Rotate the cranks backwards a few times and leave it to cure.
Although lubes such as this often like a lengthy rest to cure before you get going, there is no suggested curing time. Initially, I left it overnight. Later on, I tried it as top up and as a lube-and-go. The latter was not totally unsuccessful, but may well have impacted on durability.
Provided you have a steady hand, there should not be too much waste.
Friction 3.5/5
I have not come across a lube worth its name that does not promise slick changing and reduced friction – after all, that is what it is for. Some feel more buttery than others, and this was one – given a decent time to cure. The chain flowed silently from the first and changes were silently slick.
More of this below, but smoothness of changes did become more limited after 250 miles during a wetter period of summer rain. However, this was only occasionally noticeable to an old-time tourer like me: roadies and trackies may feel differently.
Durability 4/5
Well, I have managed around 300 miles in mixed weather conditions (mixed terrain, too), and only some thirty miles less over a wetter period, punctuated by very heavy rain during which the bike sat outside. This is pretty good and, whilst there are some gargantuan mile-munching heavyweight wet lubes, they can be very messy and fussy to apply. However, this does give middle-weight petro-chemical wet lubes a run for their money
Putting s bit more flesh on the bones above, I thought I needed to reapply after 180 to 200 miles. However, flicking dirt away I was impressed to find a film of lube holding firm. This is not unusual with wet lubes, but always pleasing. When testing I always try to run a lube until the chain let’s out a cry of distress. However, given the propensity for grot agglomeration that many organic wet lubes seem to possess, I’d tend to clean and reapply before maxing-out the lube’s lifespan.
Cleanliness 3/5
Read the following paragraph with the proviso that NZero Wet Lube is not a natural inhabitant of dry weather. Starting with mixed surface commutes, utility, and leisure rides, a good deal of which was on dry and dusty crushed lime. Sixty miles in and I found that the light gunge that wet lubes can rapidly accumulate was had attracted an agglomeration of sandy lime dust. Now that did not look like a promising mixture, unless one wanted to scour chain rings and gears with a nasty grinding paste. I have had this before, and a wipe with an old rag usually gets most of it off, without removing the lube. However, things had accumulated quite quickly, quicker than I’d have hoped for. Mind you, that is the hazard of wet lubes in dry weather. Gungy lumps of winter mud may drop off; gritty summer dust clings on. There were doses of rain in this period, but not as much as in the past few years or in autumn and winter.
Thus, I decided, I’d wait until autumn. Was it a bit unfair to set up the wet lube in August? Well, if you have been in England for the last few Augusts you’d be preparing to repel all kinds of rain, from all-day drizzle to downpour.
Interestingly, during a wetter period during which the bike remained outdoors during some lengthy periods of steady rain and was ridden on similar mixed surfaces (as above), the lube lasted longer and remained much cleaner. After 250 miles it had developed a slightly sticky but clean patina and was still functioning, although changes had become a little less smooth.
Third time round, with more rain and wetter surfaces, but less dusty conditions, cleanliness again has been decent, well, as good as you’d expect from wet lubes. Dirt has eventually dropped away, leaving the lube behind.
Value 3.75/5
NZero state that their Organic Wet Lube is “EU Ecolabel Certified - independently verified as a truly green product. It's time to ditch oil-based, toxic products and look after the planet. There is another way.” How much do you value eco-cred? I do, but I’ll try to bear in mind that you may not share my enthusiasm. Overall, it is around the general price point for organic lubes, it beats its competitors from that stable in the durability stakes.
Green Oil Wet Lube is an obvious comparator. It is cheaper, but not as durable. However, it is very much a get-up-and-go blend that many would find more convenient.
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Weldtite TF2 Extreme Wet Lube is a bit more of a heavy-weight, but may well impress those doing regular wet and wild miles.
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Likewise, Zefal’s Pro Wet Lube. Mind you, neither have the green credentials of the NZero Organic. Neither does Oxford Mint Wet Lube, a good old petro-chemical brew, for which I have a soft spot, which is considerably cheaper per 100mls.
