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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: NOVEMBER 18th
HOW DO WE DECIDE OUR OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
PEATYS LINK LUBE DRY
The Peaty’s Link Lube Dry is intended for use in dry, dusty, through to “mildly moist” conditions. Contexts where a wet lube may feel unnecessarily stodgy or collect too much drivetrain gobbling grime. I’ve been impressed with its blend of cleanliness, and low friction but in common with other wax/emulsions, there are some minor trade-offs.
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Pros: Clean, temperature stable once cured, easy to apply & reasonable durability.
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Cons: Variable curing times are double-edged sword.
Specification/Science Bit
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The link lube dry employs a blend of synthetic waxes, trafficked by a water-based carrier-similar to the Bat Wax Steve tested recently. In theory at least, synthetics are more easily tuned for specific characteristics: cleanliness, durability and temperature stability being the most obvious aspirations.
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Wax lubes using solvent carriers will race deep into the chain’s moving parts but can be quite messy to apply. Traditional petrochemical waxes can also turn liquid, or not penetrate so effectively, depending on the temperature. After all, it can be cool and dry.
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Application 3/5
Very straightforward, although it’s imperative you start with a surgically clean drivetrain-all pre-existing chain lube, including the factory stuff. Don’t forget the cassette, rings and derailleurs-especially if you’ve been running wax, or wet lubes. Otherwise, it won’t adhere to the chain properly.
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Shake the bottle to blend everything, pop the spout and drizzle into each link. It emerges as a minty green, so easy to see where you’ve been and of course, any dry links. Expect a few small splashes on the floor, so best applied and topped up, outside. If you’ve been a little generous, on a derailleur setup, simply shift through the gears, distributing the excess across the cassette, so it can be reclaimed as you ride.
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Curing times depend on temperature. Peaty’s say between a few minutes and a few hours, depending on whether its “hot or cold and damp”. However, they say for best results apply the night before. In my experience (in temperatures
between 15 and 20 degrees), bargain on 4 hours.
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Lubrication/Friction 3.75
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I’d applied ours to a packet fresh chain, which always helps. Nonetheless, shifts felt light, crisp and the transmission silent - even with some sloppy changes when caught out on a few sharp climbs.
On par with the Bat Wax, better than some emulsions, but just behind the Weldtite TF2 Ultra Dry Chain Wax. Characteristics that don’t wane, until it’s a down to a faint, filmy state.
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A drop on derailleur pivot points, cable slots and cleat mechanisms doesn’t hurt either. The early part of our test period had been quite mixed, with some heavy showers and wet roads for good measure. Despite this, not a hint of freckling, let alone orange taint on electroplated chains.
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Durability 3.5/5
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Staying prowess has surprised me, I’ve managed 325miles from the first application, which is good by genre standards-in hindsight, given the conditions described. Subtle tinkling only kicked in then. As with similar emulsion types, purge any “wax bergs” from the derailleur jockey wheels and then top up - don’t take the chain bath and solvent route though.
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I returned 400 miles from a second application but, by this point the weather had become primarily hot and dry - ideal conditions for a wax. Not a match for Tru Tension Banana Slip Tungsten All Weather Lube T, although the more pedantic might argue this isn’t a wax in the purest sense.
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Cleanliness 3.5/5
True to claims, it attracts minimal dirt but on a wet, greasy ride expect to find the chain cultivating a black, grimy coating after 20 miles, or so.
This doesn’t build up and scab off, like a traditional wax but aside from some slight tackiness, it doesn’t transfer too easily to fingers and other exposed skin. Again, it doesn’t melt but small traces of wax can collect and gradually become impacted around derailleur jockey wheels.
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Value 3/5
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£9.99 is arguably at the upper mid-point for wax lubes, but quite pricey, considering its only 60ml. Tru Tension Banana Slip Tungsten All Weather Lube is 10 for 50ml. However, it’s worth noting this is an all-weather, rather than Fairweather blend and cures very quickly. Rock ’n’ Roll Absolute Dry) is another big favourite of mine. Surprisingly durable and extremely clean, it’s 6.99 for 40zs but does require a long curing time and a surgically clean drivetrain. Bat Chain Lube is another wax formula that has impressed us with its balance of price, cleanliness and reasonable durability. 8.99 for 125ml.
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Summary
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Overall, I’ve been generally impressed by the link lube dry. It caters very well for spring, summer and early autumn, offers decent lubrication and doesn’t attract dirt. Great for drier trail and gravel duties but a little pricey compared with other wax type lubes.
Verdict: 3.5/5 Decent fair-weather dry lube but pricier than some.
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Michael Stenning
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PUBLISHED JULY 2021