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SEVEN DAY CYCLIST
CYCLING, BUT NOT USUALLY RACING
LATEST UPDATE: JUNE 28th
HOW DO WE DECIDE OUR OVERALL RATINGS FOR PRODUCTS WE REVIEW?
Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lube
0.5 oz (as tested) £9.99
The Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lube is a synthetic blend designed to run cleanly while staying put when the weather’s wet and generally mucky. They reckon it will last 3-5 times longer than other lubes on the market. I’m not sure how they’ve arrived at this claim, and it is quite pricey. Nonetheless, it’s simple to apply, runs clean, cures relatively quickly and has gone the distance through some very changeable conditions.
Pros: Quick and easy to apply, clean, long lasting.
Cons: Pricey, petrochemical composition.
Specification
No surprise to learn Wolf Tooth are suitably tight-lipped about the ingredients and science involved. I can tell you they developed it with SCC Tech, a lubricant specialist. It’s a synthetic formula designed to bond to the chain’s surface, while the detergents purge grit and other contaminants as you ride. Nothing ground-breaking, this technology has been employed with motor oils for years, I hear some of you cry. However, synthetic motor oils are designed to regenerate under the oil pump’s pressure. For this reason, applied to a bike chain, the lubricant can vanish within 30 or 40 miles, resulting in that familiar tinkling. There are two sizes, our bike luggage friendly 0.5 oz and a 2 oz “home” bottle, costing £ and £ respectively.
Application 4/5
By default, I deep clean chains, cassettes, derailleurs and rings of any existing lube and accumulated gunk. However, while good practice, to test Wolf Tooth’s Claims, I’ve applied
directly to chains, regardless of brand, or type of lube already present. The well-designed spout ensures it flows at a steady, predictable rate, so while I wouldn’t be applying it on the best shagpile carpet, you’re unlikely to get the lion’s share on the rear wheel.
Being green, it's obvious where you’ve been and/or missed a bit. Wolf Tooth recommends putting a drop into every link, then turning the cranks 20-30 times before wiping any grime that’s been expelled by the detergents with a microfibre cloth.
No curing times-hop on and scoot off. Repeat the wiping bit after a few rides and from there we’re told to expect 400miles before topping up is needed. I’ve done it the official way and the lazy route to see if this made any difference. Spoiler alert, it did but not to the degree that might be expected.
Test Bikes/Contexts
Fixed Gear Winter Trainer and Denise (my Dawes based gravel build) were the nominated candidates. The fixed is an obvious choice, given it serves year-round and sees a fair amount of rain and standing water. Denise because she’s a gravel bike and because I was bedding everything in, so doing a fair chunk of riding-on, and off road. Our April-June test period has been very changeable- read often wet, but with some very warm and dry spells thrown into the mix.
Performance 4.25/5
Impressive, in a nutshell. Spinning the cranks after the initial apply and leave stage, I was impressed by how well the middleweight consistency had penetrated the chain’s inner sanctum, rewarding with a silent, clearly lubricated, yet not stodgy chain. This was most obvious on my fixed gear winter trainer’s budget but likeable Sram chain but similarly palpable of Denise’s KMC X10, which also skipped up and down the 11-25 cassette with similar crisp, serenity.
The first few outings were on the fixed and suitably wet. How wet? Well, when God was washing his tandem trike, he offered to wash his neighbours too. We’re talking miles of roads with standing water, giving the drivetrain (not to mention my feet) a suitably good dousing. The drivetrain just stayed smooth and serenely quiet, allowing me to swoosh along at a decent cadence. Anecdotally, something like Muc-Off LAF will give it a run for your wind tunnel but friction felt lower than a typical middleweight.
True to expectation, the grit, silt and general gooey stuff floated to the surface, and I deliberately left it to see if the detergent properties would spirit it away, without clean rag intervention - they did. After two hundred miles in these conditions, the chain was seriously clean, almost to the point when it appeared a little parched. Touching the rollers confirmed a thin, yet very tenacious filmy layer remained.
Same story with Denise, although I noticed more residue (similar texture but thinner than that associated with waxes) peppered the cassette. Again, in a similar fashion to waxes, this was reclaimed by the chain as I shifted, prolonging the lube’s life. Mud proper and similar cocktails also fell away with minimal intervention. I did give the links a clean rag run through upon topping up but that’s been the extent of my intervention. Suffice to say, I’d cruised past the 400-mile marker but finally relented around 500, since things were getting too filmy. Despite the frequently wet and mucky test period, corrosion has been a moot point- no hint of freckling whatsoever.
Talking of touching, even in the initial stages, it hasn’t transferred readily to hands, meaning examination gloves are optional. These clean, dirt shunning properties also lend it well to control cables without them gumming up, although it’s a bit pricey to be using on cleat/mechanisms and similar hardware.
In both contexts, even following regular forest frolics, the Wolf Tooth WT-1 clung on way beyond the 400 miles promised. I’d reached 500 before the faint, sporadic metal on metal tinkling crept in. Again. One of the major advantages over similarly clean competition is that you can simply replenish mid ride and be off again a few minutes later, without the obligatory solvent wipe/similar clean up (save for gloopy bridle path and forest trails, obviously).
Value 3/5
There’s a lot of choice when it comes to capable chain lubes these days. Even allowing for cleanliness, quality of lubrication and staying prowess, at £18 for 2ozs is quite steep. Rock 'n’ Roll Gold LV Chain Lube is another long-standing favourite of mine. It's considerably cheaper (£8.95 for 40zs) exceptionally clean and durable. However, it also demands a surgically clean drivetrain first time round, is relatively messy to apply and needs several hours to cure.
Smoove Universal Chain Lube is closer to an emulsion (now £14.99) for 125ml. However, the long curing times, spotless drivetrain requirements and middling durability in more changeable/challenging contexts can’t compete with the Wolf Tooth.
Tru Tension Tungsten All Weather Lube is £10 for 50ml (about 1.69 oz) and in my experience, quick curing, clean and reasonably durable.
Silca Super-Secret Chain Coating (£32 for 120ml) is clean and will, all things being equal, extend the life of expensive drivetrains. However, it requires regular reapplication in wet to middling conditions and requires 30-40 minutes curing time.
Muc Off Ludicrous AF is £49.95 for 50ml another long lasting lube with low friction but again, demands dinner plate clean drivetrains and the long curing time may also be a deal breaker.
Summary
All conditions lube is a loose term. One that can mean different things to different people. It will also depend on where you are in the world. That said; the Wolf Tooth WT-1 is probably the closest in the literal does-what- it-says- on the- tin sense. There’s no escaping the price but it will save time and component wear-especially if you’re doing big miles in changeable, or challenging conditions.
Verdict 4.25/5 Pricey but long lasting and low maintenance lube.
Michael Stenning
PUBLISHED JUNE 2024
