LifeLine Dry Lube with Teflon 50ml

Lifeline Dry Lube with Teflon is another super-clean brew, but it's much nicer to apply and copes better in the current damp, showery conditions than most I've used recently. It's a good deal kinder on the wallet too.

Lifeline advises that it's a blend of synthetic oils with Teflon additives to keep chains slick and shifts frisky. Having whizzed recipient chains through the solvent baths and dried as per instructions, I was somewhat taken aback by its high viscosity.

The honey-coloured fluid pours just like a wet formula, meaning virtually no overspill – a few tiny drops adorned the chainstays having spun the cranks a few times, but that was the only rag action required.

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Damp days persuaded me to apply two light coats, which turned clear and touch dry within 10 minutes. Formative impressions were favourable – there's a little more friction than the 'barely there' watery/wax based formulas, but it's slicker than old fashioned ISO/PTFE oils.

Wet, greasy roads littered with dung are rather adept at stripping or contaminating chains. Traversing these for several weeks, often in the dead of night, I can attest to the Dry Lube's staying prowess and cleanliness, cruising past the 200 mile mark without so much as a murmur.

Regular commutes and mixed terrain meanders on my Univega told a very similar story: low friction, minimal mess. Save for a cursory cat-lick before replenishing at 180 miles, jockey wheels, derailleur cages and side-plates required virtually no attention.

Cleat mechanisms remained sufficiently lubricated in both contexts, and it's handy for 'just while I think of it' oiling of locks, plated fasteners and suchlike. It's a smidge too stocky for oiling your derailleur, cantilever springs and control cables, so I'd say stick with PTFE fortified maintenance sprays here.

>> Getting gritty down below? Check out our guide to cleaning and lubing your chain here 

Ultimately, I've been seriously impressed. Despite this being intended for dry to moist conditions, it could prove viable through milder autumns – if you don't mind topping up more frequently. That said, wet is definitely the way forward for chains in monsoon rains or when the gritting lorries come out.

Verdict

Another great value lube with greater staying prowess than the dry label suggests