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review
Lubrication
Pedros Syn LubePedros Syn Lube.jpg

Pedros Syn Lube

9
by Mike Stead
UPDATED Wed, Jan 04, 2017 15:45

First Published Jan 4, 2017

0
£8.99

VERDICT:

9
10
It goes on quickly and lasts a long time – a great choice
Weight: 
99g
Contact: 
www.silverfish-uk.com
How we test

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Back in 2009, Stu found Pedro's Syn Lube to be 'Excellent'. Nothing's changed – it's still a cracking product for keeping you squeak-free in the winter months.

Pedro's was born during the late Eighties mountain bike boom, when friends of the co-founders were racing offroad in the rather damp Pacific northwest of the USA and wanted a lube that stayed stuck for the duration of a race; Teflon was all the rage, but just couldn't stand up to soaked, filthy conditions. Fortunately for British road cyclists and commuters, conditions on what pass for 'roads' in the UK winter pretty much mimic muddy wet American trails.

> Find your nearest dealer here

Pedro's advises that you apply Syn Lube, wait an hour, then wipe off excess with a rag. Then ride. A lot. Its 'Lube-O-Meter' scale purports Syn Lube to be good for 150 miles – and my experience backs that up.

After 130 miles of winter riding in a mixture of wet and dry conditions over clean and absolutely filthy roads, my drivetrain is still squeak- and rust-free, without a buildup of congealed sludge on the derailleur pulleys or sprockets.

On first application it was immediately noticeable how quiet the drivetrain was compared with my go-to lube. Yes, the chain got black. But in my experience, lubes that keep your chain looking clean do so because they've fallen off.

> Video: How to clean and lube your bike

Without employing hyper-accurate testing machinery and regimes, it is of course highly anecdotal, but based on eyeballs and ears, Pedro's Syn Lube keeps things clean and quiet for a long time riding in poor conditions.

Verdict

It goes on quickly and lasts a long time – a great choice

road.cc test report

Make and model: Pedros Syn Lube

Size tested: 100ml

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It's for people who ride lots in winter and don't want to be re-lubing chains every ride.

Pedro's says:

Performance Wet Lube

The original synthetic chain lube formulated specifically for mountain bikes

Superior wear protection, efficiency and durabilty for extreme conditions/mileage

Unique detergents break down and isolate dirt protecting the surfaces of your chain

Recommended for 150 miles / 5+ rides

This is the product that started it all back in 1989. This breakthrough lubricant revolutionized the entire chain lube market. This full synthetic lubricant is designed to handle the harshest conditions and outlast other lubes in all conditions. Syn Lube is formulated with extreme pressure additives, corrosion inhibitors, and tackifiers to provide incredible wear protection, lubrication, and staying power in extreme wet and muddy conditions. Unique polymer detergents also work to break down dirt protecting the surfaces of your chain. Go ahead, play in the mud.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Apply lubricant to rollers of the chain while backpedaling drivetrain.

For best performance, wait at least 1 hour.

Before riding use a rag to wipe off all excess lubricant from outside surfaces of chain.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well indeed.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It kept on working.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing, really.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

Anything that goes on and stays stuck for 130 miles of winter riding without a squeak or spot of rust is an exceptional product.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 183cm  Weight: 72KG

I usually ride: Merida Ride 5000 Disc  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo-cross, club rides, general fitness riding, mountain biking, Dutch bike pootling

Pedros Syn Lube 2017
Pedros Syn Lube
Pedros 2017
Pedros
Pedro's 2017
Pedro's
Mike Stead

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

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