White Lightning Clean Ride wax lube

White Lightning Clean Ride wax lube has as much to offer ’cross bikes and winter hacks as summer playthings. As its name implies, it both lubricates and purges grit and grime from the drivetrain, minimising maintenance and helping prevent premature component wear.

Clean Ride’s formula is broadly similar to other wax lubes. The petroleum distillates and PTFE lubricate outer and inner surfaces of the chain, while the boron nitride improves longevity and inhibits corrosion.

To use it, you first need to clean and degrease the chain and dry it thoroughly. Then you drizzle Clean Ride over every link. Keep plenty of kitchen towel handy as it pours liberally from the spout, coating not only the chain but the rear tyre and flooring if you’re not careful. It cures to a milky white, ready-to-ride state in around 15 minutes. Treated chains have whispered up and down close and wide ratio cassettes, feeling brisker than those coated in traditional oils.

I stopped to inspect the chain 40 miles into an 80-mile loop. Waterlogged roads had turned the wax from milky white to a flaky sludge brown but the lubricant properties remained intact. While stream crossings and some saturated bridle path didn’t leave my chain feeling arthritic, more liberal helpings of Clean Ride would be prudent for those regularly cycling in damp, muddy environments.

Longevity is tricky to quantify, as it will depend on riding style and conditions. I managed 120 miles between top-ups. The drivetrain components stayed markedly cleaner, with muck and congealed wax localised to the outer jockey wheels.

The four-ounce bottle easily fits jersey pockets or seatpacks so might appeal to tourers or audax riders who don’t mind re-lubricating the chain more frequently. That said, wet lubes remain the superior option for persistently wet rides or bikes with hub, fixed and singlespeed transmissions rather than cassettes.

Verdict

Decent wax lube that keeps drivetrains pristine but requires more frequent and careful application than wet lubes.