Wet vs Dry Chain Lube, Whats the Difference?

It’s one of the questions we at Muc-Off are often asked.. “What is the difference between your Wet and Dry Bicycle Chain Lube’s?” - and the answer on the surface is relatively simple.

At Muc-Off, they currently produce 2 categories of chain lube, Wet or Dry, with 2 different lube models in each category. Muc-Off Bio Wet Lube and Muc-Off C3 Ceramic Wet Lube sit within our wet category and Muc-Off Bio Dry Lube and Muc-Off C3 Ceramic Dry Lube in the Dry category.

Firstly, here is the reason for the two different categories. The Dry chain lubricants are formulated to be a thinner construction, with special additives that mean dust and dry grime are not able to adhere to the chain as easily, meaning a more fluid and frictionless chain motion and a lubricant that is more suited to dry or damp weather. What needs to be taken into consideration is that our Dry Chain lubes will wash off easier, due to the thinner nature of the formula and don't tend to have as much longevity before reapplication is necessary.

The Wet chain lubricants are formulated to be a thicker fluid with a highly increased resistance to rain and bad weather meaning they are tailored for wet to damp weather conditions. The downside to this ultimate protection and increased endurance is that your chain will likely ‘grime up’ in dry conditions meaning an inefficiency is possible if left on the chain for long periods of dry weather riding.


Plan your chain lube application!

The best thing to do is to try and plan your bicycles maintenance seasonally. Whether it’s a mountain bike, downhill bike, road bike, cyclocross or BMX - having a seasonal schedule to caring for your pride and joy, will make your bike easier and more enjoyable to ride! Obviously this schedule will be based on where you ride on the planet, northern or southern hemisphere, wet or dry country’s. Here in the US the weather is often unpredictable so this can be a little more difficult. Even so, we would suggest using Muc-Off Dry Lube from mid April until the beginning of October and Muc-Off Wet lubricants from the beginning of October until the end of March.


Classic or C3 Lubricants?

With the Classic Wet and Dry Lubes and our premium C3 Ceramic Lubes currently available from Muc-Off, we are often asked “which one is right for me?”.

The secret to the C3 Ceramic Chain Lubes are their unique ceramic coating that provides incredible durability and long distance performance on all bicycle chains. These innovative formulations also use Boron Nitride and Fluoro Polymers to ensure ultra low friction for ultimate drive chain efficiency, high performance and durability. If you’re looking for long chain oil service intervals and precision gear changes under race conditions, then our C3 Chain Lubes are for you!

Muc-Off Classic Chain lubes are also state of the art but these formulas has been derived from natural ingredients and made from renewable sources, to ensure that these lubes are biodegradable and kind to the planet. These more affordable lubes have all the qualities you would expect from a quality chain oil whilst also being the kindest to the planet.