Dry lube needs to be applied a few hours before you ride as it has to dry before it is effective. It also needs to be worked into the chain well while it is still wet. Dry lube is OK in very dry conditions. However as soon as there is just the slightest bit of water involved (even just a river crossings) sand and water packs onto the wax, it flakes of leaving the chain dry. Another negative of dry lube is that it cannot flow once it has dried. Thus it cannot flow in and out the chain from the wear (pressure) surfaces as a wet lube does. You will note that a wet lube soon gets black. This shows that it is working, carrying the particles released at the wear surfaces to the out side. This is what you want and is the main advantage of a wet lube. A dry lube cannot do this because it is dry and thus cannot flow. Wet lube might pick up more dust / sand than dry lube but this is on the outside of the chain. Not all of this gets carried to the inside. The trick is also not to over lube with wet lube. Although dry lube leaves the chain looking clean, I don't use it any more. Wet lube just works better for me in all conditions. If you clean your chain regularly like you should, it does not matter that it picks up a little bit more dust. Oh, to answer the original question, I am using Finish Line wet lube at present (bottle with green top), but IMHO most wet lubes will work fine. mountain_lion2010-01-01 15:47:50
