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review

Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lube

9
£19.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Last well and performs impressively – especially if you value a clean transmission
Simple to use
Cleans and lubricates your transmission
Long-lasting
Gunks up the microfibre cloths fast
Weight: 
65g
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This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends

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Every so often a new lube claims to be the elixir of chain life, offering cleaner/smoother/longer-lasting running with no downsides. Wolf Tooth's WT-1 Chain Lube may be the first I've tried that really delivers everything I want from it – and quite a bit more besides.

WT-1 is not just a lube, apparently – it's 'premium synthetic drivetrain treatment.' Wolf Tooth says it was developed because it wanted a product to maximise the life of its transmission products – the company produces over 300 different chainrings. Not being oily types, Wolf Tooth did it in partnership with SCC Tech, and if you hunt around you'll find this same stuff as SCC Slick All Conditions Bike Chain Lubricant.

> Buy this online here

> Find your nearest dealer here

It's a blue-green liquid that's thick enough to apply sparingly, one link at a time. There's no need to remove old lube first, but I started with a freshly-degreased drivetrain anyway, because I wanted to see exactly what this does differently.

Once applied you can run the chain through the transmission a couple of dozen times, or go for a short ride. This allows the 'detergent-like' component to get to work. After this, a wipe with a 'micro-cloth' brings off a remarkable amount of black gunk – so much so, I found it hard to imagine any lubricant being left behind. However, on the next ride the chain ran impressively quietly and smoothly.

After around 120 miles of 'ride and wipe,' the amount of dirt coming off was much reduced. What's really impressive, for me at least, is that the black dirt comes off so easily; no solvents involved, just the cloth. It wipes just as easily from chainring and sprocket teeth as it does from the chain.

I would ride 400 miles

In a blasé kind of way, Wolf Tooth suggests you reapply 'once every 400 miles.' I lost my nerve and reapplied after the next ride (around 160 miles), but I don't believe it made any difference. What I did find was that, after each subsequent wipe, the chain took on a pleasing lustre, like polished pewter.

After that, I didn't apply it again for the next 200 miles, at which point I found the chain wear was past its replacement point. Looking at my Strava records I'd run up 3,400 miles on that chain, so it was on borrowed time and I don't think the WT-1 had resulted in excessive wear.

And I would ride 400 more

If you take quiet running as a proxy for low wear (noise = friction = wear), this seems a very effective lubricant.

In the meantime, the dry summer conditions had given way and, on a ride back from watching the Tour of Britain make its way out of Weardale towards Allendale, I got caught in torrential rain.

It was like being in a car wash. I had to pull over because I couldn't see where I was going. The roads flooded, I was soaked through from head to foot, and the spray from the wheels must have utterly doused the transmission; but I put the bike away after another good wipe down and, next time I rode, the chain still looked good. No traces of surface corrosion.

Downsides

Is there anything not to like? You have to add on the price of a soon-to-be-filthy microfibre cloth to the lubricant. There's nothing to stop you using an ordinary rag, but Wolf Tooth recommends the synthetic fibre and I found it was soon covered. On the other hand, the amount of degreaser required is reduced pretty much to zero, as all you need to do is re-apply the WT-1 and wipe.

> Get your gears shifting sweetly: How to tune a rear derailleur

The last wonder-lube I reviewed for road.cc was Smoove Universal Chain Lube, which more than lived up to expectations for long-life running. However, I found it soon turned the transmission grey with residue, and needed solvents to get it off. Over the winter I stopped using it because it left the chain outer plates exposed to road salt – while the resulting corrosion was generally superficial, I don't want an orange chain.

Value

WT-1, being American, comes in a fluid half-ounce bottle (15ml) at £7, or a two-ounce bottle for £19. According to Wolf Tooth that's 20g and 64g, but that includes the bottle... nevertheless, at £15 for 125ml (or just over 4floz), Smoove is easily less than half the price.

On the other hand, other lubes allegedly cutting-edge lubes also come up expensive. Recently Mike Stead tested Silca Synergetic Drip Lube and that, at £32 for a 64g bottle, is getting on for twice the price of WT-1. And while Mike really frothed about the performance, it sounds like its doing a very similar job to WT-1.

Also, we can (and do) argue about the price of lubricants, but with top-end cassettes costing hundreds of pounds – if you can get them at all! – whether a drop of lube costs a penny or five pence seems an irrelevance.

Overall

WT-1 ticks all the boxes for me: it's easy to use, long-lasting, weather-resistant and – perhaps best of all – makes your transmission really easy to keep clean.

Verdict

Last well and performs impressively – especially if you value a clean transmission

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Wolf Tooth WT-1 All Conditions Chain Lube

Size tested: 20fl oz

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?

Wolf Tooth says: "WT-1 Chain Lube is a premium synthetic lubricant and drivetrain treatment for all conditions. It will clean and protect chains, while optimizing chain lubrication for peak performance. As a synthetic lubricant, WT-1 improves the mechanical efficiency of your drivetrain while lasting 3-5x longer than other chain lubes. As a chain treatment, WT-1 cleans your chain by pushing dirt to the surface where it can be wiped away, then protects your chain in all conditions so you can ride longer between applications."

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

Available in 2.0fl oz (59ml) and 0.5fl oz (15ml) bottles

Application Process

Ease of use is important in selecting a chain lubricant and chain treatment. The complete application process of WT-1 Chain Lube takes about 10 minutes and there is no need to clean your chain before getting started.

Here's how to begin using WT-1 Chain Lube:

Shake bottle of WT-1 for 30 seconds. A ball bearing is present in every bottle to help mix things up.

Apply one drop to each roller of your chain. We recommend applying WT-1 Chain Lube to the top side of your chain between your derailleur and chainring, just in front of that lower pulley wheel.

Backpedal 20-30 times. This helps WT-1 Chain Lube find its way between all the pieces of your chain.

Wait 5-10 minutes. Pretty simple.

Wipe chain with microfibre cloth until it appears clean with a light sheen. It'll look extra dirty at first, then it will clear up as you wipe away that dirt.

Ride your bike. Reapply at least once every 400 miles.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
5/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

It's done everything Wolf Tooth claims, so far.

Rate the product for durability:
 
10/10

As good as any long-lasting chain lubricant I've used, with much reduced mess.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

Extended periods between applications make it more economical than the price suggests.

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

If there are any failings or drawbacks, I have yet to uncover them.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Quiet and smooth running, easy to clean, long-lasting, easy to apply.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Rapidly gunks up the recommended microfibre cloths.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's expensive against general lubes, though usefully cheaper than some specialist concoctions – Silca's Synergetic Drip Lube is £32 for the same amount, while AbsoluteBlack's Graphenlube works out at £46 – the 155g bottle is a cool £114.99.

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 overall score

I'm usually a bit wary of claims for chain lubes that do it all, but this is very impressive. It makes for a smooth, quiet transmission, is quick and easy to use, and above all, it makes it very easy to keep the chain, cassette and chainrings clean.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 54  Height: 6'2  Weight: 73kg and holding steady

I usually ride: Cannondale CAAD10   My best bike is: Tomassini Prestige

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Add new comment

9 comments

Avatar
Welsh boy | 2 years ago
1 like

It's a shame that it is not ebike specific, we will have to wait for the upgraded version at twice the price by the look of it.

Avatar
captain_slog | 2 years ago
6 likes

If it's going to compete with Muc-Off's Ludicrous AF it needs to be three times the price and called WTF-1.

Avatar
ktache | 2 years ago
0 likes

Looking at the website, you can get a precision needle applicator for the 2oz bottle.

Upgrades.

 

Looking for a slightly cleaner lube than my go to wet, Finishline Cross Country, there are bits of my commute that depending on the weather even that doesn't quite get me home, and the grinding...

Avatar
MrB123 replied to ktache | 2 years ago
0 likes
ktache wrote:

Looking at the website, you can get a precision needle applicator for the 2oz bottle.

Upgrades.

 

Looking for a slightly cleaner lube than my go to wet, Finishline Cross Country, there are bits of my commute that depending on the weather even that doesn't quite get me home, and the grinding...

Try Rock and Roll blue. You can get a massive bottle for about 16 quid which also comes with a smaller bottle to decant it in to. Works well on my winter road, gravel and mountain bikes.

Avatar
ktache replied to MrB123 | 2 years ago
0 likes

I did try a whole bottle of that, it was good, but didn't seem to get through the strange summer filth that July and early August brought us. Rust on the outside of the chain occasionally developed, it was a very wet and muddy early summer, and seemed to need more application than listed.

I must say that when freshly applied my chain had never looked cleaner, and there seemed to be little wear.

One thing I didn't like, and I have had this with other dry lubes, I don't appreciate the noise of the chain, it is not a bad grinding noise, but I can hear the rollers engaging, and it gets loud, not quite Rohloff gear 7, but louder than the direct drive 8 to 14.

Yes, I should have gone for a Gates...

Avatar
Xenophon2 replied to ktache | 2 years ago
1 like

Ok, I know what you mean about the noise (though I wouldn't really call it noise and it doesn't bother me).  Also happen to own a Rohloff on another bike and to my ears the dry wax chain sound is less than the sound of the hub in 8-14 (and, God forbid, a lot less than 7 or I'd change) but indeed, under some conditions you can hear it.  As you say, a Gates belt may be your solution but that has its own drawbacks.  Or hang in there until time catches up with hearing.

Avatar
Xenophon2 replied to ktache | 2 years ago
1 like

I've sworn off all wet lubes, simply can't abide the gunk buildup.  Have been using morgan blue dry wax for 2 years, summer and winter.  Only drawback is that you need to reapply every +- 160 km in the dry, every 70-80 in wet conditions.  I keep a small bottle in my office -bike is parked there overday- and when the chain's dry I quickly apply it.  Dirt cheap and it works (lubricates and remains realtively clean) , I can live with the higher application frequency.  Also, my chains seem to last longer than with the wet lube that excelled at creating a good grinding paste.  Dunno about this latest wonder product.  Exceptional claims require exceptional evidence and all that.

Avatar
Sriracha | 2 years ago
1 like
Quote:

There's no need to remove old lube first, but I started with a freshly-degreased drivetrain anyway, because I wanted to see exactly what this does differently.

Not having to remove the old lube first would have been exactly one thing this lube does differently, worth testing....

Quote:

a wipe with a 'micro-cloth' brings off a remarkable amount of black gunk

and yet this was a freshly degreased drivetrain, so the black gunk?

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
1 like

'degreasing' leaves a horrific amount of gunk inside a chain, where it matters / does the real damage. Looking clean is pointless, if there's still grinding compound - even tiny amounts - between the pin and roller. Silca recommend a method involving violently shaking a chain in a bottle of strong degreaser, with multiple changes of fluid, until it finally runs lean. Or, ultrasonic. Or a new chain. They are only £15 or so after all.

Anything else is window dressing, and panders to the abject snakeoil that are 'chain degreaser tools'. 

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