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Lubrication
Tru-Tension BananaSlip Tungsten Wet Lube2020 Tru-Tension Banana Slip Tungsten Wet Lube Premium

Tru-Tension BananaSlip Tungsten Wet Lube

7
by Shaun Audane
Sun, Sep 13, 2020 09:45
2
£10.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Extremely expensive but extremely good lube, and genuinely seems to reduce friction
Quick and easy to apply
Clean by wet lube standards
Feels genuinely slippery
Very pricey
Weight: 
62g
Contact: 
www.tru-tension.co.uk
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The Tru-Tension BananaSlip Tungsten Wet Lube marries low friction with longevity and cleanliness, and does it with less faff than ceramic blends. However, at £10 for 50ml, it seriously needs to be special – and while it is, it's a marginal gain over considerably cheaper options.

BananaSlip's blend of biodegradable oils contains tungsten disulphide, originally developed by the space industry for a lower friction coefficient than ceramics (up to 40% lower), Teflon (up to 50%) and graphite (up to 60% slipperier).

Allegedly, the tungsten smooths imperfections in metal surfaces, which eventually creates a hard, slippery 'atomic' layer that reduces wear. It's also recommended for shifters, pedals and derailleurs.

Application

Happily, given the cost of this stuff, the nozzle is extremely predictable and you'll be going some to make a mess with it. It's thin enough to give some minor fling when turning the cranks, though, so keep a rag handy if you're indoors on the best carpet...

The cobalt grey colour reminds me of Fenwicks Stealth Road Lube, and means it's immediately obvious if you've missed any spots.

Slick or sticky?

Without sophisticated laboratory testing, comments regarding friction are anecdotal. Nonetheless, from the first few pedal strokes, things feel discernibly smoother. It doesn't feel syrupy or stodgy like many wet lubes.

As the miles rack up, movement feels progressively smoother – and serenely quiet. There's little sign of it migrating to the outer plates and topping up at 400 miles has, to my surprise, seen its friction-cutting properties improve.

Cleanliness

It's clean enough to have left no chainring imprints when I'm running with a cross bike, but while I've happily tackled roadside mechanicals barehanded with its dry counterpart, some disposable examination gloves are a good move here.

It seems happy put on top of existing lubes, too, or at least their hastily-wiped remains – there's no hint of a sludgy grinding paste forming.

Does it last?

After 400 miles and a few stormy downpours, I was reassured by the sturdy film that remained. Wash-off during road use is negligible. Similarly, those slick, friction-busting characteristics haven't waned either.

> 8 best bicycle chain lubes — but should you get wet or dry lube?

Value

At £10 for 50ml, BananaSlip is expensive. Fenwick's Wet Weather Chain Lube is £8 for 100ml. Rock 'n' Roll Extreme Chain Lubricant comes in at £6.95 for 4oz (around 120ml), and is surprisingly clean and very long-lasting. Meanwhile, Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather Lubricant remains a firm favourite and is just £3.99 for 100ml.

Mind you, Muc-Off Team Sky Hydrodynamic Lube makes BananaSlip look cheap at £16.00 for 50ml, and while it's good I'd choose BananaSlip over it.

Summary

Tru-Tension BananaSlip Tungsten Wet Lube is very good indeed, though it needs to be given the price – and even then, there are some very good alternatives for far less money. If you want the best for your drivetrain, though, here it is.

Verdict

Extremely expensive but extremely good lube, and genuinely seems to reduce friction

road.cc test report

Make and model: Tru-Tension BananaSlip Tungsten Wet Lube

Size tested: 50 ml

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?

Tru Tension says "Our state-of-the-art, multi-layered Tungsten Wet Lube is a blend of biodegradable oils which penetrate all parts of the chain for a silky-smooth ride. BananaSlip Wet Lube sticks to the surface of the chain for continued lubrication even in the harshest environments. Water and dirt quickly peel away from the surface of the chain as the lubricant strips back contaminants while you ride."

My feelings: it's less syrupy than most, and surprisingly clean for a wet lube.

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

Tru-Tension says this "was originally developed for space projects as a lubricant due to it having a lower coefficient of friction compared with Ceramics, Teflon and Graphite, as well as being more durable. Tungsten smooths out the surface of the metal to minimise surface imperfections, resulting in up to 40% less friction than Ceramics, up to 50% less than Teflon, and up to 60% less than Graphite. Not only is it faster, but it's also more durable, creating an atomic layer on the surface of the chain to reduce wear of the drivetrain and protect moving components."

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Less stodgy and cleaner than most wet lubes.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

The friction-busting properties become more apparent with subsequent top-ups.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Good.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
5/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
6/10

Not particularly messy to re/apply and near-zero curing times. Still transfers quite readily to fingers, though. Therefore, I'd suggest packing some disposable gloves, just in case.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

The ticket price is rather high for 50ml.

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

Good – a little goes a long way.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Quick and convenient to apply, slick but stays relatively clean.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Relatively expensive.

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

At £10 for 50ml, BananaSlip is expensive. Fenwick's Wet Weather lube is £8 for 100ml. Rock N' Roll Extreme comes in at £6.95 for 4oz (around 120ml), and is surprisingly clean and very long-lasting. Meanwhile, Weldtite TF2 Performance All Weather Lubricant remains one of my firm favourites and is just £3.99 for 100ml.

Mind you, Muc-Off Team Sky Hydrodynamic Lube costs £16.00 for 50ml, and while it's good I'd choose BananaSlip over it.

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

This works really well, but it's expensive - you can get almost the same results for much less. It's good and a seven.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 46  Height: 1m 81cm  Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Tru-Tension BananaSlip Tungsten Wet Lube 2020
Tru-Tension BananaSlip Tungsten Wet Lube
Tru-Tension 2020
Tru-Tension
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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2 comments

Avatar
JeffB | 4 years ago
1 like

You are correct on it's good points, it's very good

You've missed the point on the price. It doesn't require as much cleaning as regular lube so ends up cheaper as you use much much less. Instead of cleaning almost every ride and relubing, it's now about 1/4 of that - the wax coat stays clean and doesn't need to be cleaned / reapplied. It's also worth it for saving me an hour per week in cleaning time

Avatar
ktache replied to JeffB | 4 years ago
0 likes

Cheers for your long term insight Jeff.

It does look like an interesting product.

I'm a big fan of Finish Line Wet, it's long enough lasting, especially in the roughest and filthiest conditions, but it is definitely not a "clean" lube.

I did give Muc-Off Wets a go.  Found the blue alright, not quite a good as the Finish Line, but the pink Ceramic stuff lasted alright though left a very sticky pink residue.   Both penetrated very well, and were a bit cleaner than the FL, but didn't last quite as long. 

My commute started with the really muddy bit at the beginning both to and from work, different routes.  Just after the Beast from the East was the worst, chain cleaned and lubed every night, filth deep enough to drag the jockey wheel through, then the rest of the ride to grind it in, stewing during the day, then through deeper forestry churned bridleway to start the ride home, with big offroad hills to round it off.  The FL would almost last the whole day, and my LBS had stopped selling it because they found it too thick.

I'm unfortunately back on my derailier geared bikes, if that continues and if it starts being really muddy this year I might give this stuff a go.

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