Review: Purple Extreme chain lube.

Being a complete sucker for a new chain lube, and always looking for the holy grail of a wet lube that doesn't pick up grit and rubbish from the road, I had to try Purple Extreme. It's produced by a Texan company that makes lubes for chains that operate mining and undersea equipment so they should know the ins and outs of making a decent lube; they claim it's extremely water resistant and should last upto 400 miles between applications!

Purple Extreme recommend starting with a perfectly degreased and clean drive train and chain before applying and, because it works by going on wet and drying, I applied it by drizzling it on whilst rotating the chain rather than putting a drip on each link. I expected this would be quite messy but it wasn't, after the recommended overnight drying period my chain still looked pretty clean which was promising. I then cleaned the outside of the chain by running it through a rag (the outer plates are plated so don't need lube and this helps reduce grit pick up) and did the Great Manchester Cycle on the Sunday. 26 miles is a long way short of 400, but I can report that the chain ran silently and shifted perfectly and still looked pretty spotless at the end of the ride so it's definitely a promising start!

Final verdict: Well, after the recent half hour cycle in filthy conditions and pouring rain I found the chain looking dry and with a few rust spots on it so it's time for a thorough clean and re-lube. The mileage? Exactly 342.0 miles! I can well imagine that if you live in a less rainy country then the UK, this stuff will easily do 400 miles between applications. My cassette and jockey wheels are Pretty darned clean as well so I'm pretty sure my holy grail search for the best chain lube is finally over!