Wax vs Wet vs Dry Chain Lube: Which Is Best for NZ Riding?

Short answer: If you ride mostly in dry weather and want a clean drivetrain, use a wax lube. If you ride through wet NZ winters or do long days in changeable weather, use a wet (thicker, longer-lasting) lube. If you want one bottle that copes with a bit of everything, an all-purpose lube is the easy choice. Whichever you pick, start with a properly clean chain, because no lube works well on top of old grime.

Chain lube is one of those things every rider has an opinion on. Wax people swear by clean hands and a silent drivetrain. Wet lube people point out that wax washes off the first time it rains properly. Both are right, depending on where and how you ride. Here's how I'd choose for New Zealand conditions, where one week can be dusty gravel and the next is a soaking on the coast road.

Wax vs wet vs dry lube at a glance

Wax lube: cleanest drivetrain, more top-ups

Wax lubes go on wet and dry to a waxy film on the chain's rollers and pins. Because there's no oily surface left on the outside, dust and grit have far less to stick to. That means a cleaner drivetrain, cleaner hands, and less wear from grinding paste.

The trade-off is that you reapply more often, and you need to start with a completely clean chain. Wax won't bond properly over factory grease or old oil.

Good for: summer road riding, dry and dusty gravel, riders who clean and top up regularly.

• Squirt Chain Lube is a biodegradable wax and water emulsion that goes on easily and dries clean. Once you're running it, there's no need to degrease every time: just top it up when the chain sounds dry. The 15ml bottle fits in a saddle bag.
• Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower Wax is a drip-on wax with over 50% wax content, made from sunflower seed wax. It's built to last longer between applications than most drip waxes.
• Ride Mechanic Bike Cream is a clean wax lube made in Rotorua, for dry to mixed conditions.
• Squirt E-Bike Chain Wax is the same Squirt formula with extra friction modifiers for the higher torque of e-bike motors.

Wet lube: built for rain and long days

Wet lubes are thicker and oil-based. They cling to the chain through rain, puddles and spray off the road, and they keep running quietly for longer before you need to reapply. That makes them the go-to for winter commuting, wet club rides and long endurance days.

The downside is that the sticky outer film picks up dirt. If you don't wipe the chain down, that dirt mixes with the lube into a grinding paste that wears your chain and cassette faster.

Good for: winter riding, wet weather, long rides where you don't want to stop and reapply.

• Ride Mechanic Bike Syrup is a thick, long-lasting lube designed to cut drivetrain noise. It's the quietest and longest-lasting of the Ride Mechanic range, made in Rotorua.

Dry / all-purpose lube: the one-bottle option

All-purpose lubes sit between the two. They're lighter than a wet lube, so they pick up less grime, but they hold on better in the wet than most waxes. If your riding swings between dusty gravel and wet roads, or you just want one bottle on the shelf, this is the simple choice.

Good for: year-round riding, commuting, riders who don't want to switch lubes with the seasons.

• Ride Mechanic Bike Mix is an all-purpose lube designed for NZ conditions: wet roads, dusty gravel, coastal air. It cleans as it lubricates.

Which one should you use in New Zealand?

• Mostly dry road or gravel, October to April: wax.
• Riding through winter, or lots of wet commutes: wet lube.
• A mix of everything and you want one bottle: all-purpose.
• Heading somewhere properly below freezing: standard waxes can harden in the cold, so look at Squirt Low Temperature Chain Lube, which is designed for roughly -18°C to 0°C. For a normal NZ winter above freezing, regular Squirt is the better fit.

Plenty of riders run two: wax through the warmer months, and something heavier once winter sets in.

Whatever you choose, start with a clean chain

The biggest mistake I see is lube going straight on top of old lube and grit. It doesn't matter how good the bottle is. If the chain underneath is dirty, you're just making a fresh batch of grinding paste.

1. Degrease the chain. Effetto Mariposa Allpine Extra is a biodegradable, pine-oil degreaser. Brush it on, leave it a few minutes, then rinse it off with water. No need to take the chain off the bike, and it's safe on carbon and paint. It's especially worth doing before switching to wax, because wax needs bare metal to stick to.
2. Dry it thoroughly.
3. Apply your lube to the inside of the chain while backpedalling, and follow the bottle's instructions. Most wax-based lubes need time to dry before you ride, ideally overnight.
4. Wipe off the excess from the outside of the chain.

For washing the rest of the bike, Squirt Bio Bike Wash Concentrate is a biodegradable cleaner and mild degreaser that dilutes up to 1:25.

Frequently asked questions

Is wax better than wet lube?

Not across the board. Wax keeps your drivetrain cleaner and usually means less wear in dry conditions. Wet lube lasts longer in the rain and between applications. The right choice depends on where and when you ride.

Can I switch from wet lube to wax?

Yes, but strip the chain completely first with a degreaser like Allpine Extra. Wax doesn't bond to a chain that still has oil on it.

How often should I lube my chain?

It depends on the lube and the conditions. As a rule, reapply when the chain starts to sound dry or noisy, and after any wet ride once the chain has dried. Wax lubes generally need topping up more often than wet lubes.

Do I need to degrease every time I re-lube?

Not usually. With a wax emulsion like Squirt, you only need a full degrease at the start. After that, brush off loose dirt and top it up. With wet lubes, wipe the chain down before reapplying, and do a proper degrease every so often.

What's the best chain lube for gravel?

For dry, dusty gravel, wax is hard to beat because it doesn't attract dust the way an oily lube does. For wet or muddy gravel, an all-purpose or wet lube will last longer.

Still not sure which suits your riding? Get in touch and tell me where and how you ride, and I'll point you in the right direction. You can browse the full range of bike lubricants and cleaners here.

Ride on,
Trev