In this article, we use so-called affiliate links. With every purchase through these links, we receive a commission from the merchant. All relevant referral links are marked with . Learn more.
AbsoluteBlack charges 130 euros for a 140 ml bottle of its "world's best chain lubricant". This makes the wax-based lubricant with graphene particles about as expensive as the most expensive cooking oils in the world. In return, the British company promises 3-10 watts less power loss compared to other lubricants. The whole thing is valid for 900 kilometres in dry conditions without having to relubricate the chain. Impressive figures, which AbsoluteBlack backs up on the one hand with its own laboratory measurements and on the other with impressions from the newly crowned Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar. But it is not only AbsoluteBlack that is trying to lure the racing clientele with expensive high-end lubricants; Muc-Off, Ceramic Speed and Molten also charge hefty sums for their top friction-reducing products. Curtain up for the most expensive lubricants in the world:
Are the expensive lubricants really worth it?
It is understandable that professional racers are looking for every watt that can be saved. But amateur racers are also always looking to tune their equipment. That's why we wanted to find out what's behind the manufacturers' grandiose promises. Can lubrication really last 900 kilometres? Or are the watts saved really realistic? To find out, we asked Alfons Urban from the Tunap Sports development team. He is a cyclist himself, works closely with the professional team Bora-Hansgrohe and has already tested some of the super lubricants under real conditions on the in-house laboratory test bench.
BIKE: AbsoluteBlack and Ceramicspeed sometimes charge more than 100 euros for a bottle of lubricant. What do you think of that?
Alfons Urban: A lubricant at these extremely high prices does not offer anywhere near the value that is promised. There are companies on the market that use "pseudo-scientific" arguments and have very good marketing brochures. They have to in order to justify such prices.
You do a lot of testing on realistic test benches and with professional teams like Bora-Hansgrohe. How many watts of power loss does a poorly and a well-lubricated drive have?
A well-maintained chain drive has a power loss of approx. 4-5 watts. If most of the lubrication is gone and there is also dirt, it can be twice as much, i.e. 10 watts. However, this always depends on how you measure the whole thing. This means that the gear ratio, skew, power and cadence also play a major role and influence the system. The so-called basic power loss is also a value that can never be undercut. This is because chainrings, sprockets, derailleur pulleys and chain have a certain amount of system-related friction.
AbsoluteBlack promises 900 kilometres of optimum lubrication and minimum friction - without relubrication: Is it even realistic for a lubricant to last that long?
It is not technically possible to lubricate a chain in this way for more than 900 kilometres without a drop in efficiency or an increase in power loss.
Muc-Off and Ceramicspeed sell specially treated chains for over 100 euros for the racing sector in order to extract crucial watts. Does it make sense for professionals/racers to treat their chains extensively? And if so, do you do this and how much can you get out of it?
Specially prepared chains make perfect sense in competitive sport and for ambitious amateur athletes. We ourselves prepare chains for the German national track cycling team using a very special procedure. We can get 3-4 watts out of a new chain with original lubrication. In the 4000 metre team pursuit, for example, the special treatment saves an average of four watts compared to chains with original lubrication. This results in a time advantage of 1.1 seconds.
What do you do if the chain is dry and you don't have any lubricant to hand? Ride dry or use olive oil from the supermarket?
Before riding a chain dry, you can use olive oil from the supermarket. We carried out our own tests on the test bench and were amazed at how good the lubricating effect was.
In BIKE 11/20, we extensively tested 20 of these lubricants in the laboratory and in practice. You can find the test results as a PDF in the download area below. The test costs 1.99.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, namely tens of thousands of euros every year.
