Just found out most chain lubes are just repackaged mineral oil

Was reading through some SDS sheets last night out of boredom and about half the popular wet lubes share the exact same CAS number as basic mineral oil from the hardware store. One brand charges $12 for 4oz and you can get a quart of the same stuff for $6. Am I crazy or is this a known thing nobody talks about?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonp7617d ago

$12 for 4oz of mineral oil?" That's wild, I had no clue it was that blatant. Makes me want to check my own lube bottles now.

betty_wells17d ago

The MSDS sheets for those brand name wet lubes list the exact same CAS number as generic mineral oil, so you are absolutely right. My question is, does the thickener package actually change anything in practice, or is it just marketing fluff to justify the markup? Have you tried running a side-by-side test on your own bike to see if the expensive stuff actually lasts longer before washing off?

david_jones3817d ago

I read somewhere that the thickener can help it stick longer in wet conditions.