“When the conditions are moist to monsoon you need a chain lube that’s going to stay put and keep working,” says McCreedie.

McCreedie and Sampson both agree that a wet lube is better for the wet and muddy conditions of winter, and is less likely to wash off in the rain, pointing to Juice Lubes’ Chain Juice Wet and Muc-Off’s C3 Wet Ceramic lube respectively.

Sampson says Muc-Off ceramic lube, used by Team Sky, contains Fluoro Polymers and Boron Nitrides to improve its efficiency and durability. Juice Lubes also offer a ceramic solution, Chain Juice Ceramic, and McCreedie says the ceramic additive technology forms a laminar plate structure over the chain to reduce metal-on-metal contact and aid smoother, quieter shifting. He says it is recommended for dry to damp conditions, however, and not a monsoon-like winter.

McCreedie also points to Juice Lubes’ Viking Juice, which he says was developed with Magnus Backstedt for the demands of Paris-Roubaix. “It’s an advanced chain lube designed to work well in wet and dry conditions. It will remain in the chain for a much longer period than conventional lubes, increasing chain life.”

Sampson and McCreedie both say dry lubes, which can wash off in the rain, are best saved for dry, dusty conditions. Juice Lubes also offer a ‘wax’ solution which McCreedie says is well-suited to hot and dry conditions, where it is said to be cleaner, quieter and longer lasting than a typical dry lube but with improved wet weather performance.

In short, if it’s wet outside – and through winter (and perhaps even the summer) that’s likely to be much of the time – then your chain lube should be the same.