Reviews

Rock ‘n’ Roll chain lubes – range review

A strong range of smooth-running chain lubes to cover a range of conditions

We get it: a clean and quiet running drivetrain is the holy grail for a lot of cyclists, us included, although it can be hard to achieve this on a regular basis. So, we’ve been giving Rock ’n’ Roll’s range of lubes a try through all conditions this summer to see if they can deliver on this dream. After all, Rock ‘n’ Roll are the self-proclaimed ‘King of Lubes’.

The range is made up by three products: Absolute Dry, Extreme, and Gold. Each is designed for individual circumstances – circumstances we are lucky enough in the UK to experience all year round. We’ll take a look at each of them individually, so let’s crack on.

The chain lubes make up the main Rock ‘n’ Roll range

Rock ‘n’ Rock Absolute Dry chain lube

Rock ‘n’ Roll say the Absolute Dry (you guessed it, it’s a dry lube) is for “clean freak roadies” and it’s the thinnest of the three lubes on test. Rock’n’Roll claim it traps dirt, expelling it as you spin the chain backwards, making it easy to clean the chain while leaving behind a protective layer.

In practice, after a shake to combine the waxy sediment with the fluid, it takes quite a lot of application to coat the whole chain – the instructions recommend as much – then with a rag the excess is removed, taking a fair amount of dirt and grime with it. Application isn’t particularly easy because the bottles are quite stiff and don’t squeeze too easily.

On an already reasonably clean chain, it works very well at maintaining cleanliness, but as ever, if you try to lube the chain when already caked in dirt, it’s not suddenly going to magic away all that grime. As a result, its best to start with a relatively clean chain, continuing to treat it with degreaser on a regular basis alongside use of Absolute Dry.

Its thin, waxy nature means reapplication is needed quite regularly – especially when it rains – although the upside is grime build up is kept to a minimum as the lube is very good at repelling dust and dirt.

The Absolute Dry is Rock ‘n’ Roll’s ‘hardcore road’ chain lube

Rock ‘n’ Roll Extreme chain lube

On the other end of the usage spectrum, Extreme is more hard wearing, providing a denser barrier to dust, dirt and mud, and designed for mountain biking or wet road riding. Plenty of that in the UK.

Specification
Price: £6.99 (Absolute Dry, Extreme); £8.95 (Gold)
Size: 117ml
Website: Rock Lube

As a result, it’s far more adept at dealing with inclement weather conditions. It’s resilience primarily comes from the visibly thicker waxy sediment, and it takes a little longer to combine properly before use.

That fact that Rock ’n’ Roll also recommend the Absolute Dry for MTB use as well goes to show just how resistant this stuff is. On a road machine, it’s applied just in the same way as Absolute Dry – the same procedure of application, backpedal and wipe away remains.

It’s far more hydrophobic than Absolute Dry, making it more suitable for showery weather – although it’s relatively thin nature does mean it can get slightly overwhelmed in heavy and persistent rain, with the telltale sounds of squeaking and clunky shifting across the cassette.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Gold chain lube

The Gold is Rock ’n’ Roll’s all-in one chain lube, and its aim is to be able to tackle both jobs of Absolute Dry and Extreme. As a result, it’s a little more expensive at £8.95 (Absolute Dry and Extreme both retail for £6.99).

Gold straddles the two previous lubes fairly equally. You get a wetter, more resilient coverage on the chain, yet the same super smooth and lightweight feel of Absolute Dry, with very clean running.

A factor to take into account here, though, is that the usage rate is very similar to the more specific variants, which indicates you’re not necessarily going to save money by going with the all-in-one in the long run – surely a pull for a product of its type. That being said, the convenience of using the one lube will certainly appeal to riders who don’t want to worry about what lube to use.

Conclusion

This is a very good range of lubes, which offer very clean and smooth drivetrain operation if applied properly. In our opinion, for maximum performance it’s best to use Absolute Dry or Gold alongside Extreme when appropriate, instead of going with the all-in-one Gold solution for all conditions.