Lifeline Syn Lube £5.49 125ml

Described as a high-performance lubricant for road bikes in all weathers, Lifeline Syn Lube is made by Morgan Blue, a Belgian company that supplies lubes and cleaning products to many of the top professional race teams.

Syn Lube is highly viscous, so although it somehow manages to flow readily enough, it does not drip off the chain unless applied recklessly. Nevertheless, a frugal application is advisable, especially in fine weather, to avoid waste. Lightly applied, the lube penetrates rapidly. Morgan Blue recommends a more generous application in wet weather, but we found that a moderate amount applied more frequently works well without letting the chain get too dirty.

It is claimed to contain additives that reduce friction, improve adhesion and ‘cling’ and increase lubrication time. The smell backs this up; it is just like hypoid gear oil, suggesting that high-pressure sulphur-based compounds are present. These compounds provide lubrication and reduce friction between surfaces that are under extreme pressure, as in the touching surfaces on the inside of a cycle chain; nice…

Applied to a freshly–cleaned 2500-mile old Dura-Ace chain, the Syn Lube gave notably sweet, quiet running and shifting. In dry conditions one applications seems to last several hundred miles, with a refresh needed after perhaps half that in the wet. It does have a tendency to pick up dirt over time, so frequent cleaning is probably adviseable, but a re-lube does make even a mucky chain run well until the next application is needed.