What is the best lube for a expensive bike, will silicone based lube work?

[CaseyC]

I bought a Nice bike last summer, and have neglected to use the right lube and all on it. I washed all the heavy lube that I was using off of it before winter time and there is a very small bit of rust on the chain. I just went to the store to look for Teflon based lube for it but only found silicone based, petro based (Heavy), and graphite based. So I chose silicone. Will this lube work? Will it mess anything up? What is the best lube to use?

 

[McG1]

Silicone is a very light duty lubricant that doesn't withstand water wash very well.

You can buy a 4 ounce bottle of Finish Line Dry Teflon lube (liquid form for application) for around $8.00. Well worth the investment. Teflon is the slipperiest substance known to man. Their formula resists water wash better than silicone.

Finish Line Pro is a new formula of Ceramic impregnated lubricant that is designed to give 90% of the lubrication of Teflon with much more water protection. It too is in the $8 to $9.00 range.

You can pay the same ($8.00) for a bottle of White Lightning paraffin (wax) based dry lube that is the best at resisting water and doesn't attract dirt. The draw backs to paraffin lubricant is the difficulty in removing it when you want to clean the chain, and it isn't compatible with any other lubricant.

Take your pick, but if you stay with silicone you will be cleaning and applying it every 50 miles. It may seem cheaper to buy but in the long run it is the most expensive to use.

Remember, the cleaner you and better lubricated you keep your chain the longer your chain will last. That costs a lot more than a $8.00 bottle of chain lubricant.

I am using Finish Line Dry Teflon on my 9 speed chain and Finish Line Pro on my Record 10 speed.