Graphene is slowly becoming a wonder material in the cycling industry. Brands have been using this one atom thick material in different ways to increase strength, durability, and even improving grip, while decreasing rolling resistance in tires. Chainring manufacturer absoluteBLACK is now using it to create a chain lube called GRAPHENlube that challenges all of the top lubes on the market, and has independent data to back up their claims. We have a bottle on the way for a review in the future, but here is more info for now.
absoluteBLACK is known for their oval chainrings. I’ve been riding them on all of my bikes for a few years now, and recently reviewed their 1x rings that I was using as part of #ProjectOneBike. They make a few other products like hubs and bash guards, but they have secretly been hard at work for the past two years working on developing GRAPHENlube and proving it at the highest levels of the sport, including with Team UAE, who absoluteBLACK will be the chain lube sponsor for. Team Jumbo Visma and others with NDA’s with the brand that can’t be mentioned, will also be using it in the future.
Graphene has already started to make inroads into the cycling industry. Catlike has used it on some of their helmets for a number of years to increase strength without increasing weight, and Vittoria has added it to some of their tires for grip and durability, while decreased rolling resistance. This is the first time we have seen it added to a chain lube though.
Here is the explanation from aB:
“In simple terms, it’s a “wax” based water emulsion, with a special mix of high purity graphene, that is liquid when you apply and becomes almost solid when it dries on the chain. Wax-based lubricants exhibit far greater tolerance to water and dirt contamination, successfully separating moving chain parts from abrasion and filling in all the imperfections on friction surfaces. Graphene – the wonder material that is still not commonly used because of its incredibly high cost, is a great additive for a few reasons. It has an extremely low friction coefficient in all the environments, is far stronger than any known material to a man and it can cling to metal protecting friction surfaces from excessive abrasion. Moreover, it repels the water and is not permeable to air therefore reducing oxidative stress on the metal surface. Even a single atom layer is enough to reduce the friction considerably.“
What that all means is that GRAPHENlube is a drip on wax lubricant, but it has graphene added. That is a big generalization when you consider everything that has gone into creating the product, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s go with it. As the liquid gets into all the nooks and crannies of a chain, the water emulsion begins to dry. During this process, the graphene sticks to the metal in the chain, filling all of the imperfections and providing a reduction in friction as metal parts move against each other.
To put things into perspective, absoluteBLACK didn’t just throw some ingredients into a vat, mix it up with a stand mixer, and call it a wonder lube. GRAPHENlube has spent two years in development, as they worked to find the right ratio of crumpled to non-crumpled graphene, tested different size graphene platelets, testing different rates of dispersion, how much graphene to use, and formulating the low friction, yet durable hydrocarbon (wax) emulsion base. From there, patents were put in place, it was tested at the University of Science and Technology in Krackow, Poland, and Zero Friction Cycling, and it was tested by WorldTour teams.
On your bike, there are many parts that cause friction as you propel yourself forward. Taking away aerodynamic drag from the rider and the bike itself, you are left with rolling resistance on the tires and a multitude of bearings in the pedals, bottom bracket, hubs, and wheel pulleys. There is also stress on the chain from cross-chaining, but pretend that doesn’t exist for now. Finally, the chain and all of the little plates and rollers that make it up, move against each other hundreds of times a second as it snakes through the drivetrain. That’s why having a good lubricant and a well-maintained chain and drivetrain can be one of the cheapest upgrades to reduce friction, especially when you consider how much products from brands like Kogel and CeramicSpeed cost.
Before we start talking numbers, we also need to mention the importance of durability. If a lube can offer a 10-watt reduction in friction, but it only lasts 10km before starting to degrade, that isn’t going to help most cyclists. And if it can’t hold up to the elements, that makes it impractical for just about anyone but track cyclists. Being able to reduce friction, and hold those gains for long durations is something that is key to creating a great lube, something that absoluteBLACK claims to have done.
Now we’ll talk numbers. There are two to focus on: sub-5-watts, and 900km. In testing, by Zero Friction Cycling, an independent testing lab for the cycling industry based in Australia, GRAHENlube is the only chain lube to hold under 5-watts lost for about 900km. According to the data in the graph, only a three lubes dip below GRAPHENlube’s results, but none of them hold those results consistently over time. In fact, you don’t hit the 7-watt mark until you get around 2200km’s. The second longest-lasting product finishes at around 10-watts lost at 1800km. These are incredible numbers that can really change the standards for chain lube.
While at ZFC, GRAPHENlube also went through their durability protocol. This meant running the chain for 1000km for each block and checking chain wear. Lube was reapplied at various intervals, but the chain was not cleaned, except for the Molten Speed Wax, due to how it is applied. absoluteBLACK’s GRAPHENlube was the only lube to make it through the entire protocol without being cleaned.
They also performed their own testing in house, but here is a quick test they did using a smart trainer.
Prepping a chain is a little more involved than a standard lube, but not quite as intensive as something like Molten Speed Wax, which I’ve been using for a year or so now. Basically, you need to completely strip the chain down, soak it in the lubricant, and then let it dry overnight. Later application is similar to other lubes, but you do need to let it sit for a minimum of two hours before use.
Of course, a lube like this is not going to be cheap. The way to think about it though is that you are making an investment in reducing friction, but it will also have long-lasting results. A 140ml bottle will go for $145.95 USD. A smaller, 14ml bottle will go for $14.95 USD. As part of the launch, absoluteBLACK will be including a 14ml bottle with any order over $100 placed through their website. Quantities will be limited, so they will only be available through www.absoluteblack.cc and a few select retailers.
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