Guitar Ted Lube-Off: EcoSheep Update

Disclaimer: The Lube-Off is not sponsored, paid for, nor supported by any company, distributor, or brand/marketing group. I do this purely of my own volition and when I do get gifted lube to try I will point it out here in the posts dealing with the Lube-Off.  I may refer you to the Standard Disclaimer Page .This will cover any instances where I get product for free or as a gift.  This is purely for fun and enjoyment. If you get anything worthwhile out of the Lube-Off than that is good, but it is not meant to be a technical, scientific based comparison. 

Essentially all this amounts to is me taking you along on my journey to find what lube works best for me in Iowa on dry, dusty, crushed rock roads. 

This post will be a mid-term update on the EcoSheep Lube which you can read more about in my previous post here. Lubricants in the Guitar Ted Lube-Off are run for a six hour ride time in gravel and rough dirt road conditions before a final evaluation is done. This is a look at how it is going so far about halfway into the time period for this test. 

I have the "MTB" version of this product which I am assuming is a "wet lube" type, but the website for EcoSheep isn't 100% clear on technical details of use, application, or any directions. So, up front I want to make it clear that this is one of my nit-picks about this lube. I'll get to more on this here in the post. First, let's look at how the chain and cassette look so far into the test. 

My chain after about three hours of riding time in varied conditions.

Okay, first I will say that conditions for the Lube-Off so far have been quite the mixed bag. This applies to the other lube in this round, the SILCA Super-Secret lubricant. Both have been tested so far in wet, damp, muddy road conditions. Anything resembling 'dry' and 'dusty' in the typical sense here has been limited. I hope to put both chains through some good 'ol ducty road riding before I conclude my time with either of these lubricants. 

Now, above you can observe some wet looking and gritty looking places on the side plates of the chain. Mostly on the edge bits. A similar outcome was noted with the SILCA Super-Secret Lube which you can peep here. The major difference here being that the SILCA lube felt slick, but dry, while this EcoSheep lube felt slick, but was obviously wet. 

Some of that 'wet' and grit has transferred to the cassette.

So looking at the cassette you can easily see where the chain has been on it. That wet and grit covering transferred off the chain to the cassette teeth. I should note that this cassette and chain shift great, there is no discernible noise while riding, and I don't see any hindrance to performance as a result. 

However; getting back to the "MTB" labeling for this product, I think it is safe to say that EcoSheep MTB is NOT a dry lubricant, so I have to look at this in a different way. I would classify this as a 'wet/bad weather' only lube. I can readily see how this wetter chain will quickly coat with dust in dry conditions and muck-up the works in a hurry. While I've yet to actually do this sort of ride, I am certain that is what I will find here. 

That is not to say that I think the EcoSheep Lube is a failure. This is a great looking 'wet' conditions lube, to my mind. It doesn't seem like a lube that would give up in severe conditions, and it doesn't cake up with grit in wetter stuff. So, I'm classifying it differently, and I will not pit this against the SILCA lube in a test for 'dry' conditions lubricant supremacy. 

However; I will look at this lubricant as a contender for the "Wet Lube" crown and in case you were wondering what I've thought previously to this for good wet lubricant choices, see my "Guitar Ted Lube-Off: History" post here.

Okay, with that I will conclude the testing of both of these lubricants in this round soon. Stay tuned!