The Guitar Ted Lube-Off: The Final Word

  NOTICE:  The Guitar Ted 'Lube-Off' is a comparison of different lubrication products for bicycle chains that is undertaken in 'real world' conditions in a set way. Then I compare and contrast the results with past 'Lube-Off' products to see "which one is best for me". This is done for entertainment purposes and the reader should apply their own reasoning and discernment while reading my 'Lube-Off' entries. What works for me may not work for you at all. 

Dusty gravel roads are my absolute favorite riding surface and fortunately for me, we have a lot of miles of that sort of road around here. So, I have been focusing on what sort of gear works best for m those roads. Part of that is my search for the perfect lubricant for my uses. 

So, this all may not be for you. It may make zero sense to you. You can disagree all you want to. But, if you find yourself on similar roads, well then, you might be interested in what I found. 

This year, the contenders were made up of one previous winner, one remake of the previous winner, and two new entrants. The top lube going into 2026 for me was SILCA's Super-Secret v1 formula. This year, SILCA revised that formula, upgraded it, and now offer a v2 of Super-Secret that they claim is longer lasting and just better overall than v1. Two new drip-wax lubes came into this round. Stan's Polar Drip Wax and Triboflux. 

So, which one did I think was the best? 

Winner, winner...something something Door Dash.

If you caught yesterdays post, you probably have already guessed that Triboflux is not the top lube this time around. (Scroll back to the previous post to see that entry) Yes, Triboflux is decent enough, but not "best". Then we have the curious case of the other new entrant, Stan's Polar Drip Wax. I think it is a contender, but it isn't as good as the top lube in this test. 

Obviously this leaves the two versions of Super-Secret. The v2 test is shown above. I saw very similar results with v1. SILCA says v2 will last longer and resists washing off from water exposure better than v1 did. If you take them for their word, then the newer version wins. I cannot separate v1 from v2 at this point. Those two Super-Secret lubes are still neck and neck for me on my roads. 

I have a giant bottle of the v1 Super-Secret to get through yet, and I'll happily do so. The v2 can wait. But if you are in the market for a chain lube with a very good performance which doesn't attract gunk or very much dust at all, get Super-Secret v2. I do not think v1 is available anymore, but if it is, you cannot go wrong with it either. 

And with that, the Lube-Off for 2026 comes to a close.