White Lightning

I was in Kozy’s looking to buy some chain lubricant and I decided to try a 4 ounce bottle of White Lightning (about $5). White Lightning is a wax based lubricant that claims to keep the chain and drive train much cleaner than oil based lubricants. I’d read about this product online and figured I’d give it a try. The only downside is the entire chain and gearing has to be degreased before White Lightning can be applied. But since I was planning to remove the chain in order to put on a SRAM power link and my cassette and crank were already pretty clean, degreasing everything wouldn’t be a major problem.

My bike needed a good cleaning from the last few weeks of accumulated grime and salt. Since the near zero temperatures froze the valve to my outdoor faucet, I had to dowse my bike with buckets of water in my garage. Once that was done, I brought the bike into my basement to give it a more thorough cleaning.

I spend about an hour really cleaning the chain, cassette, derailleurs, and chain rings. Goo Gone and a toothbrush got ride of the stubborn grease and grime. But then I had to clean everything again with a detergent to make sure there was no Goo Gone residue that would dissolve the White Lightning.

I was really pleased once I dribbled the White Lightning on the chain and the cassette. The drive train ran and shifted smoothly and I can handle the chain, gears and derailleurs without getting my hands grimey. The true test will be how it works and looks in a month or two.