Latest News 58 – Marketing Spotlight 1 – Ceramic Lubricants

Hey ho party peeps – many apologies for the delay between updates – I had a week off, my uber groovy retail manager Andrew had a week off, we had short weeks going away for racing, I have had a mini me home sick, and trying to keep up with testing and chain preps is mega fun as always.

Also, I am always working hard in between to update and improve the online resources. In the instructions tab previously there was an advanced application guide for Smoove as it was one of the wax drip lubricants tested to have significant initial penetration issues – this has been removed and replaced with a much better guide overall covering best practice application for Wet lubricants, Wax drip lubricants WITH penetration issues, and Wax drip lubricants without penetration issues.

If you want to check if how you are applying lubricant to your hardest working mechanical component (BY MILES) is up to snuff, check it out.
https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/How-to-apply-Wax-or-Wet-Drip-lubricants-v2.pdf

Anyway let’s get cracking on Marketing Spotlight 1 – Ceramic Lubricants.

Today’s spotlight will cover the below;

• What are “Ceramic Lubricants?
• What are the main marketing claims for this lubricant type?
• ZFC input on validity of these marketing claims
• Summary and conclusion – for now.

What are Ceramic Lubricants?

• Ceramic lubricants can be classed in a few broad types.
• Very hard coating (that may also provide lubrication) – hard coating typically requires some pretty intensive and specific industrial applications – this type is not achieved on a bicycle chain from a drip lubricant.
• Aerosol or bottle liquid of suspended Boron Nitride particles in a carrier, that (in most common uses) leaves behind a solid but soft lubrication layer of Boron Nitride after carrier has evaporated. This is most likely the ceramic lubricant type used for cycling chain lubricants.
• It is NOT a certain amount of small hard ceramic particles acting as tiny ball bearings. I had remembered reading claims of exactly this in the early days of ZFC, and a counter argument by a lubricant specialist that this would be a terrible approach, they would obviously just be extremely abrasive particles (which is correct – ANY LUBRICANT claiming it has mirco / nano particles acting as tiny ball bearings – it is not possible at that scale in a bicycle chain, if they are hard enough to try to be ball bearings, they will be a highly abrasive agent). On digging last couple weeks for this marketing spotlight, I just cannot find that material again, and haven’t found any ceramic lubricants claiming the particles act as ball bearings – so if that was your thoughts re ceramic lube claims – that is not the case. If you find a ceramic lubricant claiming this though email it to me.

What are the main marketing claims for this lubricant type?

From Life in the Saddle (online publication)

Ceramic Lubes
What are ceramic chain lubricants? Ceramic particles are incredibly hard, but also have a naturally low friction co-efficient; this property makes them an appropriate choice for preventing metal-on-metal wear found in a rotating bike chain.

The important thing with Ceramic Chain Lubes, both wet and dry, is that the chain is meticulously prepared before their application. You must strip/degrease the chain of all previous lubricant and dirt before applying the ceramic lube; this is to ensure that the liquid carrier is able to bond the ceramic particles directly to the metal surface, rather than on top of old lubricant.

Ceramic lubes, when applied correctly, can offer a far lower level of friction that lasts longer. Make sure you prepare correctly though, otherwise it is an expensive way of lubricating the road or trails of your local loop…

(*ZFC note whilst here – Life in the saddle have made an error here – Ceramic particles CAN be very hard, they can also be very soft. I do not believe any cycling lubricant mfg’s to be using HARD ceramic particles in their lubricants as that would be insane, they should be using soft version of Boron Nitride).

From Finish Line website product page for Finish Line Ceramic Wax lube

Every time Ceramic Wax is applied to the chain, the ceramic coating is enhanced, ultimately providing the durability of many oil-based lubricants.

NOTE: As the white ceramic particles embed themselves on the chain, they will displace grime, causing a grey or black film to form on top of the wax coating. Over time (2-3 applications) this phenomenon will lessen or cease. This discoloration is normal and will not compromise performance.

From Muc-Off website product page for Muc-Off C3 dry Ceramic Lube

With added nano ceramic particles and synthetic polymers, C3 Dry Ceramic Chain Lube maximises your power output by reducing metal to metal contact to a ground breaking, low level and provides up to 10 times the performance of conventional chain oils and lubes.

· FEATURES

• Ideal for Road Cycling, Cyclocross & MTB
• Provides the ultimate performance in damp, dry & dusty conditions
• Petroleum free formula for eco protection
• Ceramic coating for increased drive chain protection
• Synthetic polymers for long distance performance
• Incredible durability
• Pipette system for easy application
• Includes UV torch to check for 100% coverage

Re Muc-Off C3 Wet lube

The secret to the C3 Ceramic Wet Chain Lube is its unique ceramic coating that provides incredible durability and long distance performance on all bicycle chains. The innovative formulation in our chain oil also uses Boron Nitride to ensure ultra low friction for ultimate drive chain efficiency, high performance and durability.

• FEATURES

• Ideal chain lubricant for Road Cycling, Cyclocross & MTB
• Excels in wet, muddy conditions
• Contains Boron Nitrides for efficiency
• Creates Ceramic coating for chain protection
• Ultra long distance performance
• Incredible durability
• Pipette system for accurate, easy application
• Includes UV torch to check for 100% coverage

ZFC input on validity of these marketing claims

Ok – so it should be safe to say that the mental image or mental map that the marketing is building in your mind is one of;

• The ceramic particles are bonding to chain metal surface
• They form a ceramic coating which is low friction and prevents metal on metal wear
• The coating is enhanced over time due to more applications
• In the case of Finish Line, they also claim the lubricant is cleaning your chain and displacing grime.

In short though, if the mental image you have previously or currently built re Ceramic Lubricant claims is one of the lubricant is supposed to be forming a ceramic coating on your chains surfaces greatly minimizing wear, that is a match for the claims.

Can the lubricants achieve this? Are they achieving this?

BN is pretty amazing stuff. It its hexagonal form it is an amazing lubricant and is used as such in numerous industrial applications – but mostly these applications are where resistance to very high temperature is needed such as injection molding, glass blowing molds and much more. In its cubic structure however, its hardness is second only to diamonds. As such there are various (complicated) chemical and industrial processes where Boron Nitride may be used to increase the wear resistance of cutting tools, or conversely as lapping or grit in sand blasting. In theory, no one is adding tiny diamonds to their lubricant – lets assume the soft lubrication BN.

If you google Boron Nitride lubricants you will find plenty, usually sold by more industrial lubricant suppliers as it is typically used in pretty industrial processes.
It is typically in an aerosol can or a liquid that may be painted on and left to dry. The BN particles are suspended in a carrier (volatile, or water suspension with stabilizing agent) – the carrier evaporates, leaving behind a solid dry film, reading to receive usually a very hot substance into a mold that you do not want sticking to the mold. The mold would be re coated for each use.

What about for cycling?

I am extremely skeptical of its practical use in a lubricant for a bicycle chain.

We need to ask ourselves a number of questions in assessing its validity, and whilst we do not have the information we require to reach a definitive conclusion, just working through the questions and application leaves me with a huge amount of doubt.

• What is the % of BN in the cycling lubricants?
• If we apply a 5ml application of lubricant to a 100 link long chain (most chains are longer than this), that is 0.05ml of lubricant per link. Of which X percentage will be BN. It is likely to be a fairly low %. Even many top lubricants in cycling space struggle to achieve greater than 30% of volume being active lubricant if the lubricant needs carrier (ie, not a mineral oil, where the mineral oil is the lubricant, but say a wax with ws2 friction modifier – the wax with ws2 will be emulsified into a carrier, and top products may achieve somewhere between 30 to 50% lubricant by volume and 50 to 70% carrier).
• In cycling ceramic lubricants it appears that BN is not the sole lubricating agent. It is part of the lubrication being delivered to the chain. So we will have likely a % of carrier, a % of some type of lubricant, and infused in that lubricant is X % of Boron nitride.
• This is different from the BN lubricants one will find if you go hunting – their aim is to leave behind a dry solid coating of BN, and BN IS the lubricating layer.
• Overall I believe the % of BN in the cycling lubricants to be quite low. A low % from 0.05ml per link – is that enough to FORM A CERAMIC COATING on all the load surfaces of your chain?
• How does this work if the lubricant remains wet? How are the BN particles, still suspended in liquid, form a ceramic coating? (not even Muc-Off C3 dry does not go completely dry, it is still a bit wet).
• Wet lubricants attract contamination. Contamination particles inside chain are very small, and surface pressures on main load parts of chain from your pedaling force are EXTREMELY high. Even with lubricants that do form a coating preventing metal on metal contact wear (some top lubricants do) – the pressures are too great and particles too small – contamination WILL be pressured through any films or coatings to abrade and wear chain metal.
• Lubricants such as Finish Line ceramic wet do not repel or flush or clean grime. If the lubricant is wet, it is ATTRACTING contamination = period. The more you apply and the more wet the chain is, the more you attract. If all you do is wipe chain and re lube and wipe excess – the level of contamination in the lubricant will just continue to increase and increase over time, and the lubricant become more abrasive. Wet lubricants claiming they clean as they lubricate are lying to you.
• It is hard to have your ceramic coating ENHANCED over time with more applications, when over time, you have more and more abrasive contamination ripping right through whatever coating they are claiming is forming.
• Boron Nitride is most often used as a lubricant in very high HIGH TEMPERATURE applications. Its lubricating properties can hold at some pretty mind-boggling numbers – some products claim up to 1900dg Celsius.
• Typically, a particular industry use case will choose a lubrication product that is most suitable for that application. There really is not any evidence that Boron Nitride is going to be a superior lubricant to other options available for use in a bicycle chain lube. I sometimes do heat sessions in my sauna, but the highest temp I typically get to is around 55dg c. I have some work to do yet to go to push my sessions to 1900 degrees. I am going to need to upgrade the heating elements somewhat.
• I can’t say I have covered off the entire internet, but with fair crack, I cannot find Boron Nitride lubricants (outside of the few cycling ones) marketed towards anything similar. Ie – I can find ceramic lubricants for motorcycle chains because motorcycle chains have similar marketing fun as bicycle chains, where is it for say chainsaw chains, or industrial conveyer chains – or any other low speed, low temperature application such as what we have with cycling.

Summary and conclusion – for now

It makes no sense from a practical standpoint to use Boron Nitride for bicycle chains. It is used in applications where lubrication is needed at VERY high temperatures.

It is not common for products aimed at a particular specific use case, find that they are a better, or even good – choice for other applications, especially when compared against other proven options that are extremely effective (ie top waxes, ws2, moly, graphene and more).

The only part that makes sense re using Boron Nitride in a chain lubricant is so that you can go and claim that your lubricant forms a ceramic coating that prevents metal on metal contact and greatly reduces wear, which will sound amazing to many who read it.

However, I have extreme doubts that such a coating is in fact achieved, and if it is achieved in a test lab, I have extreme doubts as to such a coating being achieved in real world cycling where abrasive contamination is really going to mess with BN party.

It is anecdotal at this time, I will get to testing a couple of ceramic lubricants in the next 12 months – however I can say that from the bikes through workshop over the years where the customer was using one of the above ceramic lubricants, chain lifespans were, in every case – poor. Chains with 2000 to 3000km on them would typically be well past 0.5% wear mark, and chains with 5000km or more on them the chains were very badly worn. There are always exceptions, some customers take extremely good care of their chains with very regular flush cleans – and in such cases chain lifespan was ok, but still not matching top known lubricant options that have zero maintenance performed.

So the case for ceramic lubricants is not strong. At all.

My conclusion is it is absolutely just a marketing angle that sounds great, and some Mfg’s just can’t help themselves. I think the burden of proof is on the Mfg to substantiate the claims.

I hold the highest of doubts that ceramic coating is in fact achieved by any of them. I hold it more likely there is a very token amount of BN such that they can then claim ceramic on the label, and there is really no indication as to how the ceramic coating is formed / achieved – the cycling lubricants remain wet, which is not the case with typical Boron Nitride liquid lubricants found for industry where a solid lubricating layer is left behind.

If you have deeper knowledge than this overview of ceramic lubricants and can provide more information to either substantiate their use as a bicycle chain lubricant, or to substantiate the concerns of ZFC, please email me at info@zerofrictioncycling.com.au

If Muc-Off or Finish Line would like to substantiate their product claims – that would be amazing, please contact asap.

This marketing spotlight is an entrée. Just wait for the next product claim spotlight, that is going to be unreal – I just need some time to chat with the manufacturer to give them a fair chance to explain the well, amazing claims. And by amazing, I mean out of this world.

Stock up on popcorn.

And, as always, stay low friction!