Tru-Tension Tungsten All Weather is new generation Wax Emulsion Lubricant.
It has tested through the ZFC torture test with the lowest overall wear rate of any drip lube tested to date (sans UFO drip however that was applied at double the application rate).
Tru-Tension Tungsten All-Weather came extremely close to making it all the way to the end of main test block including the extreme contamination protocol, no other drip lube tested to date at the standard application protocol has even made it to this test block in the main test.
Being a much lighter viscosity than other wax emulsion drip lubes such as Squirt or Smoove, it also has much better initial penetration when applied to a perfectly clean chain (It is still recommended to start with an Mspeedwax prepped chain and then apply directly over this after a few rides, remember you always need to get rid of factory grease from chain anyway so simply starting with a prepped chain from ZFC just makes for a perfect start ensuring zero wear from the gun, however due to this lube’s easier penetration this does not need to be highly stressed as with Smoove / Squirt).
During testing it also proved to be much cleaner over thousands of km’s of testing and added contamination, and proved to be a much easier clean when one wishes to perform periodic maintenance as compared to Squirt / Smoove which are more renowned as needing strong solvents and some elbow grease on parts over time.
Being much lighter viscosity however it does need to be re-applied more frequently. For those needing a very long lasting treatment lubricant for a harsh offroad event and not waxing (or exceeding mspeedwax treatment lifespan) then smoove is still number one recommendation for such occasions.
Knowing when to re-apply is easy, chain will start to sound and feel notably dry – there is a long safety window from when chain feels dry until you run out of lubricant inside, so you have plenty of warning re when to re-lube and not be caught out like other dry lubes with high friction / high wear.
ZFC has also tested how well it plays with Mspeedwax and like squirt / smoove they get along very well within limits. This means you can use Tru-Tension Tungsten all weather to compliment your Mspeedwax’ing for times when a re-wax is not possible, ie cycling holiday or stage interstate stage race. Simply follow application instructions, run treatment down until fairly dry, and then you can re-wax straight over the top again when home without needing to clean chain again first.
Notes from the Manufacturer
Tungsten Disulphide was originally developed for space projects as a lubricant due to it having a lower coefficient of friction compared with Ceramics, Teflon and Graphite, as well as being more durable. Tungsten smooths out the surface of the metal to minimise surface imperfections, resulting in up to 40% less friction than Ceramics, up to 50% less than Teflon, and up to 60% less than Graphite. Not only is it faster, but it’s also more durable, creating an atomic layer on the surface of the chain to reduce wear of the drivetrain and protect moving components.
As the lubricant is totally dry, it completely stops dirt building up into a grinding paste unlike all other conventional lubricants.
After the first couple of applications the Tungsten smooths out the small imperfections in the metal surfaces of the chain, creating a rock hard protective and slippery layer. This layer is created on pressure points within the drivetrain, only layer one atom thick to apply superior lubrication exactly where it’s needed.
Application Instructions **Please Read**
Shake bottle well before application
As always – Apply to either a properly cleaned chain – Refer to chain cleaning instructions in Wax Zen Master Guide – Instructions tab on ZFC website. Better still is to apply to an Ultrasonic Cleaned and Mspeedwax prepped chain from ZFC – this ensures 100% zero wear start as all internal components of chain are coated in mspeedwax, and all solvents used for cleaning prep are 100% recycled vs disposing of in backyard.
- DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY OVER FACTORY GREASE OR EXISTING DRIP LUBE (*exceptions – it may be applied directly over Smoove / Squirt/ UFO Drip / Tru-Tension Tungsten Race lube, and of course Mspeedwax).
- Best results occur when ensure chain and lubricant are both at 20 degree’s Celsius or above.
- Ensure chain is on small chain ring and smallest cog (or smallest cog you electronic system allows) for maximum link articulation.
- Apply either one drop per link or drizzle along bottom span of chain for one full chain revolution.
- Back pedal 20 to 30 times to fully work lubricant into chain.
- Back pedal a further approx. 10 times thoroughly wiping all excess of outside of chain with microfiber cloth. Remember you need lubricant INSIDE chain, not outside.
- Allow at least 5 minutes for lubricant to set – then ride (more set time is better, especially if riding offroad – try to apply night before).
- Following the above steps for each re-lube to retain an outstandingly clean and low wear rate chain for many thousands of km’s.
**If lubricant is below approx. 20dg Celsius heat bottle of lube in a cup of hot TAP water for 1 min, shake well, apply as per above.**
Treatment Lifespan – Up to 250km for normal dry road conditions. 4 to 5 hours for Gravel, 3 to 4 hours for MTB,  2 hours for CX racing. Halve these times if wet.
**If not waxing and so not used to popping chain on and off bike, clean chain post any wet ride using UFO Clean spray for the best on bike clean, dry chain and re-lube
