Dumonde Tech Chain Lube Review

One day someone asked me about Dumonde Tech chain lube. The chain lube you don't need degreaser, you just keep adding.....Whhaaat?...you just keep adding lube? The truth is in between applications you eliminate degreasing your chain, you just brush and wipe it off. From what I know from chain maintenance over the years, I was skeptical. It just sounded too good to be true. Like I said, genius comes from eliminating steps.

Before I got into it, didn't some research. It got mixed reviews. Mostly good though. From what I figure, the reason it got bad reviews is because those people didn't read the instructions. Two things specifically.

1. Clean and degrease chain completely, even if it's a new chain. Make sure you are starting with a very clean chain.

2. Use sparingly. Don't over apply it.

For this test I'm using the least expensive SRAM chain. My chain of choice is KMC. I think they shift better than SRAM, and is as good as Shimano, but last longer than Shimano, and SRAM. I've always stuck with KMC. I've heard good things about Connex /Whippermann, but never have gotten around to using them. But the day I needed a chain, none of the others were not around. A new SRAM 1030 chain, is better than a worn out of spec chain.

Lets clean the chain. To do this correctly, you have to take the chain off. Sure you can do a good job with one of those clip-on chain cleaners, but to really get out of the blocks the whole chain should be soaked. This is my made chain soaker/cleaner/jobby. It's plastic, Rubber Made, food storage container. I've got a piece of expanded metal that the chain will be suspended in the degreaser on, so the dirt will sink below and away from the chain.

I've also got a big magnet on the bottom, to pull the small granular pieces of metal to the bottom. 

For a degreaser I use good old Simple Green. I've had good luck with Simple Green, and a lot of manufactures endorse Simple Green to clean their components. Make sure you have enough to submerge the chain in.

Soaking the chain for a bit, pull it out and brush the dirt and oil off the chain, then put it back in. I like the hand brush for the side plates.

Check out the dirt and metal at the bottom. You would not think there would be enough metal to justify a magnet, but there is the evidence.

Now run the chain under warm water to rinse the Simple green from the chain.

This picture shows the condition of the chain. Lets see what happens in a month or so. I ride about 20 miles a day commuting back and forth to work, or where ever. in all kinds of conditions.

Now apply one drop per link, (not too much), and then put it back on the bike. The wipe off the excess with a rag. I'm using the original, and not light since I'm using it on my commuter bike.
The first thing you will notice is the quiet drive train. It's a lot like using Finish line, "Wet" chain lube. Some people say it sounds like your chain is made of plastic, in fact they call it "Liquid Plastic". A quiet drive train is a good drive train because that means the lubrication is in it's place doing it's work.

The reason they say to not degrease the chain, is so the lubricant can build up inside the chain. This lubricant seems to stiffen the chain up and improve the shifting performance. It builds up over time. and like they say, just brush and wipe the chain off when you start to hear chain noise.

After eight weeks. I've come to really like this chain lube for commuting. I didn't get the build up on the pulleys and chainrings like I'm used to. I'm happy with the silent /plastic like acoustics and its  ability to not attract as much dirt. It's my new favorite chain lube.