I recently went to my LBS looking for Tri Flo for lubricating cables/housing. They didn't have it in stock but they said the oily part (top layer) of RockNRoll chain lube can be dripped into cable housing and will work similarly to Tri Flo (They said don't shake the bottle they way you would before applying this to chains). I trust my LBS mechanics but just wanted to run this by you all in case there might be any reasons not to do this, and also to pass it on if it is indeed a good substitute for Tri Flo.
by oolij
7 Comments
Rock and roll makes a cable lube
I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t although I disagree with the “don’t shake the bottle” thing. My choice for cables/housing is to use a dry lube that will leave behind teflon or graphite or whatever so that even if the oil eventually bleeds out, I still have a lubricant in there.. I assume the sediment in a bottle of RnR Gold is just a wax that will remain behind rather than anything that would gunk up your shifting but maybe they are speaking from experience or maybe they are just speculating (I would have asked them).
Yes, but dry lubes are better for housing because they won’t collect dust like a wet lube. I like to use PTFE powder.
I have, it’s better than nothing.
It can be used.
I my experience any lube on cables will attract dirt and dust and eventually creates more friction over time. I don’t lube cables on my bikes. I keep them dry and they can last for years.
Sounds like a hack mechanic that likes to try stupid tricks while getting paid to do professional work. Even worse, pass those stupid tricks off as wisdom. Maybe it’s an ownership issue where mechanics are not provided enough supplies. A drop of shimano mineral oil, any fork oil, sewing machine oil, even motor oil would work better than wasting rock n roll.
Get some moly powder (like for use on door hinges).