Bicycle chain lubrication reduces the wear of your drivetrain components and lowers the amount of force needed to pedal the bike. Because of this, chain lubrication is important for both elite cyclists and recreational riders as quality lubricants allow your chain to spin faster and protects against wear.
3-IN-ONE Oil was developed in 1894 and was originally formulated for use on bicycles. However, many components on bikes have changed drastically in the 125+ years since George W. Cole created his now-famous multi-purpose oil.
Can we use 3-IN-1 oil on our bicycle chains?
In laboratory experiments, 3-IN-ONE Oil outperforms nearly half of the bicycle-specific (all-season) lubricants for speed tests. 3-IN-1 has a generic petroleum base that is stable and won’t degrade from temperature fluctuations or aging.
- When applied properly (sparingly), 3-IN-ONE is no more susceptible to ‘gumming-up’ than standard all-season bicycle-specific lubricants. (Over-lubing is responsible for collecting dirt and turning into a grimy paste).
3-in-ONE OIL: Base ingredient
Every lubricant is a mixture of base oils and additives.
Early forms of lubricants were nothing more than pure base oils, and as technology advanced, tribologists engineered additives to enhance lubrication characteristics, depending on the application.
Base Ingredient in 3-IN-ONE Multi-Purpose Oil
Petroleum Oil base
According to the Material Data Safety Sheet for 3-IN-ONE oil, it’s over 97% Hydrotreated Heavy Naphthenic Oil, which means it’s refined from petroleum crude oil.
For comparison, Heavy Naphthenic Petroleum Oil is also one of the main ingredients in certain Tri-Flow lubricant products.
Base oils come from 3 sources:
Biological
Either from a vegetable or animal
Mineral
Petroleum-based
Such as 3-IN-ONE multi-purpose oil
Synthetic
Artificially created but usually modified petroleum components
3-IN-ONE oil is not a vegetable or synthetic oil but is instead a mineral oil as it has a petroleum-base and is not artificially created.
From a 1915 edition of Popular Mechanics
Performance: 3-IN-ONE vs bike-specific lubes
In studies that test power loss and lubricants, 3-IN-1 oil performs better than about 40% of bike-specific lubes.
The difference between the best and worst-performing lube is 10 watts
This translates to 1/3 mph or .5kph. Over a distance of 25 miles (40km) this 10-watt difference equates to 45 seconds.
3-IN-ONE oil performs ~6 watts better than the worst performing bike-specific lubricant.
There are over a dozen of these poorly performing bicycle-lubricants. It’s not uncommon for manufacturers to spend more money on marketing as opposed to R & D or cutting agents.
3-IN-ONE & Protection Against Wear
Performance, or ability to reduce the coefficient of friction is just one measure though, as good lubes not only make pedaling more efficient, they protect against wear.
Once again, 3-IN-1 performs better than about 45% of the other bike lubes
Often-times there is an inverse relationship between performance and wear. 3-IN-1 is close to the middle in both of these factors, which makes sense, as the brand was developed to balance performance and protection (their motto after all is - lubes, penetrates rust, & cleans).
However, measuring wear in a laboratory has its challenges to real-world application as only “fatigue wear” can be measured.
In the book Cycling Science: How Rider and Machine Work Together, Max Glaskin, the author, says:
"One lube as good as another? In the lab and with a brand new chain, it’s been shown that lubricants are not significantly different from one another when it comes to reducing the friction of a chain."
Max is correct in the sense that the difference between high-performance lubes is minuscule, but untrue when your talking about the difference between the best and worst lubes since 10 watts is very significant. Also, as Max Glaskin notes in his book, “real life is dirtier and harsher than in a laboratory.”
Final thought
There are certainly better lubricants available, but you can actually do much worse than 3-in-1.
Keeping your chain clean and properly lubed is essential for longevity and performance. A clean and properly maintained chain that’s lubed with 3-IN-ONE oil will outperform a dirty chain that is incorrectly lubricated, even with a superior lubricant.
While it might not be fashionable to use 3-IN-ONE oil, its a fraction of the price and outperforms many wet lubes that you will find at your local bike shop. If you choose poorly when selecting a lube, you might find yourself being passed by a “newbie.”
Jesse is Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Valdivia, Chile (most of the year). Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance and is an avid MTBer, snowboarder, & reader of narrative non-fiction, and bicycle commuter.
