There are a few things in the cycling world that are heavily debated, one of which is chain lube. Dry lube, wax based lube, lube on a ride or let it dry. Every detail of chain lube can be debated.

Over the winter I have been doing some testing on the Pro Gold Extreme, a newer chain lube in the Pro Gold line up. My first experience of the brand started 15 years ago while I was working in a bike shop growing up. I worked in a mostly road shop and we praised and swore by the Pro Gold lube. Over the years many other chain lube options have come about, but the Pro Gold brand is still holding strong.

With in the increase in popularity of mountain biking, so came the necessity to create lubes that were geared towards mountain biking. Mountain bikers cross streams, ride in sand and tend to be negligent of their equipment.
One major subject of debate with chain lubes is how often do you need to lube your chain. In my opinion, people tend to over lube their chain, then causing issues they thought they would avoid by lubing. The past few months I have been seeing just how long I can go without reapplying lube.
Before setting out on a three day tour, I washed my bike with the Pro Gold Pro Towels and then gave the chain a healthy dose of Pro Gold Extreme. The Extreme lube has been reformulated to be longer lasting and hold up to the conditions of mountain biking. After pedaling my bike 220 miles in three days, my chain was still going strong. No squeaking and the chain was completely clean. I knew that my route didn’t hand out the same conditions as a single track ride would, so the tests continued.

The desert of Arizona will dish out just about everything you could ever need to test a chain lube. Stream crossings, deep sand, blowing dirt, dry climate and hot hot sun. After 160 miles of single track and two weeks of travel with my bike on the back of my van, my chain is still perfectly clean and perfectly quiet. Hellacious dust storms, stream crossings leaving your lower body soaked, NorCal morning frost and humid salty air of the west coast and the Extreme lube continues to impress.

So the question really is; How far can you go on a single lube application?

What an incredible show; ProGold will be in Charlotte NC next year as a sponsor. The amazing work of these Bicycle Shop Owners/ Handmade Bike Builders is not only limited to road bikes, but also mountain, tandem bicycles, cruisers, & fat bikes. While in Denver, ProGold got to stop at about 30 LBS over the days and even got to stop in on Sports Authority Corporate !

As ProGold continues on it’s 2013 Tour, stops will be made in Murietta, CA for the Tour of Murietta. The Following day ProGold will hop over to Bakerfield, CA for the Kerrysville Classic Event. Then on to  Santa Cruz Mountain Bike Festival in Aptos, CA. Of course stops will be made at the LBS of several California shops. As March comes to a close ProGold will then Turn towards Monterey, CA. for  the Sea Otter event and at the end of the month for the Whiskey 50.

Trick to using the ProGold Extreme Lube, don’t put it on as often -it LASTS! Ride Well Ride Safe in 2013.  Bruce.

Handmade Show

Featuring more action, more bikes, and more ProGold!

Read Issue #3 Here! (PDF, 7.98MB)

Using the word “mechanic” is accepted for pit workers during a cyclocross race, but the racers do not come in for mechanicals as much as they do for a clean bike. A racer may roll a tire or drop a chain, but when they come in the pit for such it isn’t because they still plan on victory…it’s just to finish at that point. The racers coming in to exchange their 35 pound mud coated rigs, they are still dogs in the fight and need the advantage of a clean 16 pound bike with nothing impeding their drive train or clogging up the brakes.

Most races’ pit mechanics are just standing there just in case and may do a bike exchange for a racer that wants a different tire selection or air pressure, but it is feast or famine. Muddy races provide a certain challenge for the pit staff, methodically washing a bike and freeing the drive train takes more work and less patience than simply turning a limit screw or adjusting PSI. Your job is to not let the race conditions decide the race for your athlete. You have to know how much time between pits you have to get the task done, you have to figure out what “good enough” is and you have to know what resources you have available.

Any good pit crew should have two mechanics, tools, a wash bucket and an array of brushes for every surface of the bike and drive train, and then comes the necessary fluids.

A week and a half ago was the Masters Cyclocross World Championships in Louisville KY. I went to Kentucky on Friday to be a pit mechanic for 3 races throughout the day. Upon getting set up for the first race of the day we realized that the previous day’s mud was still there, NOT frozen back over like we’d though it would but instead insulated by a light fluffy layer of snow. This was about to be a GROSS day despite the 18 degree high for the day! We set up shop in the pits only to find that the pressure washers were completely frozen up and would not be available. This was a MAJOR problem.

Being dedicated to making sure our racers would be limited by the conditions as little as possible, the selection of fluids I mentioned earlier became more important than ever!

Being a ProGold user, Prolink aerosol, Xtreme and I would soon learn Blast Off were the selection for today.
Once we filled our wash bucket and added de-icer to it to keep it liquid the races were off. We would soon see that any attempt to hand wash these bikes resulted in iced over drive trains and pedals that were unable to be lubed. Realizing that a completely clean bike was improbable with out the pressure washers we focused on removing clumps of mud by hand, clearing the brakes and focusing on a clean, freely shifting drivetrain. Blast Off became the game changer during these races. It’s powerful solvent quickly melted away the ice and mud from drive train and pedals, clearing a catalytic path for Xtreme to be applied and the powerful propellant did it’s name sake proud BLASTING stuff it was aimed at OFF.

After a lubed drive train with Xtreme, Prolink coated all the derailleur pivots, pedals and down tube to keep a barrier between components and mud for quicker removal next pit stop.

I would say that after three races in these conditions our selections were fruitful because two out of three landed on the podium in the World Championships!

Thanks to Bruce for that second can of Blast Off, we began to panic when we emptied the first one!
I reckon I should also give a shout out to Pro Towels for cleaning the mud off of my brush handles when I got back home too!

Drew Hager
Industry Nine
www.industrynine.net

Wow! Worlds Cyclocross in Louisville, KY. The Blast-Off Degreaser and Xtreme Lube worked awesome together during the nasty wet, cold, icy, and muddy conditions of the Masters and Elite races.
If you haven’t had a chance to try it, get some. It is truly an amazing product. The ability to blow out all the mud and ice in your cassette with one application makes Blast-Off quick and easy. You can read Drew Hager’s Blast-Off testimonial here. Several World Champion racers prefer ProGold Lubricants products to the competitors. Just saying. All the great ProGold products are available at our online store.

As the ProGold Tour 2013 continues west, stops were made in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona! ProGold will be at Epic Rides Old Pueblo in Tucson, AZ this week week.

Ride Well, Ride Safe in 2013

Bruce Dickman
Blogging about all things ProGold

As ProGold Van Starts its 2013 Tour, ProGold is busy finishing up the WORLD AMBASSADOR program and getting all the sponsored teams, races and events nailed down for 2013. Busy time, but down time as well. It is good to be home for a few weeks. Now as the ProGold Van has been getting new brakes and touched up with a new front window and a vent fan, we are almost ready to depart for new exciting adventures with ProGold Lubricants. Check out bikes.progoldmfr.com for all your bike care products by ProGold!

To keep up in 2013, check out the Facebook page and Twitter feed for where the ProGold Tour will be in 2013. Have a awesome year and remember to RIDE WELL RIDE SAFE ALWAYS.

Bruce Dickman

The race was held at Sandy Beach Park located on Lake Tobesofkee in Macon, GA. Cyclo-Cross challenges riders with a variety of obstacles, tight turns, steep climbs, and descents. The course is just over 2 miles long with the races lasting either 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 60 minutes.

You can read more about the NFCC’s Bike Drive at their website:

http://nfcchelp.org/2012/12/doing-good-bikes-for-christmas/

ProGold Lubricants has been on a mission this year to spread the word about its amazing products, which included sponsoring numerous events over the last 18 months.

ProGold is also pleased to announce its own list of Ambassadors for 2013. These ambassadors will help spread the ProGold love through social media, blogs and clinics throughout the country.

Ambassadors

• Rebecca Rusch
• Krista Park
• Jeff Lenosky
• Brian Matter
• Mo Bruno Roy
• Ryan Woodall
• Sam Koerber

Along with a whole list of team sponsorships, Trips for Kids events, Ladies’ clinics, trail work days, and numerous other events, ProGold will continue to support cycling into the coming years. As the new year approaches, ProGold needs your help in making sure your LBS (Local Bike Shop) is carrying your ProGold products. Please go in and ask the owner to carry your favorite ProGold Products.

As ProGold continues to grow and expand its line in 2013 you will see the ProGold team in several places this year. Check out this website for further details. We are planning a major trip to the northeast next year along with stops in AR, MI, WI, PA, CA, IL, OH, NY, VT, TX, and of course our friends north of the border, Canada!

Please remember to always Ride Well, Ride Safe.

Bruce Dickman