Green Oil - Ecological Chain Lube

Several lubes boast green credentials, but Green Oil trumps them all.

For a start, it's not an irritant to humans, trees, fish, or anything else.

Green Oil has the slogan 'destroy limits, not nature', and was created to allow riders to challenge their own personal limits without compromising their environment. It's a great soundbite, but does it work?

Yes, it does – we found it performed as well as any other wet lube we've tested. You will need to reapply it regularly, but the long nozzle makes light work of the job.

As well as being completely biodegradable, the label is printed on recycled paper, the bottle is recyclable and you get 20p off if you send it back for a refill.

The cap can't be re-sealed, making it unsuitable for touring.

The lube itself is made from a secret formula of naturally occurring plant extracts and not palm oil, which has dubious rainforest connections.

Whatever the alchemy, it works. During our commutes, Green Oil kept the drivetrain running smoothly.

You might need to re-apply a little more often than wet lubes, but there's not much in it.

It's made in the UK, so has a smaller carbon footprint than many imported products.

We think you'll struggle to find a bike lube with greener credentials.

Save your drivetrain, and save the planet!

Oil. It's expensive, smelly and the cause of more global conflict than the old Mac vs PC debate. Sadly, even switching from four wheels to two still leaves the eco-friendly cyclist reliant on the stuff for keeping chains happy. Happily a solution is at hand in the form of Green Oil.

The clue is in the name and Green Oil proudly boasts that it contains no environmentally harmful chemicals, such as PTFE, and no palm oil, which is implicated in the destruction of rainforest. What it actually does contain is a secret. Green Oil only admit to "naturally occurring plant extracts" and no animal derivatives, so that's whale blubber and boiled seal pup out of the picture.

Frankly, I'm no scientist, so I'll just have to take it on trust that this stuff really is as clean as it sounds. But, to cut to the chase, is it any good as a lube or is the happy-clappy eco-marketing the only slick thing on show? The simple answer is hell yes. In fact make that a double hell yes with whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry on top. My wife ran it on her commuter during some of the wettest and nastiest weather that we've had all month. Even riding through an axle deep flood failed to coax out a squeak. Eventually, after 250 soggy miles, her nerve weakened and a fresh application was dripped on before the chain mouse philharmonic even had a chance to warm up. That's pretty impressive mileage under the circumstances and with better weather I reckon it should be good for well over 300 miles per application. It doesn't leave your chain covered in black gack either, which is nice.

One final bonus is that the bottle is not only recyclable, it's refillable. Just send it back to Green Oil and they'll refill it for you and give you a 20p discount into the bargain. Not that you'll need to take advantage of that very often, given how long this stuff lasts for.

One minor point to watch out for is the temperature that you keep it at. In our unheated outhouse it had started to set into a thick slush, just like olive oil does when you put it in the fridge. This shouldn't affect the way it works but my advice would be to keep it somewhere slightly warmer.

Some people won't give a drowned polar bear for all of the eco-waffle (and the Green Oil site can be a little overwhelming, truth be told) but this is seriously good stuff.

Rate the product for performance: 9/10
Rate the product for durability: 9/10
Rate the product for value: 9/10
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Definitely
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yup

Even if you're not bothered about acquiring a green halo, this is damn good lube. Highly recommended.