Yelo Velo Chain Lube
If you’re reading this you probably ride a bike. If you ride a bike it probably has a chain requiring some sort of lubrication to keep the thing from sounding like the neighbor kids huffy. The chain lube selection at your local bike shop can be somewhat overwhelming; wet, dry, synthetic, graphite… the list of options goes on and on. One choice that’s popping up more and more is some sort of “eco friendly” or “bio” lube.
Hey… Lube Guy!I recently ran into bike lube guru Mark Lowenstern, the man behind Yelo Velo bike lubes, doing support at the Donner Lake Triathlon a few weeks ago. Mark was giving me the “skinny” on his line-up of lubes that take the moniker of “green, eco friendly and bio” to the next level.
The big deal behind Yelo Velo lubes is the fact that they can claim “Ultimate Bio-Degradable.” “Bio-degradable” simply means that a product will eventually bio-degrade… like your shoes or even your bike! “Ultimate Bio-Degradable” means that a product has to transform into 60% carbon dioxide and water within 28 days of exposure. I like that. I also like the fact that the lube is void of petroleum, polyalphaolefins and other harmful chemicals since I’m a greasy handed bike mechanic more than I’m a hack journalist.
Their first commercialization efforts have been focused on a molecule called farnesene, which forms the basis for a wide range of products varying from specialty chemical applications such as detergents, cosmetics, perfumes and industrial lubricants,