Formula S-Ceramic Chains with Dryfluid
04.01.24 10:07 122024-01-04T10:07:00+01:00Text: Der Baranski (translated by AI)Photos: Gottfried Gärtner, Der BaranskiThe original Baranski Chain - now new and even more exclusive. Optionally available with DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic.04.01.24 10:07 2302024-01-04T10:07:00+01:00Formula S-Ceramic Chains with Dryfluid
04.01.24 10:07 2302024-01-04T10:07:00+01:00 Der Baranski (translated by AI) Gottfried Gärtner, Der BaranskiThe original Baranski Chain - now new and even more exclusive. Optionally available with DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic.04.01.24 10:07 2302024-01-04T10:07:00+01:00
Whenever you think you've reached the peak and tried everything, someone comes around the corner and shows what they're made of. This is true in sports, in life, and in general. It was something like sporting ambition that drove the following project... the story goes like this:
For years, I've been telling anyone who will listen (or not) that chain waxing is literally the hot shit. Anything with oil-based lubricants is so 90s. In summary, the benefits of a chain that has been degreased and then bathed in hot wax include: Easier movement, no adherence of mud and dirt, and significantly improved performance compared to an oil-caked drivetrain - and not just for the chain, but for all components in contact with it.
For those who don't care about rolling resistance because they are leisure riders, gravelers, or simply don't believe in marginal gains, sustainability often becomes a key issue, especially since there are cassette sprockets made from a single piece costing several hundred euros or the two chainrings are permanently attached to the power meter and when worn out, everything needs to be replaced. Greetings from SRAM. This is particularly true for anything involving a lot of mud and yes, off-road as well. And contrary to all rumors, it works just fine in frosty conditions.
In search of the Holy Grail of chain lubrication
What does the world cost?
For those who want to delve deeper into this topic, we recommend these articles on our portal.
Not everyone wants to go through the hassle of degreasing and waxing; but that doesn't have to be the case, as there are now a number of providers who offer this service more or less professionally and will do it for you. However, and this applies to every chain tuner, whether private or for others, the most common application errors are those that significantly shorten the enjoyment of a waxed chain: It is not degreased thoroughly enough and/or with the wrong agents. Or it was not waxed hot enough or the chain was only left in the wax bath for a few seconds and not stirred properly. Or the wax mixture was simply killed by too much heat in mom's kitchen because a slow cooker was not used. If you're not sure, just look at the links to the implementation above again.
Or the wax mixture was simply killed by too much heat in mom's kitchen using a cooking pot, because they skimped on the slow cooker.
Hot-Melt Trend in Focus
The spread of the Hot-Melt trend annoyed the provider of a liquid lubricant that has been proven for years, also known as Driplube, namely Rolf Jacobs from Dry Fluids in Berlin. Rolf produces the lubricants he named, with extremely low sliding friction, primarily for the cycling area the two products DryFluid Bike and DryFluid GlidePower XT.
Besides its use on bikes, there are a whole range of other application areas in RC modeling, including remote-controlled helicopters or RC cars. Here, the boss is a true believer and lubricant freak. With Rolf, one can philosophize for hours about the Brugger test, compressive strength, ceramics, polymers, waxes, and all that jazz - including the meaningfulness of laboratory tests that supposedly find half a watt on the chain drive.
Its lubricants are in a class of their own, and being oil-free, they also offer an alternative or complement to all chain lubrication products with hot wax. Many users have already been using them for years to top up waxed chains once the lubrication wears off. Alcohol serves as the carrier liquid here, which, due to its good creeping properties, brings the lubricants into the chain and to the contact points where they count the most. After just a few minutes, the alcohol evaporates, and the remaining solid lubricants hardly allow any dust and dirt to stick to the drivetrain compared to oil, ensuring everything runs smoothly. This method has also been used for years by team mechanics in the professional sector, who rely on products from Rolf.
In the meantime, however, many of them have also discovered the benefits of hot wax - regardless of the major sponsors that adorn the team vehicles. Rolf was attentive and probably a bit annoyed. Not really convinced by the existing hot wax products, he wondered if there was more potential for friction reduction and long-term lubrication effects.
The result, after over a year of development, countless emails and phone calls between Hamburg and Berlin, as well as several attempts at prototype mixes with sometimes only minimally altered recipes, is the first wax-based hot-melt product from Dry Fluids, the DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic. Unlike all other mixes we know of, this one does not solely rely on the always very hard paraffin wax when cooled. Instead, a very special, very expensive, and in application very complicated mixture of waxes, micro wax pearls, ceramic particles, and system additives is used. This is then applied to the degreased chain in liquefied form using a slow cooker at well below 100 degrees, just like all other hot waxes.
With Rolf, you can philosophize for hours about the Brugger test, compressive strength, ceramics, polymers, waxes, and all that jazz.
Baranski Speed Chain powered by DryFluid
One advantage of the new product: The wax mixture is somewhat softer in the applied state than with all other providers. The initial breaking in and running in of a freshly waxed chain, as known from other products, is not necessary. Tests over the last 15 months with various subjects, including Christoph Strasser on different bikes with a lot and sometimes with very high torque – keyword E-Bike – both on and off-road, have shown: Lubrication intervals of well over 1,000 km are not uncommon. Of course, this also depends on the external conditions, and eventually, this treatment will be exhausted. However, it tends to last significantly longer than all competitive products based on paraffin, molybdenum, and tungsten disulfide.
In the meantime, it simply means to ride, and if it gets wet and dirty, just rinse the chain with water and pull it through a dry cloth.
Even if the chain looks as though it has been treated with white Teflon powder, this is not the case here; DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic is PTFE-free. The intense white color is based on the main active ingredient of the new development - the Chain-Ceramic. The flakes that initially fall off, as with all other hot wax products, are harmless, and the waxes used in this lubricant are even food-grade quality.
In the meantime, it simply means to ride, and if it gets wet and dirty, just rinse the chain with water and pull it through a dry cloth.
So, what do you do when the lubrication audibly gives out? When metal rubs on metal? Then you simply reapply with DryFluid Bike in liquid form. Coming from the same source, it contains mostly the same active ingredients, but with alcohol as the carrier instead of wax. It's best to do this not right before a ride, but with enough time to air out. And you should turn the chain backwards and use a gear set as obliquely as possible, so that the liquid can spread everywhere by spreading the links and pins. Another advantage of DryFluid Bike: It is extremely economical, you don't have to drown the chain in the white liquid, but one drop per roller is enough. Ideally, you should wipe off any excess surface lubrication after the first 50 kilometers. This can then be repeated as needed and the chain will thus be happy in the same ecosystem of DryFluid for the rest of its life.
You don't have to drown the chain in the white liquid, but a drop per roller is enough.
DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic
Anyone familiar with waxed chains might now be puzzled and wonder why it's not possible to simply do the same as with other hot waxes - that is, to refresh the worn lubrication by giving it another wax bath. The reason lies in the susceptibility to errors for end consumers as well as the cost of the wax mixture. DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic is far from easy to process; one must pay close attention to the temperature and it cannot be reheated indefinitely, such as Molten Speed Wax. Especially the micro waxes used have proven to be real divas: Just a few degrees too much and lots of Euros are ready for the trash.
Moreover, the production costs of a batch are many times higher than the RRP of a 500-gram portion of other providers. In other words: DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic is a study of what is possible when you first disregard the costs and then bring it to the market in a small series - similar to S-Works at Specialized and the CFR- or HMX-SL carbon fibers at Canyon and Scott. And who knows where the insights from this will lead in the hot wax and driplube business. Rolf is definitely happy. And all reviewers, including those who were already familiar with waxed chains, were blown away by the new player. In addition to Mr. Strasser, the Zwift-Warriors, a few Olympic triathlon hopefuls, and the occasional ex-pro cyclist with monster calves and the industry-wide known good feel for the bike.
DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic is a study of what is possible when cost is initially no object, but then it is only brought to market in a small series.
Products and Prices
For end consumers, however, there is something good at the end: In my derbaranski.shop, you can now find pre-prepared chains, always including a 50-ml bottle of DryFluid Bike. This combination is exclusively available here and limited to the top models from Shimano and SRAM, namely the 12- and 11-speed chains CN-M9100 and CN-HG 901 from the Japanese manufacturer and from SRAM the Red AXS in 114 and 120 lengths as well as the new T-Type XX in 126 length for MTBs.
The bundles include: A brand-new chain along with the original lock, which officially should only be used once, both for Shimano and SRAM. The chain was cleaned with petrol, then treated in an ultrasonic bath and finally degreased with isopropanol. Subsequently, it was waxed in a slow cooker with DryFluid Formula S Chain-Ceramic. Always included is a 50-ml bottle of the chain lubricant DryFluid Bike, which alone costs almost 25 Euros. And of course, there are some nice stickers and something to snack on included. Shipping within Germany is even included.
Shimano
CN-M9100 116 € 179,-
CN-M9100 126 € 184,-
CN-HG 901 € 159,-
SRAM
Red AXS 114 € 159,-
Red AXS 120 € 164,-
T-Type XX 126 € 219,-
Conclusion
| Formula S-Ceramic Chains with Dryfluid | |
|---|---|
| Model Year: | 2024 |
| + | Reduction of sliding friction to an absolute minimum |
| + | Very smooth running and shifting behavior |
| + | Extremely long lubrication intervals |
| + | No more need for breaking in the waxed chain |
| + | Later re-lubrication via Driplube from the same lubrication system |
| + | Made in Germany |
| - | Still too expensive and complicated for DIY in the mass market |
| - | As with all hot wax variants, initial effort of degreasing required |
| BB-Verdict: | The next level of high-performance chain lubrication. |
Baranski's Formula S-Ceramic Chains with Dryfluid are recommended for anyone looking for a pre-waxed chain. Absolute smooth running and optimal shifting behavior out-of-the-box, without breaking in. Another plus, especially for frequent riders and in wet conditions: This lubrication holds up even better than all previous products. And for ranges over 1,000 kilometers, there's the matching liquid lubricant from the same provider.
DIY chain waxers will have to stick to classics like Molten Speed Wax for now but can also re-wax with the same product. It remains exciting to see what the newly gained know-how will be good for in the future, whether in liquid or solid form.
