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MountainFLOW eco-wax bike lubricants & cleaning products are 100% plant-based

plant based chain lube bike cleaning products eco friendly mountainflowecowax
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MountainFLOW, a company that started out making eco-friendly ski and snowboard wax, has now ventured into the cycling industry, releasing a range of plant-based bike lubes, grease and degreaser. They are biodegradable, non-toxic, and are said to rival all other petroleum-based competitors on the market. Wouldn’t that be something? Here’s a quick intro to some eco-friendly bike maintenance products coming out of Boulder, Colorado.

MountainFLOW Eco-Wax Bike Lube & Cleaner

mountain flow eco wax all weather chain lube plant based

Each new product bike maintenance product from MountainFLOW is made from plant-based oils, waxes or cleaners, with no petroleum additives. The brand take sustainability seriously. The packaging for the bike lubes is made from 100% Post-Consumer Recycled material, and the bottle used for the bike wash/degreaser is made from recycled paper and plastic, containing 70% less plastic than the typical bottle.

mountainflow ecowax bike cleaner degreaser plant based

“We are stoked to launch our new line of plant-based bike products,” said mountainFLOW
founder and CEO Peter Arlein. “Holding true to our ‘No Compromises’ ethos, we have
developed high-performance and eco-friendly products that are as good or better than the
petroleum-based competition while being completely non-toxic and biodegradable”.

mountainflow ecowax plant based chain lube bikes

MountainFLOW has released four plant-based bike chain lubes; there are dry, wet, and all-weather options, as well as a wax-based chain lube. The latter is also for use in dry conditions. You apply it just as you would other chain lubes, but you need to give it 5 minutes to dry on. MountainFLOW says it will remain bonded to the drivetrain but won’t collect any dirt or grime.

mountainflow eco wax chain lube bike drivetrain dry conditions

The All-Weather lube is composed of light oil, said to be great in just about every riding condition, and can be used on mountain bikes, road bikes, e-bikes… you get the idea. The Wet Lube is a medium-density oil, said to provide excellent, long-lasting lubrication. What about the dry one? MountainFLOW reckons it is the only non-toxic, non-flammable dry lube on the market.

mountainflow bike cleaner plant based degreaser

The MountainFLOW bike cleaner and degreaser is a biodegradable solution, said to be strong enough to cut through grime on your drive train but delicate enough to use on all of your components. 

mountainflow ecowax plant based bike grease

Pricing & Availability

The nice thing about these eco-friendly bike maintenance products from MountainFLOW is that they won’t break the bank. Pick up the Wet, Dry and All-Weather lubes (118 ml), and the Bike Wash + Degreaser (473 ml) for €13.95. The Wax Lube is a little pricier at €15.95.

mountainflow bike maintenance products ecowax environmentally friendly plant based formulation

MountainFLOW.com

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teddyallen
3 years ago

We’re presented with something that we know we should be using. There is no argument against buying this. I’m on board.

Dude On Bike
Dude On Bike
3 years ago

There I was, hemming & hawing about finally giving in and trying the wax submersion chain lubrication option. I’m a firm believer in NOT buying into the chain cleaning hype: don’t waste your time, money and effort getting your chain all sparkly clean when it will be dirty in NO TIME back on the road. Exponentially so off the road. Plus, there are YouTube “experts” recommending people soak their chains in gasoline or other volatile, flammable and toxic solvents. This is lunacy!

Additionally, getting that chain PERFECTLY clean means having to OVER lube it! I happened to just replace a road chain. And I had to do the “full-degreasing” method to prep the chain to use DuMonde Tech (something I’ve been using for 20 years with good results). Well, it took over SIX applications of chain lube to eliminate all the tiny chirps & squeaks from my chain, proving that removing ALL the lube from the rollers of the chain is counter-productive. So don’t buy the stupid solvent containers with the fancy little wheels that spin all cool-like. Sure, they may clean your chain, but you’re wasting your time. Wipe off and relube. That’s about it. Sure, a seriously muddy bike needs a wash. So go ahead and give it the proper washing. Hose the mud out of your chain & drive train. But there’s not much more to worry about. Blow the chain off with compressed air, make sure it’s dry and apply fresh lube. Forget the solvents. Citrus is all you should need for the really grungy tasks.

OK, I digressed… so after considering the advantages & disadvantages of wax, I finally decided to take the plunge (literally!). Placed an order for a pound of wax pellets. And then I just so happened to watch “Dark Waters” and OOPS, I DON’T WANT THIS CHAIN WAX ANYMORE! Why? It’s full of PTFE, that’s why! Teflon is highly toxic. We need to STOP using it and NOW! My family tossed our coated pans a long time ago and now use only stainless or cast iron surfaces to cook on. PTFE is a legacy toxin that never breaks down, stays in your system basically forever and is terrible. No way am I going to start boiling PTFE-infused chain wax in my kitchen or shop and use it. Who knows how much I’ll end up ingesting. And it’s all going to end up all over the roads & trails as a result. Nope. Gotta say NO!

And oh how ironic is it that many ski waxes contain PTFE. We’re allowing this toxin in our pristine wilderness areas (where bikes are, of course, STRICTLY prohibited… that’s another topic) and in our formerly pristine watersheds. What a shame that skiers are tracking this crap through our snow, depositing it there, and poisoning our best drinking water. I’m talking to you skiers in Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy and Tahoe’s Carson Pass area!

In other words, it’s WAY PAST time for a chain lubrication like this to hit the market. As the commenter said above, there’s really no reason not to use this stuff.

So I guess it’s time to consider a change… Thanks for listening! (Yes, that was TLDNR. Sorry.)

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