If you’ve ever tried to lube the chain on a mid-drive e-bike, then you are probably already aware that it can be a bit of a hassle. Since the cranks don’t engage the chainring when spun backwards, you can’t backpedal the drivetrain. This means you need to put the bike in a work stand, have someone lift the rear wheel, or flip the bike over so you can pedal the bike forward to lubricate. Or you can come up with your own technique or DIY hack to fix the crank and chainring together so you can backpedal it, which may or may not be all that effective.
The folks at Squirt are familiar with the struggle of lubing e-bike chains, so they designed the eZ-Luber. According to Squirt’s Danie Van Wyk, “The mechanics of an e-bike motor means that the cranks spin backwards freely without engaging the chainring. To lock the chainring to the crank, the Squirt eZ-Luber slots around the crank arm and then hooks the chainring with a cylindrical turn hook.” With the eZ-Luber coupling the chainring and crank together, it’s then possible to backpedal the drivetrain and lubricate the chain as usual.
This new tool looks rather simple, but is undoubtedly an innovative solution for mid-drive e-bike chain lubrication. Unlike the RotaLuber e-Bike Backpedal Tool, the eZ-Luber doesn’t require a chainring bolt — the hook can grab onto any chainring with a gap that it can fit through. To be clear, there are obviously numerous ways to do this on your own — a hex key, reusable zip-tie, etc. — but the eZ-Luber looks like a polished product that is well-designed and easy to use.
“It takes 20 seconds to fit the Squirt eZ-Luber to your bike and another 30 seconds or so to lubricate your chain effectively. This makes it a quick sub-1-minute job, which you can do on your own,” says Van Wyk. Of course, the folks at Squirt also recommend applying Squirt E-Bike Chain Wax to your e-bike’s chain, but the eZ-Luber will make it easier to apply any chain lube you choose. We haven’t tried it for ourselves, but it certainly looks like an effective solution to the everyday problem of lubing an e-bike chain.
Squirt eZ-Luber: Pricing and Availability
The Squirt eZ-Luber is listed at $29.60 USD on the brand’s U.S. website. The landing page still says “coming soon,” so if you’re interested in getting one, it appears you’ll have to wait a little longer. When they are available, however, you can pick one up in a range of colors, including red, orange, and blue.
