Which lube for each part of road bike?

Question

As a free bonus when ordering some bike stuff online, I got an assortment of Pedro's lubes. The are

- Syn Lube

- Road Rage

- Extra Dry

- Ice Wax

Because I ride in dry, dusty California, I've been using Extra Dry on my chain and cables.

Lennard Zinn in "Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance" advises against using wax. Should I just throw that away?

What are your opinions on different lubes?

Answer 1

Ice Wax isn't to coat your bike silly. It is a paraffin based lube for your chain when you are in wet conditions. Doesn't last too long in my experience.

Syn Lube is good stuff to lube your levers and derailleur pivots as well as your brakes. Road Rage is similar.

Extra Dry is a chain lube for dusty conditions and is actually my preference for all around chain lube.

You should NEVER lube your cables inside the housings. Petroleum based lubes will attack the delrin or teflon sleeve inside the housing making it soft and sticky. If necessary you can lube any exposed cable to prevent corrosion... not needed if you have stainless cables.

Whenever you lube a chain make sure to clean it first!

EDIT: I think what Zinn means is that you shouldn't do the "old school" process of dipping your chain in melted parrafin. Ice Wax is a good product but just doesn't last very long.