POOLE, United Kingdom (BRAIN) — Muc-Off has released a specially treated Shimano Dura-Ace chain that it says offers reduced friction in race conditions and distances.
The British brand said its treatment results in a chain that is more than 10 watts more efficient than Ceramic Speed's UFO chain, which is treated with Ceramic Speed's wax-based formula.
Muc-Off's chain is sonic cleaned and then lubritcated with a "carbon nanotube formulation" that the company said is based on graphene technology.
The lube is also available seperately.
Muc-Off said Chris Froome and the rest of Team Sky used the chains during his 2017 Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana victories.
Alex Trimnell, Muc-Off's managing director, said, "The NTC is what we've been dreaming about ever since we launched our first ever bicycle chain lubricant in 2005. We've come a long way since then, working with some of the world's top athletes and teams to push drivetrain optimisation to its absolute limit, and we're happy to say that we can offer the fastest treatment we've ever developed. Critically, our nanotube formula lasts for hundreds of miles in all weathers without the risk of a severe performance drop off, which can easily happen with a wax-based treated chain after a very short period of use. This means you are then running on metal-to-metal, which could destroy your race times, not to mention potentially wrecking your components! The proof is all in the data."
The chain will be available in the U.S. starting Oct. 9. It will retail for $150. The Nanolube will retail for $64.99.
Previously, Muc-Off offered the NTOC chain, which retailed for $200. The company said the new chain is lower friction due to the nanotubes, and also less expensive because it is not pre-ridden for 4 hours like the NTOC.
"As the NTC is not run-in under load, unlike the NTOC, the total production time is shortened and allows for the cost savings to be passed on to the end customer. The NTC will then reach its optimum state after 4 hours of riding at 250+ watts. The NTC chain will then be at the same performance as the NTOC chain for many hundreds of miles of all-weather riding," the company said.
More information: muc-off.com/products/ntc.
