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Are Finish Line products safe for use on Carbon Fiber Frames and Parts? You have four different chain lubes, what are the differences? How does 1-Step Cleaner and Lube work in comparison to your other lubes? You have three different degreasers, what are the differences? How is Bike Wash different from your other degreasers? How did Finish Line get its start? Why do people need bike lube anyways? What places should I lube on my bike? Can I use your products on any bike? Or does it have to be a Mountain or Road bike? Do you come out with new products every year? Why do you have so many lubes? How are they different? Why do you have so many degreasers? How are they different? Are your Ceramic products 'better' than all of the others? Does Finish Line sell any special kits for complete bicycle maintenance? Are your products safe for the environment? How safe are your products with regard to human health? Are your products/packaging easily recyclable? Q. Are Finish Line products safe for use on Carbon Fiber Frames and Parts?
Which is a good way to think of carbon fiber components – the compatibility is with the finish, not the underlying material. Unless the carbon fiber component is ‘nude’ – which is very rare – you essentially have a painted or clear coated item to be concerned about. If a cleaner, lube, etc will not attack the paint or finish coating – it won’t be attacking the underlying material. Your component could be made of plastic, metal, or carbon fiber – if it’s painted or finished (99.9% of them are) it’s protected and safe to be cleaned and lubed with any Finish Line product.
The exception to this rule is the interior of carbon fiber frames… some are not finished with a clear coat, so for seat tubes and head tubes – you do want to be careful what you spray or smear into the inside of them.
The good news is that even on the inside of carbon fiber frame tubes that are finished smooth – all Finish Line products, except Speed Clean and the DOT brake fluid are safe. If the inside of your frame seat tube or head tube is not finished and rough to the touch (very rare), then you should be very careful to avoid letting any chemical or oil come in contact with that inside surface.
For an excellent article on Carbon Fiber and all things concerning it, go here: http://agouracycles.com/page.cfm?pageId=226&preview=yes
Q. You have four different chain lubes, what are the differences?
Lubricants fall into one of three categories, either ‘wet’, ‘dry’, or ‘wax’. These classifications describe what physical state the lube will maintain while it is on your chain and parts. A ‘wet’ lube stays wet and oily, a ‘dry’ lube will dry to some degree of dryness – usually not completely dry to the touch, but dry enough not to attract and absorb excessive dirt and grime to your parts. A ‘wax’ lube will set up as a completely dry, non-oily wax – perfect for not absorbing any dirt or dust.
Pro Road is a ‘wet lube’. Wet lubes stand up to extreme distances and wet weather conditions – think Centuries and Seattle. However, Pro Road is a very unique ceramically reinforced lube that builds a ceramic coating on your parts over time, resulting in increasingly smoother performance so you’ll need to apply less lube than normal. You get all the benefits of a ‘wet lube’ without the typical dirt and crud attraction/absorbtion to you parts. Pro Road delivers the ultimate in long lasting, yet clean running performance. So unique and leading edge it’s been patented! If you ride road – this is the lube for you! If you ride off-road and don’t mind cleaning your chain a little bit more than normal - every 100 miles or so – than this may be the perfect lube for you.
Cross Country Wet Lube features pure premium synthetic oils. It goes on wet and stays wet on the chain - lasts a long time through the most extreme of distance and weather conditions. If you use it for riding off road or in dry climes, be sure to wipe the excess from parts so as not to attract excessive dirt and grime. This is the best of the ‘traditional’ lubes…, bulletproof long lasting performance only limited by dirt accumulation. If you ride road, or in relatively clean environs, this lube is perfect – you may get weeks of use between reapplication.. If you ride in dirty conditions, keep an eye on the lube – it’s great stuff, but once it loads up with dirt it’s time to clean and relube – in extremely dusty environs this might be after every significant ride.
Teflon Plus Dry Lube goes on wet, but then sets up in a dry paste-like consistency so not to attract or absorb dirt. Features Teflon and specialized synthetic oils to run silky smooth and provide above average durability. Perfect for off-road or dirty, dusty conditions while still providing adequate wet weather performance. The best lube for ‘typical’ cycling – often will last longer than ‘wet’ lubes due to fact that it doesn’t load up with dirt as fast. If you ride frequent short distances, mostly off-road – this is the lube for you
KryTech Wax Lube goes on wet, but dries to a hard, dry wax with no oily, greasy film to attract or absorb dust and dirt. Wax Lube requires more frequent application, but will keep your parts so clean you won’t need to clean your parts or chain before you relube. Perfect for cyclists who value cleanliness enough to not mind relubing every ride, or every other ride.. A great choice for off-road mountain bike riding – you may find you’ll have to reapply every 50 to 75 miles, but you’ll rarely have to clean your chain…, just relube and go. Plus, because our Wax Lube doesn’t attract dirt and grime, when you rub your leg up against the chain, you won’t get a chain tattoo – the chain will stay dry and clean to the touch.
Q. How does 1-Step Cleaner and Lube work in comparison to your other
lubes?
Q. You have three different degreasers, what are the
differences?
Citrus Degreaser is our original degreaser. 100% Biodegradable, made from natural ingredients and strong! It’s 100% active, no water dilution – so it cuts thru the junk fast. However, you must be careful around plastic parts – Citrus Degreasers (all brands, not just ours) will craze, warp or melt many types of plastic. Additionally you must be careful not to soak rubber parts in Citrus Degreaser for more than 30 minutes or so, (again any type of citrus degreaser – ours is 100% pure, so it happens faster). Always test first if you are cleaning plastic parts and don’t leave parts containing rubber seals or o-rings to soak for extended periods of time. If you are primarily cleaning the chain, gears, and mostly metal parts – Finish Line Citrus Degreaser is the choice for you.
Multi-Degreaser is a cutting edge formulation that is completely safe with all plastic and rubber parts. You can use it to clean practically anything on the bike. It too is 100% Biodegrdeable. Compared to Citrus Degreaser it is about 5% weaker (almost imperceptible) and has a much milder odor. It is the safest choice as you are not limited to what you can clean and if you are working in a small area, or closed basement type workshop.
Speed Degreaser is a ‘dry style’ degreaser, which means that once it cleans, any residue evaporates off – leaving the parts clean, residue free. Speed Degreaser is at the top of the charts in cleaning power, about equal to our Citrus degreaser. It is not biodegradeable though. It’s fast – literally melting off grime and crud from parts. You’ll want to have some old rags or newspaper under the bike because Speed clean literally rinses the junk right off – then dries within 30 seconds to leave parts squeaky clean with no oily-film residue like left by other degreasers. If you want to clean fast, spend no time wiping down parts, and have parts ready for relube right away – Speed Degreaser is the choice for you.
Q. How is Bike Wash different from your other degreasers? A. Bike Wash is a real strong cleaner, but it works by lifting the dirt and grime, not by dissolving or ‘eating’ it away…. As such Bike Wash is safe for the whole bike – you can just spray it on everything – seat, handlebar tape, grips, anything… Give it a couple minutes and then take a hose on a light mist setting and rinse the bike – dirt and grime will just rinse off. Bounce you r bike a couple times to shake off any excess water and you’re done. Bike Wash lifts the dirt and breaks the bond so that the water just carries it way with a light rinse, (or you can rag wipe the parts clean without water). Because Bike Wash doesn’t clean by dissolving, it won’t disturb the lube inside your parts – you can clean without worry of having to relube or be concerned with rust forming later. Bike Wash is a perfect choice for general maintenance cleaning – a fast easy way to keep you bike looking like new.
How did Finish Line get its start? A. Finish Line was founded in March of 1988 by Henry (Hank) Krause, then 32, and fresh out of the ranks of Mobil Chemical Company. Back in 1988, the availability of technically advanced bicycle lubricants, and especially lubricants that would optimize the performance of sophisticated multi-geared drivetrains, were quite limited. Krause and Finish Line believed in the efficacy of Teflon® fluoropolymers, and its ability to address the growing mechanical and lubrication needs of bicycles.
Q. Why do people need bike lube anyways? A. When two material elements, especially metal, come into contact with one another, friction is created. In order to dissipate this resistance of these frictional surfaces, lubrication is needed. The proper application of lubrication will reduce the effects of wear overtime from these frictional surfaces, resulting in longer-lasting, better performing drivetrain components.
Q. What places should I lube on my bike? A. Namely, the chain is the most important and widely recognized component on a bicycle that needs lubed. A light, frequent application will keep your chain running smooth and moderately clean, depending on the lube-type and weather conditions. Other important parts to lube are the front & rear derailleur pivots, brake arms, and brake & shifter cables/levers.
Q. Can I use your products on any bike? Or does it have to be a Mountain or Road bike? Finish Line'ss first product was Teflon® DRY Lube A. Because this product did not attract and absorb contaminates the way a traditional 'Wet' style lubricant would, shifting systems worked better and lasted longer. While the availability of this new technology coincided with the gaining popularity of the Mountain Bike, which had an inherent need for a lubricant that would not attract grit and grime, road cyclists, commuter cyclists, triathletes, BMX riders, and recreational riders all found this technology appealing! In short, YES, all bikes need lube!
Q. Do you come out with new products every year? A. Like most companies in the bicycle business, Finish Line is constantly developing new products to stay competitive and innovative in the industry. Since our inception, we've managed to introduce at least one or two new products every year. However, what's so great and effective about our category, is that it's not necessarily about 'what's new.' This category is not about change and upgrading like so many others. Lube has a long shelf life and is a consumable, which is appealing to both an informed consumer and a successful dealer.
Q. Why do you have so many lubes? How are they different? A. Finish Line set the industry standard in categorizing lubes. The name of each respective lube corresponds to the 'style/characteristic' of the lube as well as the weather conditions it is best suited for. Essentially, they are : DRY, WET, and WAX.
- DRY: Let's start with DRY lube, our #1 best-seller. Finish Line's DRY Lube goes on wet, but then sets up in a dry, 'paste-like' film so it will not attract or absorb grit and grime. Perfect for all conditions, but especially in dry and dusty environments. - WET: Finish Line's WET Lube goes on wet and stays wet on the chain. A heavier, wet-style lubricant that requires a little more attention to drivetrain cleanliness, but delivers the ultimate in lubricity and protection. - WAX: Finish Line's WAX Lube goes on wet, but dries to a hard, dry, super-slick wax film. There's no oily, greasy film to attract or absorb dust and dirt. WAX Lube requires more frequent application, but your drivetrain will remain nearly contaminant-free, which is perfect for those who most value cleanliness.
Q. Why do you have so many degreasers? How are they different? A. Each of our degreasers has a unique formulation to address specific applications:
- STRONG: Multi Degreaser (EcoTech2™) is our mildest degreaser, yet strong and safe to quickly clean without damage to plastic or rubber components. It's strong enough for the grimiest metal parts, yet safe enough to clean parts with rubber o-rings and seals, urethane elastomers, and painted surfaces, etc. Parts clean up fast and then rinse residue-free with water. Exceeds all V.O.C. and California CARB regulations. - STRONGER: Citrus Degreaser is a stronger degreaser than Multi Degreaser, and is still biodegradable and non-toxic. This is the industry's original orange peel based cleaner that has set the standard since 1988. It cuts through the toughest of carbonized grit, grease, and grime. Parts clean up fast and then rinse residue-free with water. 100% active, contains no water. Exceeds all V.O.C. and California CARB regulations. - STRONGEST: Speed Degreaser (Speed Clean™) is our strongest, super-duty degreaser, formulated using the very latest of two impressive advances in cleaning chemistry. It strips the ugliest of stuff right off, including the toughest of brake rotor surface grime. Speed Degreaser dries fast and complete, with no oily residue left behind. Exceeds all V.O.C. and California CARB regulations.
Q. Are your Ceramic products 'better' than all of the others? A. Beginning in 2007, Finish Line began developing it's 'Ceramic' product range, which now consists of Ceramically Reinforced Grease, Ceramic WET Lube, and Ceramic WAX Lube. All of these products feature the ceramic particle, Boron Nitride, which when combined with our proprietary technology, adds unequalled durability and longevity. As an added bonus, the ceramic particles are able to fill in the gaps caused by metal wear and fatigue overtime, which makes components run even smoother. Our Ceramic products are for cyclists who demand the absolute BEST in performance!
Q. Does Finish Line sell any special kits for complete bicycle maintenance? A. Our kits are one of the best ways to be introduced to bicycle maintenance! Our new Pro Care 6.0 and Pro Care 8.0 are our most complete offerings and include the following: - PRO CARE BUCKET KIT 6.0 - PRO CARE BUCKET KIT 8.0
In addition, we also make Chain Cleaner Kits (which come with a Shop Quality Chain Cleaner, a Dry Lube and Multi-Degreaser) as well as Grunge Brush Kits (which come with a cleaning Grunge Brush and Multi-Degreaser).
Q. Are your products safe for the environment? A. "Develop premium quality and performance-enhancing bicycle lubricants. Formulate them with ingredients that respect the environment. Package them in containers that are easy to use and easy to recycle. Market them honestly. Price them fairly." In 1988, this was the mission statement upon which Finish Line was launched.
Finish Line's commitment to the environment has remained consistent since our inception, over 20 years ago. All of our products use ingredients that are either non-toxic or highly degradable / biodegradable or both. All products use recyclable packaging that meet both EU and US recyclability standards. Our R&D efforts are ongoing and most involve the study of base oils and cleaning solvents that are biodegradable and/or derived from renewable resources. That said, our commitment to performance will not allow us to rush products to market that do not perform at levels that meet the requirements of competitive cyclists.
Finish Line's focus has always been on quality and performance. We're addressing our environmental stewardship with the new webpage, www.FinishLineUSA.com/Green, which subtly, yet effectively conveys our message and fits our brand image.
Q. How safe are your products with regard to human health? A. As with any chemical-based product, there are inherent possible risks if certain Finish Line products are inhaled, swallowed, or come in contact with skin/eyes. It's always best to refer to our MSDS (Manufacturer Safety Data Sheet) to find specific safety information on each product. Generally speaking though, most of our products are very safe relative to the amount actually used for the given application.
Q. Are your products/packaging easily recyclable? A. This is an area where Finish Line has paid specific attention to over the years. All of our labels are printed with non-toxic inks. Our lube bottles, caps and dropper-tips are made of readily recyclable #2HDPE plastic and #1PETE plastic. Our aerosol cans are made of recyclable steel and pressurized without CFCs and use only fully-biodegradable propellants. All of our brush/chain cleaner packaging utilizes non-blistered, easy-to-separate #1PETE plastic clam shells, with cardboard insert cards.
Q. I work in a bike shop and would like to sell more Finish Line. What are some different approaches to selling your products? A. Sales Staff: - Look at your customers' bikes. If they've got a grindy, gooey mess of a chain, or a dried-out squealing chain, it's an easy sale! Appeal to every customer's desire to go faster, smoother and longer, and look great doing it. - Keep it simple. Pick a brand and focus. "This is what we use in the shop and recommend" is a statement that will quickly move you past the "What's the difference between brands?" stage. - Ask what the customer is using now. Are they happy? If they respond, "It collects too much dirt, too fast," recommend a dry lube or even a wax lube. If they respond, "It doesn't last long enough," suggest a wet lube. - For casual cyclists or commuters, recommend a "one-step" product that cleans and lubes in one shot. These products deliver more than enough cleaning and lubing action to give this customer what they want: simplicity and ease. - Suggest proper lubes for seasonal conditions: A wet lube for rainy, wet or muddy conditions; a dry lube for fair weather or dry, dusty off-road riding; a wax lube for folks whose primary concern is cleanliness. - If their parts are greasy and grimy, be sure to also suggest a degreaser or chain cleaning brush. There's nothing like fresh lube on clean parts to maximize the benefits of a bike-specific lubricant. - Show entry-level customers how to clean their chain and apply lube. Many beginners are apprehensive about the process, and a quick hands-on, how-to session will turn them into category buyers.
A. Managers: - 60 percent of lube is sold at the service register. Be sure to keep a basket of lube there. Train employees to suggest, "Now that your bike is all tuned up, we recommend that you lube-up regularly." - Program your POS computer to kick off a "need lube/degreaser" reminder so employees ask, "How's your bike running, everything smooth and quiet?" Customers will appreciate it. Everyone wants smooth shifting, easier pedaling and a quiet ride. - Display it right and lube will sell fast. A clean, full and cohesive presentation stimulates self-serve purchasing. Good displays are proven to be the most effective way to dramatically increase lubricant sales. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
