Bike Lube Advisor
← All events
RoadMayLondon / Essex, UK

Ride London–Essex 100

UK's mass-participation closed-road classic — 25,000 riders, one day.

Distance
160 km
Elevation
800 m climbing
Discipline
Road

Character. The largest amateur road sportive in Britain. Rolling, not hilly, on fully closed roads. First-century rides for thousands of UK cyclists every year.

Conditions. Early-summer UK: 10–18 °C, occasional light rain, generally dry. A handful of wet editions in the event's history, never grim.

Lube plan

If you wax — ZFC-recommended path. Any top immersive wax covers 160 km easily on one coat. No carried oil, no mid-ride top-up. If the UK weather does its thing and a shower hits mid-ride, the wax rides through it — tarmac rain is just water, low contamination, and 160 km doesn't justify the post-ride strip commitment that oil-over-wax would force. The baseline road-sportive scenario.

If you're on oil — pragmatic equivalent. Apply your usual oil the night before — 160 km is well inside any decent oil's single-application life. No top-up bottle needed. If a shower hits, no protocol switch required — you're already on oil.

Recommended lubricants

55 lubricants ranked · 3 excluded·Customise this scenario →
Tactics1 applicable · click any to expand
  • Silca Hot Melt + Endurance Chip + Speed ChipBlend both chips into one Hot Melt pot for a versatile road / racing base.

    when: Road riders who want one wax blend that covers training, racing, hot climates, and cold winter rides.

    • Endurance Chip alone extends treatment lifespan but adds minor friction penalty.
    • Speed Chip alone optimises for raw efficiency but shortens treatment lifespan.
    • Blended (Hot Melt + both chips): each chip partially offsets the other's downside. You get longer between rewaxes AND race-day speed.
    • Use the same mix for training and racing — no need for a separate race-day chain.
    • Especially useful in: hot Southern-European climates where wax life contracts, and cold winters where re-waxing is a chore.
Top recommendation · Cyclowax Race Wax
Loading expert commentary…
  • 1

    Cyclowax Race Wax

    Immersive waxCompare →
    90.6
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    3,033 km
    Approx. chain life
    29,557 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $50.75
    Why this rank

    #1 because: dry road is clean riding, so ZFC's Block 1 wear is the only axis that matters. Cyclowax Race Wax is eligible after scenario filtering and its wear (0.000) is the lowest in the eligible set, which — given your priority weights — edges out every other eligible lube.

  • 2

    Silca Hot Melt

    Immersive waxZFC Tier 1Detail review →Compare →
    84.1
    score
    Block 1
    0.003 wear
    Single application
    640 km
    Approx. chain life
    21,898 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $68.50
    Why this rank

    #2 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.003 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 3

    Silca + Endurance Chip (*Extended Intervals)

    Immersive wax* Extended-interval testCompare →
    77.9
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    1,746 km
    Approx. chain life
    14,493 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $104
    Why this rank

    #3 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 4

    Rex Black Diamond Wax — 11+1 Mix (low-concentration / training)

    Immersive waxCompare →
    77.0
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    Approx. chain life
    13,453 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $112
    Why this rank

    #4 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 5

    Rex Black Diamond Wax — 4+1 Mix (high-concentration / race)

    Immersive waxCompare →
    75.9
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    Approx. chain life
    12,146 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $124
    Why this rank

    #5 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 6

    Silca Hot Wax X

    74.1
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    1,350 km
    Approx. chain life
    9,967 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $151
    Why this rank

    #6 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 7

    Ceramic Speed Ultra Endurance Wax

    Immersive waxCompare →
    71.3
    score
    Block 1
    0.006 wear
    Single application
    Approx. chain life
    6,742 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $222
    Why this rank

    #7 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.006 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 8

    Mspeedwax New Formula

    Immersive waxZFC Tier 1Detail review →Compare →
    70.8
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    1,021 km
    Approx. chain life
    6,122 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $245
    Why this rank

    #8 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 9

    Silca Synergetic

    68.5
    score
    Block 1
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    778 km
    Approx. chain life
    4,082 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $368
    Why this rank

    #9 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.000 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

  • 10

    Optimize Bike

    Wax-compatible dripWatch review →Compare →
    50.0
    score
    Block 1
    0.020 wear
    Single application
    Approx. chain life
    10,399 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $144
    Why this rank

    #10 inside the ±5 % variance band on Block 1 (clean baseline): effectively tied with Cyclowax Race Wax on wear (0.020 vs 0.000). Cost and maintenance scores broke the tie.

Excluded for this event (3)
  • AbsoluteBLACK Graphene LubeNo ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
  • NO LUBRICANTBaseline / control entry.
  • Squirt Hot WaxNo ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.