Winter is in full force in Northeastern United States, and bicycle rides in bucolic country sides have been replaced by cross-country ski outings. There is still time to prepare for the next cycling season, however. Enthusiasts might be interested to learn about a bicycle chain coating that was introduced to the market in 2017.

The coating comes from CeramicSpeed and Friction Facts, an independent friction lab acquired by CeramicSpeed in 2016. Friction Facts founder Jason Smith, now chief technology officer at CeramicSpeed, previously invented the factory-applied UFO (Ultra Fast Optimization) Racing Chain treatment, which according to CeranicSpeed “delivers the fastest bicycle chain in the world” through application of an innovative chain coating.

Why is a fast bicycle chain so important? According to Friction Facts research, every watt lost to friction is one less watt available to power the bike forwards. CeramicSpeed, therefore, set the ambitious target of providing a bottled coating for consumers that provides “UFO-like” speed. “From the beginning, there was only one box to tick,” says CeramicSpeed executive vice president Martin Banke. “And that was to create the world’s fastest drip-applied chain lubricant.”

The new coating is a bottled product for chains that is applied in liquid form and then hardens to a 100% dry chain coating. According to CeramicSpeed, it generates less friction than any other chain lube on the market except the factory-applied UFO Racing Chain treatment. The formula contains 10 different components, including a blend of waxes, trace oils, and friction modifiers.

Friction Facts and CeramicSpeed subjected the new coating to more than 4,000 hours of lab and field testing. According to the two firms, the UFO Drip Chain Coating provides respectively 20% and 83% lower friction than the second fastest bottled lubricant in initial pre-ride and post-ride friction. In addition, it provides 46% less drivetrain wear compared to wet lubes. And it does all this for a minimum of 200,000 miles of cycling between applications.

“Personally, and in my capacity as the chief technology officer of CeramicSpeed, I can proudly state that every claim we make about the performance of UFO Drip Chain Coating is 100% supported by the test data. If we haven’t tested it, we are not going to make the claim,” says Smith.