BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
absoluteBLACK has announced the GRAPHENlube, the “world’s first” hydrocarbon-based lubricant containing graphene.
The company is also announcing a strategic partnership with UAE Team Emirates to become its official lubricant supplier, as well as deals to supply several additional Pro Tour teams (under non-disclosure agreements). The partnerships have been “vital” in GRAPHENlube’s development.
“To confront all the laboratory test results, we have put GRAPHENlube to a real-life test asking several Pro Tour teams to use it during training months,” said an absoluteBLACK statement. “They have seen results impressive enough that led us to become the lubricant supplier.
“We have learned early in our research whilst working with Pro Tour teams that in adverse weather conditions riders were often forced to carry small bottles of oil to keep them going during the race and that the sound of the grinding chain is not anyone’s favourite.”
absoluteBLACK has created a hydrocarbon-based water emulsion, containing graphene that exhibits ‘extraordinary’ durability at single application whilst maintaining low friction for a prolonged period of time in both wet and dry conditions. In addition, absoluteBLACK claims it does not contain any harmful solvents that evaporate and pose a risk to your health.
“In simple terms, it’s a ‘wax’ based water emulsion, with a special mix of high purity graphene, that is liquid when you apply and becomes almost solid when it dries on the chain,” the statement continued. “Wax based lubricants exhibit far greater tolerance to water and dirt contamination, successfully separating moving chain parts from abrasion and filling in all the imperfections on friction surfaces.
“Graphene – the wonder material that is still not commonly used because of its incredibly high cost, is a great additive for a few reasons. It has extremely low friction coefficient in all the environments, is far stronger than any known material to a man and it can cling to metal protecting friction surfaces from excessive abrasion. Moreover, it repels the water and is not permeable to air reducing, therefore, oxidative stress on the metal surface. Even a single atom layer is enough to reduce the friction considerably.
“It took us two years to find the right ratio of crumpled to non-crumpled graphene, size of graphene platelets, dispersion rate of agglomerates, concentration and finally figuring out a low friction hydrocarbon emulsion base that will stay on the chain for a very long time and not chip away like paraffin wax is known for. The end result is a lubricant that on a single application will hold sub five watts of frictional losses over 900km distance. We have created essentially a new category of performance lubricants.”
Read the latest edition of BikeBiz below:
