Product history

Green Oil was developed because Simon, the founder of Green Oil UK, felt a bit guilty when riding through a river.

His mountain bike chain was lubed with a standard petrochemical lubricant, and the idea that this going in the water set in.

An green alternative was searched for, but nothing found. On the journey, many chain lubes even said 'dangerous for the environment' on the back, with no recycling symbols. This was an unpleasant surprise, for the green world of cycling.

Other lubes were bad firstly because of their petrochemical content, secondly their PTFE/Teflon content, and thirdly their packaging not being recycleable. They were irritant and had on their label the above warning symbols.

One company when asked about the terrible 'Dangous for the Environment' warning on their lube said "We have to put that on because of the Teflon".

Teflon, also known as 'PTFE' is not biodegradable. At also creates a 'likely human carcinogen' in its production (source: USA Environmental Protection agency).

The BBC, and the Ecologist have articles on this. 'Teflon's Sticky Situation' is another article on the matter on the environmental problems of Teflon/PTFE.

Petrochemicals are not good for the environment, and often cause polution in their extraction. For this reason Green Oil uses only plant based ingredeints. The natural Green Oil formula works as well if not better than other lubes and has won awards.

With a background in Chemistry, Simon developed Green Oil. Since then the product has taken the country by storm, with awards for performance, and environmental reasons.

Green Oil contains no PTFE, and is totally biodegradable after its life on your bike.

Recycleable

The Green Oil label unlike those on other lubes is made from the same type of plastic as the bottle. This means it can be recycled. Other companies put foil in the label, or use a different plastic, which can contaminate the recycling stream.

The Green Oil cap is not usually recycleable, as it is made from Polypropylene (plastic type 5). Rather than just putting 'please recycle' on anything plastic, we list the plastic types and are honest about parts that are more difficult to recycle. (Only around 5 councils in the UK recycle polypropylene).

Snap Cap technology

The 'Snap Cap' is an innovative design. It only needs half a turn to remove, and stays on nicely, even when in your bag when touring. This makes Green Oil safe for touring.

Green Oil is also better for traveling abroad. Unlike aerosol sprays which cannot be taken on planes, Green Oil can accompany your bike in aeroplane's luggage store. There is a chance it will leak a little, but it won't explode like aerosols.

Aerosol's havn't contained CFCs (the ozone depleting chemical banned under the Montreal Protocol last decade), though will still see 'CFC free' as a grand 'green' claim on other lubes. In many spray lubes, the propelants used are often still harmul for the environment, and your health, let alone the chemicals used in the actual product.

So don't be fooled by the 'CFC free' claim on nasty spray lubes.

Recycled plastic bottle

The Green Oil bottle is made from 100% recycled plastic. We are the first in the industry to do this. With the only completely green range on the market, we didn't have to do this.

We use 100% recycled plastic for our bottles because its the right thing to do. We use 'PCR' plastic. This stands for 'post consumer recycled' which means it has come consumer waste - the recycling bins in your high street, and your home's recycling bin.

If everything were recycled and everything made from recycled material, the world would be a greener place. Land fill sites would hardly be used, and CO2 emissions would be lower, as recycling uses less energy than using virgin material.

Product reviews

The Green Oil range has been recomended by the Ecologist, and given What Mountan Bike magazine's presigious Gold Award. Critical acclaim from a wealth of users can be found throught the link below.

Directions:

1. Drop Green Oil on to the top part of the bottom half of the chain (the ‘inside’ of the chain). Simultaneously turn the cranks backward to complete one cycle of the chain, with Green Oil spread across the whole length.

2. Cycle the chain around a few times.

3. If necessary, wipe off any excess. It is important to get Green Oil between the links and rollers of the chain, rather than having lube on the outside of the chain.

The whole Green Oil range is green, and PTFE/ Teflon free. Ask your local bike shop for Green Oil if they do not already stock the range. Green Oil is distributed in the UK by Upgrade Bikes.

............