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MTBNovemberRotorua, New Zealand

Whaka 100

World-class Rotorua singletrack — 100 km on New Zealand's best trails.

Official event page →
Distance
100 km
Elevation
2,400 m climbing
Discipline
MTB

Character. A premium one-day MTB event through Rotorua's famous pumice-soil trail network. Well-drained volcanic pumice keeps trails fast and relatively clean.

Conditions. NZ November: 12–20 °C, pumice soil drains extremely well — trails fast and dry even after recent rain.

Lube plan

If you wax — ZFC-recommended path. Well-drained pumice singletrack is one of the better MTB lubricant scenarios. Single pre-event application covers 100 km — pumice contamination is lower than typical mineral soil.

If you're on oil — pragmatic equivalent. Standard pre-event application covers 100 km. NZ pumice drains so well contamination rates are lower than most MTB trails — treat this like clean dry gravel.

Recommended lubricants

53 lubricants ranked · 5 excluded·Customise this scenario →
Top recommendation · Cyclowax Race Wax
Loading expert commentary…
  • 1

    Cyclowax Race Wax

    Immersive waxCompare →
    90.0
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.005 wear
    Single application
    3,033 km
    Approx. chain life
    29,557 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $50.75
    Why this rank

    #1 because: dry gravel/MTB/CX riding is dominated by dry-dust contamination — scoring weights 60% on Block 2 (dry contamination) and 40% on Block 1. Cyclowax Race Wax is eligible after scenario filtering and its wear (0.005) is the lowest in the eligible set, which — given your priority weights — edges out every other eligible lube.

  • 2

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

    Immersive waxCompare →
    79.1
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.008 wear
    Single application
    —
    Approx. chain life
    13,453 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $112
    Why this rank

    #2 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.008 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.

  • 3

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

    Immersive waxCompare →
    78.2
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.002 wear
    Single application
    —
    Approx. chain life
    12,146 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $124
    Why this rank

    #3 because: wear on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 is actually lower than #1 (0.002 vs 0.005), but cost / maintenance tilted the combined score toward Cyclowax Race Wax.

  • 4

    Silca Hot Wax X

    Immersive waxWatch review →Compare →
    76.7
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.000 wear
    Single application
    1,350 km
    Approx. chain life
    9,967 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $151
    Why this rank

    #4 because: wear on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 is actually lower than #1 (0.000 vs 0.005), but cost / maintenance tilted the combined score toward Cyclowax Race Wax.

  • 5

    Mspeedwax New Formula

    Immersive waxZFC Tier 1Detail review →Compare →
    74.1
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.007 wear
    Single application
    1,021 km
    Approx. chain life
    6,122 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $245
    Why this rank

    #5 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.007 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.

  • 6

    Silca Hot Melt

    Immersive waxZFC Tier 1Detail review →Compare →
    71.9
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.013 wear
    Single application
    640 km
    Approx. chain life
    21,898 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $68.50
    Why this rank

    #6 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.013 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.

  • 7

    Ceramic Speed Ultra Endurance Wax

    Immersive waxCompare →
    70.3
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.011 wear
    Single application
    —
    Approx. chain life
    6,742 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $222
    Why this rank

    #7 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.011 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.

  • 8

    Silca + Endurance Chip (*Extended Intervals)

    Immersive wax* Extended-interval testCompare →
    57.6
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.017 wear
    Single application
    1,746 km
    Approx. chain life
    14,493 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $104
    Why this rank

    #8 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.017 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Wear contributed most to this lube's own score.

  • 9

    Effetto Mariposa Flower Power Wax

    Immersive waxDetail review →Compare →
    36.2
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.037 wear
    Single application
    1,029 km
    Approx. chain life
    7,500 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $200
    Why this rank

    #9 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.037 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Low faff contributed most to this lube's own score.

  • 10

    Optimize Bike

    Wax-compatible dripWatch review →Compare →
    34.2
    score
    40% B1 + 60% B2
    0.054 wear
    Single application
    —
    Approx. chain life
    10,399 km
    Cost / 6000 km
    $144
    Why this rank

    #10 because: on 40% Block 1 + 60% Block 2 this lube's wear is 0.054 vs the top pick's 0.005 — Cyclowax Race Wax pulled ahead on the primary axis. Low faff contributed most to this lube's own score.

Excluded for this event (5)
  • AbsoluteBLACK Graphene Lube — No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
  • Finish Line Ceramic Wax (unable to extrapolate data) — No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
  • NO LUBRICANT — Baseline / control entry.
  • Squirt Hot Wax — No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.
  • Wend Wax Test 1 — Stick Only — No ZFC wear data for the scenario-relevant test block.