[Closed] best all - year chain oil ?

Putoline wax, a bit of extra faff but good for at least 500 miles in all conditions (that you would actually want to ride in).

The only time its washed off mid ride I also trashed 3 sets of brake pads, a bottom bracket, and the drivechain inside 20 miles, it was a bit wet.

Pros:
Lasts ages
Doesnt wash off in normal conditions
Resists mud (it'll do weeks/months of typical uk winter muddy evening rides)
Chains last noticeably longer as they're not run dry like when normal lubes wash off.
A tin lasts basicly forever, mines now at least 9 years old.

Cons:
High initial cost
A cheap mini (1l or less) deep fat fryer makes it less of a faff.
Involves 220C molten wax which tends to burn you if you splash it.
Everyone will try and convince you that their liquid lube is just as good.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F123866142538

As Tinas says - plus you get much improved chain life and its so much cheaper.

IME the only think that knackers it is peaty soils - I think the acid strips it out

I've been using this for all year round application. It's pretty good.

https://www.juicelubes.co.uk/chain-lubes/viking-juice/

I use Rock and Roll Extreme all year. Good for about 100 miles of wet gunk. Couple or few hundred in just wet.

Viking juice.

I am so evangelical about this stuff I will offer to treat anyones chain for them - either locals or by post

We know TJ. You can't help yourself.

🙂

I also trashed 3 sets of brake pads, a bottom bracket, and the drivechain inside 20 miles

How the actual F,,k did you manage that, and not even think of giving up after , I presume, 13 miles and fishing the 3rd set of spare pads out of your voluminous back pack?

Did you forget to put the wheels on?

progold or progold extreme, metal friction reducer formula
and can be used to clean the chain too. For a thin lube it surprisingly stays put. I've used Pedros and muc off in the past, but now I won't use anything else.

Rock n roll extreme or gold wax one
Or the majority of the time as it’s great value a litre for £16 weldtite tf2 extreme

GT-85, every bike all year, every year. I've had about 3000 miles out of the chain on my T-130 without a slip.

How the actual F,,k did you manage that, and not even think of giving up after , I presume, 13 miles and fishing the 3rd set of spare pads out of your voluminous back pack?

Did you forget to put the wheels on?

Torrential rain + (old) Swinley + a lot of riders churning it up.

It was a race so there was pride at stake! Didn't finish but wasnt first to scratch.

I'm with weeksy. Wash it, quick spray and I'm done. It doesn't collect grit or clog up the jockey wheels.

+1 for GT-85.

must last about 3 rides

Why, may I ask?

I wouldn't risk not wiping and re-lubing after any vaguely wet ride personally.

You probably do want to look into the Putoline thing if that's a firm requirement.

Been using Muc Off C3 Wet Ceramic in recent years (£7.50 for 1 litre bottle IIRC!), which is great for longivity, because previously I used Progold Prolink and was unaware of how easy it came off in the rain and wrecked my fatbike's original chain in ~500 miles!

However, the C3 Wet comes with its own challenge, turning into a thick black paste.

Thinking I might get some nice dry oil for the road bike...

The green one

squirt

Finish Line Red and their wee applicator bottle.

Doesn't last three rides but frankly wiping the applicator thing over the chain after every ride isn't a massive hardship, and the chain is much less gunky than was traditional with the Green.

I'm with TINAS and TJ, Wax for the win.
It's been a proper revelation to me I honestly can't understand why it's not more widely adopted, especially in the UK where bikes do get ridden year round...

TBH you're as well just dunking your chain in any old oil as you are using any of the overpriced, colourful, little dribbly bottles (I've done both) either it turns into a grinding paste or it washes away after 10 minutes of spray...

If you're just after a wet lube that's reasonably priced and not massively gunky then this is my winter option of choice...
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/weldtite-tf2-performance-oil/rp-prod5960

Can't guarantee it'll last three rides but I've found it a good compromise.

I honestly can’t understand why it’s not more widely adopted

Because it's an expensive, messy, faffy method that will clog your mech pulley wheels and clog your cassette (unless you spend more time wiping the excess off) and permanently stain any fabric in comes into contact with, that probably gives marginal improvement over normal lubes at best, and in extremis is really no better than most off the shelf dropper lubes. For me at least, having tried many, I've found one that is the opposite of all of those. I may have to apply a bit more, but as it's part of my cleaning routine, I don't notice, and my chain and cassette last well enough.

Give it a go by all means, and if it works for you, hoorah! but it's not the ideal solution for everyone, despite it's users often evangelical proclamations of it's magical properties. 😉

nickc - it does not clog up jockey wheels or cassettes. although each application takes longer it lasts so much longer that there is a time saving overall - and a huge cost saving.

It is horrid stuff for staining tho - I'll give you that 🙂

Another here that wasn't that impressed by Putoline wax.

It's smelly, faffy, time consuming and found that in my winter riding conditions it didn't last appreciably longer than anything else, which made the whole time and effort pointless - basically the opposite of what TJ just said.

After years of chains in rotation in degreaser and an oil bath, I switched to Wickens & Soderstrum, which has now morphed into Peaty's link lube. Yes, I now run a dropper bottle on my chain after every ride, but the transmission runs so clean it requires no pre-cleaning beyond a hose over it as I clean the rest of the bike. Best of both worlds for my particular regime.

Here's an example of putoline doing its job. I bikepacked 200 miles to SSUK, the first 10 hours/100miles of that was in the pouring rain. The chain was still lubed and working fine at the end of the weekend ~350 miles later.

Try that with a different lube!

I use any old oil I have to hand, engine oil, anything (used olive oil when on holidays as nothing else available). Clean chain properly after each spin and apply oil sparingly, just enough on a cloth to stop the chain going brown. Works a charm. Worst mistake I used to make was putting too much oil on the chain.

Contrastingly, in the worst excesses of winter when I tried it, it was done in about 25 miles of sandy clay based mud. Easily as good as anything else and probably more so, but not worth the rigmarole for the small improvement.

I use Rock and Roll Extreme all year.

Good reminder, just ordered some more....

Squirt mostly, but I have just run out of my last lot so have some Smoove to try. Assume it's pretty much similar?

I've been using Smoove all summer and it works really well,can go around 6 rides before hearing chain noise and need to re apply-chains are wearing sower too.Not sure how it will hold up when winter digs it's heals in though-time will tell. I like the idea of Putoline if it does hold up in the bad,wet conditions-and frequent bike washing that goes along with it.

Squirt

80w90

nickc – it does not clog up jockey wheels or cassettes.

It doesn't after you've completely wiped off all the excess stuff, which may or may not have happened the first time I used it, I couldn't possibly comment...Ahem.

Having read previous lube threads I've now fully converted to Putoline and think it's the best option for me on both MTB's and commuter.
It's not really time consuming if you build it into your bike service regime as by the time you have finished cleaning it's ready to go back on. Every 2 months is about right maybe a bit less in the winter.
Compared with the liquid lubes I've used previously there is no build up and if it is required a stiff brush cleans the cassette in seconds.
It's also a useful way of disposing of the wifes used yankee candles, my chain currently smells of Egyptian cotton 🙂

Are you mixing putoline with the candle wax?

Sort of......when we have the remains of a candle to dispose of I just drop it into the melted Putoline.

I use Boeshield T-9. It lasts for a good few rides, even if you wipe the chain after each ride.

Are people serious about using GT-85??! That's not a lube, is it?

gt 85 does contain light oil - and will be nearly as effective as the other oils you put on the outside of a chain. It may even be more effective than some as the solvents in it should allow it to penetrate the rollers where the oil is really needed

This is the beauty of the putoline - it fills the space around the rollers with a wax that then stays there giving the long lasting lubrication

Putoline is designed for motocross bikes which put their chains under far greater stress than an MTB

Are people serious about using GT-85??! That’s not a lube, is it?

Well I've been using it summer and winter for 15+ years, it's never let me down and I've had 1 chain issue in 15+ years which has a snap and a massive climb.
So yes, I'm serious

Oh OK. I'm suprised people use it for lube. I use it for a quick degrease, loosen the muck before washing. But might try it sometime though!

I like FinishLine Dry, the red one. It pasts at least a ride or 2 in the rain and is relatively mess free.

Have been riding for years and think tried every one above, lots ok, some even good. Touring bike gets engine oil, put on and wiped down, has lasted years. Posh road bike a ceramic but gets wiped and re oiled most rides.
MTBs are now all on Boeshield T-9, getting it from the Mudhugger guys, this stuff is excellent and exceeding all previous oils, waxes, etc..