I appreciate there’s other threads and I’m sure it has been asked before but its hard to find things haha

Using putoline for a wee while and liking it so far, however I’m never sure when it is actually needing re-done as after 2 rides its totally dry on the outside and there’s no real way to know if there’s any wax left inside. Last time I left it too long and it started squeaking but must have ran out a bit before then. Any tricks or just get into the schedule of doing it once a week in these winter months

there’s no real way to know if there’s any wax left inside.

It just gets noisier. It’s up to you when you think the noise is too loud.

Once a week is much to soon IME – just keep riding until it sounds a bit squeaky. For me, this is about 5 or 6 properly filthy rides, and in the dry it was about 4 months.

I also have some questions:

– Has anyone used a slow cooker (all of the american advice I’ve seen recommends a crock pot) with putoline?

– Is it possible to have a nice looking shiny chain with putoline? It looks like it would make the chain look all grey and that’s been putting me off a bit.

It just gets noisier. It’s up to you when you think the noise is too loud.

Once a week is much to soon IME – just keep riding until it sounds a bit squeaky. For me, this is about 5 or 6 properly filthy rides, and in the dry it was about 4 months.

Ok thanks, i just worry i wont really notice it being noisy and end up running it unlubed wearing things out which is the opposite of the whole point of it really, probably just need to not worry about it much.

I am doing about 4-5 absolutely filthy slopfest rides a week at the moment

I’ve used a small slow cooker with homebrew wax in the past. It takes a long time to melt (like 45mins to 1hr). Putoline would probably melt a bit quicker as it’s softer to start with. If a slow cooker had a basket it might be OK to wait, but the basket just saves so much messing about trying to hook chains out of the wax and then suspend them above it. Inevitably one will fall in and splash hot wax around. I’d never go back to the crock pot/slow cooker. You can have mine for cost of postage.

I try to pre-emptively re-wax before squeaking occurs. Sometimes you can notice the chain getting a bit rattley before it starts to squeak. If it’s been wetter you can be fairly confident that you’ll need to rewax sooner than if it’s been dry.

You could polish the remaining wax off exterior to make it shiny if you wanted but I think it’s foolish.

– Has anyone used a slow cooker (all of the american advice I’ve seen recommends a crock pot) with putoline?

Cant see why not, but why would you forgo the advantages of having temoerature settings and a basket? I cant see why you wouldn’t use a mini fryer.

– Is it possible to have a nice looking shiny chain with putoline? It looks like it would make the chain look all grey and that’s been putting me off a bit.

Wipe it with a rag (and in thick work gloves) whilst still hot. Gets most of the wax off the outside. It turns all the steel/chrome/nickel parts of the drivechain a matt grey as the wax/graphite is transferred, but you dont then get that horrible gunky black mess later on.

And as is regulalry pointed out, being clean at the start of a ride is pointless if it’s filty (or worse, dry) after the first few miles of mud.

I cant see why you wouldn’t use a mini fryer.

I might want to use fancy racing wax on my racing bike so being able to swap it over would be good. I think you can use slow cooker liner bags for this.

Using putoline for a wee while and liking it so far, however I’m never sure when it is actually needing re-done as after 2 rides its totally dry on the outside and there’s no real way to know if there’s any wax left inside. Last time I left it too long and it started squeaking but must have ran out a bit before then. Any tricks or just get into the schedule of doing it once a week in these winter months

I’m just coming round the the idea of regularly topping up the Putoline with another lube, and then maybe once a month applying the Putoline again.

It’s partly an OCD thing, even if the drivetrain is still running quietly because the rollers are still full of wax, I can’t bear to leave a chain quietly rusting away for the next ride.

To be honest in proper muddy conditions it is sort of making me re-evaluate the point of the Putoline, if you apply any wet lube sparingly enough and wipe off excess then there’s never really any build up to speak of, and I’m not sure I’m methodical or fastidious enough to really notice if the Putoline extends my drivetrain life much. So I’m really just doing it for the sake of that first ride post-Putoline when the drivetrain feels amazingly fast and smooth.

I might want to use fancy racing wax on my racing bike so being able to swap it over would be good. I think you can use slow cooker liner bags for this.

Sounds like a monumental faff. Has anyone actually tried that too? A slow cooker works by having a constant low-ish power heater slowly boiling the liquid in the pot, the water in the pot keeps the temperature at or around 100C. Stick putoline in there and presumably, it keeps getting hotter until it reaches another (hotter) equilibrium. So a plastic bag that doesnt melt at 100C will probably melt into putoline.

Could you not just put the extra jar of magic pixie dust in the putoline?

My fryer lives in a shelf in the garage, that’s a big advantage. If you wanted multiple pans of different waxes you could just keep it in the tin and do it on a stove easier.

Sounds like a monumental faff.

It may well be, and am hoping someone has already tried it to save me discovering for myself.

I just use a small pan from a charity shop on a camping stove.

Heat to 170 (use an infra red thermometer) and turn to the lowest, dunk chain, shake shake then get it out with a pair of pliers.

You could have multiple pans with multiple concoctions.

Foil try, wax + heat gun for racers & experimenters…

I just put the whole tin on a stove (one of those briefcase cheap camping stoves, was given to me and didn’t have a use for it previously)

Waited till the whole thing was liquid, then dunked the chain in and left it for a bit

I’m just coming round the the idea of regularly topping up the Putoline with another lube, and then maybe once a month applying the Putoline again.

This worked very well for me this summer. I added some wet lube on top of Putoline that was say 70% gone because I was on holiday, and it seemed to re-flow it and it lasted a couple more months.

So I’m really just doing it for the sake of that first ride post-Putoline when the drivetrain feels amazingly fast and smooth.

In winter, when I ride using wet lube through my first big puddle, my drivetrain starts making a grinding sound and feeling that lasts the whole ride. If I use Putoline, it doesn’t do that – don’t as me how, maybe it beads off the chain or something I haven’t videoed it – but it stays quiet and smooth all through the ride and the next ride and the next. This is the reason I use it in the winter – I hate the grinding sound and sensation.

if you apply any wet lube sparingly enough and wipe off excess then there’s never really any build up to speak of

Yes, because it gets stripped off really quickly, so why do you even bother with lube at all in that case?

Went back to the bike today.

Turbo during the week 🙂

Chain is rusty all over (inside of links NOT outside)

So do I call it a failure….try again? Accept its only for summer time? Accept that when it minging it just needs doing again (now that it is set-up it is not that much of a faff really)…..

there’s no real way to know if there’s any wax left inside.

There is. Twist the chain and you can feel it, run a finger along the chain – do you get two black lines on your finger

I think I am going to stick some tru tension banana slip stuff on as its a water/wax mix.

That will do if I can be bothered to ride in the morning…..else I will re-putoline and then use this tru tension stuff as a top up when it is very wet out……

@alexnharver – thanks for offering your slow cooker. I have messaged you.

So do I call it a failure…

I wouldn’t. You can ignore a bit of rust (I do) or rub it with a wd40 rag after your ride if you want.

Another option is silicone spray afte a wash. I don’t think it will dissolv the was. I should test that theory.

What about the wax lube top up idea? Sounds plausible?

Twist the chain. Is it still full of wax? You can tell as you cannot feel metal to metal contact

Not convinced I will be able to ‘feel’ this….but will try it……

Or run your finger along it. If you get two lines of wax there is still some in the rollers

Not convinced I will be able to ‘feel’ this….but will try it……

Yeh, I’m not sure I can ‘feel’ it haha. although went for another wet wet ride today and didn’t seem to noisy. But who knows how noisy it is if there is no lubrication on the chain whatsover so whether its putoline or just a normal unlubed chain is anyones guess.

A waxy top up must be a reasonable course of action too though!?

But who knows how noisy it is if there is no lubrication on the chain whatsover

In the dry a completely dry chain squeaks like hell and can be heard from some distance.

In the wet, mud strips wet lube off so it gets a bit noisy and clattery, however it’s much more likely to produce a grinding noise and feel through the pedals that can be heard when winching up hills. I don’t get this with the wax.

You’ll know if it loses its lube. Keep riding it until it starts to get noticeably noisier than it was. In my experience, it starts off silent then decays fairly rapidly to a little bit of noise (especially since I am using a NW chainring which is always noisier), then it stays like that for a while and then the noise starts to creep up. Like I said, 6-7 rides in bad conditions, more in general winter conditions.

A waxy top up must be a reasonable course of action too though!?

Oh of course, if you don’t mind doing it.

Has anyone used the Absolute Black graphene wax?

This stuff:

I got a box of the stuff a while ago, and re-read the instructions – which say to reapply the wax after *every* wet ride.

That sounds bonkers.