One very unscientific approach I used to get back down to race weight was a training session first thing in the morning with only a strong coffee for fuel, so kind of training fasted. Good healthy breakfast after that and a fresh smoothie blasted up to sip on until lunch. Worked wonders for me and stopped me snacking on rubbish.

If you are searching for improvement in power/ftp it’s going to be more about hours and dedication I’m afraid. You can certainly make small gains in pedalling efficiency but it really is only small gains. I like to practice pedalling efficiently and the easiest way I’ve found is to concentrate on it when doing intervals on your turbo trainer. I used to have a mirror set up beside mine so I could see if I was bobbing or moving. You need to make it second nature as things go to pot when the pressure is on.

There really is no substitute for consistent training. If you like following a program there are plenty on the likes of Zwift or something like trainer road. If not then just regular Zwift races or events picked to mirror the kind of intervals you should be doing will be almost as good.

That’s what I did for last years race season, was at 4.10wkg (300w) and according to garmin vo2 max of 59 but Covid and a bad winter training soon knocked that out of me. I’m rebuilding again from the end of the summer and I’ll be using Zwift just as I described.

Toothbrush or a nail brush and a bit of white spirits, you only need to do that once if you are switching to wax as they stay very clean after that.

If you are using white spirits as a chain degreaser remember you’ll need a couple of rinses with methylated spirits or IPA afterwards if waxing.

That’s always the thing with drip lubes, some test data show them as good or almost as good as hot wax, but they never detail the full procedure you need to go through to get those results. The cleaning process is definitely going to take longer, it’s the ease of cleaning I like the most about hot melt waxing. It’s just so easy. No solvents or degreaser needed ever again.

No pressure then!!! I know what a fussy lot you are, but joking aside I’m more than open to constructive criticism. I know enough to know I know very little in the grand scheme of things.

Drop me an email or WhatsApp if you have queries, even about waxing in general rather than my product. I feel I’ve turned into a waxing evangelist. The benny hinn of chain waxing 😉

Wax doesn’t clear out oil lube very well, I don’t know the full chemistry, it does remove most of it but then that lube combines with your wax and softens it, I hope to have a product on sale in a month or so that will work well. Downside of a wax compatible lube is that it will need to be applied and given time to dry, usually overnight. I’m trying go have an emulsion version that dries to be exactly like the hot melt but that’s more challenging than I first thought it would be

The only issue with a light wet lube as a top up is that you really need to thoroughly clean your chain with degreaser or solvent again before you rewax. The wet lube will contaminate your wax and also prevent wax from sticking to the chain. The current drip on I have is similar to squirt and works well but I won’t sell it as it still needs a clean. I want a top up that you can just forget about and rewax with no cleaning. I’m working on it but I’m not convinced with what I have just yet. Basically if hot water doesn’t remove it fully then it’s too oily to be a true wax top up.

The podcast linked above is worth a listen, it’s with Adam from zero friction cycling. I’ve chatted to Adam a bit and he is definitely worth listening to on this topic.

With regards to the AB graphene wax, have a read at Adam’s review I linked earlier. Way back in my testing I considered a softer wax approach similar to their base wax and very quickly abandoned that idea. Worth reading their review.

I had a rider racing the Ras in Ireland a few weeks ago, he rode 400 miles and one really wet day and was still happy with it, despite me telling him to take a couple of chains and change at 250 miles. Efficiency drops off slowly so for racing it makes sense to wax more often but it definitely lasts well if watt saving isn’t your thing.

I’m also working on a drip on that will work perfectly as a top up for my hot melt wax, my current version isn’t as good as I want as it’s a bit too soft when it sets on the chain. When I get it sorted that will be ideal for those who wax but want an easy top up. It will work as a stand alone product but drip on will never be as good as immersive wax.

I really must shut up now. Give the podcast a listen

Aw I really don’t want to hijack a thread to advertise, kind of feel I’ve already done that, sorry OP

But there might already be a code out for the Tour de France if you check my instagram, for anyone who has ordered without using it I think I threw in a wee extra to them all. If I didn’t then give me a shout

Shave? Have you seen my legs😉

Oh the version I mean as overkill for mountain bike is the new one I’m working on, it’s a complex additive that none of the other waxes use and is incredibly expensive, not totally sure of cost but the additive alone will cost me more than I sell the current wax for. I set out with the aim of creating the most efficient wax possible regardless of cost so that’s what I’m working on with an eccentric professor, honestly I should do a video because he is class.

The current one I’m happy with, I wouldn’t sell it otherwise and certainly wouldn’t be talking about it on here. I’ll not say it’s perfect because I’m always looking ways to improve it, but it’s working well for myself and a lot of riders I have testing for me. I’ll have proper data soon but I’m not going to do any bullhit marketing. Plenty of other well known companies do that, if you read the ZFC test data you’ll see what I mean. They have a much bigger budget than I have though😬

I was here when you started all that TJ, You are responsible for the rabbit hole I disappeared down 😬

Apologies in advance if I go full nerd, I can’t help myself!

From what my testing has shown so far, the wax definitely stays in the links of the chain, the rollers/shoulders/pins much longer than my recommended 8-15 hours off-road or 250 miles on the road. I think though what’s happening is that it gets repositioned to the rear side of the rollers under pressure through time and when you heat it that all flows back. I think doing that defeats one of the best things about the wax, it doesn’t hold debris and dirt plus the fact it moves out of the chain through time means it brings any dust with it. A dip in your wax pot melts any wax and a good shake under the molten wax hopefully removes most of it. As for wear on the high pressure areas, the additive I use, I call tungstenite, Is really interesting stuff, to simplify what’s happening it sticks to the surfaces of the chain under pressure and forms a hard layer. As it resists sticking to itself then the two faces of the chain rollers,shoulders slide over each other easily and enhance the performance. That’s a very oversimplified explanation but it’s hard to explain and you’d get bored reading my diatribe. I’m working on an even better version but the additives are horrendously expensive, I think overkill for mountain bikes but definitely worth it for road racing and TT. I need to save more than 5w though to make any difference to me 😬

I probably haven’t explained that well but yeah, interesting topic. I can’t wait to get the images of what’s really happening inside a chain, I’ll share them when I get them.

TJ that’s s good point about being too hot. Must do a bit of testing around that possibility though it won’t happen in a slow cooker on low with lid off. I’ve had similar poor performance with an overheated batch of wax. It worked ok ish but just didn’t seem to stick to the chain so well. After the dip in wax for 15 mins I shake my chain well under the wax then hang it over the pot gently. A track pump is a good tool for this purpose by the way, turn the handle 90 degrees and you have a post to hang the chain on.

I do think the wax lasts a lot longer inside the chain than we think, I did an accidental test on a chain that had covered 500 road miles, rinsed it in hot water and then cooled it under hot water again quickly, it set firm just like a newly waxed chain would so I guess there was plenty of wax left in there. That’s one of the things I’m going to get data and images of from my testing but I’m waiting to get access to big toys I’m not allowed to use unsupervised 😬

I wipe down the outer plates when the chain is fresh out of the pot, otherwise no cleaning. The wax doesn’t accumulate on rollers or cassette. I haven’t tested putoline and i don’t know of anyone who has, the closest test I can think of is the one zero friction cycling did on absolute blacks hot melt version. Both appear to have softer base waxes.

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lubricant-detail-review-absoluteBlack-GRAPHENwax-v1.1.pdf

About 85-100. It’s not terribly critical but you do need to make sure you leave the chain in the wax until it is hot. The cold surfaces of the chain make any wax that touches it and solidify, this stops the wax from fully penetrating.

Interesting to hear someone else agree the putoline instructions aren’t particularly safe, I certainly wouldn’t be happy selling my wax that way. If wax ever gets to the stage of smoking it’s just a step away from ignition. The smoke isn’t actually smoke but rather vapour that will ignite with a naked flame, try blowing out a candle and holding a match in the vapour/smoke coming off it and you’ll see what I mean.

Just be careful because I’d hate to hear a story of a house burnt or someone hurt, that’s why I prefer a slow cooker, it might take more time overall but I just let it do it’s thing while I wash my bike and myself.

Somebody asked how much wax for a small slow cooker, one pack of about 500g is all you need and lasts ages. I reckon about 40 waxes but that is so variable depending on conditions and contamination.

I use three different pots for different procedures but then I’m testing and querying every detail of this.

You’ll never get a lubricant that can clean and fully lubricate your chain on the bike. The contamination that matters is the stuff deep inside the chain, that’s where wear occurs. It is fair enough that you don’t want to remove chains though and I’ll have a drip on for sale soon that will be fine for that purpose.

At 6.5k miles though your chain will have been long past the 0.5 wear mark and you will need a full new drivetrain. Chains are so cheap that I’d rather be strict with that wear limit and save the need for new cassette, jockey wheels and chainrings. Plus everything is nice and clean looking and I can throw it in the car or van without worrying about the black mess everywhere. Downsides for every upside isn’t there though.

Definitely have a read at the lifecycle cost tests on ZFC, it’s not an insignificant difference.

If it’s limited then yeah it will be fine, I suppose it depends if the stat is at the top of the oil and the element at the base? Don’t really know but I always thought a fryer was quite a bit more than 100 degrees?

Must do a bit of experimentation and see, I’ve tried all sorts with the slow cookers to see how safe they were if someone left it on high with the lid on or something. Didn’t set the thing on fire after a full day but the wax wouldn’t stick to chains very well afterwards.

Fryer seems sensible but the problem is it heats the wax too quickly and can damage the wax. If you can get one that has a temperature limit of about 100 at the surface then that’s perfect. But it will be more expensive than a slow cooker. 1.5l to 1.8 size is ideal by the way

Daz wax, you crack me up!! It is white sock compatible for the roadies amongst us. You could run two chains alternatively, one with mine and one putoline. I’ve done that comparison but I’m selling it so you won’t take my word for it!!

I hate salesmen and please god do not let me become one

I’m selling prepped chains too, agree it is a bit of work to get them clean and I’m buying chains retail so not making a big deal on them. I’m like a durg dealer though, trying to get you all hooked 😂

The slow cooker thing is something I thought about a lot, I had tested waxes with a higher melt point and they were probably marginally better but I’d never sell them because someone would set their house on fire heating it on a stove and I’d end up in court. The slow cooker is so cheap and safe to use that I wouldn’t bother with anything else, no point reinventing the wheel. Throw your chain on the wax with the cooker on low and lid off and it would be safe for weeks if you forgot about it. I think that’s worth £13

I suppose it’s all down to how you see faff. I developed mine because I couldn’t be bothered with the faff of cleaning cassettes etc and prefer just to whack a chain in a slow cooker while I dunk myself in a bath.

I’m working on improving the wax drip on I have but despite some clever marketing it can never be as good as an immersive wax. I had thought of doing a wax emulsion tin to dunk chains in but even that isn’t as effective because a large amount of the wax is actually just solvent.

I contend that the harder waxes are better and the test data on zero friction cycling does prove that. One of the tests worth reading Is the one for absolute black, I think their product has a similar approach to putoline.

I’ll get an add for my wax stuck up somewhere when I raise a few dollars. It’s all going on testing to get good hard data at the minute.

I really don’t want to go full advert, so referring to any wax. Putoline and a couple of others have a comparatively high oil content, that’s what causes the black blobs. Harder waxes flake off mostly. It still works well but I think misses one of the main benefits in ease of cleaning.

Worth a read at all the test data on zero friction cycling as Adam can talk wax even more than I can, which I’m led to believe is quite an achievement 😬

Food grade paraffin wax works ok without a doubt but it’s a bit soft and sticky, comparatively of course. I use a blend of 3 waxes to get a harder version than standard paraffin wax. The term food grade is a bit misleading too I found, some are rated for packaging and some for consumption. The best simple wax I found was gulf wax but it’s still pricey.

I know I’m certainly not making a fortune from it and I buy the wax by pallet load. No plans to retire any time soon.

Any wax will be far superior to oils and drip on though so worth a try, you can always make candles with any reject stuff!!!

I suppose MSW and my own aren’t significantly different, nor is silca for that matter. All three have similar waxes and additives. The harder wax is dry on the chain, you basically have to break the links free once the chain cools. A hard wax resists abrasion and also prevents contamination from clinging to it.

The additives give an extra layer of protection and lubrication as they burnish onto the inner surfaces of the chain in the high pressure areas

The big benefit for off road though is ease of cleaning. After a wet ride or say 8-15 hours dry, just take your chain off and stick it in the slow cooker, come back in an hour, hang it to cool a while and refit. You never need to clean cassettes, jockey wheel etc again and chain wear is massively reduced.

A good few options on the market and some to avoid, avoid wend wax at all costs. Molten speed wax and silca are the main players. I think ours is better but I would say that 😉. Have test data and more ongoing with a rather enthusiastic professor who might possibly be mad!

Stealth ad note, I have a chain wax company so take what I say in that light!!

You could make it yourself yeah, the wax needs to be highly refined paraffin wax which unfortunately isn’t that cheap and your additives are expensive. You’ll get some on the likes of Aliexpress but it won’t be the material you think it is.

Putoline is fine but I found it a bit oily for bicycle use. A harder drier wax doesn’t hold dirt and can be cleaned with hot water in the odd occasion it needs more than just a straight rewax. £18 will do 30-40 waxes

It looks like your bike has conventional cable gears, I’ve built a couple of similar bikes and they are a right pain in the ass to get all the cables through the headset junction with a free feeling to the cables. If you didn’t build it yourself I’d start off by looking at cable routing.

The locking up when braking is most likely the frame and fork binding when your weight is forced on to them, not uncommon, my De Rosa came with a washer to stack up the bottom bearing for that very reason. Not much space in there to allow for any flex at all.

😂 completely the opposite in my case. A chair in the corner of my bedroom does the job. Far too busy looking for shiny tools.

Of course foam liners are unnecessary and if you don’t like it well fair enough. I run a bike repair business and it just makes everything so much more efficient to have my tools to hand. I’ve used them so often I can lift most of them without even looking. A lot of other tools are on a tool wall too.

Apart from being organised I like things to look the part and just makes working at bikes a pleasure.

Whatever box you choose, using foam inlays just makes organising so easy and less faff finding tools. I have a roll cab in the workshop and have now acquired a lovely case for portable kit. Only problem is I need to fill it with more shiny tools 😬

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdBQEjPsAZd/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Chains off, stick them in a jam jar with white spirits for an hour then give them a real good shake. Dispose of the dirty stuff and repeat with fresh, no need to wait an hour this time.

Most of the cleaners and degreasers on the market do nothing to get the grit and dirt out from the rollers of the chain, the surface might look clean but that’s not where the damage is done. I use an ultrasonic but this method is 90% as good if I’m honest, I’d usually do this before a final ultrasonic clean anyway to save fluid.

Then wax! No more black mess

Worth checking the wear on your cassette with vernier callipers if you have them. It’s easier to do on shimano than sram but simple enough. The gap between the vertical parts of the gap should be less than 9.7mm ideally. If it’s more than this a new chain will most likely jump under power. Change your chain at 0.5 wear to avoid the need to change chainrings or cassettes.

I always love the opinions and debate around all this. It’s difficult to know who is right as we all ride in different conditions, store and clean our bikes in different ways. Putoline has more oil content than most of the cycling based waxes, that’s what gives it a bit of a sticky texture compared to some other waxes. I’ve tested so many different formulas and originally thought a softer wax would be better for off road, it hasn’t worked out that way though as it seems to work out from between pins and rollers/shoulders where it’s needed most. I’ve added an additive to a blend of waxes and I think I’m happy with it. Making it presentable and cost effective is the difficult part. If any of you fancy trying a local small scale enterprise please look it up on instagram and touch base with me, even if it is just to argue! Look up GLF chain wax and apologies for the shameless promotion but it’s a topic I love looking into

KY jelly

The wine told me to say it

While it’s possible that the damp you are seeing is caused by a leak it is more likely to be condensation if it’s widespread over the roof. If it is leaks then it is coming from porous tiles or poorly fitted ridge tiles.

The condensation will be caused by the combination of factors that someone earlier raised. You most likely don’t have a vapour barrier in the ceiling as the majority of properties don’t, even new builds, the extra insulation lowers the temperature in the loft and condensation then occurs on the cold surface. Interestingly you said your loft is well ventilated with air bricks on the gables, if this is all the ventilation you have then it’s certainly not well ventilated and that’s possibly an issue. You should have vents at low level along your fascia with an equivalent area of a 10mm gap continually, I’d usually recommend more than this as it tends to be restricted by gutters or blocked by pvc fascia. Not knowing your house it’s hard to say but the easier fix is a number of vent tiles as low as practical on the roof both front and back. A good air flow keeps the loft dry and healthy.

Oh this brings back memories, I had huge baggy dready jeans that were big enough for two people to fit in, I did test that theory at the time with my girlfriend