[Closed] Is there a winter lube that doesn’t turn to black gunk?

Which Muc Off? Tried the blue and hated it, but currently having good results with the yellow (dry).

Rock n Roll Extreme, yo!

Although it seems it might not be what it used to be...

Yes, Wickens & Soderstrom No 5.

It’s the wet muc off.  Two rides total 130k and the chains a mess.

I tried muc off wet and had the same problem. Much better results with the dry.

Been using Smooth this winter and it seems work well.

I used to run squirt in the summer, then switch to putoline in the winter.

Thus summer, I switched to smoove and not had to switch back yet. I really rate it, as do a good few others on here.

GT85. Clean your chain with thinners before you apply it.

https://www.cyclorise.com/store/p77/SMOOVE

This stuff is excellent, works all year round. Can't recommend it enough.

Yep, that Muc-off Wet is a good lube but the aftermath is horrid.
It does last long but the resulting black sticky grime is nasty.
I'm stuck with it as my long distance/wet lube though as I'm too tight to buy a different brand.

In the summer I use that Squirt stuff.

Holy Cow is doing ok for me. Not the most durable, but clean.

I had similar experiences with Mucoff wet lube. I'm not sure how they get away with selling such shite!

I found the NFS lube to be great in wet conditions. I got it from the US, but I think it's now available over here. But it is bloody expensive.

Recently I've been using Pedro's J Lube. It does need reapplying after really wet rides (but what lube doesn't) but with a quick hose down the chain is shiny and clean. No horrible gunk!

I use Viking Juice all year round. I found the winter specific stuff from other brands just left a huge guey mess.

Have you already tried white lightening epic ride?

It's particularly clean and a good all rounder, but a bit thin for truly biblical conditions.

I'm using weldtite TF2 at the moment to save cash,  works great and can get gunky on road bike but you just need to wipe the chain down every other week or so.

another vote for Wickens & Soderstrom No 5 here.  works a treat

putoline solid wax.  🙂  it stays on the chain so the chainrings / cassette stay clean.    I almost never clean cassettes or chainrings s there is simply no build up of gunk on them.  This drivetrain has not been cleaned for several years as I have no need

<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4750/39314266935_a0f5e4f970_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4750/39314266935_a0f5e4f970_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/22U4TSx ]IMG_1209[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr</span>

I've been using Wickens & Soderstrom No 3 and it's been a massive improvement on my last lube, however that was Finish Line Wet....

I use White Lightning (7.5%!) Epic which stays very clean all year round. I used to use Finish line & I've used chainsaw oil but I may have well have used glue for the amount of crap they attracted.
& you don't need much.

WD-40.

Re apply several times during the ride.

Oh FFS - does nothing ever work onhere any more.  Last time I tried using a flickr link it worked fine

<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4750/39314266935_a0f5e4f970_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4750/39314266935_a0f5e4f970_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/22U4TSx ]IMG_1209[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr</span>

Thanks. I like Squirt so have ordered a bottle of Smoove due to the similarities to see how that goes.

Scottoiler ultimate bike solution / flaer guard. Works amazing as a chain lube, makes washing chain and cassette a doddle after a mud bath.

The pink muc off stuff is fine if you apply it carefully/sparingly at the end of a ride so it has time to dry before next use. Definitely runs cleaner than the blue and my entirely unscientific, anecdotal evidence suggests a bottle lasts longer which offsets the price. You do get some gunk build up over time but it's far and away the cleanest lube I've found that is able to take a 50 mile ride in the mix of wet sand and heavy chalky mud we tend to get round here.

I've found I like the green in the drier months. Runs nice and clean and seems to be less finicky than other dry lubes about a completely clean chain before applying (although that certainly helps) which means it's easier to go back to wet for a few rides in the height of 'summer'.

The yellow on the other hand has only one redeeming feature, which is how clean it runs. I'm pretty sure that's because it doesn't actually put anything on the chain. I gave it a second chance last summer because I reasoned there was no point spending the extra money on the green one if I didn't need to, but after several rides of it failing to make it all the way round, the final straw was when I had to stop to buy some after 30 miles as the squeaking was driving me insane. Liberally reapplied and it still didn't manage the 20 odd miles home. Has been passed on to my mum, where the clean running and '2 miles to the shops maximum' journeys mean it is well suited.

Juicy Lubes wet, cheap as chips and very clean. As ever, apply it after a wash and give the chain a thorough wipe before you ride.

I use purple extreme all year round.

Not been a massive fan of w&s or smoove particularly. (Though i would give smoove another go).  But i really rate the fenwicks professional lube. Like all the type of lubes, night before it's best and don't do it in the cold.

Clean and lasts. I ride off road all through winter.

I too got a load of mucoff wet (Aldi special super cheap).

In winter I don't see how you can't clean your chain with the amount of mud on it. Unless youre all referring to your roadys, in which case yes a massive casing of black appears.

Post MTB ride wash bike of all mud, degrease chain in muc off chain device and reapply muc off. 5min job.

Rock n roll blue, used it for years now, the only cleaning my chain gets is a hose off, life's too short to be stripping drivetrains down every other ride. It's a bit more expensive, but as long as it lasts a full day riding in tropical W of Scotland (and it does) then I'm happy.

Putoline supposed to be good, but far too much faffing for me, squirt is summer only, haven't tried smoove.

Shimano wet lube very good indeed.  Thin and light, so doesn't go gunky, but stays on somehow.

PS Putoline users - how warm does it need to get to melt?  I've got an old slow cooker which might work if it gets hot enough - nice and safe and has a lid.

Wickens and Soderstrom no.5 for me too. I never do anything to my drivetrain other than wipe it off and relube it after a ride. It's stays lubed, it stays shiny(-ish), and takes minimum effort. Muc Off lubes are clearly designed as an excuse to sell you their degreaser and chain-cleaner.

Same riding conditions as nobeer and I went over to RnR blue on his recommendation a few years back. It is very good. However when I couldn’t get a new bottle a few months back I bought some W&S No 5, which IMO is similar in properties, lasts just as long on wet manky rides but is even cleaner running.  Since getting the W&S I got some more RnR but haven’t been tempted to swop back to it.

i do however need to relube chain today after a very wet and manky ride yesterday, and have an unopened bottle of Smoove, so think will give that a go to see how it deals with west of Scotland mud slush and mud.

molgrips - not sure  well over the boiling point of water.

tried most

use squirt.

molgrips – not sure  well over the boiling point of water.

What sort of crazy wax has a melting point higher than 100c?

Yes there are some really posh, expensive ones that don't collect dirt.
But as far as I can tell the way they achieve this is by instantly falling off your chain the minute they see any water. So really unless you want an un-lubricated chain the answer is no.

As with most things in life there is no magic easy fix - the solution is to clean your chain after every dirty ride - fortunately with a chain cleaning device this isn't the faff it used to be - actually just a 5 minute job.

simon - it may melt below that but once the it is melted if you put a wet chain in it you can hear the water boiling off if the chain is damp.

ndthornton - the magic fix is the putoline.  one or two folk have tried it and didn't like it but most of us who have tried it will never go back to expensive ineffective bicycle lubes.

All you have to do is melt the tin, drop- the chain in it and a few mins later you have a well lubed chain that lasts for ages

I use Purple Extreme all year round too

Putoline. A 15 quid deep fat fryer and a 1kg tin of Putoline for me (on road) this winter, been impressed.

If you were getting residue on the chainrings something was wrong with your application methods?  Maybe not hot enough?  IME of using it for more than 5 years on 7 bikes I never get a build up of residue 'cos the outside of the chain is clean.  When yo pull the chain out of the tin it should be hot enough that the excess all drips off leaving just the wax in the rollers and a very thi9n coating on the outside.

Want to sell me your tin scienceofficer?  I feel a little guilt 'cos I pursuaded you to buy it and I willnever use anything else again

Nah, I chalked it up to experience and moved on. Chucked it out years ago!

You really ought not feel guilty. It's not as if you made me buy it.

Been using Wickens and Soderstrom N.o 5 for the last few months and its far better than anything else I’ve tried, pricey though but well worth it.

I am so evangelical about the putoline that I will offer to treat anyones chain for them.  Edinburgh bsed or you can post it to me.  The other thing is the cheapness.  a kilo for £30 which lasts me for 5+ years

Had good results with both Viking Lube (blue stuff) and Squirt Lube (white jizzy stuff).

Whereas I'm perfectly happy to make a recommendation based on my own experience, but I'm not so committed that I must prove to everyone I'm right by taking such extreme measures.😉

Its not about proving I am right 😉  Its about wanting to save folk money in chain wear and expensive ineffective lubes.  Its about trying to help my fellow mtbers 😉

You and I have been on this forum for a very long time TJ. Your personality type has always been to prove you're right.

It doesn't matter the topic, for you, it's point of principle. Why do you think you get into so many arguments?

We're really not talking big money here anyway, although, I appreciate you are Scottish😁

"What sort of crazy wax has a melting point higher than 100c?"

Not Putoline, the manufacturer gives the MP as 68c, flashpoint 200c. I think TJ is overdoing it a bit if his is boiling off water. Though I suppose if you've not dried your chain properly it's one way of doing it.

'I appreciate you are Scottish'

He's not you know....

I use gearbox oil. Clings well and runs relatively clean.

£6/ l

Muc Off Dry Ceramic most of the time then Purple Extreme if it looks like it's going to be really wet.

Both seem to clean off well using a bit of that Fenwicks Foaming chain cleaner.

hmm i replied to this ages ago.

Anyway squirt. all year round. stick it on when you get home and jobs a good un.

Might have to try W&S based on all the above.

I do have muc-off wet and it does have it's place. It's for the sort of ride that is wet from the start, not sandy at all and involves a lot of water crossings.

The Plutoline sounds like a good idea but I have a couple of questions . 1 how long does it last and 2 I presume that you have to remove the chain every time you apply it .

Bookmarked

Ramsey - some folk have not found the benefits I have - see science officer above

IME it lasts 100+ dirty mtb miles and 1000 wet road miles

Yes you take the chain off, dunk it in the tin of molten wax, stir it a few times, then hang it over the tine while the excess drops off.  refit chain, run it thru a rag a few times to make sure there is no excess ( cos it stains stuff badly)

After a couple of rides the outside of the chain will look dry - but inside the rollers the wax is still there lubing the chain.  Again IME chain life is hugely extended compared to bicycle lubs and cassette wear greatly reduced and its nice to have a well lubed chain the whole time

The stuff stinks and stains badly if you get it on clothes and is a bit off a faff but for me the fact you do not have to do it very often and the greatly increased chain life make up for it

IME it lasts 100+ dirty mtb miles and 1000 wet road miles

Winter road miles, depending on how crappy the conditions are, I was getting about 700 miles.

Is the putoline like a pre made parafin wax, parafin oil and xyline thinners type affair?

I guess so - but with more additives and no solvents

Edd China says

https://xcp-protection.com/products/xcp-chain-lubricant/