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So after reading a few threads on lube and putoline coming up I've gone and ordered some and already have a small fryer to heat it up in.
But just wondering what post muddy ride clean up is needed, is it just a wipe with a wet sponge and dry rag or is more needed to stop the rust?
Also any gotchers I should be aware of?
I`m interested i this thread, I bought some putoline a month ago.
I took my chain and cleaned it in the works trichloroethylene degreaser and then run it through an aqueous wash to shift the debris/grit. So far I`ve done 90 miles on it and done nothing in the way of wiping it down. Seems ok.
My post ride DirtWorker spray takes about 15 washes before the wax needs reapplication. It's quite robust stuff.
trichloroethylene degreaser
I'm probably wrong but isn't trichloroethylene quite nasty stuff, banned in a few industries and generally considered harmful to health and the environment?...
I just rinse and dry mine when using this stuff. Give the chain a little waggle, if I can hear anything, it's time for another dip.
I'm probably wrong but isn't trichloroethylene quite nasty stuff, banned in a few industries and generally considered harmful to health and the environment?...
It's not exactly nice, but I used to use it a lot in labs, no worse than a lot of solvents, and it's it's industrial then they'll have the facilities to dispose of it. We had 4 separate 'tanks', chlorinates solvents (TCE), solvents (naphtha), solvents miscible with water (acetone, alcohols etc), and contaminated water. It's not practical to use it at home as it can't be disposed of by incineration (which is probably where most used oil ends up).
As for putoline, my tips would be:
1) hose off the drivechain, but with no pressure, literally just the open end of the hosepipe to rise any mud / grass / detritus out of the cassette. You don't want to wash off the thin layer of wax that ends up coating the cassette/chainring.
2) melt the wax in the tin and pour it in the first time, don't do as I did and try and scoop it out into the fryer.
3) remove the basket after use, it's much easier to re-melt the wax without the basket.
4) put all your chains in at once (unless one actually runs dry I usually just do them all every 2-3 months whether they need it or not as 5 chains is only incrementally more faff than 1) and leave them to soak whilst you do something else, let them get upto temperature so the excess wax just runs off.
5) some of those red industrial waterproof gloves with a liner are great for handling the chain and wiping off the excess.
6) I normally don't clean my chain before lubing, IME it stays clean enough not to bother, and if it does wash off completely on a horrible ride then just hose off any remaining mud. Any grit just falls through the basket and sits in the bottom of the pan anyway.
It'll pretty much let you know if it needs some TLC, it'll start to rust or go rattly. I wash mine off after a wet ride and clean and replace every so often when I think it'll benefit and that's prety much it.
The only real downside of the putoline imo is that it's not got much corrosion prevention going on so on the commuter I "top coat" it with a light oil just to give it some barrier.
I've been using Putoline for the last 11 weeks after recommendations following my post [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/chain-wear-ratesreally-thats-pure-psh ]here[/url] and so far it's the best stuff I've used to date.
To date and with 420 [u]very[/u] muddy miles under the belt my new chain is still nowhere near the 0.5% wear mark.
The trails here in sunny Glasgow are the muddiest I've ever seen them so I usually just give the chain a rub down with an old rag after each ride and dunk it every 75 - 100miles or as it starts to get a bit crunchy. I don't apply anything else in between 'dunks' and thus far...it's the business. I just heat the tub up on an old camping gas stove 😯 and leave the chain to 'cook' for 5 mins or so and then lift it out and let it hang on an old nail above the tin...any excess oil just drips back into the tub. I know this is a risky way of doing it as the hot oil could catch fire so after reading some of the posts above I've just bought a cheap deep fat fryer from amazon for a few quid...thanks for the tip 🙂
It's a little more faff but I don't go through the same cleaning regime as highlighted in my previous thread so I'm happy!
Trichloroetheylene: It is not banned as such, but the use of it is much more regulated I guess. I have to ensure the emissions are kept to a minimum, gone are the days of using an open bath trike tank. Ours is an EVT degreaser which is hermetically sealed with zero emissions (or certainly below the EU directive).
There is a reach directive March 2016 which will make it`s use more restrictive again.
Anyway, Putoline: that 90 miles I have done was over 5 or 6 rides and I have rinsed it off three times with a hose. It`s still performing as good as the first ride. On the first ride I noticed it was a quieter and smoother shift than previous rides (cleaning chain every ride and re oiling with chain oil).
Much happier now not having to bother with it every ride.
So just did three chains and quite easy.
Found the wax okay to get out of the tin by cutting into chunks with a long craft knife.
I only have a mini fryer so I think three chains at a time is the most i can do.
Put some nails in the rafters above my work bench and got some paper clips to go though the end of the chain and i could hang them to drip into the fryer when i removed them.
I found the chains we too long and dipped back into the fryer so used another paper clip on the other end to double the chain back and shorten the length.
A quick wipe with a paper towel to remove the excess and after ten / fifteen mins ready to go back on the bike.
I think this way could be quicker that an normal clean and lube once I get the process down.
Buying a fryer to lube your chain? And some folk claim tubeless is a faff?!
Haha!!!
The earful I got when I used the stove means that I am mini fryer searching too.
Any cheap amazon/argos one do?
I use this and it does the job no bother.
I got a super-cheap one, it smoked quite a lot when I first turned it on 😆 But it seems OK.
Nobeerinthefridge - MemberBuying a fryer to lube your chain? And some folk claim tubeless is a faff?!
Big picture really, you can easily do it without but it's simpler and cleaner with one I reckon. But as for faff, I clean and lube my chain far less with this stuff than with anything else, so it's less faff over time. Though the real point is that it's far better when you're out riding- the fact that it's less time in the garage is just a bonus.
Am I doing it wrong by heating the whole tin? I took the whole Putoline tin with the lid off and put it on the hob attached to the BBQ. I put the chain on top off the wax and turned the hob on, I went off for five minutes. When I came back I fished out the chain with long nosed pliers, turned hob off and hung chain up to dry. When the tin had cooled down I put the lid back on.
Nothing wrong with cooking the whole tin. That's the point of it. I think the advantage of the electric fryer is you can then do it somewhere else without stinking out the kitchen.
Having said that, I did decant mine into a cheap chip pan.
Magic, nowt further from the kitchen than a BBQ in the back garden. Might get some mesh for it though to save dipping the pliers in and fishing around for the chain 🙂
no need for mesh if you use a few paper clips joined together connected to the end of the chain 😉
I've got some old spokes I use. Bent in the middle, thread through the chain, leave the end hanging out.
In the days before O ring chains on trials bike we just warmed up the tin in the kitchen when wife/mum was out. If she was about the camping stove in the garage did the job and the chain just dripped back into the tin.
I used a bit of string through the end of the chain and the powerlinks.
A voice from beyond the eternal ban just said "Vindicated! Tell em on STW" 😆
A quick rummage in the spares bin and I have come out with some used gear change cable. Thanks for the ideas above.
😀A voice from beyond the eternal ban just said "Vindicated! Tell em on STW"
Ex-sparky here...the things you can do with an old coat hanger!
I just form a small hook on each end of a straightened hanger and leave one end hooked through the end of the chain whilst it's 'frying". It also means you don't get burnt fingers as the other end of the hanger isn't near the hot oil when I 'hang' the chain on an old nail above the tin after frying.
I recon it takes me no more than 15mins to do the whole thing which is more than enough time to fettle / clean / caress everything else on my bike!
Simples...
A voice from beyond the eternal ban just said "Vindicated! Tell em on STW"
It was the first thing I thought when I read the title.
Good old Fred - I knew we should have listened to him 😈
Oh, you beast!
This might seem like a proper stupid question, so please go easy on me.
I have a 2015 bike fitted with a shimano drivetrain.
If I want to use chain wax as part of my maintenance/cleaning routine I will need to split the chain each time I want to boil it.
It’s the first time I have had a shimano chain (previously I had sedis ones that I split and joined anywhere, but that bike was bought 15 years ago so things have probably moved on a bit !) and I understand it’s a bit of a faff splitting and joining using the special pin? Is there an easier way or do I need to buy a different make of chain when this one wears out?
Cheers
You can use a powerlink on Shimano chains. (pro tip- Decathlon own brand powerlinks are KMC but much cheaper)
What northwind says, and if it's 10speed, 9speed links are cheaper and re-usable and work just fine. No idea bout 11speed, but I'd be surprised if 9s links don't work on that too.
A voice from beyond the eternal ban just said "Vindicated! Tell em on STW"
I bought into it after TJ recommended it, been telling everyone it's great for years and now this winter everyone's at it.
Is this what SSers and Fat-bikeists felt like when niches went mainstream? Do I need to come up with something else now?
Is my local motorcycle shop the the best place to buy the wax ?
www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/238292
If they have it then yep, it comes in a big tin, about the size of a tin of Roses/Quality street/Celebrations but only half as deep.
It's quite old-skool for motorbikes as it's only used on 'open' chains, modern motorbike chains have tiny seals on the rollers so use oil's or sprays. So they might not stock it.
Also, it might seem expensive for a tin but it lasts... Well, I don't know how long, I've only had my tin a couple of years. Very very very.