[Closed] PUTOLINE for road bikes in winter how is it?

I find it ok on road. I have more problems with peaty mud.

Works on my road bike.

I did 3 years commutting at 40+ miles a week with one lube in spring and one in autumn

Peaty mud for me is the worst conditions

I use it. I put it on a new chain and bike on 9th Dec I think, it's done 499km by my reckoning before I re-did it, in poor conditions mostly on dirty country lanes. I hosed my bike down after every ride to get the salt off, then just put it away - chain received no attention. If I put it away wet there is a little bit of surface rust where the chain touches the cassette. A couple of times I wiped it down with a WD40 rag, that keeps it nice and clean and helps to stop the surface rust.

I'd have had to reapply normal wet lube many times, and without a full clean it'd end up as a gunked up mess. But once you've wiped away the excess after the first ride, it stays clean. Definitely much cleaner, better lubrication and less faff for me.

I've not really been blown away for winter use. It's "okay". Some surface rust. Loads of back roads though (snow, salt, crap).

Last couple of weeks I’ve clocked up 250 miles on salted wet main roads through countryside, so also mud residue. The drive train has stayed quiet and feels fine, but the chain does get some surface rust, so as above a wipe with an oily rag before putting away seems the answer.
At one stage after no wiping for one week, the chain seemed covered in salt crystals which I’ve not seen before. It now seems to be a constant brown colour, but still feels okay, and cleans up with a rag.
I use a gas stove to heat the wax, so I wonder if I need to let it cool a bit before I take the chain out so it’s a bit thicker?

It's amazing, you'll PB every ride, just getting faster and faster, any cracks on your frame will magically heal, you'll never get a puncture.

Lights will always be green, every car will give you the full road space. When you get to work you'll take off your cycling kit to reveal a body that would make Ronaldo envious. When changed your boss will greet you with a promotion, a pay raise and Maggie from accounts will be slipping into something more comfortable, just for you.

And the best thing? It takes seconds to apply, and costs virtually nothing.

And the best thing? It takes seconds to apply, and costs virtually nothing

😁

In reality it's... OK. chain definitely looks cleaner than if using a wet lube, runs fine, no noise, requires a wipe down with an oily rag to prevent rust between uses (there's virtually no wax left on the surface after the first ride or two, side plates maybe).

I'm not organised enough to track mileages plus all my applications have been to chains that are already well used.

I still wonder if just applying a decent dry lube every ride would achieve similar. More wasteful, granted, but doesn't require breaking chain once a month or so.

I think now I'm used to it I'll continue using it, on balance I think I prefer it to wet lubes.

Does it do a good job preventing corrosion?

No, it doesn’t do that at all

I used Fenwicks professional the other day for the first time, 50 mile ride completed and I was shocked at how silent the chain was. It's a weird consistency but performance was excellent.

I used Fenwicks professional the other day for the first time, 50 mile ride completed and I was shocked at how silent the chain was. It’s a weird consistency but performance was excellent.

I've still got a bottle and half of this in the garage, it would be my second choice, I didn't mind the application process (it's a fairly satisfying 10 minute job, and I don't typically oil chain immediately before a ride anyway). Chain ends up slightly muckier than with Putoline but not wet-lube mucky.

I use a gas stove to heat the wax, so I wonder if I need to let it cool a bit before I take the chain out so it’s a bit thicker?

I normally run a rag over the chain whilst it's still warm, I didn't the last time with the thought that keeping a thicker surface layer might help. I think it did a bit, but not lots.

Hmm seems sparingly applied ceramic wet lube could be better as it should give more corrosion protection (minimal gunk when excess is wiped off as instructed and doesn't need to be reapplied THAT often). One review about Fenwick pro mentioned it.

"Excellent in Summer, not so good in Autumn. Good value. Survives a few light showers better than any dry lube - and lubricates brilliantly. Tenaciously sticks to clean chains. Gives a really slick feel to the mechanism. Pretty clean. Really good for UK Spring and Summer. Tends to resist grit too.
One long ride in a heavy downpour and its washed off though, so I found it unsuitable as an autumn/winter lube - I use ceramic wet lubes through the Winter. "

I didn’t the last time with the thought that keeping a thicker surface layer might help.

I found the surface layer just flakes off and gets the cassette and jockey wheels dirty.

I've been using dry lube on my road bike; it worked perfectly until I accidentally used wet lube, so then I switched to that.

Right now I'm using a slurry of wet lube, grit and and mud, which is not bad either.

I've done Putoline on a few other bikes and it's OK but it's not life changing.

Putoline convert here. Used to use wax lubes on road bike all year. In winter the dry lube washes off too easily and the wet lubes just create a dark gritty mess. My experience with Putoline on road bikes for long winter rides is good; Chain is silent, the bike is cleaner as there is less fling off the chain, and it doesn't come off in the first tussle with a deep ford.
I like not having to think about it each time I roll out the bike, it seems to last, so less hassle. Its 10 min job to redo it so for me, at least, its all good...not going back to little bottles of expensive wax...

I use a gas stove to heat the wax, so I wonder if I need to let it cool a bit before I take the chain out so it’s a bit thicker?

I normally run a rag over the chain whilst it’s still warm, I didn’t the last time with the thought that keeping a thicker surface layer might help. I think it did a bit, but not lots.

I found that when I left a load on the chain (ie no wiping while still hot) the excess just ended up on the jockey wheels.