TESTED: PURE WET LUBE

PURE WET LUBE

100ml £5.99

PURE Wet Lube is part of Weldtite’s range of eco-friendly products. Despite an uncharacteristically wet and showery late summer, it has performed surprisingly well.

Ingredients

According to the label, their wet blend is a biodegradable mix of vegetable oils and their derivatives with “anti-fling” additives. No risk of contaminating rivers and other waterways, which is great news for cyclo-cross, adventure or mountain bikers. This is the extent of their candor and obviously; store away from animals, curious children, or anyone else who might think it’s a smoothie. The PET bottle is easily recycled too.

Use

We all know the drill. Pass recipient chains through the solvent bath to remove any pre-existing/factory lubricant. Keep some kitchen towel; or clean rag handy too, since flow rate is quicker than usually expected from a wet lube. Drizzle a little into every link and wipe any excess from the side-plates and then spin the cranks a few times to ensure even penetration. Give the side plates another quick cat-lick and you’re ready to scoot-off.

Pure also recommend giving jockey wheels and other moving parts a trace. A dab certainly keeps them happy, ditto cleat mechanisms. We’d shy away from cables and pivot points, since these can attract dirt, gum up and demand remedial shots of maintenance spray.

PURE WET LUBE Bicycle Bike Eco Environment friendly weldtite

Performance

Thus far I’ve been pleasantly surprised by it’s staying prowess-broadly comparable with basic ISO/PTFE oils. It’s remained surprisingly clean throughout, despite a riding diet of wet country lanes, dung strewn bridle path. Like most wet formulas, the drivetrain feels very slick and shifts smooth, yet stops short of syrupy.

Transfer to hands, following a roadside mechanical is pretty typical of other wet lubes and quite tenacious. This might be a turn off for sharp dressed, office bound commuters but in my case, limited to grimy patinas in gloves and handlebar tape.

These were easily dismissed with a medium stiff brush, such as the Oxford Tyre Brush or the Green Oil Bicycle Brush dipped in a sudsy bucket. Monsoon rains and flooded rural roads put a dent in its staying prowess but not dramatically. Traditional wet formulas stay put but also attract grit, mud and other contaminant that quickly evolves into a sludgy, transmission gobbling paste.

Besides the bottle is easily slipped into a jersey pocket, or bike mounted luggage and provided you’ve packed some rag; roadside top-ups are faff-free. Perfect for cross country mountain biking and rough stuff/touring.

Talking of which, only some spirited river crossing came close to stripping it. Even then, a filmy layer clung to the links and I’d crossed the 175mile mark. Purging demanded a decent solvent bath marinade, followed by intense, clean rag rub-down.

In a pinch, pure wet makes a decent grease substitute on carrier/bottle and mudguard fasteners, quick release skewers etc. A trace keeps that blizzard of unsightly orange taint that can plague plated Allen heads following a very soggy ride, let alone week’s commuting.

Conclusion

Basic ISO/PTFE lubes can be picked up for less than £3 and offer similar performance. However, in common with Green Oil Wet Chain Lube, PURE wet offers excellent staying prowess without the environmental impact.

Verdict 3.75/5 Decent alternative to traditional wet lubes.

Steve Dyster