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review

B'Twin Wet weather lubricant

8
£2.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Surprisingly good lube at a bargain price
Weight: 
100g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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B'Twin wet lubricant is designed to resist the worst that winter can hurl at us and has me questioning whether it's worth shelling out for more exotic foul weather preps. It's UK-made and comprises water-repelling synthetic oils that seep deep into the links and remain firmly ensconced.

Unlike its Teflon cousin, lower viscosity means the oil flows more predictably from the spout, so there's minimal clean up and scant chance of it adorning floors and/or rear wheels.

Spinning the cranks rewards with a refined, squeak banishing serenity pretty much instantly, although derailleur transmissions feel decidedly friskier fed a diet of dry ceramics or PTFE fortified formulas. Thankfully any sensations of stodginess are forgotten within the first couple of miles.

Wet coastal roads are more than capable of dismissing semi-synthetic motor oils within in a matter of hours. Scenic routes through flooded causeways haven't presented any problems, ditto boggy bridle path or long grass.

As you'd expect, mixed terrain jaunts quickly saw side-plates, jockey wheels and cages accumulating that familiar sludgy residue. Wiping these weekly seems sufficient. Everyday asphalt adventures revealed remarkably little contaminant. We've cruised past 230 miles on a single application and I can well believe 500+ given a long dry summer.

Experience suggests ceramics will run slightly cleaner and last longer but they are at least three times the asking price. Salt strewn, slushy winter conditions may reveal some weaknesses, though right now and compared with traditional wet types, I'm struggling to find fault.

Verdict

Surprisingly good lube at a bargain price

road.cc test report

Make and model: BTwin Wet weather lubricant

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

'exceptional protection against projected water. Essential for damp conditions!!'

Heavy duty lube for harsh, wet, wintry conditions, mountain biking, cyclo cross etc.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Decathlon are very quiet about exact composition but essentially it's a very stout synthetic and looks suspiciously similar to another British marque.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Stout, low viscosity lube with staying power.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

230 miles (and counting!) per mixed terrain application is very impressive. A harsh, slushy winter with salty roads might put a different complexion on things though.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Simple to apply and fits nicely in a saddlebag/larger wedge pack.

Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Overall, I've been mightily impressed with this wet lube. However, in keeping with the genre, it does attract more dirt, requiring more frequent wiping of the outer links and other drivetrain components to prevent it transforming into a component-gobbling sludgy mess.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Impressive staying power, frugality and bargain price tag.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing given its design brief.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Definitely.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Without hesitation, assuming they wanted a winter/foul weather lube.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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3 comments

Avatar
Bob's Bikes | 10 years ago
0 likes

Just seen this and thought exactly the same as leqin

Avatar
adriank999 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Only £2.99 but postage is £3.99 and only click and collect at Decathlon stores and not many of those around, not even in Bristol - Cycling City?

Avatar
leqin | 10 years ago
1 like

that looks suspiciously like a TF2 bottle and even the description reads like it is TF2 wet lubricant in the bottle but TF2 costs £2 more.... hmmm... looks like I could be giving B'Twin a try next time I need a bottle.

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