Another tip if you are only riding one bike. Have 3 chains on the go, swap them out as the wax wears off then wax them all at once. Waxing 3 is hardly more work than waxing 1 and you get freshly waxed chains that you only need to rewax every couple of months.
This is absolutely the best way to go. When the wax wears thin around 700km, a 10-minute pit stop is all it takes to swap on a fresh chain. There is no hassle, no mess. Maintaining a bike with waxed chains is a lot easier than using petroleum lubricants. Chains, cassettes and chainrings last much longer, too.
Why 3? Maybe one spare is enough. Chains ain’t cheap and by the time they would need replacement maybe some new fangled drivetrain design comes out that you wanna buy 😂
I started waxing chains at the start of the pandemic and based on the results, I'll never go back to wet lubes. One downside is that debris builds up in the wax, which I leave in the aluminum pot to cool. Here's a tip for keeping the wax a bit cleaner and prolonging its use. Drape a cloth (like an old t-shirt) over a bucket or some other container. Pour hot wax onto the t-shirt slowly enough that it pools and soaks through the cloth. You'll find that most of the black gunk stays behind in the wax pot and the t-shirt. Clean up the pot with an old sock, or the like, and then pour the still hot wax back into your main container. I suppose that with time wax degrades, so it's not a forever fix. This method gets up to 90 percent of the gunk out of your wax.
Lowest effort method I've heard of is getting a little wire mesh stand/basket so the gunk can fall through while the chain stays in the clean wax above.
What I do before rewaxing is to put the used chain in a bucket and pour boiling water over it to remove the old wax, then wipe off with a micro fibre cloth and drop into a pot of Isopropyl alcohol to get rid of any water and then drop in the hot wax as normal, the wax stays clean then.
If you really want to keep the wax clean but the chain in some boiling water and clean it before rewaxing. That plus your method would probably keep it really clean.
Apart from having a silent setup I really like the cleanliness when touching any of the drivetrain parts. Now when touching anything when loading the bike in the back of the car, I just wipe my fingers and the (maybe darker) wax just falls off compared to having completely sticky, greasy, dirty fingers that do not allow you to touch anything without leaving mark. After replacing my Bottom Bracket and front big chain ring (after > 16000 km) and replacing my chain with a new one with all factory grease taken off and then waxed, it is so silent, I just hear my tires on the tarmac... I often cruise the paths through our dunes near the sea: no sand sticks!
Hi @canyonWanderer, The part is very interesting to hear. I am currently trying out chainwaxing and have done it twice now using both a thin layer method (taking the chain out of the tub while its still very liquid) as well es the OZ Cycling variant, leaving a thick layer of wax on the chain. In dry riding conditions, the waxed chain was silent for only about 50km at most. I agree that there is no more grinding noises but I seem to be getting rattling from the chain, no matter what gear. I have checked my deraileurs for false adjustment but its perfect and shifts perfectly, no chain rub either. I have a factory Shimano Ultegra 6700 10 speed chain, which I have tediously made sure to clean every little remainder of oil out. Do you have any idea as to what I may be doing wrong? Is it some low friction coating that disallows the wax to adhere inside of my rollers? May I still have oil in there? I want this to work, living near the beach, with sand on my oiled chain after ten minutes of riding. Suggestions greatly appreciated, Yannic
@@yannicnoack5389 Initial cleaning of the chain is very important. I use a 3 step process, firstly wash the chain in a de-greaser (take care if you use an acid based de-greaser as it may tarnish your chain), rinse with hot water, i then soak the chain in white spirit and agitate it a few times, the final step is to soak it in Isopropyl alcohol and again agitate it. The chain should be spotlessly clean after this. Make sure you do this in a well ventilated area. I use food grade paraffin wax (with no additives) in a cheap slow cooker to wax the chains. I've always found that the waxed chains are slightly noisier than oiled chains and have read that many people find this too . I have Ultegra 6700 10 speed chain on my road bike and have no issues waxing it. I used to use a wet lube on my chains and was lucky to get 1000km out of them before i had to change them (sand and fine grit acting like a grinding paste), the waxed chain on my commuting bike has approximately 5800km on it and still has probably over 1000km of life left in it before it needs changing, i'd never go back to oil based chain lubes.
@@yannicnoack5389 Hi Yannic, sorry for the late reply, I have missed the notification. Rattling might indicate maybe the layer is too thin? If you would still have oil in it, I think it would show as darker residue and the chain would feel sticky again after a while (as the oil moves out to the surface)
@@simonkneebone8740 O that's my fear, the attitude, the vibe, the whole scene, it could all be lost because his waxed chain is making him go so fast. :)
@@simonkneebone8740 You make a good point, but let's not forget that speed is a slippery slope and too often riders get used to their waxed chains making them go fast and making party pace a thing of the past. :)
After learning about waxing chains, from a different site, i have found the initial clean out of the factory grease is time consuming yet, once completed it is the best way to go. After each 150-200 miles i remove the chain run some hot water over it and wipe it down, then a quick plung into hot wax, a quick wipe with a rag and back on the bike ready to go. . Chains of mine have lasted 10,000 miles using this method and redued wear on chain rings and cassets which got me through the supply issues ovr the past 2 years. You need to commit to this method for it to be cost effective, as Russ has pointed out, but the benefits are real but to get the full benefit of wax the chain needs to be properly completely cleaned with the removal of the factory grease so wax can adhear to the metal.
@@davidhall5015 Nice! Been using Squirt for a while but noticing lots of chain wear. About .5% after 400 miles, unacceptable. So now I have 2 new chains freshly waxed with Speedmaster wax. Hopefully it makes the chain last longer.
@@RealMTBAddict The key to chain waxing is the cleaning step. It can't be stated more importantly. The better the removal of oil/grease before waxing , the longer the wax will stick. If after waxing you can remove the wax from the chain in solid pieces by rubbing your finger over the chain, it was not cleaned properly. The wax should more or less melt from your finger rubbing over it and leave a film-like appearance. I use parafin wax bought from the grocery sore and add nothing else. I brand that i use is Gulf Wax, just a few $ for a 1 lbs box.
Pedantic note: 11/12 speed chains should be replaced at 0.5%, 10 and fewer speed chains should be replaced at 0.75%. Three point chain chain checkers are preferred to accurately measure chain growth on 11/12 speed chains, as roller wear can throw off the readings and cause premature wear indication when using a 2 point chain checker.
Well presented standard chain wear and checking points! That being said, I have two comments: 1) From personal experience, I find my 12-speed SRAM Eagle drive train to start running a bit rough and noisy slightly before the chain reaches 0.5. 2) As a mechanic at a high volume bicycle shop, I measure somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen chains a day for wear. Of those chains, one or two of them are typically 11 or 12 speed. For about a year now I've been measuring all the 11 and 12 speed chains with both two and three point chain checking tools to specifically address the issue you raise above. I have yet to note any differences between the measurements of my favorite two and three point tools. BUT, the little blue articulating Park chain wear tool that Russ likes to show (CC-2) gives me all kinds of false readings compared to the fixed length tools like the CC-3.2 and the CC-4.
@RollinRat I'd be curious how measuring pins compares to ridgid chain checkers that measure the space between rollers. I haven't done those comparisons because the chain checkers are so much faster and I've never made the time. It's supposed to matter, but then, so is the difference between 2 and 3 point checkers for which I have yet to find a difference and I have compared them extensively.
Russ, you could do a chain-checking demo. Nelson Sherry, why do you think the tool Russ uses has issues? I have one like it and admit I do not trust it. New chains sometimes read oddly, reporting that they are worn right out of the box. Time to get a CC-4?
@@cccorlew You nailed it exactly. Also, as they age or get abused in a heavy use shop setting they are even worse. And, the CC-3.2 alternative works so reliably, by contrast, costs less than half as much, might weigh less, doesn't wear out in my experience, and doesn't require me putting my glasses on to bend down and read it. There are a small handful of tools I find worse than no tool at all. This is one because it's a measuring tool that doesn't measure reliably, an elegant idea and good looking tool that fails.
@@cccorlew I think Russ should come up to Anchorage Alaska and work a few days with me at the shop measuring all the chains that come through, then head down the Kenai on a bikepacking trip and do some of the most amazing fishing found anywhere in the world. 😁
Clean it with alcohol and a brush before adding the cold drip wax. On multiday rides i've brought a smaller bottle of drip wax, a little spray bottle of alcohol, and a toothbrush. This kit served me well for trail-side chain maintenance on a dirty 500 mile route.
@@yetti423 i highly doubt that an emountain bike chain lasts less than 500 miles. Any chain should give you thousands of miles. Dylon Morton the wax master, claims ppl can get like 20k miles from a quality hot wax chain.
Tip: When you take the chain off the bike, join the the ends up again with the quick-link before putting it into the wax. If you don't, getting the link hooked up again afterwards can be a royal pain.
@@woutervanderdoes5163 you can also try just heating the quick link with a hair dryer just before you want to reconnect. It’ll re-melt the wax around those parts and let them come together much more easily.
I started waxing my chain after your last video. I use the two chain method, waxing both chains and then swapping them out at around 300km which for me is about once a week. I have done 3,000km so far on the two chains, with my measure tool showing no sign of stretch. Previously I was getting 1,000km a chain and having to replace the cassette as well. I ride a 90's Shogun trailbreaker mountain bike with a Bafang 750w 36v motor. I am frequently dragging a Bob trailer with 10kg+ of load up a long steep hill to my home, so my drive train gets a serious workout. I don't add any lubrication to the chain between swaps, its wax only. They are KMC chains.
Shogun? Ha, nice to hear there's another one out on the road still. My wife is still riding her '89, and my parents' bikes are still working just fine. I cracked my Prestige Shogun Prarie Breaker. Shame to see it fail. But I got that XT bike at a ridiculous close-out price so it was still totally worth it. PS I'm finally on the wax bandwagon as well. Only took 51 years riding to switch!!!!
We are MTB riders, and my housemate started waxing his chain a few years ago, then got me started. Best tips: use an ultrasonic cleaner before waxing every time, buy one or more chains, so you always have a fresh one ready to throw on your bike. Yes, wet conditions (esp immersion in water) does remove wax and shorten lubed life, so change aftermgetting wet. The interim use liquid waxes can be good to add some wax back onto the chain, but having extra chains ready to go is even faster. Fortunately both my bike chains are only a couple links different in length, so I just made all 4 chains the same length so I always have a fresh chain ready to go.
Accurate assessment of the experience IMO. I wax the chain mostly because I don't get that black grease mark on my calf. The only hassle is the initial degrease per chain.
I first waxed because my toddler likes to touch the bike, and therefore the chain. I used beeswax because I had a bunch lying around. I love it. No need for PTFE, I put enough forever chemicals as it is, no need to add more for super marginal gains. The OZ cycle tip to wax two chains is great for saving time.
I use an 8-to-1 mixture of pure paraffin to pure beeswax. I buy 4 lb. blocks of paraffin and cut them into 4 pieces (16 oz. each), and I buy 1 lb. blocks of pure, unscented beeswax and cut them into 8 chunks (2 oz. each). Drop one chunk of each into the slow cooker and you’re good to go. I get 3-4 applications per batch before throwing out the cooled block of wax and starting fresh. I’ve been doing this for 20+ years and get excellent life from my squeaky clean drivetrains.
My recipe is canning paraffin plus ZDDP oil additive (“STP” in the auto parts store). ZDDP is an old-school anti-wear additive that goes in engine oils for timing chain wear. I vary the amount of oil additive to suit how tacky I want the wax. It works great and is cheap.
Check zero friction cycling for indisputable evidence that immersive waxing is the clear winner for chain lubrication. I find significantly less than 0.5% wear on my ebike chain after 6000 km and that is using food grade paraffin without additives, very cheap. About 20 minutes to re wax.
@@paulc2953 G'day Paul, I re wax about every 200km, usually less because I have the interest and the time and the results are not in dispute. There is no doubt that if chain cleaning is done properly, waxing is easier, cheaper and faster than ploughing through all the muck associated with oil based lubricants. I do drop the chain in boiling water before immersion. I will ride today and will turn on the slow cooker before I leave. Adam Kerin(Zero Friction cycling) makes the point that you can't over wax i.e apply too often. I am going to stick with using food grade paraffin and apply more often, stay away from alternatives like candle wax, bees wax as Adam's testing has showed poorer results with those materials.
I give the chain a quick soak in boiling water before I do a wax reapplication. Removes some of the contaminants and keeps the wax in the pot cleaner for longer. Also I just use straight candle wax. Been doing it for 5 years now. Much cleaner and lower wear overall.
@rollinrat4850 I can understand your logic, but it bothers me that we freely submerge bikes coated with who knows what PFAS and/or "forever chemicals" in rivers and water sources without second thought. I was very discouraged that water quality folks are seeing these compounds show up in our "pristine" watersheds. Skiers recreating in wilderness areas with ski wax filled with complex, long-chain hydrocarbon compounds. Sickens me to know ski wax makers added these knowing they'd be shed in wilderness areas. So this makes wax with inert compounds like tungsten and molybdenum disulfide far better choices in today's chain waxes. And according to ZFC, wax performs better than any wet lube in watery environments. I'm sure hoping this is the case so we can kiss the chemical soup chain lubes goodbye and good riddance!
@rollinrat4850 I appreciate your thoughts. And I couldn't agree more. We are an entrenched consumer product economy. I find so much hypocrisy within the supposed "progressive, liberal, environmentally-conscious" Bay Area crowd, that I think we're toast. How many liberals own second homes that are luxury Tahoe cabins? So they live in a $3M BA home and own a $1M cabin, but complain about homeless? A LOT! And they drive a $120k Tesla or Range Rover with the obligatory "Keep Tahoe Blue" sticker on the bumper. (You can't keep Tahoe blue while building more and more cabins in the basin. I actually saw this sticker on a construction worker's truck in Tahoe. I LMAO'd and then cried.) And when they renovate their 10-year old kitchen AGAIN, they hire a "green" contractor, so they're "saving the planet!" Nothing's greener than my 1942-era kitchen (that the wife hates)! But back to chain waxing, yeah, I get your point. Not for the newb. I, too, taught bike maintenance at UC Berkeley. Despite a LOT of really smart students, staff and academics, you realize bandwidth is only so wide. The REAL thing would be getting the IBD on board with waxing. Problem is, it's anathema to their business model. Why provide waxing service if it means FAR lower chain, cassette and chain ring sales numbers? Because as it appears to me now, today's waxes will prolong drive train life a LONG TIME! Not good when "moving units" is your mantra. I'm offering chain prep & waxing for my clients. It's simply revolutionary IMO. I cannot believe I didn't give it a try 10, 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
A refreshingly sensible take Russ! Wax and lubricants are such a hard thing to talk about because, as you've found, there's STRONG opinions on the topic.
I just use paraffin wax and add nothing else, it works very well. I've been waxing dozens of chains for the past years for all kinds of bikes (and several friends), usually in batches of around 6-10, which takes less than two hours (assuming you already stripped the chains, which takes quite a bit longer). The increased lifetime of the entire drive train is worth it alone, but the cleanliness when touching the chain etc is a nice benefit.
@@johnlesoudeur3653 Neither is the Lithium and other toxic materials in your smart phone and the many other harmful thins you own and the harmful effects of their mining or manufacture. Don't be pedantic.
@@paulb9769 You are right, but it was not pedantic, a lot of people are not aware that it is not biodegradable and eventually enters the food chain. A few bike chain lubricant manufacturers have recognised this and are not including it in their products e.g. Green Oil.
I tried out waxing recently and have come to similar conclusions. For dry rides it's way cleaner than any other lubricants, and for wet rides it works fairly well too. The only time I had issues with some surface rusting was when doing a multi-day trip that ended up being wet for most of the time The rust easily wiped off with a rag and the chain was sparkly underneath, making it seem like it was rust from road debris and not necessarily the chain itself.
Hey Russ! I have been using Silca Super Secret for about 3k miles now with almost no measurable chain wear. Like you, I switched for the cleanliness and low drivetrain wear and not the marginal gains. I have one tip though: consider using Silca’s chain wipes. They are expensive (35 cents or so per wipe), but between applications I use the rough side to clean off my chain and then the soft side to wipe off any remaining dust on my bike every time I re-lube. One is enough. My hope is that this regular wiping of dust helps new applications (every 100 miles or so) adhere better to the metal. So far, especially in dry and dusty LA, this has been overwhelmingly less messy and time consuming than using a wet lube, aside from the initial degreasing process :)
Im on super secret as well. 2yrs, 15k...road bike.. flat terrain... and using the Pack Tools cc4 chain wear indicator, its still less than 0.5% wear... probably 0.2 to 0.3% now... crazy.. Im starting to doubt the wear indicator tool 😂 But I do have a problem with the wax gunk on pulley wheels and chainring...
worth noting that the Park Tool CC-2 chain checker can be very inaccurate! Working in shops, I've seen them measure brand new chains as worn out. With the moving parts on it, there is a lot of inaccuracy. A much more precise and accurate tool is Park Tool's CC-4 chain checker- it is a solid piece of metal and checks a larger section of chain, so it is more sensitive, accurate, and precise :) Happy riding
Measure exactly 1 foot of chain from center of pin to center of pin with a tape measure ( chain must be taught ) if it's 12 inches and 1/16 then you are at exactly at .5% wear. To measure accurately start at the 1 inch mark and 1 foot will be at the 13 inch mark on the tape. Carpenters call this " cutting an inch " !
Waxing suits me fine. I would be lucky to get 2K miles when I used conventional lubes. I switched to wax and have over 7.5K miles on my chain and it's only now showing wear. 2 things, prior to rewaxing I clean my chain with boiling water. Then blow dry and "bake" the chain at 200 deg for 20 minutes before rewax dip.
Instead of a crockpot, I have two pots one filled with water, inside of that is the pot with the wax, the water gives me a stable temperature. It´s like a diy candle setup.
Hey Russ, Something I figured out after waxing the past few years. When you take the hot chain out of the wax, don't hang it up to cool. Just reinstall HOT! and then just go through the gears a few times as it cools off and give the exterior of the chain a quick wipe. No need to try and break the wax free as is necessary when you just hang the chain to cool.
I have been waxing all my chains for several years now. I use paraffin wax with ptfe powder and do a full clean and rewax every 500 to 700 miles. I love how I no longer get chainring tattoos on my legs or greasy mess on my hands or cloths.
The solution to the tattoos is to get a real one in the same shape. Then you practically don't notice grease being there and it just ends up in your bed or pants. No problems, no worries.
400 road or off road miles? I'm assuming road. I got about 50 very dusty off road miles before I decided to rewax. Using my own mix, so it's probably lower performing than the top ones, but not by much.
Because of your previous video about waxing, I decided to give it a try. I just mountain bike, and it worked really well at keeping everything way cleaner, especially when conditions were dry. But as soon as things got wet and muddy, I found the chain was basically left with no lube/protection by halfway through most rides.
Waxing is the way forward I live in the UK and have been waxing for 2 years the bike is soo much cleaner and equipment lasts much some surface rust in the winter but only superficial run 2 or 3 chains at a time
I've also started waxing this season. Initially just with Silica hot wax but I've also included Weldtite drip wax, as an on the trail top up and White Lightning as a flush clean / rewax for shorter rides when I know I need new lube butt don't have time to do a melt pot the day before. Bearing in mind I usually take about an hour to do a molten rewax and then another hour flexing the chain and getting most of the hardened excess from out the links.... So, not the purist approach but it seems to work very well for me. Always clean, quiet, easy shifting, hopefully low friction and pretty low maintance. I like it!
I live in Lincoln Nebraska and wax my chains for my most frequently ridden bikes and it's fantastic. I made my own wax blend, and generally rewax every 150-170 miles and have been tracking my mileage so I can see how many miles I get. I have 3 chains in rotation to spread the wear out, I'm hoping to have gotten a really long lifespan from my cassette once it's finally worn out. You're right about water being the biggest hazard. My solution is, buy chains with a plating that minimizes the area that can rust. My gravel bike uses a KMC SL chain in their silver plating. I get some spots here and there, but even after days of riding the Cowboy Trail and leaving the bike outside through some rain in addition to the day and a half we rode through it, the chains were just fine despite pushing the 2 I rode to about 200 miles each. If you can tolerate the process it's pretty fantastic in my experience so far. My buddy on the trail was jealous of how clean my drivetrain stayed the whole way. All I had to do was pull out the weeds and grass that got sucked up when we were riding off the beaten path. Or should I say path less pedaled.
If you really want good rust resistance go with the KMC Ecoproteq (EPT) series. I have been seriously impressed with those on our daily winter commuters (Duluth MN, so roads are heavily salted 6 months of the year).
As I'm commuting to work, on my bike and texting, and thinking about picking at technical details in Russ's videos, which I really appreciate, I just want to give a huge thanks to Russ for a fantastic and continued contribution to our cycling community! Your perspective are highly valued.
Huge yes on wax. Perfect for dusty old Tucsonistan. Initial degreasing with iso alcohol and regular application of the "squirt" brand drip wax after cleaning with a dry rag. Even had someone comment/ask how my cassette was so shiny. Rag for the chain and pipe cleaners for the cogs was my reply. Easy and very effective. Highly recommended
3 MILES TO WORK AND BACK 25 MILES ON WEEKENDS AND WAXED WITH JUST BEEZ WAX WITH NEW CHAIN 6 YEARS AGO. NEW CHAIN IS GOING ON NEXT MONTH. i DIG IT.. LOVE THE CHANNEL AND IM PIKIN UP WHAT UR PUTTIN DOWN.
Have you dropped any chains since you started waxing? One important difference to me is that I don't hesitate to grab a waxed chain with my fingers. Grabbing even a freshly cleaned and oiled chain will invariably get black fingertips that leave black marks everywhere. Not so with wax. The bottom bracket area of any bike with an oiled chain is a constant black sticky mess that needs constant cleaning. That also went away with waxing. Not surprised about the Silca drip lube. Getting all the solvent to evaporate is apparently one of the major challenges with wax drip lubes. I only use drip lubes on bike tours and bike holidays, otherwise I just wax. Also I think I've cleaned a waxed chain in boiling water once or twice, usually I just throw them in the wax pot and let the swishing in the wax clean the chain. Not good enough for a Tour de France rider but good enough for me. Also, the PTFE, Tungsten disulfide and Molybdenum disulfide are just the icing on the cake. Good paraffin wax with less than 0.5 % oil is a pretty good lubricant in itself. But why have a cake without icing?
I did the hotwax thing for a while but went back to using squirt. It seems to lube just as well in our dusty conditions, pretty much the same cleanliness level, and it also seems to go slightly longer intervals before the squeakiness starts, like it can remelt and redistribute itself in the ambient heat. Plus it's way easier/faster than removing the chain and doesn't wear out the quick links.
Squirt has penetration issues. So it "feels" good but the reality is that it isn't. Zero Friction Cycling has showcased this. If you heat squirt and then apply it you can negate MOST of the penetration issues. But the fact is it still isn't as good as wax. Silca Secret was wore through 0.3% of its wear tolerance in a 1000km test vs well over 20% for squirt.
I have already bought the Silca wax and their wax lube. I’ve used the wax lube so far and I have to say it’s a noticeable difference. I’m procrastinating doing the full immersion wax process with my crock pot but I honestly think it will be worth the effort. I already bought a new chain for this endeavor. As for Silca, I completely agree that they have the best products that have been developed by experienced staff with applied cycling mechanical knowledge. Thanks for posting your updates and hopefully motivate me to hang out in my garage and get this done. I think it will make a difference for my upcoming return to the Philippines and cycling in those conditions.
It's wet season here in the Philippines now. Very sunny hot in the morning, then suddenly thunderstorms growl at midday or afternoon, then the hard rain pours!
Waxing chains is the best. I like how if I have a chain issue my hands don’t get greasy dirty. It’s amazing how clean the chain stays for so long. I wax just pelleted paraffin on a hot plate after cleaning the chain using citrus degreaser then alcohol to get the citrus residue off. I have 2 chains in a rotation cleaning waxing both at once. Tungsten Disulfide and PTFE powders aren’t that expensive if you make a bunch of wax. It’s like 5x cheaper than those products.
I just clean and re-lube my chain every 1-2 weeks. Once it's a habit, and you automatically factor in a couple extra minutes after your weekend ride, it's pretty easy to get 3,000 miles out of a chain. I've had a cheap aluminum Sunrace 11-46 cassette for the last 4 years, and it has basically zero signs of wear
ive been waxing my chains for about 2 years ,i get approximatly 1,000 kilometres per wax on road, i clean my chains with an ultrasonic cleaner before each wax
Super clean and super quiet drive train. Works really well on e-bikes too. Glad I changed. I live in N Florida and extreme sandy environment and no more oil-based sludge.
Wax lube is the best. I used to wax my chain and make my own wax-based chain lube. Very inexpensive to do and keeps your chain dirt free and lasts three times longer than any oil you got. Definitely worth doing. But all that changed for me a few years ago when I found: Super Slick Slick Stuff. The wax lube is actually a little better than SSSS--but--SSSS is darn good stuff just the same! PLUS SSSS can be used for ALL other cleaning and/or lube jobs on the bicycle. Thus, where I used to require wax for my chains AND a petrol-based lubricant to care for my bikes, I now need only one product for EVERYTHING. Super Slick Slick Stuff is not a petroleum product.
I was doing it for a while.. went deep in the rabbit hole with Teflon powder... But after a few months got really bored of doing it over n over.... Now I have the belt driven bike with 650b tyres and hydraulic disc.. best decision in my case... Haven't even pumped tyres since April....
Be VERY careful of that chain checker!!! The pins can bend quite easily, causing it to deem all chains more worn than they are. Mine caused me to tell an unknown number of customers that their chain was gone, some were even told to replace sprockets/cassette due to how worn this tool said things were. Upon realizing that it had become severely inaccurate I invested in the digital KMC gauge, which I love but was not cheap. For folks not working as a mechanic in a bike shop, I recommend sticking with a simple & inexpensive go/no-go gauge as they are far less likely to rapidly devolve into secret inaccuracy!!!
Or just use a ruler or tape measure. Measure a 12" length, pin center or edge to pin center or edge. Once "stretch" exceeds 1/16", replace. (Measure on the bike and put the chain under load if you want to be CERTAIN you're measuring all the elongation.) SO MUCH EASIER!
I've been waxing my chains for three years now and find it quicker, cleaner and easier than messing with dirty lubed chains. They last longer and save money in the long run. I love the Silca hot wax, just bought a cheap food storage container from Safeway, dropped it in a slightly larger saucepan to melt it. Cleaning the factory grease off a new chain can take a while but adding a Silca Strip Chip to the melted wax solves that. Monthly requiring takes about `0 minutes of work. Open the quick link, run under hot water, one minute light tugging and drop in the wax. Manipulate the chain links and remount. I do it while prepping my evening meal so no extra time is needed to melt the wax of for it to immerse. Longer drivetrain life offsets the cost of set up and clean, quiet chains are the norm.
In my quest to avoid any weekly bike maintenance I now ride a Dutch style bike with hub mounted brakes, gears and concealed drive chain. I am now the slowest rider on my daily commute. I had to put a larger sprocket on the rear wheel because this thing is so heavy and I struggled going uphill. On the plus side the suspension and larger tyres make for a smooth ride and all I have to do is wipe the bike frame down every so often.
Way back when all the stuff that you ( and me ) like was new, i waxed my chain and kept everything clean. I was definetly not the fastest racer, but i never had a technical problem with my bike(s). I still have a UCI licence.....but as a mechanic.🤭
If you're looking for longer chain life, the chain itself can be a big factor. The SRAM X01 and XX1 (if you like the fancy colors) 12-speed Eagle chains last a shockingly long time and should work on most drivetrains (not HG+ and technically works on AXS road but the flat-top chains with the larger rollers last just as long and are the matching chains for those drivetrains).
messenger here, spending more on a chain gets about 1 to 2 months longer life. about 1000 to 2000km extra. most chains last me 5 to 6 months at about 1000km per month. i run a wet lube 9spd set up.,with an "if it aint broke dont fix it" maintenance routine. the one day you ride it dry it will do more harm then a month of lubed riding. i also never wipe my chain, it just pushed the dirt back INTO the chain, i just add more thick oil (finish green if you are not sure what to use) and let it fall off, it get dirty but only up to a point after the first few days and after that it just stays the same. (if and only if you ride in the rain) despite what they say, more lube is good lube. dont worry about the grinding paste argument too much, the oil dry and pushes off to the sides leaving the bearing surfaces clean. but dry metal on metal it worse then a bit of greasy dirt. dont forget the idea of grinding past is using a super hard fine structure, gavel and dust is not suuuuuper hard, and wont really mess stuff up too bad, because it gets pushed out of the way.
When O-ring chains weren't available there was a recommendation from an article in Cycle World to wax your Moto's chain but with a slight twist of mixing 1/5th the volume of the wax in axle grease. This was about 1970-ish.
I wax multiple chains myself and see very little to no measurable wear. I love that don't need to worry about multiple family bikes that are not ridden as often as my main bikes, having chain lube "updated", as the life of the wax once applied is very, very long. Not worrying about my 5yo or wife ruining clothers or risking a mess with greasy residues, is also a big benefit. I tend to prefer the full imersion method, with the silca "drip lube" bottle only used when I am doing one of my regulars and i did not have time to warm up the wax: as soon as i have to do multiple bikes, the hassle is actually more with the drip/wet method, as it will drip and make some of a mess anyways. I just bike the bullet and go trough hot-waxing 2-3 bikes at once. I reuse my links, even the 11s and 12s ones that you are not "really" supposed to. YMMV. Yes, I am in a super dry environment (SoCal) so YMMV.
I use plain old degreaser (Purple Power) to clean the chain (I have an ultrasonic I run it through now, but started with just shaking an old milk jug). Then plain old cheap paraffin wax in one of my wife's old crockpots (set to low, just enough to melt the wax). I soak the chain in it for about a 1/2 hour, moving it around a couple times to get it soaked in super good. Then hang the chain overnight to drip then dry. Been doing this for several years now, have not had one single issue/complaint. I don't want to go back; it's just as easy to set up (roughly the same amount of time if you're doing the traditional lube route right), less maintenance, and WAAAAAYYY cleaner to the touch, storage, hauling, less dust/gravel pickup, etc.
I love chain waxing. I made a blend of paraffin and PTFE powder. I re-wax every 200 miles. I've been keeping records on chain wear and have 5K miles on my current chain! The waxed chain is used on my road bike exclusively. After I apply the wax, when the chain is still hot, I wipe it down. This prevents most of the flaky mess and the only part of the chain that truly needs the lube is the inner parts with the pins and rollers.
I've had mixed results since not all wax or chains are the same. My best results have been on the cheapest chains without any added coatings and super cleaning them before initial waxing. Paraffin or food grade wax only. In dry road conditions lube is good for 300 K's. Dry dusty trails, 100K's. Wet weather or wed muddy is a poor choice as dedicated wet lube is better. Not a good choice for touring.
Awesome video Russ!!!Here's some things that I've learnt from my waxing journey with an emtb,11 and 12 speeds change at .50 wear 10 speeds and lower change at .75,I used the same chain checker as you cc-2 from park tool then I meet a canadian youtuber "lovemtb"who told me the cc-2 readings are very conservative and to get the cc-4 park tool so I did and wow the cc-2 on my old chains read .50 the cc-4 showed still brand new readings no wonder I've never wore out a cassette lol...Mid drive ebikes eat chains fast I used to use muk off wet and dry lubes and would get about 800 kms to a chain and would spend half an hour cleaning drive train every 60 kms now using silca hot wax on new chain and a top up every 100kms with silca ss drip and rewax every 1000 kms with only 15 min cleaning sessions I save hours of cleaning time on the life of a chain!!! and i'm getting over 1400kms on a chains life which is way better then 800kms...I recently started watching Adam at zero friction cycles(the guro of bike drive trains)and found his recommendations on chain life and switched from 12 speed ebike kmc chains to shimano xtr chains(I am running shimano drive train)and went from 1400kms on kmc to 2100kms on xtr wow another huge leap!!!Another tip I got from Josh at silca videos is when you top up with the ss drip while its still wet cycle through all your gears and coat the cassette too...Sorry for the long winded reply Russ lol
If the live time of your chain is only 2100 km, I stay with Lub oil for my wife's ebike (10 speed deore). She has 14000 km still on the first chain. If I need to buy 7 new chains with WAX (which is more expensive) to get 14000 km, no need complicate things.
@@TheVorst I would bet that your wifes e-bike is a hub drive motor with a throttle?Mid drive motors have the pedal cranks coming out of the motor, and all your power plus the motors power go through the chain.
Oz Cycle: melted paraffin, PTFE powder, and a Wipperman chain link work for me. All diy and less $$ than commercial stuff. Oz Cycling carefully describes the process including correctly cleaning a new chain, waxing and cleaning a chain. Also, how to make diy chain lube for road use. Why do I do this? Chains last longer, less wear on cassette and chainring, and no expensive commercial products to buy. ... Apparently, I'm a member of the "ChainwaxMafia" according to Rides of Japan.
Just started waxing this year according to Oz Cycles instructions, it does make a significant difference. Got PTFE on Aliexpress and paraffin with less than 0.5% oil at a local store.
@@josephfarrugia2350 I’m guessing PLP has set the auto mod to delete comments with links to root out spam. His name is Steven Leffanue and he’s serving 18 months for what one officer called the worst case of abuse he’d seen. The story can be found on ABC Australia’s site and other sources. There has been a number of discussions on social media the last couple days bringing this to light.
Isn't that the guy who recommends using gasoline for chain cleaning? This is beyond irresponsible. The fire danger alone makes gasoline a stupid choice. And then there's the hydrocarbon and VOC exposure through absorption and inhalation. Pick better solvents and skip the gasoline.
The issue is having to re-wax after a tiny puddle or stream on the road. Not that much effort in itself, but a squeaky chain a few miles into a big ride usually makes me feel homicidal. Which basically means you need a second bike with wet lube that you run a full degrease on every 2-3 rides. Tempting given I'm getting a new bike in a couple weeks, but still seems like a massive pain compared to the results I've seen people claim from just a deep degrease of a new chain and then wax-based lube.
After two years of using wax chain lubricant, I'm an advocate of it! I use a $15 crock pot and do full-immersion wax treatment every 150 miles. Oddly I don't mind the process. It's clean, and I can remove and install chains inside (air conditioning). My first chain got 5,000 miles before it hit 0.5% wear.
@@Timmeh2Buck me too. Oddly I don't mind. I guess that's how much I hated cleaning chains outside in the heat with degreaser and always getting chain grease all over my hands when changing a flat.
Were the 5,000 miles road, off road or a combination? Either way, that's impressive. However, full immersion every 150 miles is much more frequent than the average immersion wax application.
Use quick links, I remove the chain, wash it in petrol (what I have) twice. Rotate 3 chains, soak in motor oil with additional friction and cliing additives, between changes. Rotate chains every 500 km, more for wet/dirt riding. 3 chains are much lower cost than crank sets and cassettes. Worn chains wear cogs and chain wheels. Been doing this with either wax or oil now for over 40 years. By the time 3 chains are worn so has the cassette. Chain wheels may last a second set of three chains. Third chain set over 160,000 km.
I rate it! However, in wet, dirty conditions it does need to be reapplied quite often. Living in Australia, I don't have too much trouble with high moisture levels, so it works for me!
have 500 mi on mt MTB with waxed chain, don't add anything. Will give it a wax bath this winter when not in use. I found that starting off with a new chain is best, my fat bikes that I ride on the beach didn't take well to the wax after cleaning, just to pitted from salt water. Installed new drivetrain and chain on my other fat bike and will see how it handles the salt water, I don't drive in it but sand does kick up on the chain.
One of my six bikes has a belt drive. That bike gets ridden more regularly than any of my other bikes because it is specatcularly wet in Sydney and because chain maintenance is arse, imo.
Add another chain to this formula, and extend life farther ofcogs/rings, and wax less often; you're doing them same time. Thanks always Russ, love PLP !!!
There is the DW40 drive spray now, it is a type of drive lube, I think it works like wax, all you have to do is spray on the chain and you are done. It saves you a lot of time. I use the DW40 drive lube product everywhere in my house and it works, in places like heavy sliding doors, garage doors, room, and front door hinges, it works very well and you don't have to worry about stick oil, color change...
only tip i can add, that has not been mentioned yet in the comments as far as i can tell, is to put some extra parafin oil in your waxmix for winter, if you live - like me - in an area where winter mostly means cold+wet. The oil WILL bind a bit more dirt (not much though), but it will also make the chain better suited for wet conditions. That said, if your waxed chain gets REALLY soaked, rotate it for an fresh one right after the ride and dry it or you will have a good czhance of getting some rust. If you get rust btw - vinegar essence works wonder. And for people who - again like me - dont want to buy a slow cooker just for waxing bikechains - a simple, cheap steel pot with a lid will do fine and you can do it on your kitchen stove while you are at home. Just keep the heat LOW all the time - specially when you added teflon powder.
I think Russ's new chain wax system would be very satisfying to use, actually seeing how clean your chain and drive train can become and remain after multiple rides. I'm a bit on the lazy side, however, and have found that using Muc-Off Bio Dry Lube works very well for me, keeps my chain pretty darn clean, and requires me to clean my chain with my Finish Line chain cleaner every 3 road rides (150 miles) and reapply after each ride (50 miles). I may, however, switch over to Russ's new chain waxing system to see how well it works for me. Thanks, Russ.
New? I've been waxing my chains for almost 50 years, and I learned the method from a senior rider. I'm most surprised that this has appeared as somthing new.
So how's your chain life experience? What mileage do you get and under what riding conditions? Wet, dry, road, mountain? Sure wish I had made the change back then too! Oh well, some of us are slow learners!!!
I did the slow hybrid wet -> dry-ish. After I did a normal chain wash I used a wax lube (starts as liquid dries hard). Eventually the only lube on it is the wax and it has that keeps cleaner. I did find I need to apply the wet wax more often though to keep the performance smooth and clean.
I was about to give immersion wax a try for a tandem tour in France but decided against it last minute. It's never a good idea to make a big change before a big ride, so I shelved the idea. Once the group of about 20 had done four or five days, I noticed one rider had a PRISTINE chain. So I walked over and said to him, "You're using chain wax, aren't you?!" He sure was! Dang, now I'm kinda wishing I had made the switch. Oh well! Wet performance is my main question. I read the summary of another tandem rider who used wax in the rain and the chain squeaked immediately. That wasn't a very positive data point. But I don't know which wax he was using, so there's that. I got a year and a quarter and 1,100 miles out of my SLX chain on my Ibis Ripley using Rock N Roll Extreme after every ride. Curious to know how I'd do with wax. Will probably take the plunge soon.
Most hard (immersion) waxes will be outperformed by wetlubes in wet weather. Wax is the ultimate dry lube for dry weather. Bear in mind there are wax BASED lubes that are a sort of compromise between both.
@@KarlosEPM according to ZFC, this isn't true. I cannot say either way, but I can appreciate ZFC's assertion. I have just come to really understand the downsides of wet lubes and how they create and maintain active "abrasive paste" within the rollers. Wet or dry riding conditions, the grinding paste is going to be in there. Wax acts as a barrier and simply does not attract dirt, nor does it introduce it into the rollers & pins. But I honestly cannot comment on its efficacy at the moment. Switched to wax 1 month ago. Dry weather for months still, so I won't get the opportunity to see it in action until this fall.
I just returned from a 2-week tandem ride in Slovenia where we encountered two days of rain. Hours of wet rain riding. After two weeks, I never even TOUCHED my chains (main & timing). This would be UNHEARD OF using any other wet (or drip-on dry like White Lightening) lube. I admit, my chain definitely sounds louder than it did fresh and prior to the wet riding. But it's still running well and not squeaking. And although I was tempted to apply drip-on wax I brought along on the trip, I decided against it for experiment's sake. I will definitely re-immerse my chains now that I'm home and back to typical dry California riding conditions. But so far, it's looking pretty good.
Something overlooked is the after ride cleaning your bike. Drive train cleaning is considerably faster and easier. Wipe down with a dry rag is all I need.
Not sure why ppl think waxing is more time consuming than a classical lube. To clean the chain and the whole system after couple hundred kms u need to spend a lot of time cleaning the dereliour, front/ rear gears etc. Not to mention its super messy. Thorough cleaning of a lubbed chain is a timeconsuming mundane task. Forget the cleaning boxes - theyre a scan, worthless waste of time and money. Go wax.
One thing to try is put your drip wax lube in a park chain cleaner then run the chain thru it to coat it then wipe it down...pour the drip lube into a separate bottle to reuse.
I've been waxing my road bike and single speed chains for a few years now - nothing fancy, just plain, cheapest tea lights melted down - when I was riding it daily (something I hope to be doing again very soon), I'd re-wax it every 4-6 weeks or so depending on how soon it started squeaking 😊
Wax is grey because when you rewax it you usually dont clean it like the first time, and some dirt remains. When rewaxing it goes into the wax and contaminates it. I am using parafin wax and ptfe and this happens. So this grey color helps to hide the impurities, but they do exist, you cant clean it perfectly (if you value your tike that is)
I've been hot-waxing my chains for years and it approx. doubles chain life.... and reduces cassette wear so much that I'm able to simply just replace my chains once they reach somewhere in between 0.5 & 0.75% wear. All my bikes run waxed chains - Road (summer & winter), mtb & gravel and I normally buy two or three chains per bike.. which means that I always have a freshly waxed chain on hand... as long as I remember to re-wax. I ride all my bikes throughout the whole year, and commute to & from work every day (50 miles), so I usually clean and re-wax chains once a week. If I should, for some reason not have a waxed chain handy I usually just apply some home made liquid wax (made with IPA)
I am super interested in trying this. However, I am probably an anomaly in the audience here. We are a multi bike family , but these are all older bikes . I have one primary bike (an ‘85 Stumpjumper) and i am embarrassed to share that the drivetrain is 20+ years old. This seems like a wasted endeavor for my Stumpy until I change up the entire drivetrain. Am I correct in this thinking? My list of priorities is to upgrade my packing system and gear on Stumpy for gravel rides and multi terrain touring , 2) when I am able to build up a more appropriate , lighter touring frame with new wheels and drivetrain.. that would be the moment to start waxing. 3) Decide at that point whether upgrading Stumpy’s drivetrain was the priority, or decide whether another type of bike purchase was more compelling. What’s my point? I feel like having the means to invest in a sparky drivetrain for any of your bikes becomes the built in excuse to preserve your new drivetrain in this method. But if everyone in the family is on a nice well tuned older bike… this kind of experiment possibly reaps less benefit (aside from cleanliness) with that already worn drivetrain. Is my logic faulty?
You do NOT need to fuss with the stiff chain; just wrap it through from the underside, front ring to the back, then connect your quick link oriented correctly, on the lower side. Just slowly start to ride, to assure the link is fully set, then after fifty feet, shift a couple times and the stiffness will be gone. Some wax based lubes are compatible, and can extend the interval before need to clean and rewax, but fancy expensive additives really add little to the basic benefit of the paraffin that can be bought in the canning supplies at a supermarket. One box will last for years unless you're a 20k mile a year fanatic. Tests done several years ago, when the renewed interest in waxing was coming back from the early days of cycling, showed a very significant benefit in both lower friction and longer lasting protection and lubrication; since then many have touted additives that claim to further improve things, yet the diminishing returns against cost really make the basic wax DIY to be the most practical method. But if you have money to squander, like most bikies, sure, go for the Dom Perignon magic wax formulas, and convince yourself that you can feel that 0.5 watt benefit, versus taking five pounds off your waist.
I use regular candle wax and tin can on the top of camping stove. I'm not a sportsman or not even close to but for my purposes chain waxing is the best option. My only ask for chain is to be clean and i get my goal with just a candles. Cheap, easy, clean and fast way for me
I'm using my home brew with PTFE. I'm getting 700 miles between lube on one bike. I attribute the long mileage to starting with a new squeaky clean chain. Other bikes not so high mileage but longer than wet oil lubes. The extended lube intervals and clean drive train are worth the initial extra work.
I just finished waxing three chains today. I went to silka route also. I got a very small crock pot from Walmart for about 12 bucks. I think the number one surprised. The biggest surprise and what I will warn people about the most is it is unbelievable how difficult it is to get the factory grease off of the chain initially. No degreaser will do it. Believe me, I tried everything under the sun. I've since bought some of the ceramicspeed degreaser but I cannot give a report cuz I have not tried it yet. You need to get five or six containers that you can close that are shallow to put the chain and cleaners in. Best of it closes so you can shake it. You'll have three containers of turpentine and at least two containers for the alcohol. Turpentine I was able to get at Walmart but in my city of over a million people there was only one store that had pure denatured alcohol. That might also be a difficult thing to find for you. Personally I don't enjoy breaking the wax off the chain. Yes you can do it one week at a time but it's true putting it over a towel or a small piece of PVC pipe makes it go much much faster. I'll be doing it again since I have all the equipment., But I don't know if I would recommend someone to start out doing it. What I would say to do would be to watch this channel, find out how much benefit there really is and then decide if it's worth it to you. I want to do it because of the cleanliness and I really need my equipment to go as long as possible since I live on a very very small social security check. Whichever you decide to do, good luck!
Petrol will get that factory gunk off pretty easily or white spirits, i work in a machine shop and with a little agitation white spirits even removes old caked grease . Degreaser with HOT water also melts through the factory lube
I switched all our family’s bikes last year, and have loved it. I never could get my chain completely clean before, and it took forever. Add the decreased component wear and friction losses, and it’s an easy win for me. I heard people complain about the wet performance but have not experienced it myself. In winter, we ride our fatbikes on the road for commuting, so lots of salt and slush there. I just re-wax the chains every few weeks, and have not noticed any problems with premature wear of wax in those wet conditions.
Waxing is so good once you commit to it! The wax eventually turns grey in the pot, but works fine! I add PTFE to my wax. I run three bikes, and all of them had just over 0.5% wear after 4,500km….
I used to live in a very cold location and they would put lots of salt and sand on the road. I used just regular household paraffin for lube and had no rust issue.
I tried waxing once but wasnt a big fan of it. I don't like the dryer feeling on the drivetrain and it makes me feel like the friction is gonna cause more damage than an oiled chain with a bit of grit. Wet lube also makes the drivetrain noticeably smoother. To make things easier to clean, I just cycle between 2 chains. It makes chains last even longer since I'm splitting the wear between 2 of them and when one gets too dirty I could quickly remove it, clean the drive train, and swap the clean one in. Dirty one goes into degreaser, gets brushed, and is lubed and stored away
I used to wax my MTB chains back in the 90's. I had 7 chains and would wax on Parafin. Super cheap. I would ride each chain 2 or 3 rides then switch chains. This was in Colorado which is pretty dry. When all the new dry lubes started coming out I ditched the process. Interesting to see it coming back. Of course now they sell the special wax. What's the next comeback? Oval rings? Oh wait... Bar ends? Haha!
In my experience my waxed chains dont last longer then regular lubed chains. At the beginning of winter, i rode my lubed chain for 3500km. after that i have ridden with a waxed setup and the chain was worn after 3400km. additionally it was kinda annoying to dry my chain after every ride, as i am riding my bike as a bike messenger. so i had quite a lot of hassle with not letting the chain start to rust. So after all for me its more work for then just lube the chain, but i like to look at my bike and it is always clean, no oily dirt on the drivetrain or something. reparing tubes or working on my bike is a way cleaner thing now. so i keep on waxing my chain
The downside of Silca’s wet top-off wax lube is drying time. It is water based and requires many hours to dry before riding, often longer than overnight, more like 24 hours. On a long ride (>>100 miles) or a multi day tour, that’s a deal-killer because it becomes impractical to refresh the lube. Between that and the generally low corrosion resistance of wax, I’ve switched back to oil-based lubes. Wax has another downside because it doesn’t flow and rewet the metal surface. Without the ability to rewet, once the wax is displaced from the wear surface, it’s gone until it’s reapplied. The tungsten disulfide helps since it adheres to metal surfaces but the wax itself is scuffed off from the high-pressure contact points, right where you most need the lubrication.
I use MSpeedwax and, though I have 2 prewaxed and 100% cleaned chains at the ready, I find it very easy to wax my chain while watching the TV. As such, I don't have to simply swop chains which saves time. But, I found a way to never have to lube or wax my drivetrain. Two of my bicycles use the Gates Belt Drive. Between that and those bicycle's internal drive hub transmissions, keeping them going is quite easy.
I tried waxing and it worked out pretty well initially, but it's not something I'll do again, mainly because the extra work doesn't justify the marginally better, temporary result. I just clean and lube my chain the standard way every week or so and I'm very careful to remove ALL the excess lube (and I do mean all), and my drivetrain is generally very clean most of the time. We should probably emphasize this: no matter your lubrication method, wax, standard lube, olive oil, or something else, if you clean ALL the excess lube from the outside of your chain, your entire drivetrain will be very much cleaner and will last a whole lot longer than if you slather on the lube and let it collect dirt like a magnet until it forms a gritty, cassette-destroying paste. (I've never made this mistake myself, of course... 🤭)
Same. I've found using Muc-Off yellow dry lube works incredibly well and the ritual of putting it on every couple of rides is nice. Plus it gets me up close to the drive train and inspect it. while I'm doing it.
You say "ALL," but really? Do you use compressed air to remove the excess from the INSIDE of the chain plates too? I'm guessing you don't! I, too, am pretty obsessive about my chains. They're DAMN clean. But at the same time, I'm a big opponent of the ludicrous "soaking in solvents and then re-lubing (over and over and over again)" as well as the hokey solvent containers with spinney brush wheels and crap. Sorry, this is OVERKILL! Five minutes riding off road and your chain's a mess. One minute in the rain. 10 seconds in the mud!!!! Soap & water when the bike's a mess and then dry & relube as needed. No removal. No solvents. No silliness! Chains are a consumable item. But wax is apparently a winner in chain life and cleanliness, so I'm going to take the plunge. I'm in a dry climate, so it's perfect.
I did this back in the 80s for a season. I got sick of my chain squealing after a few rides and having to take it apart to re-soak every week. There is a reason nobody else uses wax for lube - motorcycles, heavy equipment, cars... whatever. The only place you see it is on skis and surf boards.
Thanks for the video! So... not sure if I missed anything here but there didn't seem to be any specific cleaning required for maintenance. You mention giving a wipe down after a wet or muddy ride, but that seemed to be it. Are you saying there is no need to do a clean before immersing in the wax again? I haven't moved to waxing because I, perhaps wrongly, thought it was adding another step every time I cleaned my chain. Obviously degreasers and solvents to remove dirty lube wouldn't be as necessary, but I thought there was still a need to give it a more intense clean than a wipe down before applying new wax. Please confirm, Potentially i've made significant errors in my Costs V benefits equation. 😂
You can just throw it in the wax, but you can also clean it (no more nasty degreasers required after the initial deep clean). I've done it for years... savings doesn't play a role in my decision. It's mostly cleanliness and extended drivetrain life what steers my choice. Ideal for dusty and sandy rides, not the best for very wet or humid environments.
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Another tip if you are only riding one bike. Have 3 chains on the go, swap them out as the wax wears off then wax them all at once.
Waxing 3 is hardly more work than waxing 1 and you get freshly waxed chains that you only need to rewax every couple of months.
That's a really good idea. Thanks for that!
This is absolutely the best way to go. When the wax wears thin around 700km, a 10-minute pit stop is all it takes to swap on a fresh chain. There is no hassle, no mess. Maintaining a bike with waxed chains is a lot easier than using petroleum lubricants. Chains, cassettes and chainrings last much longer, too.
That’s brilliant
How often does the wax wear off?
Why 3? Maybe one spare is enough. Chains ain’t cheap and by the time they would need replacement maybe some new fangled drivetrain design comes out that you wanna buy 😂
I started waxing chains at the start of the pandemic and based on the results, I'll never go back to wet lubes. One downside is that debris builds up in the wax, which I leave in the aluminum pot to cool. Here's a tip for keeping the wax a bit cleaner and prolonging its use. Drape a cloth (like an old t-shirt) over a bucket or some other container. Pour hot wax onto the t-shirt slowly enough that it pools and soaks through the cloth. You'll find that most of the black gunk stays behind in the wax pot and the t-shirt. Clean up the pot with an old sock, or the like, and then pour the still hot wax back into your main container. I suppose that with time wax degrades, so it's not a forever fix. This method gets up to 90 percent of the gunk out of your wax.
Lowest effort method I've heard of is getting a little wire mesh stand/basket so the gunk can fall through while the chain stays in the clean wax above.
Eh. I prefer using paper coffee filters. Being thinner, they have higher flow rates will still filtering very well.
curious, isn't part of the black stuff the additive the various companies add to the wax?
What I do before rewaxing is to put the used chain in a bucket and pour boiling water over it to remove the old wax, then wipe off with a micro fibre cloth and drop into a pot of Isopropyl alcohol to get rid of any water and then drop in the hot wax as normal, the wax stays clean then.
If you really want to keep the wax clean but the chain in some boiling water and clean it before rewaxing. That plus your method would probably keep it really clean.
Apart from having a silent setup I really like the cleanliness when touching any of the drivetrain parts. Now when touching anything when loading the bike in the back of the car, I just wipe my fingers and the (maybe darker) wax just falls off compared to having completely sticky, greasy, dirty fingers that do not allow you to touch anything without leaving mark.
After replacing my Bottom Bracket and front big chain ring (after > 16000 km) and replacing my chain with a new one with all factory grease taken off and then waxed, it is so silent, I just hear my tires on the tarmac... I often cruise the paths through our dunes near the sea: no sand sticks!
It is hands down my favourite. Clean drive train is lovely. Once you get the knack of it it is quick and easy. I do a couple of chains at a time.
Hi @canyonWanderer, The part is very interesting to hear. I am currently trying out chainwaxing and have done it twice now using both a thin layer method (taking the chain out of the tub while its still very liquid) as well es the OZ Cycling variant, leaving a thick layer of wax on the chain. In dry riding conditions, the waxed chain was silent for only about 50km at most. I agree that there is no more grinding noises but I seem to be getting rattling from the chain, no matter what gear. I have checked my deraileurs for false adjustment but its perfect and shifts perfectly, no chain rub either. I have a factory Shimano Ultegra 6700 10 speed chain, which I have tediously made sure to clean every little remainder of oil out.
Do you have any idea as to what I may be doing wrong? Is it some low friction coating that disallows the wax to adhere inside of my rollers? May I still have oil in there? I want this to work, living near the beach, with sand on my oiled chain after ten minutes of riding.
Suggestions greatly appreciated,
Yannic
@@yannicnoack5389 Initial cleaning of the chain is very important. I use a 3 step process, firstly wash the chain in a de-greaser (take care if you use an acid based de-greaser as it may tarnish your chain), rinse with hot water, i then soak the chain in white spirit and agitate it a few times, the final step is to soak it in Isopropyl alcohol and again agitate it.
The chain should be spotlessly clean after this.
Make sure you do this in a well ventilated area.
I use food grade paraffin wax (with no additives) in a cheap slow cooker to wax the chains.
I've always found that the waxed chains are slightly noisier than oiled chains and have read that many people find this too .
I have Ultegra 6700 10 speed chain on my road bike and have no issues waxing it.
I used to use a wet lube on my chains and was lucky to get 1000km out of them before i had to change them (sand and fine grit acting like a grinding paste), the waxed chain on my commuting bike has approximately 5800km on it and still has probably over 1000km of life left in it before it needs changing, i'd never go back to oil based chain lubes.
Does it get washed off in the rain?
@@yannicnoack5389 Hi Yannic, sorry for the late reply, I have missed the notification. Rattling might indicate maybe the layer is too thin? If you would still have oil in it, I think it would show as darker residue and the chain would feel sticky again after a while (as the oil moves out to the surface)
I just fear, Russ, that all the extra watts you get from chain waxing may cause you to exceed party pace. :)
bravo incredible comment lololol😂😂
Party Pace isn’t a pace, it’s an attitude 😃
@@simonkneebone8740 O that's my fear, the attitude, the vibe, the whole scene, it could all be lost because his waxed chain is making him go so fast. :)
Or you could argue that party pace will be easier to maintain with less friction. So even partier pace :)
@@simonkneebone8740 You make a good point, but let's not forget that speed is a slippery slope and too often riders get used to their waxed chains making them go fast and making party pace a thing of the past. :)
After learning about waxing chains, from a different site, i have found the initial clean out of the factory grease is time consuming yet, once completed it is the best way to go. After each 150-200 miles i remove the chain run some hot water over it and wipe it down, then a quick plung into hot wax, a quick wipe with a rag and back on the bike ready to go. . Chains of mine have lasted 10,000 miles using this method and redued wear on chain rings and cassets which got me through the supply issues ovr the past 2 years. You need to commit to this method for it to be cost effective, as Russ has pointed out, but the benefits are real but to get the full benefit of wax the chain needs to be properly completely cleaned with the removal of the factory grease so wax can adhear to the metal.
Even that is not hard. The pros far outweigh the cons.
10k miles? Damn now that's a lot! No chain stretch either?
@@RealMTBAddict i had a shade more than 0,5% stretch over the time span
@@davidhall5015 Nice! Been using Squirt for a while but noticing lots of chain wear. About .5% after 400 miles, unacceptable. So now I have 2 new chains freshly waxed with Speedmaster wax. Hopefully it makes the chain last longer.
@@RealMTBAddict The key to chain waxing is the cleaning step. It can't be stated more importantly. The better the removal of oil/grease before waxing , the longer the wax will stick. If after waxing you can remove the wax from the chain in solid pieces by rubbing your finger over the chain, it was not cleaned properly. The wax should more or less melt from your finger rubbing over it and leave a film-like appearance. I use parafin wax bought from the grocery sore and add nothing else. I brand that i use is Gulf Wax, just a few $ for a 1 lbs box.
Pedantic note: 11/12 speed chains should be replaced at 0.5%, 10 and fewer speed chains should be replaced at 0.75%. Three point chain chain checkers are preferred to accurately measure chain growth on 11/12 speed chains, as roller wear can throw off the readings and cause premature wear indication when using a 2 point chain checker.
Well presented standard chain wear and checking points! That being said, I have two comments: 1) From personal experience, I find my 12-speed SRAM Eagle drive train to start running a bit rough and noisy slightly before the chain reaches 0.5. 2) As a mechanic at a high volume bicycle shop, I measure somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen chains a day for wear. Of those chains, one or two of them are typically 11 or 12 speed. For about a year now I've been measuring all the 11 and 12 speed chains with both two and three point chain checking tools to specifically address the issue you raise above. I have yet to note any differences between the measurements of my favorite two and three point tools. BUT, the little blue articulating Park chain wear tool that Russ likes to show (CC-2) gives me all kinds of false readings compared to the fixed length tools like the CC-3.2 and the CC-4.
@RollinRat I'd be curious how measuring pins compares to ridgid chain checkers that measure the space between rollers. I haven't done those comparisons because the chain checkers are so much faster and I've never made the time. It's supposed to matter, but then, so is the difference between 2 and 3 point checkers for which I have yet to find a difference and I have compared them extensively.
Russ, you could do a chain-checking demo. Nelson Sherry, why do you think the tool Russ uses has issues? I have one like it and admit I do not trust it. New chains sometimes read oddly, reporting that they are worn right out of the box. Time to get a CC-4?
@@cccorlew You nailed it exactly. Also, as they age or get abused in a heavy use shop setting they are even worse. And, the CC-3.2 alternative works so reliably, by contrast, costs less than half as much, might weigh less, doesn't wear out in my experience, and doesn't require me putting my glasses on to bend down and read it. There are a small handful of tools I find worse than no tool at all. This is one because it's a measuring tool that doesn't measure reliably, an elegant idea and good looking tool that fails.
@@cccorlew I think Russ should come up to Anchorage Alaska and work a few days with me at the shop measuring all the chains that come through, then head down the Kenai on a bikepacking trip and do some of the most amazing fishing found anywhere in the world. 😁
Clean it with alcohol and a brush before adding the cold drip wax. On multiday rides i've brought a smaller bottle of drip wax, a little spray bottle of alcohol, and a toothbrush. This kit served me well for trail-side chain maintenance on a dirty 500 mile route.
an e- muntain bike chain does not even last that long!
@@yetti423 i highly doubt that an emountain bike chain lasts less than 500 miles. Any chain should give you thousands of miles. Dylon Morton the wax master, claims ppl can get like 20k miles from a quality hot wax chain.
Tip: When you take the chain off the bike, join the the ends up again with the quick-link before putting it into the wax. If you don't, getting the link hooked up again afterwards can be a royal pain.
This might be the best comment I've seen this year. I have been wasting my life struggling to re-link waxed chains! 😂
@@woutervanderdoes5163 you can also try just heating the quick link with a hair dryer just before you want to reconnect. It’ll re-melt the wax around those parts and let them come together much more easily.
@@woutervanderdoes5163 Thanks!
@@Plastonick I tried the heat method but you have to be deft and/or risk burnt fingers. Maybe I shouldn't have used a heat gun...
Just don’t wax the quick link. And it should go on easily right?
I started waxing my chain after your last video. I use the two chain method, waxing both chains and then swapping them out at around 300km which for me is about once a week. I have done 3,000km so far on the two chains, with my measure tool showing no sign of stretch. Previously I was getting 1,000km a chain and having to replace the cassette as well. I ride a 90's Shogun trailbreaker mountain bike with a Bafang 750w 36v motor. I am frequently dragging a Bob trailer with 10kg+ of load up a long steep hill to my home, so my drive train gets a serious workout. I don't add any lubrication to the chain between swaps, its wax only. They are KMC chains.
I am now at 5,000km with the chain stretch tool showing no measurable stretch
What kind or brand of wax do you use? 3k km is a lot!
@@LLF1234 I am using a PTFE+Paraffin combo I got on eBay, nothing fancy. I am now at 9,000km. There is some chain stretch but within limits.
THAT IS CRAZY, 9k km on a chain??? (Or even if it's half of that, 4500km on each chain!). Welp, I'm sold! I'll wax my chains now!
Shogun? Ha, nice to hear there's another one out on the road still. My wife is still riding her '89, and my parents' bikes are still working just fine.
I cracked my Prestige Shogun Prarie Breaker. Shame to see it fail. But I got that XT bike at a ridiculous close-out price so it was still totally worth it.
PS I'm finally on the wax bandwagon as well. Only took 51 years riding to switch!!!!
We are MTB riders, and my housemate started waxing his chain a few years ago, then got me started. Best tips: use an ultrasonic cleaner before waxing every time, buy one or more chains, so you always have a fresh one ready to throw on your bike. Yes, wet conditions (esp immersion in water) does remove wax and shorten lubed life, so change aftermgetting wet. The interim use liquid waxes can be good to add some wax back onto the chain, but having extra chains ready to go is even faster. Fortunately both my bike chains are only a couple links different in length, so I just made all 4 chains the same length so I always have a fresh chain ready to go.
The ultrasonic cleaner will deteriorate the finish on the chain ! Watch Oz Cycle on you tube !
Accurate assessment of the experience IMO. I wax the chain mostly because I don't get that black grease mark on my calf. The only hassle is the initial degrease per chain.
Lots of things to like about chain wax, but the cleanliness is definitely the thing I notice most day to day.
It seems you can buy pre-waxed chains so you can skip the initial degrease
"ROOKIE MARK!"
Oh the humanity!!
I first waxed because my toddler likes to touch the bike, and therefore the chain. I used beeswax because I had a bunch lying around. I love it. No need for PTFE, I put enough forever chemicals as it is, no need to add more for super marginal gains. The OZ cycle tip to wax two chains is great for saving time.
Is beeswax really that good I‘m curious
@@walum3411 Nothing to compare it to personally, it's the only wax I've tried.
Did you watch the whole video ? @ 3:35
I use an 8-to-1 mixture of pure paraffin to pure beeswax. I buy 4 lb. blocks of paraffin and cut them into 4 pieces (16 oz. each), and I buy 1 lb. blocks of pure, unscented beeswax and cut them into 8 chunks (2 oz. each). Drop one chunk of each into the slow cooker and you’re good to go. I get 3-4 applications per batch before throwing out the cooled block of wax and starting fresh. I’ve been doing this for 20+ years and get excellent life from my squeaky clean drivetrains.
My recipe is canning paraffin plus ZDDP oil additive (“STP” in the auto parts store). ZDDP is an old-school anti-wear additive that goes in engine oils for timing chain wear. I vary the amount of oil additive to suit how tacky I want the wax. It works great and is cheap.
Check zero friction cycling for indisputable evidence that immersive waxing is the clear winner for chain lubrication. I find significantly less than 0.5% wear on my ebike chain after 6000 km and that is using food grade paraffin without additives, very cheap. About 20 minutes to re wax.
David, how many km do you ride before rewaxing? Do you clean with boiling water before rewaxing?
@@paulc2953 G'day Paul, I re wax about every 200km, usually less because I have the interest and the time and the results are not in dispute. There is no doubt that if chain cleaning is done properly, waxing is easier, cheaper and faster than ploughing through all the muck associated with oil based lubricants. I do drop the chain in boiling water before immersion. I will ride today and will turn on the slow cooker before I leave. Adam Kerin(Zero Friction cycling) makes the point that you can't over wax i.e apply too often. I am going to stick with using food grade paraffin and apply more often, stay away from alternatives like candle wax, bees wax as Adam's testing has showed poorer results with those materials.
I give the chain a quick soak in boiling water before I do a wax reapplication. Removes some of the contaminants and keeps the wax in the pot cleaner for longer. Also I just use straight candle wax. Been doing it for 5 years now. Much cleaner and lower wear overall.
@rollinrat4850 I can understand your logic, but it bothers me that we freely submerge bikes coated with who knows what PFAS and/or "forever chemicals" in rivers and water sources without second thought. I was very discouraged that water quality folks are seeing these compounds show up in our "pristine" watersheds. Skiers recreating in wilderness areas with ski wax filled with complex, long-chain hydrocarbon compounds.
Sickens me to know ski wax makers added these knowing they'd be shed in wilderness areas.
So this makes wax with inert compounds like tungsten and molybdenum disulfide far better choices in today's chain waxes.
And according to ZFC, wax performs better than any wet lube in watery environments. I'm sure hoping this is the case so we can kiss the chemical soup chain lubes goodbye and good riddance!
@rollinrat4850 I appreciate your thoughts. And I couldn't agree more. We are an entrenched consumer product economy. I find so much hypocrisy within the supposed "progressive, liberal, environmentally-conscious" Bay Area crowd, that I think we're toast. How many liberals own second homes that are luxury Tahoe cabins? So they live in a $3M BA home and own a $1M cabin, but complain about homeless? A LOT! And they drive a $120k Tesla or Range Rover with the obligatory "Keep Tahoe Blue" sticker on the bumper. (You can't keep Tahoe blue while building more and more cabins in the basin. I actually saw this sticker on a construction worker's truck in Tahoe. I LMAO'd and then cried.) And when they renovate their 10-year old kitchen AGAIN, they hire a "green" contractor, so they're "saving the planet!" Nothing's greener than my 1942-era kitchen (that the wife hates)!
But back to chain waxing, yeah, I get your point. Not for the newb. I, too, taught bike maintenance at UC Berkeley. Despite a LOT of really smart students, staff and academics, you realize bandwidth is only so wide.
The REAL thing would be getting the IBD on board with waxing. Problem is, it's anathema to their business model. Why provide waxing service if it means FAR lower chain, cassette and chain ring sales numbers? Because as it appears to me now, today's waxes will prolong drive train life a LONG TIME! Not good when "moving units" is your mantra.
I'm offering chain prep & waxing for my clients. It's simply revolutionary IMO. I cannot believe I didn't give it a try 10, 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
A refreshingly sensible take Russ! Wax and lubricants are such a hard thing to talk about because, as you've found, there's STRONG opinions on the topic.
I just use paraffin wax and add nothing else, it works very well. I've been waxing dozens of chains for the past years for all kinds of bikes (and several friends), usually in batches of around 6-10, which takes less than two hours (assuming you already stripped the chains, which takes quite a bit longer). The increased lifetime of the entire drive train is worth it alone, but the cleanliness when touching the chain etc is a nice benefit.
same!
I did but have moved to mixing 50g of PTFE to 500g of food grade paraffin wax.
@@paulb9769 PTFE is not good for the environment though if you care about that.
@@johnlesoudeur3653 Neither is the Lithium and other toxic materials in your smart phone and the many other harmful thins you own and the harmful effects of their mining or manufacture. Don't be pedantic.
@@paulb9769 You are right, but it was not pedantic, a lot of people are not aware that it is not biodegradable and eventually enters the food chain. A few bike chain lubricant manufacturers have recognised this and are not including it in their products e.g. Green Oil.
I tried out waxing recently and have come to similar conclusions. For dry rides it's way cleaner than any other lubricants, and for wet rides it works fairly well too. The only time I had issues with some surface rusting was when doing a multi-day trip that ended up being wet for most of the time The rust easily wiped off with a rag and the chain was sparkly underneath, making it seem like it was rust from road debris and not necessarily the chain itself.
Are you using a nickel plated chain or the grey?
Hey Russ! I have been using Silca Super Secret for about 3k miles now with almost no measurable chain wear. Like you, I switched for the cleanliness and low drivetrain wear and not the marginal gains. I have one tip though: consider using Silca’s chain wipes. They are expensive (35 cents or so per wipe), but between applications I use the rough side to clean off my chain and then the soft side to wipe off any remaining dust on my bike every time I re-lube. One is enough. My hope is that this regular wiping of dust helps new applications (every 100 miles or so) adhere better to the metal. So far, especially in dry and dusty LA, this has been overwhelmingly less messy and time consuming than using a wet lube, aside from the initial degreasing process :)
Any feedback on noise level vs wet lube?
Try "baby wet wipes". Much cheaper. You can take a bunch out of the packaging and let them dry, that's even better for cleaning chains...
@@Dragos02almost zero noise.
Im on super secret as well. 2yrs, 15k...road bike.. flat terrain... and using the Pack Tools cc4 chain wear indicator, its still less than 0.5% wear... probably 0.2 to 0.3% now... crazy.. Im starting to doubt the wear indicator tool 😂 But I do have a problem with the wax gunk on pulley wheels and chainring...
worth noting that the Park Tool CC-2 chain checker can be very inaccurate! Working in shops, I've seen them measure brand new chains as worn out. With the moving parts on it, there is a lot of inaccuracy. A much more precise and accurate tool is Park Tool's CC-4 chain checker- it is a solid piece of metal and checks a larger section of chain, so it is more sensitive, accurate, and precise :) Happy riding
The rohloff chain checker has no moving parts.
Measure exactly 1 foot of chain from center of pin to center of pin with a tape measure ( chain must be taught ) if it's 12 inches and 1/16 then you are at exactly at .5% wear. To measure accurately start at the 1 inch mark and 1 foot will be at the 13 inch mark on the tape. Carpenters call this " cutting an inch " !
Waxing suits me fine. I would be lucky to get 2K miles when I used conventional lubes. I switched to wax and have over 7.5K miles on my chain and it's only now showing wear. 2 things, prior to rewaxing I clean my chain with boiling water. Then blow dry and "bake" the chain at 200 deg for 20 minutes before rewax dip.
I don't even bother drying it as I think the wax will displace the water.
@@paulb9769 doesnt work like that. water displaces liquid wax
@@vittocrazi Well if it is in the pot for a few hours it seems to work perfectly fine. The water will float. My chains have been better than ever.
Instead of a crockpot, I have two pots one filled with water, inside of that is the pot with the wax, the water gives me a stable temperature. It´s like a diy candle setup.
I believe it’s worth it. Wippermann links make it especially great
The key is to rotate 3 chains. So you can bulk wax them to reduce the admin
I use two chains but I can see 3 chains would be even better. I could fit 3 chains in my slow cooker and the wax would cover them.
3 chains is the way to go.
Hey Russ,
Something I figured out after waxing the past few years. When you take the hot chain out of the wax, don't hang it up to cool. Just reinstall HOT! and then just go through the gears a few times as it cools off and give the exterior of the chain a quick wipe. No need to try and break the wax free as is necessary when you just hang the chain to cool.
I have been waxing all my chains for several years now. I use paraffin wax with ptfe powder and do a full clean and rewax every 500 to 700 miles. I love how I no longer get chainring tattoos on my legs or greasy mess on my hands or cloths.
Same and it is quick and easy.
The solution to the tattoos is to get a real one in the same shape. Then you practically don't notice grease being there and it just ends up in your bed or pants. No problems, no worries.
skip the PTFE brotha, we already put out a ton of forever chemicals.
Thank you for poisoning our environment with toxic chemicals.
I like to work on my bikes, so for me it actually was fun to go wax.
Gotta love a clean drivetrain!
+1
No need for gloves anymore 🙂
I think it is quicker in the long run.
I'm using the Molten Speed Wax. I can get around 400 miles before I hear a squeak. Drive train always stays clean.
I'm a believer
400 road or off road miles?
I'm assuming road.
I got about 50 very dusty off road miles before I decided to rewax. Using my own mix, so it's probably lower performing than the top ones, but not by much.
If you hear a squeak you have gone too long !!
Because of your previous video about waxing, I decided to give it a try. I just mountain bike, and it worked really well at keeping everything way cleaner, especially when conditions were dry. But as soon as things got wet and muddy, I found the chain was basically left with no lube/protection by halfway through most rides.
Waxing is the way forward I live in the UK and have been waxing for 2 years the bike is soo much cleaner and equipment lasts much some surface rust in the winter but only superficial run 2 or 3 chains at a time
I've also started waxing this season. Initially just with Silica hot wax but I've also included Weldtite drip wax, as an on the trail top up and White Lightning as a flush clean / rewax for shorter rides when I know I need new lube butt don't have time to do a melt pot the day before. Bearing in mind I usually take about an hour to do a molten rewax and then another hour flexing the chain and getting most of the hardened excess from out the links.... So, not the purist approach but it seems to work very well for me. Always clean, quiet, easy shifting, hopefully low friction and pretty low maintance. I like it!
I live in Lincoln Nebraska and wax my chains for my most frequently ridden bikes and it's fantastic. I made my own wax blend, and generally rewax every 150-170 miles and have been tracking my mileage so I can see how many miles I get. I have 3 chains in rotation to spread the wear out, I'm hoping to have gotten a really long lifespan from my cassette once it's finally worn out.
You're right about water being the biggest hazard. My solution is, buy chains with a plating that minimizes the area that can rust. My gravel bike uses a KMC SL chain in their silver plating. I get some spots here and there, but even after days of riding the Cowboy Trail and leaving the bike outside through some rain in addition to the day and a half we rode through it, the chains were just fine despite pushing the 2 I rode to about 200 miles each.
If you can tolerate the process it's pretty fantastic in my experience so far. My buddy on the trail was jealous of how clean my drivetrain stayed the whole way. All I had to do was pull out the weeds and grass that got sucked up when we were riding off the beaten path. Or should I say path less pedaled.
If you really want good rust resistance go with the KMC Ecoproteq (EPT) series. I have been seriously impressed with those on our daily winter commuters (Duluth MN, so roads are heavily salted 6 months of the year).
I'm on my first waxing.
And I'm not going back.
Worked out a little system and I'm loving the result.
Timely. We are on the same page with the reduced chain / DT wear. Pedantic note: check your chaisn in multiple places, they don't wear uniformly.
As I'm commuting to work, on my bike and texting, and thinking about picking at technical details in Russ's videos, which I really appreciate, I just want to give a huge thanks to Russ for a fantastic and continued contribution to our cycling community! Your perspective are highly valued.
Huge yes on wax. Perfect for dusty old Tucsonistan. Initial degreasing with iso alcohol and regular application of the "squirt" brand drip wax after cleaning with a dry rag. Even had someone comment/ask how my cassette was so shiny. Rag for the chain and pipe cleaners for the cogs was my reply. Easy and very effective. Highly recommended
3 MILES TO WORK AND BACK 25 MILES ON WEEKENDS AND WAXED WITH JUST BEEZ WAX WITH NEW CHAIN 6 YEARS AGO. NEW CHAIN IS GOING ON NEXT MONTH. i DIG IT.. LOVE THE CHANNEL AND IM PIKIN UP WHAT UR PUTTIN DOWN.
Have you dropped any chains since you started waxing? One important difference to me is that I don't hesitate to grab a waxed chain with my fingers. Grabbing even a freshly cleaned and oiled chain will invariably get black fingertips that leave black marks everywhere. Not so with wax.
The bottom bracket area of any bike with an oiled chain is a constant black sticky mess that needs constant cleaning. That also went away with waxing.
Not surprised about the Silca drip lube. Getting all the solvent to evaporate is apparently one of the major challenges with wax drip lubes. I only use drip lubes on bike tours and bike holidays, otherwise I just wax. Also I think I've cleaned a waxed chain in boiling water once or twice, usually I just throw them in the wax pot and let the swishing in the wax clean the chain. Not good enough for a Tour de France rider but good enough for me.
Also, the PTFE, Tungsten disulfide and Molybdenum disulfide are just the icing on the cake. Good paraffin wax with less than 0.5 % oil is a pretty good lubricant in itself. But why have a cake without icing?
Welcome to the Waxers! I have two chains one on the bike and one ready to go.
I did the hotwax thing for a while but went back to using squirt. It seems to lube just as well in our dusty conditions, pretty much the same cleanliness level, and it also seems to go slightly longer intervals before the squeakiness starts, like it can remelt and redistribute itself in the ambient heat. Plus it's way easier/faster than removing the chain and doesn't wear out the quick links.
It’s not mutually exclusive. The liquid Silca applies just like Squirt but mates well with their full immersion wax.
Squirt has penetration issues. So it "feels" good but the reality is that it isn't. Zero Friction Cycling has showcased this. If you heat squirt and then apply it you can negate MOST of the penetration issues. But the fact is it still isn't as good as wax. Silca Secret was wore through 0.3% of its wear tolerance in a 1000km test vs well over 20% for squirt.
I have already bought the Silca wax and their wax lube. I’ve used the wax lube so far and I have to say it’s a noticeable difference. I’m procrastinating doing the full immersion wax process with my crock pot but I honestly think it will be worth the effort. I already bought a new chain for this endeavor. As for Silca, I completely agree that they have the best products that have been developed by experienced staff with applied cycling mechanical knowledge.
Thanks for posting your updates and hopefully motivate me to hang out in my garage and get this done. I think it will make a difference for my upcoming return to the Philippines and cycling in those conditions.
It's wet season here in the Philippines now. Very sunny hot in the morning, then suddenly thunderstorms growl at midday or afternoon, then the hard rain pours!
@@yengsabio5315 yep, I’ve been caught in those sudden showers that you have to just seek shelter
@@stiffjalopy4189 great advice.
Waxing chains is the best. I like how if I have a chain issue my hands don’t get greasy dirty. It’s amazing how clean the chain stays for so long. I wax just pelleted paraffin on a hot plate after cleaning the chain using citrus degreaser then alcohol to get the citrus residue off. I have 2 chains in a rotation cleaning waxing both at once. Tungsten Disulfide and PTFE powders aren’t that expensive if you make a bunch of wax. It’s like 5x cheaper than those products.
An ultrasonic cleaner makes the cleaning side fast and easy. I love not having sand and dirt sticking to my chain.
I just clean and re-lube my chain every 1-2 weeks. Once it's a habit, and you automatically factor in a couple extra minutes after your weekend ride, it's pretty easy to get 3,000 miles out of a chain. I've had a cheap aluminum Sunrace 11-46 cassette for the last 4 years, and it has basically zero signs of wear
ive been waxing my chains for about 2 years ,i get approximatly 1,000 kilometres per wax on road, i clean my chains with an ultrasonic cleaner before each wax
Super clean and super quiet drive train. Works really well on e-bikes too. Glad I changed. I live in N Florida and extreme sandy environment and no more oil-based sludge.
Wax lube is the best. I used to wax my chain and make my own wax-based chain lube. Very inexpensive to do and keeps your chain dirt free and lasts three times longer than any oil you got. Definitely worth doing.
But all that changed for me a few years ago when I found: Super Slick Slick Stuff. The wax lube is actually a little better than SSSS--but--SSSS is darn good stuff just the same! PLUS SSSS can be used for ALL other cleaning and/or lube jobs on the bicycle. Thus, where I used to require wax for my chains AND a petrol-based lubricant to care for my bikes, I now need only one product for EVERYTHING.
Super Slick Slick Stuff is not a petroleum product.
I was doing it for a while.. went deep in the rabbit hole with Teflon powder... But after a few months got really bored of doing it over n over.... Now I have the belt driven bike with 650b tyres and hydraulic disc.. best decision in my case... Haven't even pumped tyres since April....
Be VERY careful of that chain checker!!! The pins can bend quite easily, causing it to deem all chains more worn than they are. Mine caused me to tell an unknown number of customers that their chain was gone, some were even told to replace sprockets/cassette due to how worn this tool said things were. Upon realizing that it had become severely inaccurate I invested in the digital KMC gauge, which I love but was not cheap. For folks not working as a mechanic in a bike shop, I recommend sticking with a simple & inexpensive go/no-go gauge as they are far less likely to rapidly devolve into secret inaccuracy!!!
Or just use a ruler or tape measure. Measure a 12" length, pin center or edge to pin center or edge.
Once "stretch" exceeds 1/16", replace.
(Measure on the bike and put the chain under load if you want to be CERTAIN you're measuring all the elongation.)
SO MUCH EASIER!
"Breaking all the links" sounds a lot like the pleasure of popping packing bubbles :D
1) Agreed! 2) It is!
Doesn't make any sound really.
I've been waxing my chains for three years now and find it quicker, cleaner and easier than messing with dirty lubed chains. They last longer and save money in the long run. I love the Silca hot wax, just bought a cheap food storage container from Safeway, dropped it in a slightly larger saucepan to melt it.
Cleaning the factory grease off a new chain can take a while but adding a Silca Strip Chip to the melted wax solves that. Monthly requiring takes about `0 minutes of work. Open the quick link, run under hot water, one minute light tugging and drop in the wax. Manipulate the chain links and remount.
I do it while prepping my evening meal so no extra time is needed to melt the wax of for it to immerse. Longer drivetrain life offsets the cost of set up and clean, quiet chains are the norm.
In my quest to avoid any weekly bike maintenance I now ride a Dutch style bike with hub mounted brakes, gears and concealed drive chain.
I am now the slowest rider on my daily commute.
I had to put a larger sprocket on the rear wheel because this thing is so heavy and I struggled going uphill.
On the plus side the suspension and larger tyres make for a smooth ride and all I have to do is wipe the bike frame down every so often.
Get a internal gear hub bike with a more aggressive geometry and belt drive! You’ll be faster! An example of a company is Lekker.
Way back when all the stuff that you ( and me ) like was new, i waxed my chain and kept everything clean. I was definetly not the fastest racer, but i never had a technical problem with my bike(s). I still have a UCI licence.....but as a mechanic.🤭
If you're looking for longer chain life, the chain itself can be a big factor. The SRAM X01 and XX1 (if you like the fancy colors) 12-speed Eagle chains last a shockingly long time and should work on most drivetrains (not HG+ and technically works on AXS road but the flat-top chains with the larger rollers last just as long and are the matching chains for those drivetrains).
0 hi hi
+1 for this, I now use an XX1 Eagle chain on my 1x10 everything bike, it's outlasting Wipperman and is wonderfully quiet and easy shifting
messenger here, spending more on a chain gets about 1 to 2 months longer life. about 1000 to 2000km extra. most chains last me 5 to 6 months at about 1000km per month.
i run a wet lube 9spd set up.,with an "if it aint broke dont fix it" maintenance routine. the one day you ride it dry it will do more harm then a month of lubed riding. i also never wipe my chain, it just pushed the dirt back INTO the chain, i just add more thick oil (finish green if you are not sure what to use) and let it fall off, it get dirty but only up to a point after the first few days and after that it just stays the same. (if and only if you ride in the rain)
despite what they say, more lube is good lube. dont worry about the grinding paste argument too much, the oil dry and pushes off to the sides leaving the bearing surfaces clean. but dry metal on metal it worse then a bit of greasy dirt. dont forget the idea of grinding past is using a super hard fine structure, gavel and dust is not suuuuuper hard, and wont really mess stuff up too bad, because it gets pushed out of the way.
Yes. I recently tried SRAM on my Shimano drivetrain and, 3000k in, it shows hardly any wear. I also swapped because Shimano uses PFTE as a coating...
When O-ring chains weren't available there was a recommendation from an article in Cycle World to wax your Moto's chain but with a slight twist of mixing 1/5th the volume of the wax in axle grease. This was about 1970-ish.
I wax multiple chains myself and see very little to no measurable wear. I love that don't need to worry about multiple family bikes that are not ridden as often as my main bikes, having chain lube "updated", as the life of the wax once applied is very, very long.
Not worrying about my 5yo or wife ruining clothers or risking a mess with greasy residues, is also a big benefit.
I tend to prefer the full imersion method, with the silca "drip lube" bottle only used when I am doing one of my regulars and i did not have time to warm up the wax: as soon as i have to do multiple bikes, the hassle is actually more with the drip/wet method, as it will drip and make some of a mess anyways. I just bike the bullet and go trough hot-waxing 2-3 bikes at once.
I reuse my links, even the 11s and 12s ones that you are not "really" supposed to. YMMV.
Yes, I am in a super dry environment (SoCal) so YMMV.
I use plain old degreaser (Purple Power) to clean the chain (I have an ultrasonic I run it through now, but started with just shaking an old milk jug). Then plain old cheap paraffin wax in one of my wife's old crockpots (set to low, just enough to melt the wax). I soak the chain in it for about a 1/2 hour, moving it around a couple times to get it soaked in super good. Then hang the chain overnight to drip then dry. Been doing this for several years now, have not had one single issue/complaint. I don't want to go back; it's just as easy to set up (roughly the same amount of time if you're doing the traditional lube route right), less maintenance, and WAAAAAYYY cleaner to the touch, storage, hauling, less dust/gravel pickup, etc.
I love chain waxing. I made a blend of paraffin and PTFE powder. I re-wax every 200 miles. I've been keeping records on chain wear and have 5K miles on my current chain! The waxed chain is used on my road bike exclusively. After I apply the wax, when the chain is still hot, I wipe it down. This prevents most of the flaky mess and the only part of the chain that truly needs the lube is the inner parts with the pins and rollers.
Do you get corrosion/rust on the outer parts after you wipe the wax away?
@@megamoths No. I don't ride in wet conditions.
I've had mixed results since not all wax or chains are the same.
My best results have been on the cheapest chains without any added coatings and super cleaning them before initial waxing.
Paraffin or food grade wax only.
In dry road conditions lube is good for 300 K's. Dry dusty trails, 100K's. Wet weather or wed muddy is a poor choice as dedicated wet lube is better.
Not a good choice for touring.
Good info right here. Even temperature variations render some waxes unsuitable (too brittle) for use as chain lubrication.
Food grade is the way and it is not much more expensive.
Awesome video Russ!!!Here's some things that I've learnt from my waxing journey with an emtb,11 and 12 speeds change at .50 wear 10 speeds and lower change at .75,I used the same chain checker as you cc-2 from park tool then I meet a canadian youtuber "lovemtb"who told me the cc-2 readings are very conservative and to get the cc-4 park tool so I did and wow the cc-2 on my old chains read .50 the cc-4 showed still brand new readings no wonder I've never wore out a cassette lol...Mid drive ebikes eat chains fast I used to use muk off wet and dry lubes and would get about 800 kms to a chain and would spend half an hour cleaning drive train every 60 kms now using silca hot wax on new chain and a top up every 100kms with silca ss drip and rewax every 1000 kms with only 15 min cleaning sessions I save hours of cleaning time on the life of a chain!!! and i'm getting over 1400kms on a chains life which is way better then 800kms...I recently started watching Adam at zero friction cycles(the guro of bike drive trains)and found his recommendations on chain life and switched from 12 speed ebike kmc chains to shimano xtr chains(I am running shimano drive train)and went from 1400kms on kmc to 2100kms on xtr wow another huge leap!!!Another tip I got from Josh at silca videos is when you top up with the ss drip while its still wet cycle through all your gears and coat the cassette too...Sorry for the long winded reply Russ lol
If the live time of your chain is only 2100 km, I stay with Lub oil for my wife's ebike (10 speed deore). She has 14000 km still on the first chain. If I need to buy 7 new chains with WAX (which is more expensive) to get 14000 km, no need complicate things.
@@TheVorst I would bet that your wifes e-bike is a hub drive motor with a throttle?Mid drive motors have the pedal cranks coming out of the motor, and all your power plus the motors power go through the chain.
Oz Cycle: melted paraffin, PTFE powder, and a Wipperman chain link work for me. All diy and less $$ than commercial stuff. Oz Cycling carefully describes the process including correctly cleaning a new chain, waxing and cleaning a chain. Also, how to make diy chain lube for road use. Why do I do this? Chains last longer, less wear on cassette and chainring, and no expensive commercial products to buy. ... Apparently, I'm a member of the "ChainwaxMafia" according to Rides of Japan.
Just started waxing this year according to Oz Cycles instructions, it does make a significant difference. Got PTFE on Aliexpress and paraffin with less than 0.5% oil at a local store.
Why does Russ keep deleting any mention of Oz Cycles’ brutal murder of his neighbors’ dog? Be mindful of who you give views to.
@@RO8YO is there any truth or evidence to that claim?
@@josephfarrugia2350 I’m guessing PLP has set the auto mod to delete comments with links to root out spam. His name is Steven Leffanue and he’s serving 18 months for what one officer called the worst case of abuse he’d seen. The story can be found on ABC Australia’s site and other sources. There has been a number of discussions on social media the last couple days bringing this to light.
Isn't that the guy who recommends using gasoline for chain cleaning?
This is beyond irresponsible. The fire danger alone makes gasoline a stupid choice. And then there's the hydrocarbon and VOC exposure through absorption and inhalation.
Pick better solvents and skip the gasoline.
The issue is having to re-wax after a tiny puddle or stream on the road. Not that much effort in itself, but a squeaky chain a few miles into a big ride usually makes me feel homicidal. Which basically means you need a second bike with wet lube that you run a full degrease on every 2-3 rides. Tempting given I'm getting a new bike in a couple weeks, but still seems like a massive pain compared to the results I've seen people claim from just a deep degrease of a new chain and then wax-based lube.
After two years of using wax chain lubricant, I'm an advocate of it! I use a $15 crock pot and do full-immersion wax treatment every 150 miles. Oddly I don't mind the process. It's clean, and I can remove and install chains inside (air conditioning). My first chain got 5,000 miles before it hit 0.5% wear.
Every 150 miles! Good lord. That’s every 5 or 6 days for me.
@@Timmeh2Buck me too. Oddly I don't mind. I guess that's how much I hated cleaning chains outside in the heat with degreaser and always getting chain grease all over my hands when changing a flat.
Were the 5,000 miles road, off road or a combination?
Either way, that's impressive. However, full immersion every 150 miles is much more frequent than the average immersion wax application.
@@dudeonbike800 my 5000 miles were all on road in dry conditions. If I got caught in rain I'd let the chain dry then wax it again.
I got my crock-pot of facebook for free. I will not use anything else.
Use quick links, I remove the chain, wash it in petrol (what I have) twice. Rotate 3 chains, soak in motor oil with additional friction and cliing additives, between changes. Rotate chains every 500 km, more for wet/dirt riding. 3 chains are much lower cost than crank sets and cassettes. Worn chains wear cogs and chain wheels. Been doing this with either wax or oil now for over 40 years. By the time 3 chains are worn so has the cassette. Chain wheels may last a second set of three chains. Third chain set over 160,000 km.
I rate it!
However, in wet, dirty conditions it does need to be reapplied quite often.
Living in Australia, I don't have too much trouble with high moisture levels, so it works for me!
The only reason I used to clean my bike was cause of the drivetrain. No more! It's always clean due to the wax.
have 500 mi on mt MTB with waxed chain, don't add anything. Will give it a wax bath this winter when not in use.
I found that starting off with a new chain is best, my fat bikes that I ride on the beach didn't take well to the wax after cleaning, just to pitted from salt water. Installed new drivetrain and chain on my other fat bike and will see how it handles the salt water, I don't drive in it but sand does kick up on the chain.
I love the Elmers glue reference and can totally relate!!
One of my six bikes has a belt drive. That bike gets ridden more regularly than any of my other bikes because it is specatcularly wet in Sydney and because chain maintenance is arse, imo.
If you do not race the belt drive is perfect
Add another chain to this formula, and extend life farther ofcogs/rings, and wax less often; you're doing them same time. Thanks always Russ, love PLP !!!
THAT is pretty freakin' smart!
There is the DW40 drive spray now, it is a type of drive lube, I think it works like wax, all you have to do is spray on the chain and you are done. It saves you a lot of time.
I use the DW40 drive lube product everywhere in my house and it works, in places like heavy sliding doors, garage doors, room, and front door hinges, it works very well and you don't have to worry about stick oil, color change...
It is definitely not like wax.
@@PathLessPedaledTV I don’t thing it need to be wax, as long as it give all the benefits.
only tip i can add, that has not been mentioned yet in the comments as far as i can tell, is to put some extra parafin oil in your waxmix for winter, if you live - like me - in an area where winter mostly means cold+wet. The oil WILL bind a bit more dirt (not much though), but it will also make the chain better suited for wet conditions.
That said, if your waxed chain gets REALLY soaked, rotate it for an fresh one right after the ride and dry it or you will have a good czhance of getting some rust. If you get rust btw - vinegar essence works wonder.
And for people who - again like me - dont want to buy a slow cooker just for waxing bikechains - a simple, cheap steel pot with a lid will do fine and you can do it on your kitchen stove while you are at home. Just keep the heat LOW all the time - specially when you added teflon powder.
I think Russ's new chain wax system would be very satisfying to use, actually seeing how clean your chain and drive train can become and remain after multiple rides. I'm a bit on the lazy side, however, and have found that using Muc-Off Bio Dry Lube works very well for me, keeps my chain pretty darn clean, and requires me to clean my chain with my Finish Line chain cleaner every 3 road rides (150 miles) and reapply after each ride (50 miles). I may, however, switch over to Russ's new chain waxing system to see how well it works for me. Thanks, Russ.
New? I've been waxing my chains for almost 50 years, and I learned the method from a senior rider. I'm most surprised that this has appeared as somthing new.
Super secret comes in larger tubs too. I immerse the chain in that then let it hang and dry. It hardens similar to the full wax treatment.
Started waxing about 1995. Nice to see people catching up! Back then, waxed 5 chains at a time. More efficient.
So how's your chain life experience?
What mileage do you get and under what riding conditions? Wet, dry, road, mountain?
Sure wish I had made the change back then too! Oh well, some of us are slow learners!!!
I did the slow hybrid wet -> dry-ish. After I did a normal chain wash I used a wax lube (starts as liquid dries hard). Eventually the only lube on it is the wax and it has that keeps cleaner. I did find I need to apply the wet wax more often though to keep the performance smooth and clean.
I was about to give immersion wax a try for a tandem tour in France but decided against it last minute. It's never a good idea to make a big change before a big ride, so I shelved the idea. Once the group of about 20 had done four or five days, I noticed one rider had a PRISTINE chain. So I walked over and said to him, "You're using chain wax, aren't you?!" He sure was! Dang, now I'm kinda wishing I had made the switch. Oh well!
Wet performance is my main question. I read the summary of another tandem rider who used wax in the rain and the chain squeaked immediately. That wasn't a very positive data point. But I don't know which wax he was using, so there's that.
I got a year and a quarter and 1,100 miles out of my SLX chain on my Ibis Ripley using Rock N Roll Extreme after every ride.
Curious to know how I'd do with wax. Will probably take the plunge soon.
Most hard (immersion) waxes will be outperformed by wetlubes in wet weather. Wax is the ultimate dry lube for dry weather. Bear in mind there are wax BASED lubes that are a sort of compromise between both.
@@KarlosEPM according to ZFC, this isn't true. I cannot say either way, but I can appreciate ZFC's assertion. I have just come to really understand the downsides of wet lubes and how they create and maintain active "abrasive paste" within the rollers. Wet or dry riding conditions, the grinding paste is going to be in there. Wax acts as a barrier and simply does not attract dirt, nor does it introduce it into the rollers & pins.
But I honestly cannot comment on its efficacy at the moment. Switched to wax 1 month ago. Dry weather for months still, so I won't get the opportunity to see it in action until this fall.
I just returned from a 2-week tandem ride in Slovenia where we encountered two days of rain. Hours of wet rain riding.
After two weeks, I never even TOUCHED my chains (main & timing). This would be UNHEARD OF using any other wet (or drip-on dry like White Lightening) lube.
I admit, my chain definitely sounds louder than it did fresh and prior to the wet riding. But it's still running well and not squeaking. And although I was tempted to apply drip-on wax I brought along on the trip, I decided against it for experiment's sake.
I will definitely re-immerse my chains now that I'm home and back to typical dry California riding conditions.
But so far, it's looking pretty good.
Something overlooked is the after ride cleaning your bike. Drive train cleaning is considerably faster and easier. Wipe down with a dry rag is all I need.
Not sure why ppl think waxing is more time consuming than a classical lube. To clean the chain and the whole system after couple hundred kms u need to spend a lot of time cleaning the dereliour, front/ rear gears etc. Not to mention its super messy. Thorough cleaning of a lubbed chain is a timeconsuming mundane task. Forget the cleaning boxes - theyre a scan, worthless waste of time and money. Go wax.
One thing to try is put your drip wax lube in a park chain cleaner then run the chain thru it to coat it then wipe it down...pour the drip lube into a separate bottle to reuse.
I've been waxing my road bike and single speed chains for a few years now - nothing fancy, just plain, cheapest tea lights melted down - when I was riding it daily (something I hope to be doing again very soon), I'd re-wax it every 4-6 weeks or so depending on how soon it started squeaking 😊
Wax is grey because when you rewax it you usually dont clean it like the first time, and some dirt remains. When rewaxing it goes into the wax and contaminates it. I am using parafin wax and ptfe and this happens. So this grey color helps to hide the impurities, but they do exist, you cant clean it perfectly (if you value your tike that is)
I've been hot-waxing my chains for years and it approx. doubles chain life.... and reduces cassette wear so much that I'm able to simply just replace my chains once they reach somewhere in between 0.5 & 0.75% wear. All my bikes run waxed chains - Road (summer & winter), mtb & gravel and I normally buy two or three chains per bike.. which means that I always have a freshly waxed chain on hand... as long as I remember to re-wax. I ride all my bikes throughout the whole year, and commute to & from work every day (50 miles), so I usually clean and re-wax chains once a week. If I should, for some reason not have a waxed chain handy I usually just apply some home made liquid wax (made with IPA)
I am super interested in trying this. However, I am probably an anomaly in the audience here. We are a multi bike family , but these are all older bikes . I have one primary bike (an ‘85 Stumpjumper) and i am embarrassed to share that the drivetrain is 20+ years old. This seems like a wasted endeavor for my Stumpy until I change up the entire drivetrain. Am I correct in this thinking? My list of priorities is to upgrade my packing system and gear on Stumpy for gravel rides and multi terrain touring , 2) when I am able to build up a more appropriate , lighter touring frame with new wheels and drivetrain.. that would be the moment to start waxing. 3) Decide at that point whether upgrading Stumpy’s drivetrain was the priority, or decide whether another type of bike purchase was more compelling. What’s my point? I feel like having the means to invest in a sparky drivetrain for any of your bikes becomes the built in excuse to preserve your new drivetrain in this method. But if everyone in the family is on a nice well tuned older bike… this kind of experiment possibly reaps less benefit (aside from cleanliness) with that already worn drivetrain. Is my logic faulty?
I love waxing mine. I keep a spare chain when touring. I also make my own alcohol, PFE, and candle wax portable drip bottle.
You do NOT need to fuss with the stiff chain; just wrap it through from the underside, front ring to the back, then connect your quick link oriented correctly, on the lower side. Just slowly start to ride, to assure the link is fully set, then after fifty feet, shift a couple times and the stiffness will be gone. Some wax based lubes are compatible, and can extend the interval before need to clean and rewax, but fancy expensive additives really add little to the basic benefit of the paraffin that can be bought in the canning supplies at a supermarket. One box will last for years unless you're a 20k mile a year fanatic.
Tests done several years ago, when the renewed interest in waxing was coming back from the early days of cycling, showed a very significant benefit in both lower friction and longer lasting protection and lubrication; since then many have touted additives that claim to further improve things, yet the diminishing returns against cost really make the basic wax DIY to be the most practical method. But if you have money to squander, like most bikies, sure, go for the Dom Perignon magic wax formulas, and convince yourself that you can feel that 0.5 watt benefit, versus taking five pounds off your waist.
I use regular candle wax and tin can on the top of camping stove. I'm not a sportsman or not even close to but for my purposes chain waxing is the best option. My only ask for chain is to be clean and i get my goal with just a candles. Cheap, easy, clean and fast way for me
I'm using my home brew with PTFE. I'm getting 700 miles between lube on one bike. I attribute the long mileage to starting with a new squeaky clean chain. Other bikes not so high mileage but longer than wet oil lubes. The extended lube intervals and clean drive train are worth the initial extra work.
I just finished waxing three chains today. I went to silka route also. I got a very small crock pot from Walmart for about 12 bucks. I think the number one surprised. The biggest surprise and what I will warn people about the most is it is unbelievable how difficult it is to get the factory grease off of the chain initially. No degreaser will do it. Believe me, I tried everything under the sun. I've since bought some of the ceramicspeed degreaser but I cannot give a report cuz I have not tried it yet. You need to get five or six containers that you can close that are shallow to put the chain and cleaners in. Best of it closes so you can shake it. You'll have three containers of turpentine and at least two containers for the alcohol. Turpentine I was able to get at Walmart but in my city of over a million people there was only one store that had pure denatured alcohol. That might also be a difficult thing to find for you. Personally I don't enjoy breaking the wax off the chain. Yes you can do it one week at a time but it's true putting it over a towel or a small piece of PVC pipe makes it go much much faster. I'll be doing it again since I have all the equipment., But I don't know if I would recommend someone to start out doing it. What I would say to do would be to watch this channel, find out how much benefit there really is and then decide if it's worth it to you. I want to do it because of the cleanliness and I really need my equipment to go as long as possible since I live on a very very small social security check. Whichever you decide to do, good luck!
Petrol will get that factory gunk off pretty easily or white spirits, i work in a machine shop and with a little agitation white spirits even removes old caked grease . Degreaser with HOT water also melts through the factory lube
I switched all our family’s bikes last year, and have loved it.
I never could get my chain completely clean before, and it took forever.
Add the decreased component wear and friction losses, and it’s an easy win for me.
I heard people complain about the wet performance but have not experienced it myself. In winter, we ride our fatbikes on the road for commuting, so lots of salt and slush there.
I just re-wax the chains every few weeks, and have not noticed any problems with premature wear of wax in those wet conditions.
Waxing is so good once you commit to it! The wax eventually turns grey in the pot, but works fine! I add PTFE to my wax.
I run three bikes, and all of them had just over 0.5% wear after 4,500km….
I used to live in a very cold location and they would put lots of salt and sand on the road. I used just regular household paraffin for lube and had no rust issue.
I tried waxing once but wasnt a big fan of it. I don't like the dryer feeling on the drivetrain and it makes me feel like the friction is gonna cause more damage than an oiled chain with a bit of grit. Wet lube also makes the drivetrain noticeably smoother. To make things easier to clean, I just cycle between 2 chains. It makes chains last even longer since I'm splitting the wear between 2 of them and when one gets too dirty I could quickly remove it, clean the drive train, and swap the clean one in. Dirty one goes into degreaser, gets brushed, and is lubed and stored away
I used to wax my MTB chains back in the 90's. I had 7 chains and would wax on Parafin. Super cheap. I would ride each chain 2 or 3 rides then switch chains. This was in Colorado which is pretty dry. When all the new dry lubes started coming out I ditched the process. Interesting to see it coming back. Of course now they sell the special wax.
What's the next comeback? Oval rings? Oh wait...
Bar ends? Haha!
In my experience my waxed chains dont last longer then regular lubed chains. At the beginning of winter, i rode my lubed chain for 3500km. after that i have ridden with a waxed setup and the chain was worn after 3400km. additionally it was kinda annoying to dry my chain after every ride, as i am riding my bike as a bike messenger. so i had quite a lot of hassle with not letting the chain start to rust.
So after all for me its more work for then just lube the chain, but i like to look at my bike and it is always clean, no oily dirt on the drivetrain or something. reparing tubes or working on my bike is a way cleaner thing now. so i keep on waxing my chain
The downside of Silca’s wet top-off wax lube is drying time. It is water based and requires many hours to dry before riding, often longer than overnight, more like 24 hours. On a long ride (>>100 miles) or a multi day tour, that’s a deal-killer because it becomes impractical to refresh the lube. Between that and the generally low corrosion resistance of wax, I’ve switched back to oil-based lubes.
Wax has another downside because it doesn’t flow and rewet the metal surface. Without the ability to rewet, once the wax is displaced from the wear surface, it’s gone until it’s reapplied. The tungsten disulfide helps since it adheres to metal surfaces but the wax itself is scuffed off from the high-pressure contact points, right where you most need the lubrication.
I use MSpeedwax and, though I have 2 prewaxed and 100% cleaned chains at the ready, I find it very easy to wax my chain while watching the TV. As such, I don't have to simply swop chains which saves time.
But, I found a way to never have to lube or wax my drivetrain. Two of my bicycles use the Gates Belt Drive. Between that and those bicycle's internal drive hub transmissions, keeping them going is quite easy.
I tried waxing and it worked out pretty well initially, but it's not something I'll do again, mainly because the extra work doesn't justify the marginally better, temporary result. I just clean and lube my chain the standard way every week or so and I'm very careful to remove ALL the excess lube (and I do mean all), and my drivetrain is generally very clean most of the time.
We should probably emphasize this: no matter your lubrication method, wax, standard lube, olive oil, or something else, if you clean ALL the excess lube from the outside of your chain, your entire drivetrain will be very much cleaner and will last a whole lot longer than if you slather on the lube and let it collect dirt like a magnet until it forms a gritty, cassette-destroying paste. (I've never made this mistake myself, of course... 🤭)
Same. I've found using Muc-Off yellow dry lube works incredibly well and the ritual of putting it on every couple of rides is nice. Plus it gets me up close to the drive train and inspect it. while I'm doing it.
You say "ALL," but really? Do you use compressed air to remove the excess from the INSIDE of the chain plates too? I'm guessing you don't!
I, too, am pretty obsessive about my chains. They're DAMN clean.
But at the same time, I'm a big opponent of the ludicrous "soaking in solvents and then re-lubing (over and over and over again)" as well as the hokey solvent containers with spinney brush wheels and crap. Sorry, this is OVERKILL!
Five minutes riding off road and your chain's a mess. One minute in the rain. 10 seconds in the mud!!!!
Soap & water when the bike's a mess and then dry & relube as needed. No removal. No solvents. No silliness!
Chains are a consumable item.
But wax is apparently a winner in chain life and cleanliness, so I'm going to take the plunge. I'm in a dry climate, so it's perfect.
I did this back in the 80s for a season. I got sick of my chain squealing after a few rides and having to take it apart to re-soak every week. There is a reason nobody else uses wax for lube - motorcycles, heavy equipment, cars... whatever. The only place you see it is on skis and surf boards.
Thanks for the video! So... not sure if I missed anything here but there didn't seem to be any specific cleaning required for maintenance. You mention giving a wipe down after a wet or muddy ride, but that seemed to be it. Are you saying there is no need to do a clean before immersing in the wax again? I haven't moved to waxing because I, perhaps wrongly, thought it was adding another step every time I cleaned my chain. Obviously degreasers and solvents to remove dirty lube wouldn't be as necessary, but I thought there was still a need to give it a more intense clean than a wipe down before applying new wax. Please confirm, Potentially i've made significant errors in my Costs V benefits equation. 😂
You can just throw it in the wax, but you can also clean it (no more nasty degreasers required after the initial deep clean). I've done it for years... savings doesn't play a role in my decision. It's mostly cleanliness and extended drivetrain life what steers my choice. Ideal for dusty and sandy rides, not the best for very wet or humid environments.