Baby Puke

The wax we speak of is boiled (actually just melted, the stuff can be flammable if you get it too hot) paraffin, some folks like to add teflon or some other dry powder lube to the mix. Put a few blocks in a crock pot (I use an old rice cooker), drop your chain in for an hour or so, take it out, cool, put it on. Very clean.

I used White Lightning on my road bike years ago. The boiled way method is still much cleaner. Recommended!

queerpunk

Molten Speed Wax - Hot Melt Bicycle Chain Wax Lube By Molten Speed Wax

It comes as a bag of wax. You melt it in a slowcooker or ricecooker. You clean your chains. And then you dip your chains in the melted wax. Super clean.

Banchad

Awww maaan. I'm in the UK =/

Baby Puke

You don't need that fancy stuff. Just paraffin wax, usually available at hardware and grocery stores, used as canning supplies. Super cheap.

Banchad

This stuff?
1kg Pelleted Paraffin Wax - Easy Melt - Candle Making Applications: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

taras0000

Yup! And if you can find a cheap Rice Cooker, a la @VanceMac, a couple of more chains (three works great), then you're set. Get yuru rice cooker at a thrift store, that's what I did. COMPLETELY degrease your new chains before waxing. It's the grease that holds onto dirt. Clean your chain in degreaser with a brush, rinse, then let soak for an hour in a diluted degreaser solution before rinsing again. Do a final rinse in rubbing alcohol and your chain will be down to bare metal. Throw in the rice cooker with melted paraffin. Let sit an hour or so, letting the paraffin soak into all the little nooks and crannies. remove and let harden/dry. Store for when you next need a clean/swap.

Baby Puke

BTW I don't really clean them before re-waxing. Just wipe em down and throw em in the wax. Boom.

Banchad

Thanks mate. I'll be looking into giving this a go. I assume its suitable for roadbikes as well? Would I have to use regular grease/lube on the pivots in the derailleurs and jockey wheels?

SBUndefeated201

What type of shoes do Japanese Keirin riders use? I see that the toe cages/clips are on these NJS websites but wondered if the use clipless shoes with straps over.

taras0000

You can. You'll be rotating chains a lot faster due to road conditions being dirtier and just that you'll be putting on the miles faster. It's the movement of the chain that pushes out the wax. Each waxing has a finite life. The road brings it on faster. All good if you have quik-links on your road chains.

carleton

Clipless pedals are not allowed in JKA (NJS) Keirn racing. They use old school slotted cleats that mate with those NJS pedals.

taras0000

There are some modern versions of old school shoes that get used on the Keirin circuit. Some older used ones (Iijima, Duegi, Asics, Roiswin) can be found here (Search Results For "shoes" | 8pilgrim8). The Duegi Keirin were known for their wooden sole in times of Carbon, and the Duegi 7021 was popular as it had laces with a lace cover, popular with clips and straps.

Many riders are wearing the Exustar Keirin (204 track shoe) with a carbon sole. (Exustar Track Shoes 204 | Planet X)

taras0000

Many modern shoes can be adapted with three hole slotted cleats, or ones that make use of the same pattern.

(Bicycle Shoe Cleats for Toeclip Pedals $29.95 at Yellow Jersey
(Business Cycles: Shimano 7400 Pedals and PD-64 Cleats Pix
(Track frames and parts for Velodrome Racers)

carleton

What's the word on carbon stems for track sprinting?

I'm looking for a -10 or deeper 140mm stem to use with Scattos and the only thing I see are Zipp and Bontrager full carbon stems (expensive, too). Would these be appropriate for standing starts?

I've never used a full carbon stem before. Not sure what I'm getting into.

C

Huskey

https://fairwheelbikes.com/c/reviews...g/stem-review/
I found this study interesting when I was looking for a longer stem. I'd recommend the Thomson X4. The Pro Sprint and track Sprint look awesome but carbon seems a bit pointless when I comes to stems.

carleton

Thanks, Huskey! That was a great read for Sunday morning with coffee

It definitely cleared up a lot for me.

You say that carbon seems to be pointless, but the carbon Pro Vibe Sprint and Pro Vibe Track were the stiffest by a significant amount.

I agree that the Thomson X4 is a great stem. I have a few (110/10, 120/0, 130/10). They have been my reference stem for years. Customer service is top notch, too. They have a no-question-asked replacement policy. A teammate cracked a faceplate when improperly mating with Nitto B123 bars. They replaced it without receipt or questions.

I'm really surprised that the 3T ARX did so well. I have 2 of those (120/6, 140/6). I'm on the hunt for a 140/17. These are really easy to find at local shops here in the US. Easier to find than Thomson.

Another surprise is Far and Near. I'd never heard of this stem. It would win the stiffness/$ battle. Too bad they max out at 120mm.

dunderhi

If guys are sporting carbon bars, why not carbon stems? I went the other way I have a carbon stem with aluminum bars.

taras0000

Increase the total stiffness of the cockpit. If you're big, strong, heavy, and dealing with the G forces of a high banking, then it will improve power transfer and handling. For a low bank, or bumpy track, you might want some more give in the cockpit, especially for enduros.

Huskey

Yeah that was probably a bad way of phrasing it. Carbon isn't pointless, but when you consider the price and weight you might as well go alloy. The two pro stems were the stiffest but also the heaviest, just because they are over engineered doesn't mean it makes carbon better than alloy. I'm not sure if they mentioned it in the study or if I heard it somewhere else but they believe the diameter of the tubing used makes a bigger difference than thickness or material type.

I would mind seeing how strong you need a stem to be before it becomes pointless. I mean most people aren't putting out enough power to notice a difference anyway so it would only be track sprinters who really benefit from a stiffer stem.

Huskey

That Pro Sprint stem looks sweet though

SBUndefeated201

I bought a bike that came with Araya Gold tubular rims. I plan to use these on the track only. However, I hang my bike on two hooks by the wheels upside in the garage for storage. Will hanging the bike with the golds on damage them? I've been doing it with various wheels and didn't have damage but I hear the araya golds are not known for being the sturdiest.

Baby Puke

I run those rims, hanging won't damage them. However, be aware that they are very light rims, and mine need truing often after training sessions. If I was doing it again I'd just use Deep V's or something.

SBUndefeated201

Thanks for the info. I've heard that as well. they came laced to Dura Ace hubs to I figure I'll try them out.

dunderhi

My bike is only 30 grams over the UCI minimum weight, so the extra stem weight isn't an issue. Well technically the UCI weight limit isn't an issue for me, but it's an indicator that my bike is more than light enough. That said, I do agree that a big fat alloy stem should have similar stiffness. It's just carbon allows you to take design liberties that aren't easily achievable with alloy.

Thanks, I initially thought the stem along with stiff track bars would be overkill, but after some all out jumps - I like the setup. In comparison, the small diameter Ritchey carbon stem and carbon bars on my road bike feels like they are made of rubber.

carleton

Yeah, there is definitely a point of diminishing returns.

I'm a big guy and I can feel some parts flex (like my office chair, hahaha) but If I don't feel it flex, paying more for "stiffer" isn't going to make me faster. I've been happy with the few stems that I've used over the years:
- Thomson X4
- 3T ARX
- Some Bontrager 2-bolt 25.4 stems
All were around $50-$100

I've been careful to steer away from the "ultralight" stems as a precaution. And it was a non-starter for me to spend more money for an ultralight stem that probably shaved off material to make it so.