rbrides

Waxing the chain seems beneficial. But is it just hyped up by companies selling the materials?
If you have actual experience riding with a waxed chain I welcome your input.

Eric F 

Not hype... https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

I've been using the Silca Super Secret drip wax on my bikes. It started with just my gravel bike, but quickly became my standard for all my bikes. Other than being quieter and more efficient, the drivetrain stays cleaner, and so do things that bump into the chain. I can literally grab my chain with a bare hand without hesitation. I haven't jumped all in on the hot wax process...yet.

There are quite a few threads on this topic.

70sSanO

You’ll get a bunch of responses. A lot depends on the environment you ride.

I live in fair weather so I use a dry wax lube, not immersed, or traditional chain waxing.

I started using it on my mountain bikes and now on all my bikes. It doesn’t last as long but it seems cleaner and easy to use.

John

pdlamb

If we made this topic a FAQ, what would we talk about every other week?

FWIW, I'm a former chain waxer. I couldn't tell that it made my chains last longer, I couldn't tell that there was less friction or more drag while pedaling.

Waxing my chain left it cleaner in the week after I re-lubed it. I had to re-wax, in my environment, more frequently than with oil. After a light shower and a ride on wet roads, those two chains rusted within a few days. I persisted, and found that if I dropped everything else and re-waxed as soon as I got home, the rust did not happen as quickly on the next chains. But for me it was more trouble than it was worth.

Environment is everything, just like a man's shirt. Going to sell something to an IBM client? White or blue dress shirt, red tie, and navy blazer. Tie-dye shirts are better accepted at protest marches. Chain wax is acceptable as long as you ride in the dry, but for the rest of us, oils are better.

79pmooney

Another issue is - does the ritual and the equipment needed work for you (and possibly those who live with you). The possible need to do it on the chain's schedule, not yours? For me, no. Dribbling some oil on a dry chain before a ride is too easy. I get to be a space case, ride the bikes I want and have quiet chains. For others, that is a small price to pay for that clean chain. Each to their own.

zandoval 

Waxing good? Absolutely!

Last year I gave it a try so now Been there and Done that. Was it worth it? For me no. I ride Ravel roads. That is torn up asphalt, small gravel, chaliche, sticky dirt, and some times damp. For me to ride when its wet is now foolish.

What I found is that I did not pick up the dirt as quickly but I did pick it up. Considering the time I spent waxing my chain I found it not practical. If I was doing competition I would wax. If I was doing true road biking I would do it. Of Touring and Mountain biking I have unfortunately no experience.

If you have never done waxing of your chains then certainly give it a try.

For me when my chain starts looking a little dark I just liberally squirt ATF on my chain then wipe it off to get the dirt off. If I pick up heavy mud I take the hose to it then do the ATF. And yes I do have a box of unused, fancy, specialized, lubes that over the years I have wasted my money on. Ha.

Note: It would appear that modern day chains are not lasting as long as they used to. But thats another thread...

Aardwolf

I've been hot waxing for the last 2 years and I wouldn't go back to wet lube - I can grab the chain and there's nothing on my mits after.

But I only ride when it's dry and rewax about every 300 or 400 miles.
I'm still using my first £10 bag of wax so it's definitely cheap.

13ollocks

99.9% of chain waxers don't use Silca's $$$ secret wax (I did pull that number out of my arse, but I imagine most people would use plain old cheap wax rather than Silca's), so unless this is all a conspiracy by Big Canning Wax and Big Small Crockpot, I think people discover waxing through word of mouth. I've been waxing for a number of years - less concerned about drivetrain longevity but really enjoying clean chains.
$13 crockpot from Amazon, a pound of canning wax, replenished with unwanted scented candles, and I wax all three chains every ~1000 miles.

Ryan_M

Oh here we go...
<grabs popcorn>

soyabean

I want to buy an ebike.

Which ebike should I get and why?

Polaris OBark

Since this is an odd-numbered month, I am anti-wax.

If fact, all lube is pure hype. If you get a chain from (eg) Shimano, it is already coated with a teflon-like surface. You probably don't need to lube it ever, for the life of the chain. Ever notice how Shimano, SRAM, Crampy, etc don't sell chain lubes?

70sSanO

If I were in the business is selling chains, I would not be in the chain lube business.

John

mackgoo

I'm in and never going back. I have a little over 2600 miles on my daily driver. Much less on my vintage bikes. Check back in a year or two and I'll tell you how many miles I got out of the chain.

Barry2 

Buy one with a waxed chain !

Barry

soyabean

I heard if I get a gold colored chain, it'll make my ebike go faster.

Seems to work on my Honda with gold muffler tips.

veganbikes

There is nothing wrong with waxing and nothing wrong with proper cleaning and lubrication. Both are good and have their benefits and drawbacks. You have to choose for yourself. Give waxing a try. You can do it with some old candles and an old crock pot or you can get fancy with some of the fancier wax or mix up your own concoction. I don't personally wax my chains but I like the idea and had a mechanic who would do it and he was riding daily probably didn't ride maybe 10 days a year at max. Regular commuting and his bike ran well and quietly, no issues.

grumpus

OTOH they sell chains, but OTOH they sell user experience ...

70sSanO

I think it is more shareholder experience.

One share buy back for every chain sold.

John

cyccommute 

If you are paying $100 or more for a waxed chain, it’s hype. If you are paying $40 for a 1lb bag of wax, it is hype. If someone tells you that your chain will last 10 times longer than it will with oil, it is hype. If someone tells you that the chain has to be cleaned in a 47 set process because wax is incompatible with factory lubricant, it’s hype and it is flat out wrong.

Wax works. It is cleaner than oil. It’s a lot cleaner than oil if you clean the chain (simply) before waxing. Hot waxing is more complicated because of the removal and heating and dipping. Solvent wax is fairly simple and very similar to lubing with oil and is just as clean as hot waxing without all the falderal.

rosefarts

I got a block of paraffin for $10. I got a tub of PTFE for $12 I think.

I mixed 1/3 of that block and maybe half the PTFE in an empty jar of pickles. I heated it on the stove using a double burner. That took a while.

To clean a new chain, or old one, I use the same process. A bottle with Krud Cutter, a splash of Goo Gone, and top it with water. I cap the bottle and shake up the chain. I leave it for about 20 minutes then rinse it out with the sink.

Don’t try too hard to dry the chain. Just wipe off and shake off the excess water and drop it in the wax.

The most important part comes next, that’s carrying the jar of wax outside to remove the chain. Don’t do it over a wood deck either. You are going to drip.

Once dry and hard, it takes about 1 minute of pedaling to free the excess wax.

Im still experimenting but so far I like how clean it is on the bike. It’s time consuming but I have whole days with my kids where I can’t ride. They love projects like that

Kontact

Keep in mind the ritual is a bit overstated. You can hot wax a chain in 15 minutes using a small sauce pan without any prior cleaning. That is about 15 times longer than it takes to oil a chain, but it is still a relatively insignificant amount of time unless you can't remember until the last minute to lube your chain.

I wax because the chain AND the process are so clean. No drips, no dirty rags, no waste.

Biker Pete 

I have absolutely no idea about the longevity issue, and honestly, I don’t care as the cost of a chain is is small. But my waxed chains run very smoothly, silently, and the is no black mess. Yes, that’s right, no black mess. Count me in as a proponent of chain waxing.

rbrides

very interesting premise. I’ve not heard others say that. Do you have chains with thousands of mile that you’ve never lubed?

rbrides

nice! Haha!

Polaris OBark

As some folks here would assert, none of my chains have ever been lubed, because I apply wax.

Although intended to be satire, I have to admit it is possible that this is true, and that the main function of the wax (or any lubricant) is to keep the plates from rusting.