wvridgerider

Pro Honda with Moly. Motorcycle chain lube it works great and a can lasts a long time. The lube stays clean and I just saturate the chain and wipe the excess off.

MikeWMass

I agree with the preparation, but then I put the chain in a pie tin in the oven at 185, then rub with a votive candle (or you can use paraffin as above). Turn it over and repeat, then heat one last time. Lasts about 5-600 miles before I have to redo it, saves having to melt a whole pot of wax.

mfcity

I used to use various synthetic wet lubes like FinishLine, and then a bike mechanic recommended White Lightning wax lube as a cleaner substance that won’t stain clothes, car interior, etc. Switching directly to wax lube was a mistake, since the wet lube residue mixed in and produced a horrible, sticky gunk that picked up as much dirt as possible and resisted degreasing like nothing else. That put me off wax lube for a long time.
Later, with ecological qualities in mindm I thought I’d done things right by applying Green Oil to my new chain after the factory lube got dry, and am just now facing the resulting compound left on the chain. It’s a dry, muddy form of grime lodged in every little seam of the links, and hardly responded at all to degreasing.
What does work, in my experience, is completely degreasing your new chain, and then applying a dry wax lube. With a power link, it’s easy to clean the chain when it gets a bit dirty, and although wax is less rain-resistant than synthetic, it stays a lot cleaner, doesn’t accumulate that inky, oily stuff that makes synthetic road grime stain, and my drivetrain feels smooth. I have been using Squirt and enjoying the results.

MikeyMK

I've just ordered a quick link, as my chain uses a snap-off pin. And it's actually on the wrong way around atm, with the slotted links on the outside...

I'm gonna go for this cleaning and melted wax on the e-bike, and try a silicone spray (tyre and bumper shine) on the Merlin's old stretched and expendable KMC chain, once washed, after talking about this to a mate yesterday.

Mark Stone

For me parafin. I melt the parafin in a double boiler setup on my stove. When it's liquid, I just drop the chain into the wax and let it "cook" for a while, reaching in from time to time to move it around. Put the chain back on the bike, place the little pot of wax back in its spot in the garage -- I do it about twice a year.

rachel120

Is there any way of using paraffin without removing the chain? Serious question, I'm still somewhat new.

RunForTheHills

Get a master link (removable link) and a master link tool.

Ghazmh

I think I saw a link to K9P lubricant.

Mark Stone

No. Both the chain and the wax need to be hot so that the wax coats all of the critical surfaces. So, we take the chain off and soak it in the hot wax. I stir the chain around and "work" its links to make sure the wax penetrates. I use my fingers - it's not hot enough to burn. As per @RunForTheHills response above ↑↑↑ the chain is really quite easy to remove/replace. It takes less work than changing a tube.

Edit: Also, a lot of LBS offer chain-waxing services if you prefer.

rachel120

Whoa! I have made candles as a hobby. Paraffin has to be heated to 185 degrees F. That's third degree burn right there.

Mark Stone

Ouch! Yes that would definitely hurt. I reach right in to the melted wax though, so maybe it doesn't get that hot in this application? It's entertaining to peel the hardened wax off my hands I don't know anything about candle-making, but maybe the wax is hotter during that process. Dunno.

indyfabz

This thread is about chain lube, people. Try to stay on topic. Moreover, wax should be reserved for things like skis, batik, mustaches and hair removal, not bicycle chains.

rachel120

Paraffin wax is a dry chain lubricant and therefore very relevant for this thread. And since paraffin is a combustible substance that can catch on fire and burns quite nicely, and since the flash point for paraffin (199 F) is really, really close to the proper temperature for use (185 F), safe heating of paraffin also should be discussed. You don't want to burn your house down because you are lubricating your bike chain.

Edit: 185 F is where paraffin has the consistency of water, which seems like what someone would want so it gets in all the teeny little gaps between links.

Lubricating a Bicycle Chain Using Paraffin: 6 Steps

indyfabz

I don't want to burn my house down. Period. And since the best chain lube (NFS) comes ready to use out of the bottle, there is zero chance of me burning it down because I am needlessly messing with wax.

rachel120

The thread title references a question about a topic, chain lubrication, that could have several correct answers (depending on circumstances) which encourages a discussion and some debate about the potential answers.

Your post that I quoted above is not discussing/debating the topic. It is simply an advertisement for a branded product.

So is this thread meant to discuss the several options out there? Or is it simply a commercial?

indyfabz

I started the thread. It was intended to be a parody. I would have thought that to be self-evident. My suggestion: Lighten up (and by NFS).

DannyL

New to the forum. Is this a common debate?

indyfabz

Yes. There are usually several chain lube threads every year.


Holding my breath waiting for the next "Is it impolite to not wave?" thread.

Doctor Morbius

Is this a common debate? Oy!

rachel120

Okay, that's one I haven't seen yet. What is the context for debating if and when one should wave at something?

Doctor Morbius

Precisely! Now I think you're starting to understand teh 41.

DrIsotope

I wave at some dogs, most horses, and ALL llamas.