pdlamb

As I previously noted, I tried waxing and wasn't impressed.

Waxing the chain, either with paraffin in a pot or a wax-based bottle, has not improved chain wear or life for me. It has required more frequent re-lubing. I found I needed to put the chain in the pot no later than the next day after a rainy ride, or do something immediately after the rain with bottles. (My best approach with White Lightning was to either take the chain off and clean with mineral spirits within 24 hours, or to put oil on the chain within that 24 hour interval, clean when I had time, and then put WL on again.)

After oiling a chain, I need to wipe it down immediately and after the next couple rides. Sometimes I'll wipe it down -- halfway between full lube, at about the interval a waxed chain would need to be re-waxed -- to keep the chain a bit cleaner. In short, it's a lot less fussy and the chains last just as long.

FWIW, I class Finish Line wet as "oil." I looks and runs like oil, and shares all the characteristics of an oil: goes on and leaves a film on the chain, needs to be wiped and re-wiped, and it stays on through anything short of a day-long deluge.

rydabent

Being metal, a chain need oil to be lubed with. Wax and all the other mouse milk crud simply doesnt work as well as good oil. And yes I spin the chain backwards and wipe it down before each ride. No big deal. And the oil prevents premature sprocket and cluster wear.

Again I use Mobil 1 oil, and get over 8000 miles on a chain using a Park wear gage and also a steel rule.

cyccommute 

I’ve tried hot wax in the past and wasn’t impressed either. Too much hassle for not enough benefit.

But solvent based waxing is very different. The only reason to do the “hot” part of hot waxing is to make the wax liquid. If you dissolve the wax into solvent, it applies just like oil based lube but acts like wax.

As a preface, I’m not trying to start a lubricant war. I am going to offer some observations, however. Wax-based lubricants don’t “wash off”. They just don’t flow so any exposed metal in the chain has a chance to rust when exposed to water. Yes, it should be applied after rain but so should oil-based lubricants. Oil may flow so it doesn’t seem to wash off but it does mix with the oil, at least temporarily. It’s also more likely to be displaced by water than wax is, however. The water also gets trapped under the oil so that it sits there and does its damage but it does it silently.

If you want to remove water, use a different solvent. Alcohol will dissolve the water without dissolving the wax. Or just let the water evaporate and reapply the wax-based lubricant. It already has the mineral spirits in it so there no real need to take the chain off to clean it.

I’ll agree that there is no real advantage between oil vs wax in terms of longevity. Solvent-based wax lubrication, in my opinion, is the less messy one. I don’t need to constantly wipe down chains. The wax doesn’t hold onto dirt so the chain stays cleaner. Any wear products are sloughed off with the wax so there no black and oily mess to deal with. For me, the fact that the chain doesn’t last longer with either lubricant makes the cleaner option far more attractive.

Most people have this misconception about oil in rain. The chain is an open system. Water gets into it with either type of lubricant. With oil, the water is masked by the oil so people don’t hear the sound of corrosion and, thus, assume that there is no corrosion. But water and oil mix to make a very short term emulsion. Once the mixing stops, the oil sits on top of the water. Most people also don’t understand that the metal surface has more of an affinity for water than the oil. Water and metals are both “polar” while oils are nonpolar. Water will seek that metal surface and will sit there facilitating corrosion.

Bottom line: any lubricant should be refreshed shortly after rain. Just because you don’t hear a chain squeaking after a rain ride doesn’t mean it isn’t corroding.

cyccommute 

By what measure are you determining that “mouse milk crud” doesn’t work as well as oil? Your chains are about 3 times longer than a diamond frame bike uses which means that each pin undergoes about 1/3 the stress that a chain on a diamond frame would experience. I’d expect about 3 times the longevity. 8000 miles is well within the ball park for what those of use using short chains experience. It might even be a little short if the chain actually is 3 times longer. You should be getting closer to 9000 to nearly 11,000 miles.

I get about the same mileage, proportionally, using “mouse milk crud” but I don’t have to wipe the chain down before each ride and I don’t have to constantly clean the drivetrain. The bike in the picture above will doesn’t need to torn down and cleaned once a week, once a month or even once a year. It likely won’t be cleaned ever because it won’t need it.

pdlamb

Perhaps I should note that it rains, on average, one out of every three days where I (used to) commute daily, with an average annual rainfall of about 50". With that as a background, wax came off every time it rained on my commute. If it was a light rain, however, I could wipe the chain dry with a paper towel at home and the chain didn't rust.

I like carrot cake, but I won't argue with you over personal preferences of either dessert or chain lube.

LV2TNDM

[QUOTE=pdlamb;21778238I like carrot cake, but I won't argue with you over personal preferences of either dessert or chain lube.[/QUOTE]

Now THOSE are fighting words!
If it doesn't contain chocolate, it ISN'T DESSERT!
This is beyond debate, requires no supporting argument or evidence.
Open and shut case.

Novalite

My previous chain was a bmx one, a Gusset model nicked "Tank", basically a 3/16" chain with internal width of 1/8". It lasted 18 months.
Begin this year I mounted a motorcycle chain, 1/4" width, brand/model Regina 420 Urban. It lasts now 10 months, and the tensioner still sits below half its range. A month is about 1800 km.

SpeedyBlueBiker

I don't replace my chain that often. I currently have 4,000 miles on one road bike chain. I don't ride in a lot of wet conditions and do clean and lube the chain frequently. Cleaning the cassette and front rings helps too. My weight fluctuates between 190-205lbs if that matters much.

bfaIllini

Don't know if this was posted or not, but I follow this guy's advice. His suggestions are followed by multiple pro teams, using one of his top rated lubes and cleaning recommendations. He clearly shows watt savings, chain longevity and overall drivetrain cost comparisons. Being retired, I had plenty of time to go down this rabbit hole. Well worth a read, imho
https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/

LV2TNDM

I just HAVE to add this tidbit from today...

There I was on a long climb I hadn't done in 30 years when just about a mile up my chain starts to squeak in a few spots. DAMMIT!

You see, this is because I did what I've said to never do! I've commented on it various bike forums: Don't waste time soaking chains in solvent! (And using gasoline? Really stupid, dangerous and flammable if you ask me.) I don't do this.... unless it's a new chain. I've been using DuMonde Tech for years now and this lube requires all factory grease be removed before use. So this is what I did. And I've complained previously that chains oftentimes take 3 or more thorough lubings to eliminate all the little squeaks that develop after stripping ever last square milimeter of chain of lube. Sure enough, two thorough lubes STILL didn't catch them all. So there I was listening to that damn chain squeak for my 19 mile climb today!

Wipe it. Lube it. Wipe it.

That's all most chains need. Anything more is a waste. Chains are consumable and they get dirty immediately! (Especially off road.)

(Unless you're using wax or something like DuMonde that requires full stripping. Otherwise, it's a waste of time.)