WARNING! Another Chain Lubrication Thread!
07-03-18, 08:38 AM
#51
Jedi Master
I do a lot of complicated procedures as my work. One procedure takes me time to weigh samples, prepare reagents, add reagents, do the reaction (2h) and then time to do the titrations. The actual titrations take only 3 minutes to complete but I would never claim that it only takes me 3 minutes to do a titration. It takes the better part of 8 hours to do a sample set. If it takes two hours to wax a chain, it takes two hours of working time. You may be sitting around for 2 hours but it still takes 2 hours.
On the other hand, why does everyone seem to think that the chains have to be cooked for extended periods of time when you wax them? There isn't anything in the chain that isn't penetrated by the liquified wax in minutes or even seconds. Chains don't have tight clearances.
On the other hand, why does everyone seem to think that the chains have to be cooked for extended periods of time when you wax them? There isn't anything in the chain that isn't penetrated by the liquified wax in minutes or even seconds. Chains don't have tight clearances.
When I put the chain in the crock pot it's a cold block of wax. I plug it in and leave the room. I have no idea how long it actually takes for the wax to melt because I'm not sitting there watching it. I'm doing other things. I frequently leave to go ride my bike and take the chain out when I get back. So sure, it takes a couple of hours to wax a chain.
07-03-18, 08:51 AM
#52
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,355
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6212 Post(s)
Liked 4,211 Times
in
2,361 Posts
When I put the chain in the crock pot it's a cold block of wax. I plug it in and leave the room. I have no idea how long it actually takes for the wax to melt because I'm not sitting there watching it. I'm doing other things. I frequently leave to go ride my bike and take the chain out when I get back. So sure, it takes a couple of hours to wax a chain.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
07-03-18, 08:57 AM
#53
Jedi Master
@cyccommute, I honestly don't understand your point. Heating up wax and putting a chain in it isn't that complicated.
07-03-18, 08:59 AM
#54
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Western, MA
Posts: 323
Bikes: 2016 Felt Z85 105, 2016 GT Grade Sora
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 117 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
So I gather that lubing your chain, wax or not wax, takes time.
seriously though, some people do what they do because it relaxes them and some others will do what they do because they're going to claim it is the best way.
I'm not going to put my 2 cents in chain lubrication techniques but I will say that some of the dialogue here has been very helpful for those of us looking for chain lubrication information. I'm currently using some stuff that is oil and smells like bananas. But I'm tired of the chain tattoo on my pants and I'm thinking about giving waxing a try no thanks to the insight of some of the people whose posts I tend to read more often than not in these forums.
seriously though, some people do what they do because it relaxes them and some others will do what they do because they're going to claim it is the best way.
I'm not going to put my 2 cents in chain lubrication techniques but I will say that some of the dialogue here has been very helpful for those of us looking for chain lubrication information. I'm currently using some stuff that is oil and smells like bananas. But I'm tired of the chain tattoo on my pants and I'm thinking about giving waxing a try no thanks to the insight of some of the people whose posts I tend to read more often than not in these forums.
07-03-18, 09:17 AM
#55
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,355
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6212 Post(s)
Liked 4,211 Times
in
2,361 Posts
@cyccommute, I honestly don't understand your point. Heating up wax and putting a chain in it isn't that complicated.
Part of my point about chains in general is that people don't need elaborate rituals to maintain something that is going to wear out anyway. People who use oil use elaborate cleaning schemes because they have to deal with the associated gunk they collect along the way. People who hot wax have their own elaborate procedures that are nearly as futzy. It's all unnecessary because you are going to get the same result as I do with a far less elaborate cleaning scheme.
On the other hand, you estimation of around 10 minutes per chain is much more believable if you discount the other parts of the procedure.
I just plugged in my Lil' Dipper crockpot. That took the number of seconds it takes for me to walk to where it's located.
Now I'm going about my usual morning business. I won't think about the crockpot again for several hours.
In a few hours, I'll pull the chain off of whatever bike is in the workstand, and drop it in the pot. That might take upwards of 30 seconds.
Then I will go back to whatever I was doing. In 20 minutes, or an hour, or whenever, I will put that chain out and re-install. Maybe 30 seconds.
Then I'll repeat with subsequent bikes. The Lil' Dipper might be plugged in all day-- sometimes I don't unplug it until right before bed.
But that doesn't mean chain waxing takes 12 hours. It takes a matter of seconds. It's such an uninvolved process, I don't think I'm in contact with a chain for more than a minute total.
This isn't a restaurant line. I'm not trying to get a waxed chain out to a customer. Sure, hours go by. Hours when I'm not messing with chains.
But I'm dealing with chains for a grand total of about 10 minutes, every other week. Doing 4 bikes. That's 1 minute, 15 seconds per bike, per week.
Now I'm going about my usual morning business. I won't think about the crockpot again for several hours.
In a few hours, I'll pull the chain off of whatever bike is in the workstand, and drop it in the pot. That might take upwards of 30 seconds.
Then I will go back to whatever I was doing. In 20 minutes, or an hour, or whenever, I will put that chain out and re-install. Maybe 30 seconds.
Then I'll repeat with subsequent bikes. The Lil' Dipper might be plugged in all day-- sometimes I don't unplug it until right before bed.
But that doesn't mean chain waxing takes 12 hours. It takes a matter of seconds. It's such an uninvolved process, I don't think I'm in contact with a chain for more than a minute total.
This isn't a restaurant line. I'm not trying to get a waxed chain out to a customer. Sure, hours go by. Hours when I'm not messing with chains.
But I'm dealing with chains for a grand total of about 10 minutes, every other week. Doing 4 bikes. That's 1 minute, 15 seconds per bike, per week.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
07-03-18, 09:23 AM
#56
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,355
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6212 Post(s)
Liked 4,211 Times
in
2,361 Posts
So I gather that lubing your chain, wax or not wax, takes time.
seriously though, some people do what they do because it relaxes them and some others will do what they do because they're going to claim it is the best way.
I'm not going to put my 2 cents in chain lubrication techniques but I will say that some of the dialogue here has been very helpful for those of us looking for chain lubrication information. I'm currently using some stuff that is oil and smells like bananas. But I'm tired of the chain tattoo on my pants and I'm thinking about giving waxing a try no thanks to the insight of some of the people whose posts I tend to read more often than not in these forums.
seriously though, some people do what they do because it relaxes them and some others will do what they do because they're going to claim it is the best way.
I'm not going to put my 2 cents in chain lubrication techniques but I will say that some of the dialogue here has been very helpful for those of us looking for chain lubrication information. I'm currently using some stuff that is oil and smells like bananas. But I'm tired of the chain tattoo on my pants and I'm thinking about giving waxing a try no thanks to the insight of some of the people whose posts I tend to read more often than not in these forums.
To be clear, I have tired waxing in the past using exactly what everyone else is using...Gulf canning wax...and I found the procedure to be too much of a hassle to be worth the results.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
07-03-18, 09:28 AM
#57
Jedi Master
I listed all five steps, and timed it with a stopwatch at well under ten minutes. There are no other parts of the procedure. It's still a lot more than your method which probably only takes 2-3 minutes if you put a drop on every link.
07-03-18, 09:37 AM
#58
Non omnino gravis
I'm not buying that you can take a chain off, dip it, pull it out, cool it and reinstall it in 1:15. I've worked on far too many bikes to believe that. It takes more than 30 seconds to remove the chain and more than 30 seconds to install the chain...even with a quick link. It takes me more than 30 seconds to lubricate a chain with any lubricant...wax or oil...and I'm not removing the chain.
Took the quick-link pliers off of the pegboard.
Removed chain from bike.
Walked the chain and link over, dropped them in the pot, gave a quick stir with the official Stir Stick.
Walked back over, put the pliers back on the board, stopped the timer.
28.3 seconds.
I will take the few seconds I saved to point out that just because you can't do it doesn't mean it's impossible. Notice I didn't add the time it took to walk from my desk to where my bike is? I took a shower in between starting the pot and putting in the chain-- should I have included that as well?
At this point, your position of "It takes too much time" has worn so thin it can barely even be seen. Now it's just an ever so thinly-veiled and curmudgeonly "White Lightning is good enough for me, gal-durnit!"
__________________
07-03-18, 09:56 AM
#59
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 3,682
Bikes: Puch Marco Polo, Saint Tropez, Masi Gran Criterium
Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1163 Post(s)
Liked 442 Times
in
315 Posts
You are using Triflow. The banana odor gives it away. Yes, it is really messy. I would, however, suggest you try a wax-based lubricant before you try waxing. Start with a new chain, clean the factory lube off with mineral spirits (about 15 minutes from putting the chain in, shaking it, and letting it dry), then drip on the wax-based lubricant of your choice. Ride for a while and see how it works. White Lightning says to apply it every 100 miles but that is way off. I go about 600 miles between applications and get about the same mileage out of a chain as everyone else.
To be clear, I have tired waxing in the past using exactly what everyone else is using...Gulf canning wax...and I found the procedure to be too much of a hassle to be worth the results.
To be clear, I have tired waxing in the past using exactly what everyone else is using...Gulf canning wax...and I found the procedure to be too much of a hassle to be worth the results.
I can’t say for sure but my guess is that submerging the chain in hot wax is going to penetrate the interior spaces of the chain better than drip type wax lube (suspended wax with a volatile solvent carrier).
As I said, I have been using Molten Speed Wax on a 2 chain system. I’m not using a crock pot but instead I am using a Pyrex 4 cup container with the wax in it. It is heated in my heated ultrasonic cleaner in a hot water bath (not all that fussy regardless of what folks might say). I heat my 3.5 gallon tank to the max and flip the chain a few times, slosh it around a few times and run the ultrasonic at the same time for a few cycles. I pull out the chain and let the liquid wax dip off - things start to cool quickly. I hang the chain in a straight line from a spoke. Once dry I flex each link back and forth to free up. Even when flexing links, most of the wax seems to stay put, I just have not observed much flaking - just a bit - and if you choose to you can collect it and reuse it. I do have to scrape the excess wax from the master link in order for it to properly click and lock securely but his is easy.
Molten Speed Wax is a grey color due to some extra ingredients that act like dry lube. As I said, it seems to mostly stay put. It tolerates some rain riding without becoming overly noisy. Is it totally silent? No. When in my 30 tooth granny ring climbing it makes a faint “sloshing” sound, not really squeaky but I wish I could silence it a wee bit more. Changing the chain after 200-400 miles restores more silence.
i may give the guys at Molten Speed Wax a call again and ask for more tricks on how to obtain a dead silent chain. Someone here said that chain tolerances are not that tight but I suspect that getting the melted wax into the rollers is more effective if done under specific conditions. In other words, the tolerances are tight enough to get all the wax where we need it a challenge. I have no proof that my ultrasonic headed water bath works any better than the crock pot but I may be onto something...
Last edited by masi61; 07-03-18 at 10:08 AM.
07-05-18, 09:44 AM
#60
Very Slow Rider
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: E Wa
Posts: 1,274
Bikes: Jones Plus LWB, 1983 Centurion Japanese CrMo bike
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 500 Post(s)
Liked 132 Times
in
101 Posts
It's not the heating wax or putting a chain in to the wax that is the issue. It's all the other falderal associated with waxing chains that is at issue. Waxing chains involves a fair amount of work. There are a lot of steps that people tend to discount for only limited to no improvements. Using a wax in a solvent gives the same results without any of the complications.
Part of my point about chains in general is that people don't need elaborate rituals to maintain something that is going to wear out anyway. People who use oil use elaborate cleaning schemes because they have to deal with the associated gunk they collect along the way. People who hot wax have their own elaborate procedures that are nearly as futzy. It's all unnecessary because you are going to get the same result as I do with a far less elaborate cleaning scheme.
On the other hand, you estimation of around 10 minutes per chain is much more believable if you discount the other parts of the procedure.
I'm not buying that you can take a chain off, dip it, pull it out, cool it and reinstall it in 1:15. I've worked on far too many bikes to believe that. It takes more than 30 seconds to remove the chain and more than 30 seconds to install the chain...even with a quick link. It takes me more than 30 seconds to lubricate a chain with any lubricant...wax or oil...and I'm not removing the chain.
Part of my point about chains in general is that people don't need elaborate rituals to maintain something that is going to wear out anyway. People who use oil use elaborate cleaning schemes because they have to deal with the associated gunk they collect along the way. People who hot wax have their own elaborate procedures that are nearly as futzy. It's all unnecessary because you are going to get the same result as I do with a far less elaborate cleaning scheme.
On the other hand, you estimation of around 10 minutes per chain is much more believable if you discount the other parts of the procedure.
I'm not buying that you can take a chain off, dip it, pull it out, cool it and reinstall it in 1:15. I've worked on far too many bikes to believe that. It takes more than 30 seconds to remove the chain and more than 30 seconds to install the chain...even with a quick link. It takes me more than 30 seconds to lubricate a chain with any lubricant...wax or oil...and I'm not removing the chain.
Is it possible better results are achieved using hot wax because in submerging the chain completely, you're ensuring wax touches every surface? By "dripping" liquid wax on the chain, how do you ensure the penetration necessary to really make sure it's lubed?
I concede the fact about extra time, to me, this is just more time to listen to the Mariners game and drink beer while I am working; I like that aspect. As far as the "chain is going to wear out anyway" to this I say - then why clean anything if it's just going to get dirty? in fact, why maintain your bike at all if the components degrade more after each mile? Also, some riders (not me but some) may live in rural areas where it's not convenient to swing by and have their chain reinstalled each year or so, for them, it may be a HUGE advantage to extend the life of the chain even for a few months.
07-10-18, 07:27 AM
#61
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Mid Atlantic / USA
Posts: 2,115
Bikes: 2017 Specialized Crosstrail / 2013 Trek Crossrip Elite
Mentioned: 43 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1002 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times
in
155 Posts
If you pay a painter to do a job do you pay him for the time he spends watching the paint dry?
When I put the chain in the crock pot it's a cold block of wax. I plug it in and leave the room. I have no idea how long it actually takes for the wax to melt because I'm not sitting there watching it. I'm doing other things. I frequently leave to go ride my bike and take the chain out when I get back. So sure, it takes a couple of hours to wax a chain.
When I put the chain in the crock pot it's a cold block of wax. I plug it in and leave the room. I have no idea how long it actually takes for the wax to melt because I'm not sitting there watching it. I'm doing other things. I frequently leave to go ride my bike and take the chain out when I get back. So sure, it takes a couple of hours to wax a chain.
07-10-18, 08:21 AM
#62
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,355
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6212 Post(s)
Liked 4,211 Times
in
2,361 Posts
So - just to poke you a little on the hot was vs. the was-dissolved-in-a-solution -
Is it possible better results are achieved using hot wax because in submerging the chain completely, you're ensuring wax touches every surface? By "dripping" liquid wax on the chain, how do you ensure the penetration necessary to really make sure it's lubed?
Is it possible better results are achieved using hot wax because in submerging the chain completely, you're ensuring wax touches every surface? By "dripping" liquid wax on the chain, how do you ensure the penetration necessary to really make sure it's lubed?
I concede the fact about extra time, to me, this is just more time to listen to the Mariners game and drink beer while I am working; I like that aspect. As far as the "chain is going to wear out anyway" to this I say - then why clean anything if it's just going to get dirty? in fact, why maintain your bike at all if the components degrade more after each mile? Also, some riders (not me but some) may live in rural areas where it's not convenient to swing by and have their chain reinstalled each year or so, for them, it may be a HUGE advantage to extend the life of the chain even for a few months.
I'm a proponent of keeping things as simple as I can. If I get the same results...about 3000 miles of wear per chain...as the other methods with a single step, why add unnecessary steps? That applies to chain cleaning as well.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
07-10-18, 08:34 AM
#63
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,355
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6212 Post(s)
Liked 4,211 Times
in
2,361 Posts
Started the stopwatch on my phone.
Took the quick-link pliers off of the pegboard.
Removed chain from bike.
Walked the chain and link over, dropped them in the pot, gave a quick stir with the official Stir Stick.
Walked back over, put the pliers back on the board, stopped the timer.
28.3 seconds.
I will take the few seconds I saved to point out that just because you can't do it doesn't mean it's impossible. Notice I didn't add the time it took to walk from my desk to where my bike is? I took a shower in between starting the pot and putting in the chain-- should I have included that as well?
Took the quick-link pliers off of the pegboard.
Removed chain from bike.
Walked the chain and link over, dropped them in the pot, gave a quick stir with the official Stir Stick.
Walked back over, put the pliers back on the board, stopped the timer.
28.3 seconds.
I will take the few seconds I saved to point out that just because you can't do it doesn't mean it's impossible. Notice I didn't add the time it took to walk from my desk to where my bike is? I took a shower in between starting the pot and putting in the chain-- should I have included that as well?
I'm suggesting to others who might consider hot wax that there is an easier less elaborate method of lubricating your drivetrain to keep it clean and functional without a whole lot of extra effort. I've tried waxing in the past and have not found it to be worth the effort. You can do whatever floats your boat.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
07-10-18, 08:35 AM
#64
Jedi Master
07-10-18, 09:14 AM
#65
Non omnino gravis
So you timed a tiny portion of your procedure...or do you ride your bike without the chain or with the chain in the crock pot? You didn't account for getting out the crock pot, heating it, taking out the chain and letting it cool, reinstalling it and then cleaning up afterwards. That takes more then your 28.3 seconds.
Why over complicate something that doesn't need complication. You have an elaborate procedure...which includes chain cleaning, obtaining equipment for waxing, storing the equipment for waxing when not in use and, finally, actually dipping the chain...that gives you exactly the same results I get by simply dripping on a lubricant from a bottle once every 6 weeks or so. If you were getting double the mileage I get, your elaborate procedure would be worthwhile. If oil based lubricants doubled the mileage I get, they might be worth the extra effort of cleaning up after the Exxon Valdez.
I definitely can't match your mythical White Lightning mileage numbers, though. I can't get 1,200 miles out of a wax application. But I couldn't get 50 miles out of White Lightning. So what elven formulation are you using that would allow for application every +1,000 miles? That I would be interested in. However, if your "...that gives you exactly the same results I get by simply dripping on a lubricant from a bottle once every 6 weeks or so" is related to someone who rides around 200 miles a month, then I understand the disconnect here. I've tried White Lightning-- more than one "formulation." They work... for about 2 hours. I have absolutely no interest in applying lube every single day. I wax multiple chains every other Tuesday, regardless of mileage. Chain might have done 130 miles in that stretch, it might have done 400. Thing is, I don't have to think about it.
Oh, with your White Lightning, do you count the 15+ minutes you have to wait for the wax to solidify in your time estimates? You should. I can take a chain out of the pot, put it on the bike, and immediately ride away.
__________________
07-10-18, 09:27 AM
#66
Jedi Master
I rode a 600k over the weekend on a waxed chain, which is my longest ride to date. I added a little squirt at 200k and swapped the chain at 400k. I'm sure I could have gotten away with just adding a little more squirt, but I had the extra chain in my hotel room at 400k so I figured why not slap it on there. Swapping the chain is about as fast as applying squirt. I have a 1,200k next month and will use a similar approach.
07-10-18, 10:50 AM
#68
Senior Member
.....
No, that is not my point. Since you keep missing the point and completely misrepresenting what I have said I'll restate my point...yet again. Why over complicate something that doesn't need complication. You have an elaborate procedure...which includes chain cleaning, obtaining equipment for waxing, storing the equipment for waxing when not in use and, finally, actually dipping the chain...that gives you exactly the same results I get by simply dripping on a lubricant from a bottle once every 6 weeks or so. If you were getting double the mileage I get, your elaborate procedure would be worthwhile. If oil based lubricants doubled the mileage I get, they might be worth the extra effort of cleaning up after the Exxon Valdez.
I'm suggesting to others who might consider hot wax that there is an easier less elaborate method of lubricating your drivetrain to keep it clean and functional without a whole lot of extra effort. I've tried waxing in the past and have not found it to be worth the effort. You can do whatever floats your boat.
No, that is not my point. Since you keep missing the point and completely misrepresenting what I have said I'll restate my point...yet again. Why over complicate something that doesn't need complication. You have an elaborate procedure...which includes chain cleaning, obtaining equipment for waxing, storing the equipment for waxing when not in use and, finally, actually dipping the chain...that gives you exactly the same results I get by simply dripping on a lubricant from a bottle once every 6 weeks or so. If you were getting double the mileage I get, your elaborate procedure would be worthwhile. If oil based lubricants doubled the mileage I get, they might be worth the extra effort of cleaning up after the Exxon Valdez.
I'm suggesting to others who might consider hot wax that there is an easier less elaborate method of lubricating your drivetrain to keep it clean and functional without a whole lot of extra effort. I've tried waxing in the past and have not found it to be worth the effort. You can do whatever floats your boat.
Last edited by SylvainG; 07-10-18 at 10:53 AM. Reason: a word
07-11-18, 10:37 AM
#69
Full Member
Question for those who wax: How often do you replace the wax in the crockpot? I find the grit build up after a number of cycles, and it settles to the bottom, but can't figure out a good way to remove the grit while keeping the paraffin. Seems like a waste to toss it, but I really don't like the idea of allowing the grit any chance of getting into the innards of the chain.
07-11-18, 10:45 AM
#70
Non omnino gravis
Question for those who wax: How often do you replace the wax in the crockpot? I find the grit build up after a number of cycles, and it settles to the bottom, but can't figure out a good way to remove the grit while keeping the paraffin. Seems like a waste to toss it, but I really don't like the idea of allowing the grit any chance of getting into the innards of the chain.
I can wait to do this because I measured the inside diameter of my Little Dipper, then went to the dollar store and got one of these:
Usually called a "fryer skimmer." I put a bend in the handle so it fits the pot better, and lemme tell you-- putting the chain in and taking it out is a lot nicer. No more splashy-splashy. Chain also doesn't touch the bottom of the pot anymore, so it's out of the grit.
__________________
07-11-18, 05:25 PM
#71
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Western, MA
Posts: 323
Bikes: 2016 Felt Z85 105, 2016 GT Grade Sora
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 117 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I dont have a crockpot setup so I tried white lightning. My experience hasn't been great. I will say that the chain is, cranks and cassette are really clean but my jockey wheels got all gummed up. Also, it's been about 140 miles and my drivetrain sounds horrible.
I get why people switch, it's definitely cleaner. But it sure as hell isn't quiet and I love a quiet drivetrain... I dont know what to do now.
I get why people switch, it's definitely cleaner. But it sure as hell isn't quiet and I love a quiet drivetrain... I dont know what to do now.
07-11-18, 09:29 PM
#72
Banned.
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Vegemite Island
Posts: 4,130
Bikes: 2017 Surly Troll with XT Drive Train, 2017 Merida Big Nine XT Edition, 2016 Giant Toughroad SLR 2, 1995 Trek 830
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1916 Post(s)
Liked 310 Times
in
218 Posts
I dont have a crockpot setup so I tried white lightning. My experience hasn't been great. I will say that the chain is, cranks and cassette are really clean but my jockey wheels got all gummed up. Also, it's been about 140 miles and my drivetrain sounds horrible.
I get why people switch, it's definitely cleaner. But it sure as hell isn't quiet and I love a quiet drivetrain... I dont know what to do now.
I get why people switch, it's definitely cleaner. But it sure as hell isn't quiet and I love a quiet drivetrain... I dont know what to do now.
Could you give your jockey wheels a bit of a do over with an old toothbrush every so often to ungum them, maybe dipping the toothbrush into some denatured alcohol?
07-12-18, 10:30 AM
#75
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Colorado
Posts: 200
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 107 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 22 Times
in
14 Posts