bbbean 

LOL - Given that 30 watts isn't much to you, I can understand why you think there are no differences between chains, lubes, or any number of choices many of us make.

cyccommute 

The real head scratcher is where did I come up with 30 watts? I made an error. The actual reduction is 2.7% or, at 250 watts, about 7 watts. 30 watts ain’t all that much but 7 watts is minuscule. And that is the worst case scenario of no lubricant whatsoever (also no contamination).

bbbean 

Even a dog gives up on a bone after a while. 30 watts, 7 watts, 3 watts - They matter. A lot. My point stands.

BB

cyccommute 

Let’s look at it this way, for something that is accepted as being so fundamentally important as lubrication results in only marginal improvements, what kind of improvement would using a more expensive chain give? More in that 3 watts? More like 0.3 watts? Most people aren’t going to notice any kind of improvement and those who do are probably just experiencing confirmation bias. Again, is 0.8 kph difference “a lot”? Like I said, a gust of wind will likely have a higher impact on the average speed than the chain efficiency will.

My point stands as well. The 20 year old Johns Hopkins study said that lubricant isn’t important to improving efficiency. The subsequent “studies” have proved their conclusions. The bicycle drivetrain is a highly efficient method of transmitting power. Any improvements are going to be small ones that don’t matter to the vast majority of people.

bbbean 

They are measurable. They matter to me.

Some people are still thrilled to ride 19mm tires at 120 psi+, too,

jonathanf2

Chain waxing for me is less about performance gains and more about keeping a clean drivetrain.

I use a $7 small slow cooker and a $19 ultrasonic cleaner for the initial degreasing and removing old wax. The degreasing part is only for new chains.

I rotate two chains per bike. When I re-wax the chain, I sometime use boiling hot water and a little dish soap in the ultra sonic cleaner to remove old wax build up. The chain comes out spotless and I let it dry for 20 minutes or so, before re-dipping it back in the slow cooker hot wax. I found if I only do a chain wipe down and re-wax, it doesn't come out as clean looking versus the boiling hot water method.

I'm not as hardcore as some immersive waxers, in the long run it's just less maintenance and keeps your bike much more tidy.

Ryan_M

Agree. The watt savings mean nothing to me. The greater longevity is a bonus but not high on my priority list. The drivetrain is smoother and more quiet. Once setup its faster and much easier to do better maintenance, which I like, but the biggest pro for me is the cleanliness! Love not getting black on me when fussing over the bike.