Waxed Chains: Hype or truly beneficial?
#76
I don't see how agitating is going to do anything but get the water off the bottom and onto the chain. How is half a millimeter of water going to affect the internals of the chain?
#77
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That's standard operating procedure for any lubricant. It's easier to put the lubrication on at the cassette than mid chain.
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#78
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I did not even realize that Silca Hot Wax has a specified temperature range. It seems my Crock Pot is slightly too hot.
#79
Senior Member
It doesn't unless you use the new strip chip on a new, uncleaned chain, then the wax has to be heated to at least 125C. A Silca rep told me it's safe to heat it up to the point where it starts smoking (way above 125C).
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#80
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I did not even realize that Silca Hot Wax has a specified temperature range. It seems my Crock Pot is slightly too hot.
1. Heat the wax to between 65-88C (150-190F)
However they also have instructions for a stove top method
1. Insert full bag of SILCA Secret Blend Wax into a large pot of water.
2. Bring the water to a boil and wait for the wax in the bag to completely melt.
2. Bring the water to a boil and wait for the wax in the bag to completely melt.
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#81
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I wouldn't suggest going that high. Wax is flammable and at a high enough temperature to smoke, it could burn very vigorously.
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#82
That temperature would be about 20°C hotter than their crockpot method, not that it would matter all the much. People have been using crock pots and double boilers before that without issue. To limit the temperature to "88°C" is silly. Nothing will happen to the wax. The wax is thermally stable to between 150°C and 170°C (300°F to 340°F). Crock pots operate between 75°C to 140°C (170° and 280° F) which is no where near where anything can happen to the wax. Honestly, this ain't rocket science.
Same with a bag of snow in boiling water. When the snow melts it will be 32 degrees, not 212.
#83
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If you follow these directions exactly using boiling water, if you take the bag out when then wax melts and not much more than that, the wax temperature will be the melting point of the wax, not the temp of the water.
Same with a bag of snow in boiling water. When the snow melts it will be 32 degrees, not 212.
Same with a bag of snow in boiling water. When the snow melts it will be 32 degrees, not 212.
1. Insert full bag of SILCA Secret Blend Wax into a large pot of water.
2. Bring the water to a boil and wait for the wax in the bag to completely melt.
2. Bring the water to a boil and wait for the wax in the bag to completely melt.
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Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
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#84
But I'm not a chemist, just someone that has put cold things in boiling water, and someone who knows a substance can't get above its phase change temperature until the phase change is complete.
#85
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The wax can't get above its own melting point until it is all melted. If you remove it when melted, it will be no greater than 190 degrees. Whether the water is boiling or not when this happens will depend on the amount of water, not if the wax is 212 or not.
But I'm not a chemist, just someone that has put cold things in boiling water, and someone who knows a substance can't get above its phase change temperature until the phase change is complete.
But I'm not a chemist, just someone that has put cold things in boiling water, and someone who knows a substance can't get above its phase change temperature until the phase change is complete.
If you were to plunge the wax bag into a pot of boiling water, the wax will stay at the temperature of fusion until it is all melted. However, following their instructions will not give that result. If you were to monitor the temperature in a calorimeter (a highly accurate, highly insulated piece of equipment for measuring heat), you would see a slight plateauing of the temperature of the system when wax melts. On you kitchen stove, the plateau would be undetectable.
That said, it won’t matter at all if the wax is heated to 100°C or not. It’s not harmed by the heat of boiling water or a crock pot. Their temperatures are too low to have any deleterious effect in the wax. Wax isn’t that delicate nor that picky about the temperature of the application.
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Stuart Black
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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!
Last edited by cyccommute; 05-14-24 at 07:07 AM.
#86
Full Member
The biggest draw, for me, would be the cleanliness, simply so I wouldn't have it on my leg, or anything else, but I am not sure that is worth the added time in maintenance, and compared to what I do now, it would be much more. Overall, I am happy using oil, but it is always good to understand other options, so to those who helped, thanks.
#87
Junior Member
Just bought the Secret Chain Blend. Been reading a lot of ZFC's stuff. Going to go through the whole clean/hot wax drill. The only thing that seems to be a downside to me, after reading ZFC, if he seems to say even if you do one ride where the chain gets wet, you have to take the chain off and re-wax?? Or get dust, etc, on the chain, same thing? That seems a little crazy. Especially when having two bikes with SRAM chains, where you are supposed to use a new master link every time you remove and re-install the chain (that's a whole other subject). So I got the Silca drip wax to supplement between waxing. It also sounds like if you just wash a waxed chain off with water, it is more susceptible to rust than an oiled chain?? Time to get to waxing. Thank you.
#88
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Many of us do a full dip before a race or once every 1000 miles or so, and just use drip wax as needed (every 100-200 miles) between deep waxes.
BB
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#89
Junior Member
Thanks, bbbean. That's what I plan to do. I ordered the drip wax last night, after reading that on ZFC's site. I would have thought that the water would run right off of the chain, and you could just run it though a micro fiber cloth. I usually only ride in the rain if I get caught in it. Dust and mud I get much more often.
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#90
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Thanks, bbbean. That's what I plan to do. I ordered the drip wax last night, after reading that on ZFC's site. I would have thought that the water would run right off of the chain, and you could just run it though a micro fiber cloth. I usually only ride in the rain if I get caught in it. Dust and mud I get much more often.
Oil, on the other hand, does flow and can backfill when it is pushed out of the pressure points. However, this ability to flow is also the downfall of oil. Grit gets entrained in the oil and is pumped into the pressure points where it does its damage. Water also gets emulsified with the oil which can cause rust as well. The oil, however, masks the sound of rusty links. They are there but you can’t hear them. Oil really should be refreshed after rain just as wax should.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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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!
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#91
Junior Member
Thank you, Stuart. So following up with the Drip Wax should suffice after riding in the rain? After wiping down the chain? At least for a temp measure? Hopefully. Appreciate it.
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