yaw

Ultrasonic cleaning is not really necessary. I would not buy one of those just for this purpose, just a mineral spirits soak and shake up in a little container or a bottle until it runs clear and a final alcohol rinse to get any residue off will do. If you are stripping a well used chain you may just need a couple more rounds of the spirits to get all the crap out. Where to dispose used solvents should be listed online somewhere for where you live.

If you are buying a new chain anyway, just source a prepped and pre-waxed chain to get you started. If you don't already have the solvents and want to save yourself the disposal trip, it's usually well worth the service charge. You won't have to solvent clean it again thereafter.

If you have a waxed chain that is due for its next immersion, it's enough to just wipe it with a microfibre cloth to remove any surface dust, or if you have it on hand, just a few sprays of isopropyl on the cloth, run the chain through the cloth a few revolutions while on the bike, then take the chain off and drop it into the wax. If you set up a little raised sieve in your wax pot that keeps the chain from the bottom where flushed out contamination accumulates, you can even skip any chain wiping and just chuck the used chain into the pot.

yaw

This is the source: https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

In terms of how long chains last, we really need to establish a measurement like 0.5% when it is officially due before it starts rapidly eating the drivetrain. People may report that their chains/drivetrain last for so and so long but it's all arbitrary unless we introduce some measurement. Even that is difficult since chain wear tools differ quite a bit in when they indicate 0.5% due to manufacturing tolerances. The last (non hot wax) chain I wore out was fine on my park tool CC4 but showed above on the slide scale checker the bike shop had. And some chains even start out quite differently one from another. Then the drivetrain, people certainly have a variety of ideas re when it counts as worn. Just because it runs does not mean it is not terribly inefficient. Performance oriented riders will obviously care the most. I am not tolerant towards sloppiness on my bike.

cxwrench

Not me.

cxwrench

You absolutely don't have to touch the chain when removing or replacing the rear wheel...unless you have a TT bike w/ rear facing dropouts. That's the ONLY time I ever touch a chain when removing/installing a wheel.

big john

What about the taking a leak part?

Polaris OBark

Some people can touch their toes. I can barely touch my knees.

Polaris OBark

He is using "chain" as a metaphor.

big john

Ever see "The Crying Game"? "It's just a piece of meat".

tomato coupe

Of course, now you're paying double the price that you would for a good chain from Shimano, SRAM, or Campy. And, if you're going to have multiple chains -- as recommended by many waxers -- you're spending a lot of money up front.

Broctoon

No, I don't

Yes, I can. That's exactly what I do. Maybe my chains wear faster and get dirtier than a waxed chain. Maybe they rob a Watt or two of power. But these have not been problems for me. The bike I ride most is now three years old has something like 6000 miles on it. Drivetrain is quiet. Shifts are smooth and reliable. My Pedro's gauge says the chain is just starting to show measurable wear--I can force it to slip into the 5% tab; when it goes to 5% easily or will forcibly go into the 7.5%, I'll replace the chain.

Maybe some guys ride in dustier environments or put 10,000 miles per year on their bike, and maybe some guys really dislike cleaning their drivetrain, or worry about how much grit is getting inside the chain. Waxing may be a good idea for them. But it's not a universally superior process.
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big john

I think he's a shill for Big Wax.

SpedFast

Good to know, I'm not the only one that uses 'baby wipes' on my bikes.

cxwrench

I ALWAYS touch my chain when I take a leak...is there any other way?

yaw

Your arguments do not make sense.

'Paying double' is just uninformed and deceiving rubbish.The couple prepped chains I bought cost the equivalent of USD 10 more than the factory chain for the clean and initial wax. Compared to a trip to the hardware store and fussing around with fuming solvents, which I did to clear up a couple of my existing chains, that can easily be worth it unless you have the cleaning supplies already. You can pick whatever 'good' chain brand you want, it's not like they are a different make.


As for 'money up front', sure if someone cannot afford a single extra chain then they will be penalised by 'the system' as usual for not having money. But otherwise, you will run through these chains in the future anyway so pre-purchasing them and running them together will mean that the chain elongation wearing your drivetrain down is halved once again. Check out that benchmarking table and calculate how many one-off drip lube chains you buy before I get two new hot wax chains for a new rotation.

I think you are resisting facts and confuse an attempt to inform with the intention to sell you something.

SpedFast

When I was a kid back in the 50's we thought of canning wax as gum. It's what filled our cheeks out on the pitcher's mound and we used to fight for the used wax when a fresh jar of jam was opened.

SpedFast

Is that anything like peeing on an electric fence? Oh crap, I think I just figured out what happened to my kids....

big john

I don't know but it wouldn't be worth it.

Polaris OBark

It can be done. I had to teach the technique to my kid who got poison oak a lot.

Broctoon

So I just need some mineral spirits (and I can look up where to take this for disposal), and maybe some alcohol. Or, I can start with a pre-waxed chain for a little extra cost. Oh, and find or make some sort of sieve for it to sit in while soaking in the dedicated crock pot or saucepan, which have to be stored when not in use. And make some arrangement for the chain to hang from while drying/cooling (preferably above the crock pot/pan). And when it's time to re-wax, all I have to do is remove and reinstall it on the bike. Not a problem, since quick links are not very expensive, and some of them are even re-usable...

You're right. This is much faster and easier than wiping down the chain with a rag once a month and dripping a little lube onto it. I don't know why I didn't pick up on this process long ago.

big john

You're entitled to think whatever you want, as am I.
The confusion seems to be with you not able to understand not everyone wants to do something you do.

big john

I used to climb through the hills here when I was a kid. There was tons of poison oak and, yes, I did pee in the bushes. Had that **** all over me.

Polaris OBark

You don't. (Also I recently found that if you clean your chain with mineral spirits first, the wax doesn't last nearly as long.)

Again, no need. Besides, you are in Utah.

Gimmick. Again no need.

I've never done that.

A jar of peanut butter takes more space.

Hammer a nail into a fencepost. Do this outside.

Quick-links come with my chains, and I use one for the life of the chain. If I didn't wax, I would still take my chain off to clean it.

Yeah, it is more work than not cleaning the chain, which is essentially what you aren't doing when you wipe it down with a rag and dump more lube on it.

yaw

Fun and snarky but ignorant of these:

- Your drivetrain will last multiple times longer, much fewer chain, cassette and chain ring purchases
- Your chain will run more efficiently throughout, you will feel it run ridiculously smooth
- All chain and drivetrain cleaning and degreasing falls away from your general maintenance needs
- The initial chain prep or prepped chain purchase is a one-off
- The initial pot setup is also a one-off, unless you live in a small place you can leave it all set up in the 'bike corner'

yaw

"I don't want to do it" is fair and I have no issues, but that's not the basis on which you engaged with the topic.

tomato coupe

A cleaned and waxed 12-spd YBN chain from MSW is $110-$150 depending on how much you want them to do. A pre-waxed 12-spd Dura Ace chain from Silca is $185, and a pre-waxed 12-spd SRAM Force AXS chain from Silca is $155. I can walk into my local shop and get a 12-spd Dura Ace, Force AXS, or Super Record chain for less than $70. So, yeah, you're paying about double if you buy a pre-waxed chain.