SoSmellyAir

Yes (as noted earlier) this thread should have been titled "immersion waxing." That said, perhaps you meant "hot tub[]" instead of "hot tube"?

79pmooney

Yes, my mistake, But once we dip that bike, we're talking hot tubes.

Camilo

I wonder if anyone who doesn't currently use immersive waxing has come away from this thread thinking: wow, it sounds so much easier and better, I'm going to get right on it!

That said, I have read most of the thread and find it interesting, but not compelling.

yaw

Ah well it does not have to be for everyone, the bike industry needs the oilgrouches, lest the drivetrain parts pile up high in the warehouses!

Imagine everyone had pristine low friction chains like this every single time by just dipping into a pot

tomato coupe

Personally, I'm really glad the oil grouches aren't constantly preaching their gospel like wax zealots. "I'm just not interested" is a lot easier to take than long wax sermons.

GhostRider62

Just don't go the church. When you see a church thread, just breath deep and say, "I'm just not interested" and move on or over to PL with the other retrogrouches fondling their tubies.

seypat

What about this church?

https://www.facebook.com/pages/categ...-238657641614/

https://www.instagram.com/thecotbr/?hl=en

tomato coupe

The problem is that they often set up their soap boxes on the sidewalk, and you can't avoid them.

spelger

its probably time this thread be a waning.

SoSmellyAir

But the oil grouches debate each other regarding which lube is the "best".

Seattle Forrest

I just bought a pair of skin skis though. 👍

cxwrench

Please.

base2 

Every thread waxes & wanes in it's own time.

Lombard

It amazes me how much time some riders spend with their chains when they could be out riding their bikes.

Take off the chain and dip it in hot wax? Really?? My chains don't come off my bikes until it's time to replace them - what a waste of time!! I lube every 500 miles with a 50% motor oil / 50% mineral spirits homebrew and I got over 6,000 miles out of my last chain.

I just dropped by for some entertainment.

Shadco 

Used motor oil right?

.

Lombard

No. Would never use used motor oil for anything as it's carcinogenic. Always new.

For anyone who is inclined to save $$ by using used motor oil, look at it this way. A quart of synthetic motor oil costs about the same as 4 oz. of you favorite "miracle" chain lube.

tomato coupe

Where does one buy used motor oil? eBay?

Lombard

I'm sure your local mechanics have some they would be more than happy to give away.

yaw

Lombard even if your chain lasted 60,000 imperial distance units I would not want a stinky sticky mix of motor oil and mineral spirits anywhere near anything.

The other day I assisted an oil-based bike newbie friend (although any waxer knows that such individuals can hardly be considered friends) with his dropped chain, and despite using a stick and a leaf to handle the chain, that crap still got all over my precious fingers. Disgusting. Deplorable.

That's what quick links are made for. They are... quick.

Lombard

This is ridiculous. Wax lubes can be just as messy as oil-based lubes. The big difference is that oil is better at lubricating a chain than wax - yes, even hot wax. Used correctly, riders get over 10K miles out of their oil based lubed chains. Do you get over 10K miles out of your hot waxed chains?

The key to having any lube be less messy is to wipe the chain thoroughly after lubing, then wipe it again after the first post-lube ride. Mess will be minimal.

yaw

This is about hot melt wax that sets dry like a candle when cooled, not drip on wax that sets to a goo that comes in bottles with carrier liquid and needs to be wiped.

Independent tests have shown that a hot wax coating is lower friction than oil-based lubes and extends drivetrain longevity.

You came for popcorn entertainment but if you look closer you may learn a thing?

It's like a well crafted movie.

Enjoy!

Lombard

You drank the Kool-Aid, that is noted. So tell me, "independent tests" aside, how many miles do YOU get out of your chains?

yaw

I have only been waxing for around 12,000km of riding and rotate 2-3 chains on my bike and 1-2 on my lady's bike, so it will take a good while longer before I can toss any of them out and tell you. Before that I used Squirt drip lube and only got around 2,500-3,500 out of a DuraAce chain, if memory serves me well, before my more conservative chain wear indicator said 0.5, hence why I looked for something better.

I don't think we should set independent tests under controlled conditions aside. Objective comparative data is good. Biased subjective data under wildly varying conditions is only good for banter. Even if you get the stellar results you claim based on an accurate chain wear indicator (they vary a lot), testing suggests you could do in excess of 50% better still:
https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/

What now?

Lombard

I use the most accurate chain wear indicator there is.........a ruler. I can tell you the only reason I replaced my chain at a little over 6K miles is that it was getting a stiff link I couldn't work out. At that time, there was no noticeable wear. It would have lasted another 6K miles had it not been for the stiff link.

Unless you regularly ride in foul weather, 2,500-3,500 miles is pathetic. I used to get that with wax lubes. Granted that hot wax is probably better than bottle wax lubes, but I doubt you will have better longevity than with oil lubes used correctly.

SoSmellyAir

Look, Lombard, you seem to be a cycling enthusiast, based on your participation in this and the Bicycle Mechanics subforum. So why not give immersion waxing a try?

You say waxing is a waste of time, but you have time to contribute to (at least) these two subforums (in addition to the actual riding), right?

Waxing has minimal startup costs if you use plain paraffin wax, especially when you already have OMS. A 2-quart Crock Pot is $12 and a pound of Gulf wax is $4 (both at Walmart). A pair of 11-speed Shimano quick links (enough for two chains) is about $10, and the Super B quick link removal and installation tool is $16 at Amazon. And the latter two remain useful even if you decide waxing is not for you. So what is the worst that could happen?