TMonk

It's certainly more technical than wet lube, so yeah maybe it's too hard for some people? It's also not a well trodden path either so a lot of us are figuring this out as we go. The MSW protocol is way too much effort IMO. I used to just dip in paraffin with no real treatment in between, might switch back to that.

I do agree Hiro11 that waxing a chain is about the same amount of effort as cleaning and re-lubing. That is including the decreased frequency of waxing, since most riders don't clean after each lube application. The additional work comes from the factory grease removal.

burnthesheep

Yeah, bottom line is your average B-group rider non-racer shows up to the group ride and slathers on more lube on top of more lube that wasn't cleaned up properly then digs out a tooth brush or Park Tool cleaner maybe once every couple months to "truly" clean the chain and rings and cassette. How many of them you see take out a rag before tossing the bike on the car before heading to the beer watering hole?

But, you can get away with doing wet lube wrong and riding anyway. Mostly. You just have a worse cleanup job later and spend more money on cassettes and chainrings and chains in the long run. Versus doing wet lube "the right way" and wiping chains and cleaning chains.

The barrier to entry to waxing is that you can't really save time by doing it wrong like you can with wet lube. You kind of have to do enough work no matter what with waxing that you might as well go ahead and get it right. So doing it wrong with waxing is silly because you saved yourself zero time versus doing it right.

Kind of like drywall seams. You can do it wrong and just glue freaking chair rail all over the damned house to hide the seams because you're too lazy to do the drywall seams. But if you're going to do the drywall seams, it saves you zero time to do them wrong if you're going to bother to do them at all. So, just go ahead and do them right.

SoSmellyAir

I agree the MSW protocol (of 3 OMS baths followed by 2 denatured alcohol / acetone baths) is overkill. Before rewaxing a chain, I agitate and soak the chain in two OMS baths. As I noted above, OMS and paraffin are soluble in each other, so a slight residual film of OMS on an otherwise clean chain should not affect wax adhesion.

For me, cleaning and re-lubing using a relatively "dry" lube (Boeshield T-9 or Rock N Roll Gold) requires more effort than rewaxing a previously waxed chain, because the former requires alternating multiple times between applying drop or two of lube per chain roller and backpedaling the chain through a rag.

Exactly.

I started waxing because I could not keep the chain clean while using a relatively "dry" lube with only the Park Tool chain cleaner before every few re-lubes, and realized that if I need to use solvents anyway, I might as well wax.

DaveSSS 

I probably have a comment somewhere in the 500+ responses, but I'll contribute again. Isopropyl alcohol and acetone are not paraffin compatible solvents. Mineral spirits and naphtha are. Both will dissolve paraffin and neither leaves any oily residue. Oil also mixes into paraffin, up to the 20-30% range. If added to paraffin, oil makes the paraffin softer. If in doubt, experiment on your own, adding oil to paraffin with help of a small digital scale to weigh the two. Melt the two together, then let it cool and harden to assess the result.

I make my own liquid wax lube with paraffin, oil and naphtha (camp stove fuel). I use at least 4 parts naphtha to dissolve the paraffin and oil. The problem with this mixture is that it requires 80-90 degrees F to remain liquid with a water-like viscosity and the chain must also be at a similar temperature so it does cause the lube to harden rather than penetrate. More naphtha decreases the temperature needed, but at some point, there's too little wax/oil in the mixture. Using it probably isn't much easier than immersion waxing, but I don't remove my chain as often. I relube at least four times before taking it off for cleaning. There's no dirt in my lube. I've been using this lube for several years now and don't plan to switch.

tomato coupe

I've never heard anyone say they're not interested in waxing their chain because it's technically difficult.

TMonk

yeah, poor choice of words. Maybe perceived effort? I agree with those above, that for those who actually clean their drivetrains, the effort level of wet lube vs wax is a bit of a wash (pun intended). Of course some big inputs there are the weather where you live, and how often one actually cleans their drivetrains.

spelger

i don't understand why anyone removes the factory lube on a new chain. why?

tomato coupe

I think that's pretty much it.

TMonk

the wax needs a clean metal surface to adhere to the chain. so there is some barrier to entry there for the wax camp (which I'm in). It is a downside relative to wet lube.

I can be quite lazy about bike maintenance, so next time I might try to just ride the factory grease off until the chain is dry before waxing. Seems like less work.

seypat

This is why it's not more popular. It's not wipe your chain off, grab a bottle/tube and relube, then repeat as necessary. Instead, it's microbrewing, moonshining, making wine/cider, canning, etc, etc.

Edit: I forgot to mention Alchemy, Witchcraft and Voodoo magic.

It reminds me of changing the brake or power steering fluid in your car. You can really make it complicated by opening the lines and flushing everything, bleeding the system, etc. Or, you can just suck the fluid out of the reservior and replace with fresh fluid. Drive it around for a couple of days and repeat the process 2 or 3 times. About 5 minutes to suck out the fluid and replace. 15 minutes total. I'm sure flushing it might better overall, but not that much better.

base2 

Welp...Now y'all did it.
3 pounds of Molten Speed Wax is on it's way to my house.
I hope you guys are satisfied!

DaveSSS 

The fluid in a brake system doesn't circulate. New fluid would never get to the calipers. Open the bleed port at the back, right side and let most, but not all of the of the reservoir fluid leak out. Put new fluid in, open the bleed port and let gravity flush one brake at at time, until clean fluid comes out. It's not fast, but it is effective. No special tools required.

I made a large batch of lube a couple of years ago for pennies. I'm still using it. Heating the lube and chain is quicker than melting a pot of wax.

spelger

well that is a good explanation...assuming the first thing you want to do is apply wax. me? i use the chain as is since the factory lube is good. once that is exhausted then i clean with mineral spirits (dirty and clean baths) then wax. i just see no reason to *not* use the factory lube for at least one ride.

tomato coupe

Factory lube followed by wax? You’ll be an outcast; no one will ever ride with you again.

Polaris OBark

The Shimano factory "lube" seems to be quite adhesive. I would (and have) removed it before using any type of chain lubricant, whether wax, oil, wet or dry.

I think the factory lube is to prevent rust during packaging and storage. Riding with it in gritty or sandy conditions would create an effective grinding paste.

spelger

no one rides with me now.

seypat

Well, you ride with him/her along with the other two, Myself and I. Hard to beat those riding partners.

spelger

sure, there is that. but i still always come in last.

SoSmellyAir

3 lbs.? Is this your version of the neighborhood lemonade stand?

base2 

1 pound is $29.99 + $8.99 shipping. Making a total cost of $38.98 per pound.

3 pounds is $54.99 + $8.99 shipping. Dividing by the number of pounds...That makes for $21.32 total cost. That's like half!

So, sure. Roll down my street on a sunny Saturday morning when I have the crock-pot set out upon a card table. We'll have a good time...& a lemonade.

Lemonade stand by Richard Mozzarella, on Flickr

Chain wax! Fifty cents! Getchyer fresh chain wax here!

streetsurfer

Newer, better,
Dryer, deeper,
Slicker, wetter,
toss it, keeper?

How do you
protect your chain?
Do you use it
in the rain?

In the end,
It’ll hardly matter.
You could probably wipe it,
With a Buffalo bladder.

Take your bike-
Ride it hard.
And when it squeeks,
get out the lard.

I am somewhere
In between
Lamb’s wool wax
And Eagle’s spleen.

Can we not accept
Another’s way works?
Or must so many be such jerks?

Don’t get mad
At me for this.
Coming off of anesthesia,
Full of vinegar ‘n p i s s.

Which also might work,
One could say.
We can discuss that
Another day.

Good night fellars.
That’’s a wrap.
Meds wearing off,
I feel like crap.

Branko D

You want to remove factory grease anyway. It is a poor lubricant.

The selling point of using drip on lubes - although you'd really want to use the wax based ones which are much better than typical bike lubes, and some approach waxing in efficiency - is that all you need to do weekly (assuming some sort of normal 200km per week and road rides) is wipe the chain and relube which takes all of ten minutes at most.

Sure, every month or two or three before a more important race you do a deep clean, and I keep a race chain for the big events, but weekly maintenance is a breeze.

Charles Lathe

I am not very good at keeping my bike clean. I built up a couple of new wheels yesterday and when I pulled the cassette off the old wheel, I thought, “This is pretty grungy; especially around the 11 sprocket.” I filled a pan with water and a little dish soap, put the cassette in and heated it all to a boil. I had two brushes ready — steel and fiber, but when I pulled the cassette out, it was spotless. I am glad I wax my chains.

Vinnems

So if I only ride road and in fair weather... I could get away with just wiping down my chain and throwing it in the pot of wax, no deep clean required? That would have me more interested in waxing, for the sake of the life of the drive train components. I usually do a wipe down of the chain and just apply more wet lube (RnR Gold), but I still get gritty good on the drive train components that it sounds like wouldn't happen as much with wax, since its dry lube.

Hiro11

1. Technically, the factory "lube" isn't lube, it's a rust inhibitor.
2. In my experience dirt and aluminum oxide sticks to the factory "lube" very readily.
3. Wax will absolutely not stick to a chain covered in factory "lube". It's imperative to have a surgically clean chain prior to waxing.

Honestly, in my experience the oil-based lubricants flush out the factory "lube" quickly anyway. I don't think it's necessary to fully clean a new chain if you plan on running wet lube.