I've been doing it for years. Clean chain in white spirit I keep in a jar and reuse. Wax I use is just melted down old candles in a syrup tin. Heat it with a gas blow torch or in the summer with a foil covered satellite dish in the sun. Like to get it nice and hot and refit while it's still as hot as my fingers will suffer.
Started last year. Use it on all my bikes except the city bike. Does require good wipedowns and care in the winter with the salted roads! But I love it and I see it becoming the norm in the future.
nope, although I did hear somewhere that it's better to run in a new chain first to get rid of all the machining sludge from the manufacturing process, then clean it, then wax it, I think because just cleaning it first doesn't get rid of metal particles and they get ground down and enter into the wax making a nice cutting paste, as opposed to grinding them down first and cleaning them out before waxing.
Just take note of ultrasonic cleaning errors shown here, they are very common. 1) De gas solution first for 10 mins - this makes a huge difference to ultrasonic cleaning power 2) Must fill tank to fill level (you can see the change bend in the metal near top of tank - that is the fill level). Typically you want a smaller tank than this, or you need to use a glass beaker with cleaning solution surrounded by demineralised water. The tranducers are designed for wave propagation with that volume of fluid - partially filling can damage transducers as well as give a low power clean 3) Never place a metal item to be cleaned directly on bottom of the tank - it may damage transducers and also on the bottom will have poor cleaning power - ultrasonics come with a basket to suspend items to be cleaned off the bottom of the tank. If demonstrating ultrasonic cleaning - it is best to follow the instructions of the ultrasonic cleaner - making all 3 mistakes - not degassing (well, not shown), low fill level and placing directly onto bottom of the tank = a rather large ultrasonic cleaning demonstration fail. I dont want this to come across harsh GCN - pls read the above in a very friendly tone - simply highlighting large errors re ultrasonic use that would give viewers following same procedure a much lower power clean from their US vs if they used properly, and it can damage the ultrasonic to fill with such a low level as well as placing item directly on bottom of tank which is less than optimal. Lastly take not US cleaning with acetone - acetone releases a lot of flammable vapours, especially as it heats up from cavitation in the US. Flammable vapours and unshielded electronics may result in a significant emotional event for you and your house. Ensure you do outside / very well ventilated area and not on / near anything flammable.
Hey zfc, any comment on the advice about letting the wax cool before removing the chain? Don't recall seeing that from your instructions, should I do this?
@@boshacka Hey no dont do this. You can - in theory it will give you an EXTREMELY MARGINAL treatment longevity benefit - maybe. As the pressures inside the chain from pedalling load are really really high (hundreds to thousands of psi under any decent power output) - excess wax is quickly pressed out. So if you remove when almost cool, you will just have a huge mess of excess wax pressed out, and in about 10 minutes time, be in exactly the same place re wax layer inside the chain as someone who removed at 90dg c and then hung to set on a 40dg c day. whilst you have that mass of excess inside chain making it also laterally a lot more stiff than desirable for some minutes longer - during that time you increase risk of chain drop or overshift etc - all up its a pretty rubbish extra 10 mins and just wasting a lot of wax. So dont do that, remove at temp and hang to set - easy easy.
Hello sorry my english is not perfect. Can you explain me please the best way to use ultrasonic cleaner because in my opinion put the tank full of white-spirit or acetone is bad for health and there's a safety risk with vapor are 🔥so i need to know what i have to put in the Ultrasonic Tank and if I have to put directly the chain inside the tank or to put the chain in a small jar/zip bag in the tank? If you can give me the good way to do with the Ultrasonic cleaner i will be happy. You make a good explain but i don't understand all and i can't copy/paste to put on the translator :(
A suggestion for cleaning in acetone - instead of filling the ultrasonic cleaner with acetone, put the chain in a sealed mason jar full of acetone, then fill and submerge the jar in water in the ultrasonic. Acetone fumes are terrible to breathe and can actually melt nearby plastic it's so aggressive. Not to even mention the vapors are highly flammable. Been using Secret Wax for two years now and absolutely love the ability to touch the chain without looking like a coal miner.
Some great tips! You have to stay safe when doing this sort of thing at home. If anyone is are worried, it's best to take it the shop and see if they can help you out 🙌
Freezer Zip-loc bags work great too! And yes, acetone and mineral spirits are terrible, no need for them. I use bio-degradable degreaser to remove the new chain grease, I rinse it hot water, then rubbing alcohol to remove the degreaser. Also, you don’t need a instapot if you have a good ultrasonic cleaner with temp control. For the Silca, I pour boiling water from a kettle and set the temp at 74 C, wax melting point. Then again using a ziplock drop some wax pellets in with the chain. Wait 10min for the wax to melt, chain to heat up, then turn on the ultrasonic for 8-10min. Best chain waxing ever!
Acetone is expensive and the vapours is too much for me. Personally I use Turpentine. It works great at cleaning the chain. You may have to use about 3 jars for the cleaning portion. I reuse the Turpentine so it's no so bad. Rise with mineral spirits and you're ready to wax. Use to use Super Secret but have switched to UFO wax. It works much better with less mess.
I use a jar with gasoline/petrol. To take out the initial grease on a brand new chain. Then rinse with degreaser in a different jar. Then wash off with water. final rinse with methyl hydrate making sure after shaking it. I will say I burn the gas off 🔥- I don’t recommend doing that.
This will be my third year waxing my chain and love it. For the first cleaning I use the 3-jar method using mineral spirits and then repeat with denatured alcohol. I heat the wax to 195 F , turn off my cheap $15 crock pot and leave the chain in it till it cools to 145 F . For all future waxing I use boiling water to clean before rewaxing. A clean quiet chain and bike.
So glad GCN has finally seen the light on chain waxing. Although I wish Ollie had done more to differentiate the genuine faff that is the initial stripping of the factory grease, from how easy rewaxing a chain is on an ongoing basis.
@@gcntech 4 years waxing. These days I buy my new chains pre-waxed to save disposing of the chemicals at home, but re-apply the wax at home with a crock pot every 200-300 km (2 chains in rotation).
@@andrewmcalister3462 that would be roughly every 10 hours... I am wondering if it's the wax that makes the difference or the complete chain overhaul that does it, that nobody applies to typical chain lube protocols.
I totally agree. The fact Simon is still giving Ollie such a hard time about waxing is that these guys don't realise how much of a TIME SAVING waxing is! Especially if you buy your chain prewaxed, given how quick it is rewax vs degreasing your drive train and relubing, means Ollie still has some work to do to get the message across clearly :)
1) A safety suggestion from a waxed chain user. If you don’t have an ultrasonic cleaner and you wanna do the alternativ method Olli was talking about … use a plastic jar. A jar made out of glas can break while shaking the chain inside. Did happen to me already 2 times. 2) don’t drop your fresh waxed chain on a paper towel, it will stick to it like glue. Hang it over the pot and let it cool down, the rest will drip inside the pot. After this run it over some wooden dowel and move the chain links to break the wax that’s on the outside. After they move freely you can put it back on the bike.
@@gcntech now for over 2 years. I love it so much and never want to go back to oil. Just when I think about getting oily fingers every time I removed the rear wheel to put it in the car... pfff it's like day and night
Good video, I'd suggest a bit more detail on the how to break up the wax before trying to mount it on your bike. The freshly waxed chain is very stiff (like stand on its own stiff), so I have a wooden dowel that I wrap the chain around and drag it back and forth to break up all the hardened wax. (you can also break it up by hand, but it takes a while). Then reverse the chain and do it one more time. At this point, the chain can be mounted normally on the bike and run in. (I actually do it outside because the waxy flakes are a bit hard to clean up off my turbo mat). Two other tips: if you're waxing the quick-link, make sure to clear out the wax from the mating holes and posts of the quick-link and the end links as well - otherwise it can be difficult to get it to seat properly. Second tip, (if you have the budget) is to buy two chains and rotate between them. Then you can always have a waxed chain handy to swap out. It's a bit of work to get all the equipment out and wax the chain (with the time required to heat, cool, and run in a fresh chain), so having a second chain lets you do that on a miserable Sunday morning at your leisure. Well worth the modest cost.
I personally pull my chain against a chain keeper to break it up. Pull the full length, flip the chain over and pull the full length again. Takes 15 seconds :)
A distinction is in order. The degreaser is non polar and, clearly, works to dissolve grease. The acetone is polar and works to remove residual contamination left by the degreaser as Ollie says. Both steps are needed for best results.
Been on wax for over a year for all my bikes. Just like tubeless, I never looked back. In order to save yourself some time and supplies, I recommend doing a batch of a few chains.
I made the conversion in late-2018 from a Drip Lube to a Wax. I was riding a lot and hated needed to degrease by chain after every Winter ride. I have two chains that I rotate, and wax about every 3 weeks. I always wash my bike in warm water, so no chains have rusted on me. It's really cool that Silca have replaced Muc-Off as a channel sponsor, so you can take good information mainstream.
Thanks for making this video! It has convinced me that I never, ever want to mess with waxing my own chain. I'll keep using the Super Secret Chain Lube as it works great!
It is like tubeless tires, replace a simple solution (the use of inner tubes) by a much more labour intensive solution. I use a teflon based oil for lubing my chains, just replaced the chain on my Belgian bike after 8000km with the same chain (ultegra DI2, at 0.75 chain ware, more frequent in wet circumstances), my other bike in Spain has now over 15000km with the same chain (=105 triple, not jet at 0.75 chain ware, more dry conditions, but more frequent gear shifting in the mountains). I only clean the chains externally once a week with a dry cloth and reaply oil twice a month of earlier after a drive in the wet. That's all I do, no cleaning with agressive degreasers etc
Been using Squirt Lube on summer bike for a while now, seems like a nice compromise/balance between benefits/faff of full on waxing (after initial chain degrease)
I used it but switched to wax last year. My chain on squirt was done after 4k km, waxed chain is almost like new after 7k. I actually wax 3 chains at the time and rotate them so I don't have to do it as often. Works well.
I also use Squirt - it’s fantastic. The lifetime of the chain is super long too. I just changed it (I religiously change chains when they get to 0.5) and had done 15,000 km on it in less than a year.
I grew out of using WD-40, now I routinely clean my three chains (tandem, you know) by shaking and stirring them in gasoline (regular). But who knows, maybe I'll grow up one day and use wax...
I used this method in full for the first time today. The difference when it comes out of the acetone - wow. You can actually hear the difference in the chain. Thanks, Ollie & GCN Tech!
Excellent primer. A good follow up would be to provide ongoing maintenance tips and schedules. As it is, this tutorial follows Josh/Silca's videos fairly well except for the quick link. Silca doesn't recommend waxing it. Not a huge deal but because friction occurs between inner and outer links of a chain, the quick link is an outer and the inners are already waxed, there is no need. Additionally, again not a huge deal but waxing the quick link requires more diligence to make sure it is really set as the wax will make this harder to determine. So really, no reason to go to the trouble.
Yes I don't understand the not waxing the quick link, it wears at least as fast, if not faster, than the remaining components. Zero Friction Cycling certainly recommend waxing the quick link. I would say there is no disadvantage from including it in the waxing.
Maintenance is easy: after ~300km (or less if riding in muddy, wet conditions) pour boiling water on the chain (so water can drain away) and wipe down with a clean rag. No degreaser required ever again.
Is there anything to be cautious about when cleaning the bike itself? Like, it is safe to leave the chain on and have soapy water run over it without taking the wax off?
@@marcelsow5817 it is better to take chain off before cleaning (quicklink) but if you are using gentle soap (car wash) and not too hot water (to melt the wax) and avoid washing chain itself it should be fine
Did mine for the first time at the weekend. Outstanding results, chain and shifting is so quiet. Pretty much the same process but used degreaser for usonic washes and isopropyl alcohol to finish off (chain was 6 months old!). Now just need to see how long it lasts before having to re-wax. But so far so good👍
yes that is my experience and others I know. as above mentioned, 3 chains to one cassette, 3 cassettes to one chainring. currently one chain has 11,000km @ 0.3% wear. real money saver. but I use Paraffin wax and ptfe it is much cheaper at about $12AU fir 6000 km.
Nice to see you guys not shilling for Muc Off anymore. I finally waxed my chain last week with the Silca stuff. So far I'm very pleased just from how quiet it is and how clean it is.
@antonioj.2147 iirc on the Marginal Gains podcast Josh Poertner, CEO of Silca, said to top it up about every 200km with the wax based Silca Super Secret Chain lube and rewax (just a wipe down and redip) after really nasty offroad conditions or every 1000km to get the wax back inside the pins good. If you're really interested having a listen to the Marginal Gains podcast is probably best. That information will be straight from the horses mouth, so to speak.
I do this, I have three old plastic mason jars from Amazon. Mineral spirits first in Ultrasonic cleaner at 65C for about an hour. Then Rinse, for sram chains I may do it another 30. Degreaser for guns cleaning orange type that won’t etch metal like simple green for an hour then rinse. Denatured alcohol bath, shake , pull and hang to dry for an hour or so. If you do it right the denatured alcohol stays clears and can be used over again. My chains come out like a gleaming piece of jewelry. Clean with microfiber cloth and SILCA wipes every 200 miles or so and apply super secret wax drip to extend the wax chain life. I have over 1500 miles on the current chain I’m using and still doesn’t need rewax.
Have been waxing chains on both my bikes entire season last year. Absolutely love it. I do avoid acetone though. I clean in old solvent -> new solvent -> alcohol.
Couple of tips: 1) Put something (I use a couple of bent paperclips) through the pin holes in the open links, if one of the rollers falls out in the wax and you don't notice its annoying to say the least, especially if the wax in the pot has cooled (YBN chains that often get recommended for waxing are prone to this on re-waxing in my experience). 2) If you are having trouble getting the Quicklink on after waxing its because wax has forced the inner plates of the open ends apart slightly. GENTLY squeeze the inner plates of the each end together with pliers while GENTLY heating with a lighter, and allow to cool why still applying GENTILE pressure this will make the wax soft enough to displace the excess from between the plate and the roller. When you have the link lined up It doesn't hurt anything to "flash" it with the lighter too, just before you snap it into place.
Hooray for GCN tech seeing the benefits of chain waxing! Compared to previous lubes I used, that silca hot melt and super secret drip lube are freaking awesome. Im at over 4k miles on one chain, with a good bit of life left! Yeah you have to dust off the excess wax dandruff after a fresh treatment, but its nothing compared to solvent cleaning chains and having to change the black-gunk-filled degreaser or solvent out repeatedly.
Questions: After your chain is waxed and you've ridden, how do you know that the wax has worn out and needs to be re-done? How long is it supposed to last? And what are the steps to go about re-waxing/cleaning an already waxed chain?
@@Jedpack you should clean the whole drivetrain when you switch to a waxed chain. otherwise, the chain will pick up dirt and grease from the other parts.
Currently converting my stock Trek FX 3 Disc to a gravel bike. Swapped the seat post, stem, and flat bars for redshift shock stop seat post, stem, and flared drop bars. This meant changing the shifters. But they don’t make drop bar shifters for a 3x9 groupset WITH hydraulic breaking. So I had to also upgrade from Shimano Acera to a Tiagra groupset. (Your videos were extremely helpful in all of this by the way.) I’ve told this story just to say that now I have a brand new chain and will definitely be waxing it rather than using the environmentally unfriendly white lightening lube.
Zero friction cycling (the people whose tests you're quoting) did a great video on why Ultrasonic cleaners are not necessary. Also worth noting that some chains require more effort to degrease than others i.e SRAM
They also changed their recommended cleaning instructions, now it is a single bath using a single solution, no more mineral spirits and acetone needed. They recommend CeramicSpeed’s UFO Clean Drivetrain. Yes it is a little more expensive but worth it for the simplicity.
I switched to waxing a few years ago, I have tried a few different systems and currently love using the Enigma Ultimate Chain wax by select cycling products…. I can definitely say I’ll never use oil on a chain again…. Easy to get hold of too as it’s on Amazon….
Like 25 years ago I used a silicone chain grease. It came in a syringe and was thick like grease. You'd have to rub it in with your fingers. But the chain stayed pretty clean and would last about a 100 miles. Been so long since I used it, I can't even remember what it was called. But I'm liking what I see here.
Apparently the film that comes on new packaged chains is not a lube at all. It’s there purely to preserve the chain that may sit around for weeks/months/years before being used, to prevent oxidation. So it should be stripped off (cleaned 100%) before any use and/or waxing/lubing.
I don't get that bit about excess wax forming dirt-attracting gunk. A major reason why the chain stays so clean is that the wax gradually sheds. Having a lot of excess wax on the chain means a lot of wax will shed on the first ride, and is thus wasteful, but it won't form gunk. Also, for those who aren't racing, cleaning a chain after the initial cleaning is generally unnecessary - I just throw my chain directly into the wax pot unless it's totally covered in mud or otherwise extremely dirty, and even then I usually just hose it off with water. The melted wax will clean out all the dirt.
ANOTHER thing to consider is the brand of chain. *KMC is not compatible with wax* because of a coating they do. Keep that in mind. Otherwise there will be poor performance of the wax last very little amount of mileage
@@litespud thanks for your input. These personal experience can add to real world data on what people are experiencing rather than just lab alone. I got this notion of KMC and wax from Zero Friction when i read in one of the comments of a video. I even asked in a recent video about kmc vs shimano because I’ve read people’s comments disagreeing which to use for wax. Some claimed kmc would be better as it didn’t rust like shimano with wax. I’ll just quote a section of the recent response from ZFC “In general have definitely had issues with KMC vs shimano. For every 10 emails i receive re people who have switched to immersive waxing that are having a bad time (ie chain is sounding and feeling really dry really quickly) upon checking - if they have followed the initial cleaning prep correctly - 9 out of 10 cases it will be a kme chain. 1 out of 10 it is something else (usually then an error in the prep - ie didnt ensure no film left, wrong cleaning product etc. SHimano 11spd do feel more dry more quickly vs sram campy / ybn - but nowhere near like KMC.”
I also use KMC with no problems *BUT* I use only 8 speed chains. I believe the current model name is z8.3. So not just brand but model of chain influences on what coating(s) they receive. I don't race so a cheaper transmission is more than enough... these chains need no quick link and thus are easier/cheaper to take off and put back on. They are also less prone to getting stiff links as compared to Shimano and SRAM upon being "broken".
@@KarlosEPM yes I believe you are correct in that it gets more specific in also the models of the brands as well. I guess we all need to be willing to experiment with what we have and form our own conclusion.
In case you don’t want to spend $$$ on an ultrasonic cleaner, get 2 of the bigger Ball jars. 1 with Mineral spirits, and 1 with Denatured Alcohol. Drop the chain in the mineral spirits first, shake not hard not soft, somewhere in between for a good 1-2 minutes. Let it sit in the spirits for 20-30min, then pull the chain out, wipe it dry and if there’s any dirt left that comes off in the towel, back in the spirits it goes. Repeat until clean. Once clean, dry of and drop into denatured alcohol. Shake for 2-3min, then pull it out and dry it off. Air dry for 30min. Then do the waxing procedure.
@@gcntech Giggity….. lol. Ok ok ok…. Yes, about 5 years now. Actually I couldn’t find any Molten Speedwax before my Ironman race October last year so I bought the Silca secret wax and I must say…. Look up raceday conditions in the morning at Waco 70.3 ….. it was a monsoon. People complain of waxes not doing good in the rain… this stuff was flawless on the Shimano Dura-Ace chain I must say.
I started waxing last year for the first time. It's a bit of a hassle because of the need to take the chain off the bike every 300km or so, but I put in 9,000km last year with *zero* indicated chain wear!
My solution was to buy 3 chains, wax at the same time and rotate between them :) I store each chain with its links in a ziplock bag, when all 3 are done, wax them and repeat
strip the brand new chain, in a 4 step process, with a variety of harmful substances and then make a wax soup in a crock pot. first , the hydraulic disc brakes, then tubeless goop. was the video directed by Gwinneth Paltrow?
30,000km into waxing and I love it. What I love most about it is how easy it is to clean the bike. You'd be amazed at how easy it is to clean a bike when the chain is off and the chainrings/cassette don't need any attention. When I get home, I take the chain off, turn the slow cooker on, head to the garden to wash the bike (pressure washer or a bucket of warm soapy water and some elbow grease). Come back inside and set the bike to dry, have a shower, put the chain in the wax, have some food, take the chain out the wax. When you look at it that way, the extra steps of waxing the chain adds minimal time to the whole procedure - in fact, I think it saves time because I don't faff around with degreaser on my cassette or chain on the bike. I recently went even further into the world of wax and started using turtle wax / carnauba wax on my frame. However, I recently heard that dish soap (which is what I use to clean my bike) actually breaks down this stuff, and therefor I might just be washing it off very quickly... any chemistry nerd insights #askgcntech ?
Definitely don’t use dish soap / fairy liquid to wash a frame you have polished or waxed. It’s a strong degreaser ( which is what it’s designed to do) so immediately strips off any wax or polish you have added. This is exactly why you shouldn’t wash your car with it either. I find car wash/wax solution is great for washing bikes, just as it is for cars.
The red bottle of Silca Brake/Chain cleaner. on the left of the screen, is fantastic. Does not dissolve chain wax but gobbles up chain dirt. I clean my waxed chain with this, then apply the SS dripon, and never have to take the chain off the bike.
I wax three at a time and rotate them every 4-500 before re-wax. Saves a lot of time and chains may last longer than the bike! Also, wipe chain down with mineral spirits if wet to avoid rust.
Quick cook version: a) buy 2 or 3 specially cleaned new chains ready for waxing... b) throw all at once into melted wax- swish around for few mins, c) hook out and drop into tinfoil- flipping package up and down for 5 mins whilst cooling. Much easier!!
I had my chain waxed back in 2017. My bike mechanic recommended it as new service that the shop was offering. I understood that the cassette was also waxed at the same time. My mechanic told me not put bike lube onto the waxed chain. The wax lasted quite a while until I had to buy a new chain. I loved that my chain and cassette was so much cleaner. I moved to Oregon the next year and the bike shops weren’t familiar with the process of waxing. Thanks Ollie, now I can wax my chain myself. 😎
Great video, just at the end I would recommend to hang the chain to drip the excess off into the pot below. Less paper tissues used and saves some wax for the next time.
#ASKGCNTECH. When selling a bike some sellers announce "only used on hometrainer" as a positive thing but I suspect that hometrainers can damage a bike, especially a frame, much more than riding outdoors in a bit of rain. Especially when sprinting on a bike locked into the trainer vice. Can GCN get some data on this ?
No need to buy expensive wax. Just buy a bag of paraffin wax pellets and a tiny one of ptfe powder and melt them together. To clean the chain first you can use petrol followed by isopropyl alcohol. That can be done in a jar or other container with a sealed lid and shaken periodically and left to stand. The wax can be melted in a pan over a low heat on a stove, though a slow cooker is a good idea
Great post GCN! Accept the use of aceton....Tip from a Automotive Composite Process Engineer😉 Please do not use high% acetone at home whitout fully understanding the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) The way and amount of aceton used in the video is totally someting differend then using it with a brush as a nailpolish remover! High% Aceton does evaporates fast at temperatures far below room temperature (17-20°C). Fumes in the correct mix with air are highly flamable. Flames are almost invisable. Changing a 220V plug or switching the light near those fumes could easily be the last time you see your chain with naked eyes✌️
I love the way that you say it’s the fastest wax to humanity depending on which test you look at - big disclaimer there. Then, you introduce us to an even faster wax! 😎
GCN must have read my mind, only this morning did I order a bag of Silca wax to try out 🤯This video is saved and I’ll refer back to this when it comes to cooking time. Thanks 👍🏻
haha yeah, mine showed up 2 weeks ago, and my new sonicator yesterday.... let me in coach.. GCN covering this is right on time. I started using a drip on wax lube last spring, so really looking forward to this spring... will never go back to oil
Word of warning for those who have not waxed your chain before. The chain is much more exposed to the elements and WILL rust in rainy winter conditions. However you can get around this by using KMC EPT chains. These are highly resistant to rust (their own blurb says tested with 650 hours of salt water). The only problem then is salted/gritted roads. The salt level is much higher than seawater and even the EPT chains struggle here. So when roads are salted you must clean the surface of chain regularly (like spray/wipe) with water to get that salt off. I have waxed chains for myself and friends for the last 4 years and will never go back to lube. The chains are so clean even after 300 miles and they last much longer.
Some good info in there and some VERY bad info there. The bad info is with regards to the amount placed into the ultrasonic (not hydrosonic) cleaner. In nearly all cases the heaters and ultrasound transducers in the cleaners require a fill level that is at least 2/3 to 3/4 full. Without the liquid being to that level both the heating element and the transducers can be damaged. The heater element can become too hot as the heat isn't being passed onto the liquid. The ultrasonic transducers require the liquid to be in place as without it the boundary between the metal frame and the air will cause most of the ultrasonic vibrations to be reflected back into the transducer. In the user manual there will be a recommended level and there may also be a fill level indicated in the batch section of the cleaner. This is the first time that I have heard of tungsten disulphide used for a waxed chain lubricant. Teflon, graphic and molybdenum disulphide are the more commonly used ones.
Make your own wax lubricate. 500g white candle wax (unscented) and 50g ptfe powder as fine as possible. melt the wax and slowly add ptfe (wear a mask). I've been using this for 2 years and it works.
You need to be careful using candle wax as on many occasions it has additives such as stearic acid. I have tried candles before but nothing comes close to Enigma Ultimate Chain Wax…
@@sellindgeflyer Not a great logic my dude. It's like saying coke is just rebranded water. Yes, 95% is paraffin, but those last 5% makes a lot of difference.
@@antonioj.2147 generally 300-500km’s. After that if you are not anal about every last bit of of performance, You can just brush off crap and plop back into wax. No need for stripping off old one. Very low effort maintenance.
Aren't quick-links supposed to be single-use? How many uses before the "click" part is worn down and you risk a chain failure? BTDT To avoid taking my chain apart, I clean on-bike with a degreaser in a park tool chain cleaner tool, rinse with water in the park cleaner until it rinses clean, blow dry with air, then apply lube. And I'm an all-mountain MTB'r (i.e. lots and lots of climbing and chain abuse) and by definition my chain is bathed in dirt every ride. Current chain shows as ~1/2 worn after 2.5 years of ~2-3 rides/week. My cassette is just as old and the teeth look great.
I’ve been doing this for a few years now but didn’t know about optimum time to take the chain out of the wax, thanks. I clean chains first with a 3 jar method of petrol, brake cleaner, methylated spirits.
SILCA also offers a pre-waxed chain for quite a bit of money. Is it a waste of money since it won't last any longer than a regular new chain that has been stripped off the grease and then waxed? A the SILCA pre-wax is about 3 times the cost of a new Shimano chain.
It will save you the tedious work of degreasing a new (or used with oil) chain. It's up to you if that's worth your money. You will still have to rewax periodically, as with any other chain.
You can also purchase pre-waxed chains from third parties then top up with a wax lube from a bottle ongoing. This makes a simple solution with less faff.
I think a new channel needs to be created: GCN Nerd. A channel that lets Ollie properly loose being as technical as he wants a without holding back. All the scientific terms, all the deep dive stats, no holds barred
Warning!! @GCN Sauté gets extremely hot up to 176 degree Celsius in an instapot and cause the wax to burn, and even potentially ignite. I think Ollie meant to say you are supposed to select the slow cooking option, that will never overheat the wax.
Actually on the more mode of sauté, the instapot heats to 210 degrees, above the 199 flash ignite point of the parrafin. With the slow cooking option you max out at 99 degrees, enough to melt the wax but never enough to burn it.
3) after riding your bike in wet conditions, you have to dry your chain. The wax is just inside the links and they don’t protect the chain like the wet lube will do. So if you dry it, you won’t get any rust on it
I haven’t dried my Campy chain after riding in the rain and haven’t had any issues. When I ride in wet conditions I have to rewax it more often but no rust
I do this for gravel and mtb, and not for my road bike. The thing is this is dry lube and therefore is better suited for dirty terrain and shorter rides. Just bear in mind that it doesn't protect very well against rust formation on the surface of the chain, so give it a quick pat dry after a wet/muddy ride or cleanup.
Interesting…. Why? Because I used a waxed chain at Ironman Waco 2022 in the pouring down rain for half the bike course and it was just fine. No noises, buttery smooth shifts, etc….
@@EatMyPropwash Maybe I did something wrong, but riding in the wet made my chain rust fairly fast. For me personally waxing was/is more benefitial in dry conditions.
@@numb3510 User Error mate, with the Wax Chain, you're supposed to do a Hot Water Rinse when you get back after a Wet Ride. Hot Water will clear out the Cold Water, and then Evaporate before Rusting the chain. Use a Microfiber cloth to wipe it down.
I normally just take the chain off, clean it and take it with me to the place where I have my legs waxed, while they aren’t looking I give it (the chain) a dip into the hot wax and put it back in a ziplock bag until I get home.
Been waxing for a few years now :-) There was an Aussie UA-camr who promoted it - offered good advice but he turned out to be a complete sh!t. An adaptation of Oli’s process: Buy 3 tubs. I went for good quality chemical safe ones. Then: 1) Clean your chain. 2) Put the chain in pot 1 and add some petrol / diesel. Soak for an hour and agitate every now and again. 3) Pot 2 with some degreaser. Soak + agitate again. 4) Pot 3 with some meths. This will remote the previous cleaner and evaporate when removed from tub. 5) Crock pot (eBay for circa £10 - £15) and add your wax. 6) Fit and get riding. 7) After a wet / dirty ride, wash bike and use an old sponge + warm water to wipe the chain. 8) I then use a garage compressor to dry the chain. 9) Add Squirt tube Sometimes I’ll add some bike protect / ptfe spray to a rag and wipe the chain to limit chances of rust over the winter. Though this isn’t necessary if I use the bile each week. 11) Repeat steps 1-5 every 200-400 miles. Current KMC-SL chain showing almost no signs of wear 3200 at miles. Previous chain lasted 5000 miles. You can reuse the chemicals in the 3 pots. If pot 1 is dirty, you can discard it (safely) it filter the muck using a paper filter.
DuPont sales a wax based chain lubricant in a can. Thats as much effort as i was willing to go for, figured it woukdnt be any worse than wet lube. Went to a bike shop, "your chain was awfully dry so I lubed it up for you" i smiled
I am a big fan of waxing chains. It is a lot of work to set up, yes. And rust can be an issue . There are more rust resistant chains on the market. Which I have 3 of on the way. KMC X8 PTC. I think. I keep my bikes inside and the reduction of time spent getting oily marks off floors etc is so worth it. The bike is easier to clean and the chain is something you can touch with no dirt. Connex Wipperman quick links are brilliant too. Tool free chain removal .
I do the same thing. From a recent chart (I can't remember from where), I think Squirt ranked right up there and may have been the fastest non full-waxing treatment. People with clumping from Squirt seem to miss the step to remove the manufacturers coating first. Also, after applying Squirt leave to dry then wipe the chain with a microfibre cloth to remove the excess.
@@insquares how often do you have to do this? What is chain life like?.. I was thinking this may be better on very long trips over days rather than carrying my home made squirt to go over the waxed chain.
I use Squirt wax Lube and never will be using oil again, ever, loll It's the most easiest and cleaniest way i found and i only clean my chain and cassette completly with turpentine twice a year, in march and later in august for the rest of the summer. My transmission always looks clean and never makes any noises. W ax is the way when you know how to use it.
I rotate 3 waxed chains, using each for ~500k before switching to the next. When all 3 are done I fire up the little slow cooker, give each chain a quick clean with a cassette brush and into the wax for ~20 min, with the occasional stir. I made an Al “cradle” that holds the chain off the bottom of the bowl where crud accumulates. I use whatever wax I can find - someone gave us some god-awful homemade scented candles - into the crock pot they went. So my chains smell like a bordello…what of it?!😊 the only “running in” I do is to reinstall the chain with the bike on the stand, then run through the gears - the only downside is that the chain sheds the excess all over the drive side chainstay, but it’s done in a minute. Waxing is the business 👍
i have only once pushed to 425km. the chain was fine. What are our chain life rates? If you can do this and get >10000km per chain it is a good deal I will try it, now my conservative approach is average 300km.
@@Desmo500 I've gone to ~600 km on a chain without issue - I like to swap every ~500 km, so I get ~1500 km/~1000 mi per full chain rotation. The only thing that messes this schedule up is if I get caught in heavy rain - I'll remove the wet chain regardless of the mileage and rotate in the next one - the wax won't stop it rusting if left wet. To be honest, I don't really worry too much about long-term chain life - the big plus for me is a clean chain. I generally swap the trio of chains and the cassette every couple of years - so ~20,000 km/set, but the shifting certainly hasn't degraded by then, so I imagine there's still life in them. I run KMC X10 chains and Campag 10sp cassettes, so this comes to ~$200 every couple of years. I'm OK with that.
I believe that using so much chemicals is very bad for the environment. I love my drive train to work excellent, but I have also a responsibility to the environment and I think so does GCN.
How do you maintain a waxed chain? What do you do after your third ride when you need to wash your bike, and you've degreased the chain? Do you somehow re-wax it? Use a regular lube? Nothing? Is it maintenance-free?
hmm. well cleaning the bike is easier as it is less dirty. you take the chain off at about 300km run boiling water over it then drop back into the wax. NO LUBE oil and wax are not compatible.
@@Desmo500 Man, that is not easier. Because after, say, a muddy ride, you might need to hose off your bike, and I assume you'd need to relube after that. So you'd need to remove your chain (really testing the limits of that quick link) every time you hosed down your bike?
@@bernielanger5679 Hi Bernie, doing wax is NOT easier than pouring on oil, but it is better and the minor inconvenience is worth it in cost savings and the general cleanliness of the bike. I am forecasting savings of 2 chains and one cassette per year on ONE of my bikes(this bike has 42,000 km currently, before wax I was getting a new chain every 4,000km and a new cassette about 10-12,000km, now it is projecting to over 15,000km per chain, but I won't keep it on till 0.5%, I will replace the chain before that). The bike is cleaner always as mud does not tend to stick. I do mostly ride roads but also dirt roads and minor tracks, I get mud on it but a clean with water is normally enough as there is no oil in the muck. I checked my spreadsheets again (yes I am a nerd) and currently I have one chain, re-used the Shimano QL 33 times. If it ever gets too easy to open or close the QL I will replace the QL with a CONNEX link which is the standard and needs no tool to undo. Note I try to be mechanically sympathetic and never use something that I am uncertain of in any way, I will replace something early rather than risk an on ride failure (my LBS loves me as I most often buy from them as I want them there when in need them). You do not always need to take off the chain after cleaning the bike and not after every wet / dirty ride. I do however test the chain OFTEN with a Park tool and I listen to it, I never let the chain get noisy. Take the chain off for re-waxing when I hit the 300km (roughly) mark although I have extended to 450km and heard no noise. 300km is probably conservative for my conditions. I have multiple chains waxed and I swap at about 300 then re-wax when all chains are in need. Big effort and time saving. Mostly it is about cleanliness for me but the cost savings are amazing. I only use Dura Ace now or if I have to Ultegra chains. I buy the highest quality cassettes I can find(and lightest) but the cost benefit makes that a no brainer for $12AU every 6,000km of wax (it will go longer but I do not like the way the wax mix starts changing colour, so I replace it). I took the FELT (42K bike) to the LBS recently as I had a Di2 problem I was unsure of and asked them to service it as well (have someone check my work every so often), well the LBS said "chain is new so does not need replacing", new!!! at 11,000 km! I just smiled. To me the evidence is OVERWHELMINGLY positive. BUT, you do not have to do it, it is a choice thing. One last message, when I get a flat (I am going tubeless soon) I do not get dirty hands. best wishes.
What will happen if you just clean your chain with regular degreaser and then use the wax? Can the acetone, for obvious reasons, be skipped? Is a little bit of grease so bad for a waxed chain?
There has to be no grease left on the chain, it has to be perfectly clean or the grease will prevent the wax from adhering. The extra step of cleaning with acetone or alcohol is not a big deal and makes a better job of it
Adam, from Zero Friction Cycling, says 300km is optimal to avoid wear on your chain. Just buy a second chain, or as Adam says, you're just pre-buying your next chain, do them both at the same time, to remove the hassle of rewaxing every week. You an also buy a "Wax Compatible" Drip Lube to extend/top-up your chain.
I remove the chain, pour about a liter or two of boiling water over it to remove dirt and dirty wax. Pat dry and then dunk in melted wax again. No need for degreasing. Depending on the conditions of your riding... 100-300km.
Should place water and place the chain in a jar with the solution. Because it will burn the ultrasonic if water level too low. I’ve been waxing chain for years with this method.
Marginal gains FTW!! In all honesty it's probably not that marginal. I drip on super secret currently but I'm thinking about doing a wax like this. Thanks!
the marginal gains are dandy, but not having your previously clean chain turn black within 10 miles is priceless. My chains and cassette are always shiny 👍
The part about wax being superior in getting into the interstices is backwards in practice. As soon as pressure is applied, wax deforms and starts being pushed out out of the bearing interface, and it does not re-enter. Oil flows to where it's needed. This is why waxing has to be done so frequently. It works as long as you're willing to keep up with the schedule.
It is suggested to oil your chain every ride but wax when your chain gets noisy. Depending on environmental conditions that could be a couple of weeks.
Enigma Ultimate Chain Wax has PTFE added which helps the wax reset when the tension comes off the chain ie when it passes the cassette and runs through the jockey wheels.
Indeed, oil reenters the rollers along with dirt, sand and what not. Effectively, although it remains on the chain for longer, it actually wears down your components faster. Waxing makes the chain self cleaning. Yes, you're supposed to keep up with maintenance anyway.
Have you ever used a waxed chain? 👇
I've been doing it for years. Clean chain in white spirit I keep in a jar and reuse. Wax I use is just melted down old candles in a syrup tin. Heat it with a gas blow torch or in the summer with a foil covered satellite dish in the sun. Like to get it nice and hot and refit while it's still as hot as my fingers will suffer.
Ever since I tried it. Easiest way to keep a clean and eficient bike.
Started last year. Use it on all my bikes except the city bike. Does require good wipedowns and care in the winter with the salted roads! But I love it and I see it becoming the norm in the future.
I've hot waxed chains since the early 90's and been using Silca hot wax and drip wax for about a year now.
nope, although I did hear somewhere that it's better to run in a new chain first to get rid of all the machining sludge from the manufacturing process, then clean it, then wax it, I think because just cleaning it first doesn't get rid of metal particles and they get ground down and enter into the wax making a nice cutting paste, as opposed to grinding them down first and cleaning them out before waxing.
Just take note of ultrasonic cleaning errors shown here, they are very common.
1) De gas solution first for 10 mins - this makes a huge difference to ultrasonic cleaning power
2) Must fill tank to fill level (you can see the change bend in the metal near top of tank - that is the fill level). Typically you want a smaller tank than this, or you need to use a glass beaker with cleaning solution surrounded by demineralised water. The tranducers are designed for wave propagation with that volume of fluid - partially filling can damage transducers as well as give a low power clean
3) Never place a metal item to be cleaned directly on bottom of the tank - it may damage transducers and also on the bottom will have poor cleaning power - ultrasonics come with a basket to suspend items to be cleaned off the bottom of the tank.
If demonstrating ultrasonic cleaning - it is best to follow the instructions of the ultrasonic cleaner - making all 3 mistakes - not degassing (well, not shown), low fill level and placing directly onto bottom of the tank = a rather large ultrasonic cleaning demonstration fail.
I dont want this to come across harsh GCN - pls read the above in a very friendly tone - simply highlighting large errors re ultrasonic use that would give viewers following same procedure a much lower power clean from their US vs if they used properly, and it can damage the ultrasonic to fill with such a low level as well as placing item directly on bottom of tank which is less than optimal.
Lastly take not US cleaning with acetone - acetone releases a lot of flammable vapours, especially as it heats up from cavitation in the US. Flammable vapours and unshielded electronics may result in a significant emotional event for you and your house. Ensure you do outside / very well ventilated area and not on / near anything flammable.
Hey zfc, any comment on the advice about letting the wax cool before removing the chain? Don't recall seeing that from your instructions, should I do this?
@@boshacka Hey no dont do this. You can - in theory it will give you an EXTREMELY MARGINAL treatment longevity benefit - maybe. As the pressures inside the chain from pedalling load are really really high (hundreds to thousands of psi under any decent power output) - excess wax is quickly pressed out. So if you remove when almost cool, you will just have a huge mess of excess wax pressed out, and in about 10 minutes time, be in exactly the same place re wax layer inside the chain as someone who removed at 90dg c and then hung to set on a 40dg c day.
whilst you have that mass of excess inside chain making it also laterally a lot more stiff than desirable for some minutes longer - during that time you increase risk of chain drop or overshift etc - all up its a pretty rubbish extra 10 mins and just wasting a lot of wax.
So dont do that, remove at temp and hang to set - easy easy.
Hello sorry my english is not perfect. Can you explain me please the best way to use ultrasonic cleaner because in my opinion put the tank full of white-spirit or acetone is bad for health and there's a safety risk with vapor are 🔥so i need to know what i have to put in the Ultrasonic Tank and if I have to put directly the chain inside the tank or to put the chain in a small jar/zip bag in the tank?
If you can give me the good way to do with the Ultrasonic cleaner i will be happy.
You make a good explain but i don't understand all and i can't copy/paste to put on the translator :(
@@zerofrictioncycling992 thank a lot for the reply 🙏🏻
Also never put your hands in an ultrasonic cleaner that's active right,
A suggestion for cleaning in acetone - instead of filling the ultrasonic cleaner with acetone, put the chain in a sealed mason jar full of acetone, then fill and submerge the jar in water in the ultrasonic. Acetone fumes are terrible to breathe and can actually melt nearby plastic it's so aggressive. Not to even mention the vapors are highly flammable. Been using Secret Wax for two years now and absolutely love the ability to touch the chain without looking like a coal miner.
Some great tips! You have to stay safe when doing this sort of thing at home. If anyone is are worried, it's best to take it the shop and see if they can help you out 🙌
Freezer Zip-loc bags work great too! And yes, acetone and mineral spirits are terrible, no need for them. I use bio-degradable degreaser to remove the new chain grease, I rinse it hot water, then rubbing alcohol to remove the degreaser. Also, you don’t need a instapot if you have a good ultrasonic cleaner with temp control. For the Silca, I pour boiling water from a kettle and set the temp at 74 C, wax melting point. Then again using a ziplock drop some wax pellets in with the chain. Wait 10min for the wax to melt, chain to heat up, then turn on the ultrasonic for 8-10min. Best chain waxing ever!
Acetone is expensive and the vapours is too much for me. Personally I use Turpentine. It works great at cleaning the chain. You may have to use about 3 jars for the cleaning portion. I reuse the Turpentine so it's no so bad.
Rise with mineral spirits and you're ready to wax. Use to use Super Secret but have switched to UFO wax. It works much better with less mess.
@@JFomo Only thing to watch out with turpentine is it can leave a residue, but it's certainly not a bad alternative.
I use a jar with gasoline/petrol. To take out the initial grease on a brand new chain. Then rinse with degreaser in a different jar. Then wash off with water. final rinse with methyl hydrate making sure after shaking it.
I will say I burn the gas off 🔥- I don’t recommend doing that.
This will be my third year waxing my chain and love it. For the first cleaning I use the 3-jar method using mineral spirits and then repeat with denatured alcohol. I heat the wax to 195 F , turn off my cheap $15 crock pot and leave the chain in it till it cools to 145 F . For all future waxing I use boiling water to clean before rewaxing. A clean quiet chain and bike.
So glad GCN has finally seen the light on chain waxing. Although I wish Ollie had done more to differentiate the genuine faff that is the initial stripping of the factory grease, from how easy rewaxing a chain is on an ongoing basis.
Great to hear you are a wax fan? Have you been waxing your chains for a while? Do you do the maintenance yourself at home or take to a shop? 👀
@@gcntech 4 years waxing. These days I buy my new chains pre-waxed to save disposing of the chemicals at home, but re-apply the wax at home with a crock pot every 200-300 km (2 chains in rotation).
@@andrewmcalister3462 that would be roughly every 10 hours... I am wondering if it's the wax that makes the difference or the complete chain overhaul that does it, that nobody applies to typical chain lube protocols.
@@aarondcmedia9585 it's the wax. Have a look at Zero Friction Cycling if you want to see the "independent testing" and go down the rabbit hole :)
I totally agree. The fact Simon is still giving Ollie such a hard time about waxing is that these guys don't realise how much of a TIME SAVING waxing is! Especially if you buy your chain prewaxed, given how quick it is rewax vs degreasing your drive train and relubing, means Ollie still has some work to do to get the message across clearly :)
1) A safety suggestion from a waxed chain user. If you don’t have an ultrasonic cleaner and you wanna do the alternativ method Olli was talking about … use a plastic jar. A jar made out of glas can break while shaking the chain inside. Did happen to me already 2 times.
2) don’t drop your fresh waxed chain on a paper towel, it will stick to it like glue. Hang it over the pot and let it cool down, the rest will drip inside the pot. After this run it over some wooden dowel and move the chain links to break the wax that’s on the outside. After they move freely you can put it back on the bike.
I thought that with the towel aha. Cheers for the tips!
I have a pice of parchment paper that I reuse works great.
Just like oz cycle has been doing for years
Some great tips here! How long have you been waxing your chain for? 👀
@@gcntech now for over 2 years. I love it so much and never want to go back to oil. Just when I think about getting oily fingers every time I removed the rear wheel to put it in the car... pfff it's like day and night
Good video, I'd suggest a bit more detail on the how to break up the wax before trying to mount it on your bike. The freshly waxed chain is very stiff (like stand on its own stiff), so I have a wooden dowel that I wrap the chain around and drag it back and forth to break up all the hardened wax. (you can also break it up by hand, but it takes a while). Then reverse the chain and do it one more time. At this point, the chain can be mounted normally on the bike and run in. (I actually do it outside because the waxy flakes are a bit hard to clean up off my turbo mat). Two other tips: if you're waxing the quick-link, make sure to clear out the wax from the mating holes and posts of the quick-link and the end links as well - otherwise it can be difficult to get it to seat properly. Second tip, (if you have the budget) is to buy two chains and rotate between them. Then you can always have a waxed chain handy to swap out. It's a bit of work to get all the equipment out and wax the chain (with the time required to heat, cool, and run in a fresh chain), so having a second chain lets you do that on a miserable Sunday morning at your leisure. Well worth the modest cost.
Yes the wax crunching bit is the most fun part- I use a metal pole in garden, attached to something.
I personally pull my chain against a chain keeper to break it up. Pull the full length, flip the chain over and pull the full length again. Takes 15 seconds :)
Some great tips here! So cool to hear that you have already put the time into waxed chain! How has a waxed chain changed your riding? 👀
A distinction is in order. The degreaser is non polar and, clearly, works to dissolve grease. The acetone is polar and works to remove residual contamination left by the degreaser as Ollie says. Both steps are needed for best results.
Been on wax for over a year for all my bikes. Just like tubeless, I never looked back. In order to save yourself some time and supplies, I recommend doing a batch of a few chains.
I made the conversion in late-2018 from a Drip Lube to a Wax. I was riding a lot and hated needed to degrease by chain after every Winter ride.
I have two chains that I rotate, and wax about every 3 weeks. I always wash my bike in warm water, so no chains have rusted on me.
It's really cool that Silca have replaced Muc-Off as a channel sponsor, so you can take good information mainstream.
Yes, silca has a great line of products, and as far as lubes go muc off didn't stand up well in the independent testing.
@@markjthomsonyou probably want to have a look at Enigma Ultimate Chain Wax…. Much better value and I find it works perfectly…
@@leetaylor4947 not sure how easy it is to get in NZ. Silca tested very well with zero friction cycling tests.
Thanks for making this video! It has convinced me that I never, ever want to mess with waxing my own chain. I'll keep using the Super Secret Chain Lube as it works great!
Nothing wrong with good old fashioned chain oil, we just love delving into the nerdy side of cycling 🤓 We are big fans of chain waxing 🙌
@@gcntech Is super secret chain lube the same as old fashioned chain oil? I thought it was more advanced and was a wax.
@@SidAuteur It is intended to have as much of the properties as actual wax, but applied directly on a clean chain. It's a Silca product.. really good.
It is like tubeless tires, replace a simple solution (the use of inner tubes) by a much more labour intensive solution. I use a teflon based oil for lubing my chains, just replaced the chain on my Belgian bike after 8000km with the same chain (ultegra DI2, at 0.75 chain ware, more frequent in wet circumstances), my other bike in Spain has now over 15000km with the same chain (=105 triple, not jet at 0.75 chain ware, more dry conditions, but more frequent gear shifting in the mountains). I only clean the chains externally once a week with a dry cloth and reaply oil twice a month of earlier after a drive in the wet. That's all I do, no cleaning with agressive degreasers etc
Been using Squirt Lube on summer bike for a while now, seems like a nice compromise/balance between benefits/faff of full on waxing (after initial chain degrease)
I used it but switched to wax last year. My chain on squirt was done after 4k km, waxed chain is almost like new after 7k. I actually wax 3 chains at the time and rotate them so I don't have to do it as often. Works well.
I also use Squirt - it’s fantastic. The lifetime of the chain is super long too. I just changed it (I religiously change chains when they get to 0.5) and had done 15,000 km on it in less than a year.
Wax chains in batches, used ones, cheap ones, those for racing, etc. And cycle through the lot there after. Easy!
I grew out of using WD-40, now I routinely clean my three chains (tandem, you know) by shaking and stirring them in gasoline (regular).
But who knows, maybe I'll grow up one day and use wax...
I used this method in full for the first time today. The difference when it comes out of the acetone - wow. You can actually hear the difference in the chain. Thanks, Ollie & GCN Tech!
It's a total win. I love how the chain stays clean and needs minimal or no maintenance between rides and no black greasy fingers.
Excellent primer. A good follow up would be to provide ongoing maintenance tips and schedules. As it is, this tutorial follows Josh/Silca's videos fairly well except for the quick link. Silca doesn't recommend waxing it. Not a huge deal but because friction occurs between inner and outer links of a chain, the quick link is an outer and the inners are already waxed, there is no need. Additionally, again not a huge deal but waxing the quick link requires more diligence to make sure it is really set as the wax will make this harder to determine. So really, no reason to go to the trouble.
Yes I don't understand the not waxing the quick link, it wears at least as fast, if not faster, than the remaining components. Zero Friction Cycling certainly recommend waxing the quick link. I would say there is no disadvantage from including it in the waxing.
Maintenance is easy: after ~300km (or less if riding in muddy, wet conditions) pour boiling water on the chain (so water can drain away) and wipe down with a clean rag. No degreaser required ever again.
Is there anything to be cautious about when cleaning the bike itself? Like, it is safe to leave the chain on and have soapy water run over it without taking the wax off?
@@marcelsow5817 it is better to take chain off before cleaning (quicklink) but if you are using gentle soap (car wash) and not too hot water (to melt the wax) and avoid washing chain itself it should be fine
@Richard George thanks. I do have quicklink chain, so maybe I just do that. As far as soap I am using muc-offs stuff
Did mine for the first time at the weekend. Outstanding results, chain and shifting is so quiet. Pretty much the same process but used degreaser for usonic washes and isopropyl alcohol to finish off (chain was 6 months old!). Now just need to see how long it lasts before having to re-wax. But so far so good👍
Great to hear you've taken the plunge! More Waxed chain content to come don't worry 🙌
From what I've read, it's not just the chain that is prolonged, but the crank and cassette as well.
yes that is my experience and others I know. as above mentioned, 3 chains to one cassette, 3 cassettes to one chainring. currently one chain has 11,000km @ 0.3% wear. real money saver. but I use Paraffin wax and ptfe it is much cheaper at about $12AU fir 6000 km.
Yes. They eventually do wear but in a different way... unrelated to constant working of a stretched chain as would be the case with other lubes.
Nice to see you guys not shilling for Muc Off anymore.
I finally waxed my chain last week with the Silca stuff. So far I'm very pleased just from how quiet it is and how clean it is.
How long does the hot wax last in kilometers?
@antonioj.2147 iirc on the Marginal Gains podcast Josh Poertner, CEO of Silca, said to top it up about every 200km with the wax based Silca Super Secret Chain lube and rewax (just a wipe down and redip) after really nasty offroad conditions or every 1000km to get the wax back inside the pins good.
If you're really interested having a listen to the Marginal Gains podcast is probably best. That information will be straight from the horses mouth, so to speak.
@@veriest1 I know, I listened to the podcasts but I can't get my hands on drip wax lube
Used this method decades ago for my motorbike chains. Surprised it's taken this long to appear for bicycles.
Started waxing my chains over a year ago and never looked back! No grime, SO much quieter, faster, and my drivetrain parts last longer!
I do this,
I have three old plastic mason jars from Amazon.
Mineral spirits first in Ultrasonic cleaner at 65C for about an hour. Then Rinse, for sram chains I may do it another 30.
Degreaser for guns cleaning orange type that won’t etch metal like simple green for an hour then rinse.
Denatured alcohol bath, shake , pull and hang to dry for an hour or so. If you do it right the denatured alcohol stays clears and can be used over again.
My chains come out like a gleaming piece of jewelry.
Clean with microfiber cloth and SILCA wipes every 200 miles or so and apply super secret wax drip to extend the wax chain life. I have over 1500 miles on the current chain I’m using and still doesn’t need rewax.
Have been waxing chains on both my bikes entire season last year. Absolutely love it. I do avoid acetone though. I clean in old solvent -> new solvent -> alcohol.
Couple of tips:
1) Put something (I use a couple of bent paperclips) through the pin holes in the open links, if one of the rollers falls out in the wax and you don't notice its annoying to say the least, especially if the wax in the pot has cooled (YBN chains that often get recommended for waxing are prone to this on re-waxing in my experience).
2) If you are having trouble getting the Quicklink on after waxing its because wax has forced the inner plates of the open ends apart slightly. GENTLY squeeze the inner plates of the each end together with pliers while GENTLY heating with a lighter, and allow to cool why still applying GENTILE pressure this will make the wax soft enough to displace the excess from between the plate and the roller. When you have the link lined up It doesn't hurt anything to "flash" it with the lighter too, just before you snap it into place.
Hooray for GCN tech seeing the benefits of chain waxing!
Compared to previous lubes I used, that silca hot melt and super secret drip lube are freaking awesome.
Im at over 4k miles on one chain, with a good bit of life left!
Yeah you have to dust off the excess wax dandruff after a fresh treatment, but its nothing compared to solvent cleaning chains and having to change the black-gunk-filled degreaser or solvent out repeatedly.
Just use plain paraffin. Performs the same.
Questions: After your chain is waxed and you've ridden, how do you know that the wax has worn out and needs to be re-done? How long is it supposed to last? And what are the steps to go about re-waxing/cleaning an already waxed chain?
I was wondering the same
You will hear the 'dry chain' noise. Depending on conditions and the wax, but for me it's usually after around 200km.
You’ll hear when it needs a re-wax. To re-wax just put chain in hot water to melt off old wax, then the wax bath.
What about degreasing/cleaning other drivetrain components? Or do I just need to deep clean the chain?
@@Jedpack you should clean the whole drivetrain when you switch to a waxed chain. otherwise, the chain will pick up dirt and grease from the other parts.
Currently converting my stock Trek FX 3 Disc to a gravel bike. Swapped the seat post, stem, and flat bars for redshift shock stop seat post, stem, and flared drop bars. This meant changing the shifters. But they don’t make drop bar shifters for a 3x9 groupset WITH hydraulic breaking. So I had to also upgrade from Shimano Acera to a Tiagra groupset. (Your videos were extremely helpful in all of this by the way.) I’ve told this story just to say that now I have a brand new chain and will definitely be waxing it rather than using the environmentally unfriendly white lightening lube.
Zero friction cycling (the people whose tests you're quoting) did a great video on why Ultrasonic cleaners are not necessary. Also worth noting that some chains require more effort to degrease than others i.e SRAM
They also changed their recommended cleaning instructions, now it is a single bath using a single solution, no more mineral spirits and acetone needed. They recommend CeramicSpeed’s UFO Clean Drivetrain. Yes it is a little more expensive but worth it for the simplicity.
@@Adonis-qj1nq I'll take a look at that thanks 👍
Learned something new today, thanks GCN!
You should have a look at Enigma Ultimate Chain wax….
I switched to waxing a few years ago, I have tried a few different systems and currently love using the Enigma Ultimate Chain wax by select cycling products….
I can definitely say I’ll never use oil on a chain again….
Easy to get hold of too as it’s on Amazon….
Like 25 years ago I used a silicone chain grease. It came in a syringe and was thick like grease. You'd have to rub it in with your fingers. But the chain stayed pretty clean and would last about a 100 miles. Been so long since I used it, I can't even remember what it was called. But I'm liking what I see here.
Apparently the film that comes on new packaged chains is not a lube at all. It’s there purely to preserve the chain that may sit around for weeks/months/years before being used, to prevent oxidation.
So it should be stripped off (cleaned 100%) before any use and/or waxing/lubing.
I’m a big fan of waxing, it makes cleaning the whole bike much easier, not just the chain.
So true
I don't get that bit about excess wax forming dirt-attracting gunk. A major reason why the chain stays so clean is that the wax gradually sheds. Having a lot of excess wax on the chain means a lot of wax will shed on the first ride, and is thus wasteful, but it won't form gunk.
Also, for those who aren't racing, cleaning a chain after the initial cleaning is generally unnecessary - I just throw my chain directly into the wax pot unless it's totally covered in mud or otherwise extremely dirty, and even then I usually just hose it off with water. The melted wax will clean out all the dirt.
Just pour boiling water over the chain to remove old wax and dirt…. 👍
Mineral spirits can be used in place of degreaser. Denatured alcohol can be used in place of acetone.
Been following oz cycle he's been waxing chains for years.
I’ve been waxing my chains for 6 years now so much better clean last longer!
My tip from years of waxing - don't suspend the chain from the last link. You can dislodge the inner part of the link and wreck your chain. :/
Never waxed my chain before, but I'm going to give it a try now. Thanks
ANOTHER thing to consider is the brand of chain. *KMC is not compatible with wax* because of a coating they do. Keep that in mind. Otherwise there will be poor performance of the wax last very little amount of mileage
I've been waxing KMC chains for years - never a problem
@@litespud me too
@@litespud thanks for your input. These personal experience can add to real world data on what people are experiencing rather than just lab alone.
I got this notion of KMC and wax from Zero Friction when i read in one of the comments of a video.
I even asked in a recent video about kmc vs shimano because I’ve read people’s comments disagreeing which to use for wax. Some claimed kmc would be better as it didn’t rust like shimano with wax.
I’ll just quote a section of the recent response from ZFC
“In general have definitely had issues with KMC vs shimano. For every 10 emails i receive re people who have switched to immersive waxing that are having a bad time (ie chain is sounding and feeling really dry really quickly) upon checking - if they have followed the initial cleaning prep correctly - 9 out of 10 cases it will be a kme chain. 1 out of 10 it is something else (usually then an error in the prep - ie didnt ensure no film left, wrong cleaning product etc. SHimano 11spd do feel more dry more quickly vs sram campy / ybn - but nowhere near like KMC.”
I also use KMC with no problems *BUT* I use only 8 speed chains. I believe the current model name is z8.3. So not just brand but model of chain influences on what coating(s) they receive. I don't race so a cheaper transmission is more than enough... these chains need no quick link and thus are easier/cheaper to take off and put back on. They are also less prone to getting stiff links as compared to Shimano and SRAM upon being "broken".
@@KarlosEPM yes I believe you are correct in that it gets more specific in also the models of the brands as well.
I guess we all need to be willing to experiment with what we have and form our own conclusion.
In case you don’t want to spend $$$ on an ultrasonic cleaner, get 2 of the bigger Ball jars. 1 with Mineral spirits, and 1 with Denatured Alcohol. Drop the chain in the mineral spirits first, shake not hard not soft, somewhere in between for a good 1-2 minutes. Let it sit in the spirits for 20-30min, then pull the chain out, wipe it dry and if there’s any dirt left that comes off in the towel, back in the spirits it goes. Repeat until clean. Once clean, dry of and drop into denatured alcohol. Shake for 2-3min, then pull it out and dry it off. Air dry for 30min. Then do the waxing procedure.
Nice little recipe! Have you been waxing your chain for some time now? 👀
@@gcntech Giggity….. lol. Ok ok ok…. Yes, about 5 years now. Actually I couldn’t find any Molten Speedwax before my Ironman race October last year so I bought the Silca secret wax and I must say…. Look up raceday conditions in the morning at Waco 70.3 ….. it was a monsoon. People complain of waxes not doing good in the rain… this stuff was flawless on the Shimano Dura-Ace chain I must say.
I started waxing last year for the first time. It's a bit of a hassle because of the need to take the chain off the bike every 300km or so, but I put in 9,000km last year with *zero* indicated chain wear!
My solution was to buy 3 chains, wax at the same time and rotate between them :) I store each chain with its links in a ziplock bag, when all 3 are done, wax them and repeat
@@kamigato 100% same SOP here!
strip the brand new chain, in a 4 step process, with a variety of harmful substances and then make a wax soup in a crock pot. first , the hydraulic disc brakes, then tubeless goop. was the video directed by Gwinneth Paltrow?
30,000km into waxing and I love it. What I love most about it is how easy it is to clean the bike. You'd be amazed at how easy it is to clean a bike when the chain is off and the chainrings/cassette don't need any attention. When I get home, I take the chain off, turn the slow cooker on, head to the garden to wash the bike (pressure washer or a bucket of warm soapy water and some elbow grease). Come back inside and set the bike to dry, have a shower, put the chain in the wax, have some food, take the chain out the wax. When you look at it that way, the extra steps of waxing the chain adds minimal time to the whole procedure - in fact, I think it saves time because I don't faff around with degreaser on my cassette or chain on the bike.
I recently went even further into the world of wax and started using turtle wax / carnauba wax on my frame. However, I recently heard that dish soap (which is what I use to clean my bike) actually breaks down this stuff, and therefor I might just be washing it off very quickly... any chemistry nerd insights #askgcntech ?
great note. I use carwash on my bikes then use spray on SIO2 wax (stick with the dark side).
Definitely don’t use dish soap / fairy liquid to wash a frame you have polished or waxed. It’s a strong degreaser ( which is what it’s designed to do) so immediately strips off any wax or polish you have added. This is exactly why you shouldn’t wash your car with it either. I find car wash/wax solution is great for washing bikes, just as it is for cars.
White Spirit, performance degreaser and acetone. Cycling.... the environmentally friendly hobby!
You can pour them in and out of the same bottle, if you use Coffee Filter Paper.
you can also let them settle and then pour the clean solvent floating above the sludge back into its original container for future use
The red bottle of Silca Brake/Chain cleaner. on the left of the screen, is fantastic. Does not dissolve chain wax but gobbles up chain dirt. I clean my waxed chain with this, then apply the SS dripon, and never have to take the chain off the bike.
I wax three at a time and rotate them every 4-500 before re-wax. Saves a lot of time and chains may last longer than the bike! Also, wipe chain down with mineral spirits if wet to avoid rust.
Do you also batch wax chains to save time further down the line? 👀
@@gcntech yes - exactly.
Quick cook version: a) buy 2 or 3 specially cleaned new chains ready for waxing... b) throw all at once into melted wax- swish around for few mins, c) hook out and drop into tinfoil- flipping package up and down for 5 mins whilst cooling. Much easier!!
I had my chain waxed back in 2017. My bike mechanic recommended it as new service that the shop was offering. I understood that the cassette was also waxed at the same time. My mechanic told me not put bike lube onto the waxed chain. The wax lasted quite a while until I had to buy a new chain. I loved that my chain and cassette was so much cleaner. I moved to Oregon the next year and the bike shops weren’t familiar with the process of waxing. Thanks Ollie, now I can wax my chain myself. 😎
That's what we like to hear! Do you think it will become the new norm? 🤔
Been waxing my chains for years. A little bit of work but a whole lot cleaner than dealing with grease.
Great video, just at the end I would recommend to hang the chain to drip the excess off into the pot below. Less paper tissues used and saves some wax for the next time.
#ASKGCNTECH. When selling a bike some sellers announce "only used on hometrainer" as a positive thing but I suspect that hometrainers can damage a bike, especially a frame, much more than riding outdoors in a bit of rain. Especially when sprinting on a bike locked into the trainer vice. Can GCN get some data on this ?
No need to buy expensive wax. Just buy a bag of paraffin wax pellets and a tiny one of ptfe powder and melt them together. To clean the chain first you can use petrol followed by isopropyl alcohol. That can be done in a jar or other container with a sealed lid and shaken periodically and left to stand. The wax can be melted in a pan over a low heat on a stove, though a slow cooker is a good idea
Graphite works just as well as ptfe and encourages less toxic waste, if you are interested in that. But yeah, 100% no need for fancy waxes.
Great post GCN! Accept the use of aceton....Tip from a Automotive Composite Process Engineer😉
Please do not use high% acetone at home whitout fully understanding the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)
The way and amount of aceton used in the video is totally someting differend then using it with a brush as a nailpolish remover!
High% Aceton does evaporates fast at temperatures far below room temperature (17-20°C). Fumes in the correct mix with air are highly flamable. Flames are almost invisable. Changing a 220V plug or switching the light near those fumes could easily be the last time you see your chain with naked eyes✌️
I love the way that you say it’s the fastest wax to humanity depending on which test you look at - big disclaimer there. Then, you introduce us to an even faster wax! 😎
GCN must have read my mind, only this morning did I order a bag of Silca wax to try out 🤯This video is saved and I’ll refer back to this when it comes to cooking time. Thanks 👍🏻
Same, I ordered the Silca Super Secret the other day and just applied it my chain last night!
haha yeah, mine showed up 2 weeks ago, and my new sonicator yesterday.... let me in coach.. GCN covering this is right on time. I started using a drip on wax lube last spring, so really looking forward to this spring... will never go back to oil
Word of warning for those who have not waxed your chain before. The chain is much more exposed to the elements and WILL rust in rainy winter conditions. However you can get around this by using KMC EPT chains. These are highly resistant to rust (their own blurb says tested with 650 hours of salt water). The only problem then is salted/gritted roads. The salt level is much higher than seawater and even the EPT chains struggle here. So when roads are salted you must clean the surface of chain regularly (like spray/wipe) with water to get that salt off. I have waxed chains for myself and friends for the last 4 years and will never go back to lube. The chains are so clean even after 300 miles and they last much longer.
Thank you a lot, now I know that I need to replace my bicycle chain with a belt, although on my current bicycle that is not possible!
2:09 :
"Quick Ollie, we need some more B-roll! Got any ideas?"
"What if I do this?" 😂
Hahahah caught red handed... 😳
@@gcntech It made me chuckle! 😁
I need a girlfriend that can do B-roll like that!
Some good info in there and some VERY bad info there. The bad info is with regards to the amount placed into the ultrasonic (not hydrosonic) cleaner. In nearly all cases the heaters and ultrasound transducers in the cleaners require a fill level that is at least 2/3 to 3/4 full. Without the liquid being to that level both the heating element and the transducers can be damaged. The heater element can become too hot as the heat isn't being passed onto the liquid. The ultrasonic transducers require the liquid to be in place as without it the boundary between the metal frame and the air will cause most of the ultrasonic vibrations to be reflected back into the transducer. In the user manual there will be a recommended level and there may also be a fill level indicated in the batch section of the cleaner.
This is the first time that I have heard of tungsten disulphide used for a waxed chain lubricant. Teflon, graphic and molybdenum disulphide are the more commonly used ones.
Pro Tipp: use the excessive wax on your hair to make it more aero
🤣🤣
just go bald max aero
Stop giving away Ollie's performance gains secrets!
@@a1white These are from hambini's hairdresser. :)
Make your own wax lubricate. 500g white candle wax (unscented) and 50g ptfe powder as fine as possible. melt the wax and slowly add ptfe (wear a mask). I've been using this for 2 years and it works.
and cheaper.
You need to be careful using candle wax as on many occasions it has additives such as stearic acid.
I have tried candles before but nothing comes close to Enigma Ultimate Chain Wax…
@@leetaylor4947 You're correct. I should have said paraffin wax
@@leetaylor4947 Good info, thanks. BTW, I use graphite instead of PTFE.
How nice, I ordered wax and bought a slow cooker yesterday
Used to do it with just paraffin wax. Will go back to it when my current chain wears out. I love how clean the chain stays.
@@sellindgeflyer Not a great logic my dude. It's like saying coke is just rebranded water. Yes, 95% is paraffin, but those last 5% makes a lot of difference.
How long does the hot wax last?
@@antonioj.2147 generally 300-500km’s. After that if you are not anal about every last bit of of performance, You can just brush off crap and plop back into wax. No need for stripping off old one. Very low effort maintenance.
@@futurememeudontgetyet1202 so I guess, waxing every weekend should cut it?
@@antonioj.2147 not necessarily. I have 3 chains on the go. Re-wax when all 3 are ready.
Aren't quick-links supposed to be single-use? How many uses before the "click" part is worn down and you risk a chain failure? BTDT
To avoid taking my chain apart, I clean on-bike with a degreaser in a park tool chain cleaner tool, rinse with water in the park cleaner until it rinses clean, blow dry with air, then apply lube. And I'm an all-mountain MTB'r (i.e. lots and lots of climbing and chain abuse) and by definition my chain is bathed in dirt every ride. Current chain shows as ~1/2 worn after 2.5 years of ~2-3 rides/week. My cassette is just as old and the teeth look great.
Just in time, exactly what I was looking for.
I’ve been doing this for a few years now but didn’t know about optimum time to take the chain out of the wax, thanks. I clean chains first with a 3 jar method of petrol, brake cleaner, methylated spirits.
SILCA also offers a pre-waxed chain for quite a bit of money. Is it a waste of money since it won't last any longer than a regular new chain that has been stripped off the grease and then waxed? A the SILCA pre-wax is about 3 times the cost of a new Shimano chain.
It will save you the tedious work of degreasing a new (or used with oil) chain. It's up to you if that's worth your money. You will still have to rewax periodically, as with any other chain.
You can also purchase pre-waxed chains from third parties then top up with a wax lube from a bottle ongoing. This makes a simple solution with less faff.
I think a new channel needs to be created: GCN Nerd. A channel that lets Ollie properly loose being as technical as he wants a without holding back. All the scientific terms, all the deep dive stats, no holds barred
Is it possible to use scented candle as a substitute?
No because it contains oil . You need to use food grade wax .
@@mikedioplus candle wax often has added ingredients such as Stearic Acid…
Better off just buying Enigma Ultimate Chain Wax….
@@leetaylor4947 i wouldn’t know i don’t improvise, i just use molten speed wax only .
I have used candle wax of many sorts. The result is subpar... they're either too stiff and brittle or too oily.
Tankx Ollie just the video I've been waiting for, well since I got me a bag of chain wax. Looking forward to a clean quiet drive train this season.
Could you put the waxed chain on a cyclocross or gravel bike and ride around in the mud for a day and show how clean it stays?
This sounds like a pretty fun day out and got the wheels turning in our minds, where do you think we should do this test? 🤔
@@gcntech Ask the GMBN crew, they know their mud. 🙃 Or send Dan to Belgium on a CX track with the prospect of beers.
@@gcntech On the other hand, the old stickman might break again. Maybe better send Si „Iron Ankle“ Richardson
Warning!! @GCN Sauté gets extremely hot up to 176 degree Celsius in an instapot and cause the wax to burn, and even potentially ignite. I think Ollie meant to say you are supposed to select the slow cooking option, that will never overheat the wax.
Actually on the more mode of sauté, the instapot heats to 210 degrees, above the 199 flash ignite point of the parrafin. With the slow cooking option you max out at 99 degrees, enough to melt the wax but never enough to burn it.
3) after riding your bike in wet conditions, you have to dry your chain. The wax is just inside the links and they don’t protect the chain like the wet lube will do. So if you dry it, you won’t get any rust on it
Or buy a black chain, like a Wippermann.
I haven’t dried my Campy chain after riding in the rain and haven’t had any issues. When I ride in wet conditions I have to rewax it more often but no rust
Or you just re-wax it. Safest option of them all (and easiest).
@@cyclowax That's not necessarily that quick or convenient, especially if you're commuting.
You can also wipe down with mineral spirits to remove water and take away grime.
Would you do this on a gravel bike chain?
I do this for gravel and mtb, and not for my road bike. The thing is this is dry lube and therefore is better suited for dirty terrain and shorter rides. Just bear in mind that it doesn't protect very well against rust formation on the surface of the chain, so give it a quick pat dry after a wet/muddy ride or cleanup.
Super Secret Lube ... LOL. Just buy something like Wolfblood Racing (UK), which is a PTFE/WS2 blend. The WS2 gives it that very dark graphite colour.
The Tigerblood Jewel sound clip.. pure class 😀👍
Good info. Possibly single, because my spouse would say, "You're not using my cooking pot". My pot would need to be dedicated to my repair shop.
I have used a waxed chain. The biggest downside for me was rain. This is where the wax failed for me.
Interesting…. Why? Because I used a waxed chain at Ironman Waco 2022 in the pouring down rain for half the bike course and it was just fine. No noises, buttery smooth shifts, etc….
@@EatMyPropwash Maybe I did something wrong, but riding in the wet made my chain rust fairly fast. For me personally waxing was/is more benefitial in dry conditions.
@@numb3510 User Error mate, with the Wax Chain, you're supposed to do a Hot Water Rinse when you get back after a Wet Ride. Hot Water will clear out the Cold Water, and then Evaporate before Rusting the chain. Use a Microfiber cloth to wipe it down.
@@LukeGJPotter Thanks. Will keep that in mind.
@@numb3510 Cool bro, I hope you have better results in future.
I normally just take the chain off, clean it and take it with me to the place where I have my legs waxed, while they aren’t looking I give it (the chain) a dip into the hot wax and put it back in a ziplock bag until I get home.
LOL loved it..🤣
Been waxing for a few years now :-)
There was an Aussie UA-camr who promoted it - offered good advice but he turned out to be a complete sh!t.
An adaptation of Oli’s process:
Buy 3 tubs. I went for good quality chemical safe ones. Then:
1) Clean your chain.
2) Put the chain in pot 1 and add some petrol / diesel. Soak for an hour and agitate every now and again.
3) Pot 2 with some degreaser. Soak + agitate again.
4) Pot 3 with some meths. This will remote the previous cleaner and evaporate when removed from tub.
5) Crock pot (eBay for circa £10 - £15) and add your wax.
6) Fit and get riding.
7) After a wet / dirty ride, wash bike and use an old sponge + warm water to wipe the chain.
8) I then use a garage compressor to dry the chain.
9) Add Squirt tube
Sometimes I’ll add some bike protect / ptfe spray to a rag and wipe the chain to limit chances of rust over the winter. Though this isn’t necessary if I use the bile each week.
11) Repeat steps 1-5 every 200-400 miles.
Current KMC-SL chain showing almost no signs of wear 3200 at miles. Previous chain lasted 5000 miles.
You can reuse the chemicals in the 3 pots. If pot 1 is dirty, you can discard it (safely) it filter the muck using a paper filter.
DuPont sales a wax based chain lubricant in a can. Thats as much effort as i was willing to go for, figured it woukdnt be any worse than wet lube. Went to a bike shop, "your chain was awfully dry so I lubed it up for you" i smiled
I am a big fan of waxing chains. It is a lot of work to set up, yes. And rust can be an issue . There are more rust resistant chains on the market. Which I have 3 of on the way. KMC X8 PTC. I think. I keep my bikes inside and the reduction of time spent getting oily marks off floors etc is so worth it. The bike is easier to clean and the chain is something you can touch with no dirt. Connex Wipperman quick links are brilliant too. Tool free chain removal .
I know it's not waxing in the truest sense but I use squirt drip on wax with decent results. Thoughts?
I do the same thing. From a recent chart (I can't remember from where), I think Squirt ranked right up there and may have been the fastest non full-waxing treatment. People with clumping from Squirt seem to miss the step to remove the manufacturers coating first. Also, after applying Squirt leave to dry then wipe the chain with a microfibre cloth to remove the excess.
@@insquares how often do you have to do this? What is chain life like?.. I was thinking this may be better on very long trips over days rather than carrying my home made squirt to go over the waxed chain.
I use Squirt wax Lube and never will be using oil again, ever, loll
It's the most easiest and cleaniest way i found and i only clean my
chain and cassette completly with turpentine twice a year, in march and later in august
for the rest of the summer. My transmission always looks clean and
never makes any noises. W ax is the way when you know how to use it.
Yay for Silca! been using silca SS drip, game changer. Melt wax would be even better.
Make your own treatment. 50gram P.T.F.E. Powder 1.3 - 1.6 micron and 500gram Paraffin Wax.
Skaters use scanted candles for grinding. The essential Oils make stuff even more slippery. Tomorrow I will have a XX1 Chain with Strawberry flavor!
I rotate 3 waxed chains, using each for ~500k before switching to the next. When all 3 are done I fire up the little slow cooker, give each chain a quick clean with a cassette brush and into the wax for ~20 min, with the occasional stir. I made an Al “cradle” that holds the chain off the bottom of the bowl where crud accumulates. I use whatever wax I can find - someone gave us some god-awful homemade scented candles - into the crock pot they went. So my chains smell like a bordello…what of it?!😊 the only “running in” I do is to reinstall the chain with the bike on the stand, then run through the gears - the only downside is that the chain sheds the excess all over the drive side chainstay, but it’s done in a minute. Waxing is the business 👍
i have only once pushed to 425km. the chain was fine. What are our chain life rates? If you can do this and get >10000km per chain it is a good deal I will try it, now my conservative approach is average 300km.
@@Desmo500 I've gone to ~600 km on a chain without issue - I like to swap every ~500 km, so I get ~1500 km/~1000 mi per full chain rotation. The only thing that messes this schedule up is if I get caught in heavy rain - I'll remove the wet chain regardless of the mileage and rotate in the next one - the wax won't stop it rusting if left wet. To be honest, I don't really worry too much about long-term chain life - the big plus for me is a clean chain. I generally swap the trio of chains and the cassette every couple of years - so ~20,000 km/set, but the shifting certainly hasn't degraded by then, so I imagine there's still life in them. I run KMC X10 chains and Campag 10sp cassettes, so this comes to ~$200 every couple of years. I'm OK with that.
@@litespud You're a pro! I still need to make my own chain holder for my boiling. 👍🏼
How long does it last? When do you need to re-apply? How do you remove existing wax, same way as applying first coat - under hot temperature?
I believe that using so much chemicals is very bad for the environment. I love my drive train to work excellent, but I have also a responsibility to the environment and I think so does GCN.
I used pure Beeswax, I got 1.5kg of it for 30 dollars which will last me forever and it works great! I have been 500-800kms between rewaxes.
How do you maintain a waxed chain? What do you do after your third ride when you need to wash your bike, and you've degreased the chain? Do you somehow re-wax it? Use a regular lube? Nothing? Is it maintenance-free?
hmm. well cleaning the bike is easier as it is less dirty. you take the chain off at about 300km run boiling water over it then drop back into the wax. NO LUBE oil and wax are not compatible.
@@Desmo500 Man, that is not easier. Because after, say, a muddy ride, you might need to hose off your bike, and I assume you'd need to relube after that. So you'd need to remove your chain (really testing the limits of that quick link) every time you hosed down your bike?
@@bernielanger5679 Hi Bernie, doing wax is NOT easier than pouring on oil, but it is better and the minor inconvenience is worth it in cost savings and the general cleanliness of the bike. I am forecasting savings of 2 chains and one cassette per year on ONE of my bikes(this bike has 42,000 km currently, before wax I was getting a new chain every 4,000km and a new cassette about 10-12,000km, now it is projecting to over 15,000km per chain, but I won't keep it on till 0.5%, I will replace the chain before that). The bike is cleaner always as mud does not tend to stick. I do mostly ride roads but also dirt roads and minor tracks, I get mud on it but a clean with water is normally enough as there is no oil in the muck. I checked my spreadsheets again (yes I am a nerd) and currently I have one chain, re-used the Shimano QL 33 times. If it ever gets too easy to open or close the QL I will replace the QL with a CONNEX link which is the standard and needs no tool to undo. Note I try to be mechanically sympathetic and never use something that I am uncertain of in any way, I will replace something early rather than risk an on ride failure (my LBS loves me as I most often buy from them as I want them there when in need them).
You do not always need to take off the chain after cleaning the bike and not after every wet / dirty ride. I do however test the chain OFTEN with a Park tool and I listen to it, I never let the chain get noisy. Take the chain off for re-waxing when I hit the 300km (roughly) mark although I have extended to 450km and heard no noise. 300km is probably conservative for my conditions. I have multiple chains waxed and I swap at about 300 then re-wax when all chains are in need. Big effort and time saving. Mostly it is about cleanliness for me but the cost savings are amazing. I only use Dura Ace now or if I have to Ultegra chains. I buy the highest quality cassettes I can find(and lightest) but the cost benefit makes that a no brainer for $12AU every 6,000km of wax (it will go longer but I do not like the way the wax mix starts changing colour, so I replace it).
I took the FELT (42K bike) to the LBS recently as I had a Di2 problem I was unsure of and asked them to service it as well (have someone check my work every so often), well the LBS said "chain is new so does not need replacing", new!!! at 11,000 km! I just smiled. To me the evidence is OVERWHELMINGLY positive. BUT, you do not have to do it, it is a choice thing. One last message, when I get a flat (I am going tubeless soon) I do not get dirty hands. best wishes.
What will happen if you just clean your chain with regular degreaser and then use the wax? Can the acetone, for obvious reasons, be skipped? Is a little bit of grease so bad for a waxed chain?
There has to be no grease left on the chain, it has to be perfectly clean or the grease will prevent the wax from adhering. The extra step of cleaning with acetone or alcohol is not a big deal and makes a better job of it
3 Watts? A marginal gain compared to waxing your legs 😉
Can anyone give me a expectation how many km the chain can run after waxing before you need to reapply the process and how you should clean it.
Adam, from Zero Friction Cycling, says 300km is optimal to avoid wear on your chain.
Just buy a second chain, or as Adam says, you're just pre-buying your next chain, do them both at the same time, to remove the hassle of rewaxing every week.
You an also buy a "Wax Compatible" Drip Lube to extend/top-up your chain.
I remove the chain, pour about a liter or two of boiling water over it to remove dirt and dirty wax. Pat dry and then dunk in melted wax again. No need for degreasing.
Depending on the conditions of your riding... 100-300km.
Should place water and place the chain in a jar with the solution. Because it will burn the ultrasonic if water level too low. I’ve been waxing chain for years with this method.
Good catch!!
Marginal gains FTW!! In all honesty it's probably not that marginal. I drip on super secret currently but I'm thinking about doing a wax like this. Thanks!
I started the same as you then found Enigma Ultimate Chain wax on Amazon…. Works so well…
the marginal gains are dandy, but not having your previously clean chain turn black within 10 miles is priceless. My chains and cassette are always shiny 👍
The part about wax being superior in getting into the interstices is backwards in practice. As soon as pressure is applied, wax deforms and starts being pushed out out of the bearing interface, and it does not re-enter. Oil flows to where it's needed. This is why waxing has to be done so frequently. It works as long as you're willing to keep up with the schedule.
It is suggested to oil your chain every ride but wax when your chain gets noisy. Depending on environmental conditions that could be a couple of weeks.
Enigma Ultimate Chain Wax has PTFE added which helps the wax reset when the tension comes off the chain ie when it passes the cassette and runs through the jockey wheels.
Indeed, oil reenters the rollers along with dirt, sand and what not. Effectively, although it remains on the chain for longer, it actually wears down your components faster. Waxing makes the chain self cleaning. Yes, you're supposed to keep up with maintenance anyway.