Watch This BEFORE Waxing Your Bike Chain!
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- I've been riding waxed chains for the last few months, my thoughts on it thus far.
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As others have said, it’s more about the cleanliness than it is the marginal gains in efficiency, with extending the drivetrain life a being a nice bonus. I do spend more time waxing, but I spend less time cleaning, compared to using oil based lubes. I figure it comes out about even, time wise. But in the meantime, being able to throw the bike into the back of a car, or take it on a plane, train, or bus, without having to worry about what a greasy chain is going to come into contact with is awesome.
I know plenty of people who rarely to never clean their drivetrains except for maybe a quick wipe down and squirting some more oil on it. I get it, that is way less work, and waxing likely isn’t for you. But if you are the kind of person who cleans their drivetrain regularly, you just might find that putting that same time and energy into waxing gives you a more satisfying result.
Do you have any tips for minimising wax flakes?
@@RobinCawser I pull the chain out while the wax is still very hot / thin. This minimizes flakes, but doesn’t completely eliminate them. I wouldn’t put a fresh waxed chain on a bike and ride a trainer over the living room carpet, but most of the flaking is done in the first 20 miles. Riding outdoors, it has never been an issue for me.
@@RobinCawser After pulling out the chain and it cooling off, I close it up and run it by hand around a 1" PVC pipe which throws off all the flakes at once. I put the chain outside in and do it again.
The clean drivetrain is awesome. I've had friends joke about my scrubbed clean cassette - which I have never cleaned since new. $8 crockpot and $4 of wax from krogers.
@@RobinCawser Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it. Aside from the mess, wax is cheap so no worries about waste. As for the mess, I agree w/ Gary that a good ride outside eliminates the bulk...I also don't like to wipe them off, as it could potentially push unwanted dust/dirt back into crevices as you wipe, or worse, take off some of the non-flaking wax which you want to stay on.
I don’t care about the marginal gains… I love the clean drive train!
I tried wax this year and came to this conclusion: it only works if you live in a very dry climate.
I live in central Russia, and for June and July everything went fine. But in August, when it started raining, my chain got rusty after one ride, and after that I decided to switch back to oil. Because rust sucks much more than an occasional chain tattoo
@@stuvademakaroner9607 True - it certainly needs doing more often in the wet. I got nickel plated (rust resistant) chains for this reason. This year I tried adding about 20% beeswax as it is quite sticky and that seems to be working pretty well - I thought the stickiness might make it feel slower but haven't noticed it much. With just paraffin I get about half the distance in the rain as in the dry - with the beeswax I get about 3/4. Good fenders make a big difference too.
@@stuvademakaroner9607 I use Squirt Low Temperature Chain Lube, its a wax and water mix you apply like normal oil based lube but doesnt pick up as much dirt as oil after it dries (although you have to prep the chain like for other waxes though and best to leave over night after application, although I took it with me once for a 4 day ride n camp at end of summer and was just applying just before riding, and it seemed to be fine). The Low Temperature version is good for cold and wet weather (like here in the UK). Works well for me on my gravel bike which goes off road more than on road (just have to apply it more frequently).
I tried it compared to a none waxed chain on a snowy ride. My chain was spotless and the rollers were still silver where as my friends was black with dirt and grime
exactly. I was just about to make the same comment. A clean chain is all I care about.
I’ve been molten waxing for almost 2 years now following the procedure offered by Oz cycle. I’ll never to back to chain oil or other types of lubes. The chain stays clean, fixing rear flats on the road is totally no mess, and if the drive train longevity pans out, all the better!
It's all good until you ride in the wet
Loved your chain waxing tutorial! All my bikes have waxed chains (wax laced with PTFE). When my wife didn't want me to use her crock pot ceramic container I called the manufacturer to order a second container. The sales person was so intrigued that I wanted to melt paraffin in their crockpot that they offered to send me the entire crockpot free, and they were true to their word! PS. Oz Cycle in Australia also has a good tutorial on how to was your chains.
I cant understand why people wait for the "crust-phase" when they wax chains. The only thing that leads to is more wax on the outside of the chain where it is just going to flake off anyways and make cleanup worse. No matter how hot the wax is, the important parts on the inside will be coated with wax and the wax will stay there due to capillary effects and surface tension.
I pulled out a chain I forgot in the slow cooker last week when the wax was already smoking from the high heat. When I trimmed the chain lengh after cooldown, I noticed the rollers were packed with wax regardless of the high temperature.
science yo
I've found that waxing is godsent if you live in an apartment. For me, cleaning greasy drivetrain is waaay more PITA than waxing unless you have a garage or an open space. Waxing is super easy once your setup is dialled in. It is also much cheaper in the long run. This is especially true if you live in a dry and dusty climate, as the combination of grease and fine sand flying in the air is an abrasion nightmare for all moving parts
I’ve been using the Oz method for a couple of years now. Can attest to longevity - my current Ultegra chain is reading just slightly less than .25 and it has 8,675.4 Km on it. I don’t wax as often as most and I use Squirt between waxing sessions. This chain has probably been dip waxed 4 or 5 times. For cleaning, I have a small kettle and I boil the chain directly in the kettle a few times. The old wax just floats up in the kettle and then I pour it through a coffee filter/funnel to capture the wax for garbage disposal. You don’t want that hardening in your drain pipes. Optional quick ultrasonic bath with a bio-friendly degreaser then follow that with a dip in alcohol and your chain is squeaky clean. I use mason jars to rinse with alcohol and deep clean a new chain. If you leave the jars alone for a while, the residue will settle out and you can reuse the solvents - just pour off the clean solvent into another jar.
I love how pampered my bike feels when I'm done cleaning it and putting on a freshly waxed chain
Something I haven't seen mentioned - get 2 chains so you can rotate them every 200 miles or so. That way you'll always have one ready to swap out when you start "hearing the chain" and/or after a wet ride. No more babysitting after the first prep and wax cycle. Also, you'll want to use quick links for easier swapping.
Great tip! I suggest this every chance I get. Makes the whole drivetrain last longer, and sustained high performance. No reason not to w quicklinks as you said. It's all safer and economical too, win win win.
I just wipe down a new chain and run it and forget it. If it's gone through a bunch of water, then fine, lube it back up, but to me the faff isn't worth the few bucks for a chain every so often.
@@MattExzy how about the drivetrain? Certainly that wears less with a waxed chain and Di2 ain’t cheap..
I run 3 chains coz i'm lazy and I re-wax them all at the same time every few months. It's more about the cleanliness than anything else.
Clean chains won't really stretch, I used to use chainsaw oil and get 1800 miles max, I've used IPA homemade wax mix since doing deliveries about 80 miles a day from doing a 40 mile commute. I got 14 k miles on an Ebike, squirt the wax on everyday, only thing is it will rust in the rain.
Thanks for making this one. Home brew wax and PTFE all this year and so happy with how clean and how easy to clean the drive train is even in the mucky British winter, no messy cleaning or degreaser and dirty lube getting washed down the drain or on rags in the bin. Quick link makes re-waxing a breeze.
Ok, sounds good, but how do you avoid rust on the drivetrain? I live in Denmark where there is often applied salt to the roads in winter
@@JoakimGarde we don't have snow but we certainly have salt and gritted road and in truth rust hasn't been a problem but I certainly need to apply more often as spray with grit does knock the wax off the chain. I now have a process that's quite easy so as I'm cleaning the bikes more often in winter it isn't as difficult as it might sound. So far so good is all I can say.
I've been immersion waxing now for about 5,000 miles. (Same chain, from new, still not worn out). The maintenance is so much easier and that's enough to make me a convert. I use Hot Tub Chain Wax which comes as solid puck inside a plastic tub and I just double boil in a normal pot over the stove with water in it. The process is super fast and I have been getting about 500 miles between waxes. Much easier than the instapot method. Cheers!
5000 miles off road in dusty conditions?
I use 2 chains, swapping takes only 5 minutes every 2-300 km. And I can do the cleaning and rewaxing at my own convenience. Adding ptfe powder to the mix works great too, the particles stick inside the chain and tend to accumulate with the subsequent rewaxing. The stretch of the chain, which is the main cause of cassette/chainring wear, gets spread over the 2 chains. Resulting in an extremely durable and clean transmission.
@@thierrylerinckx1340 this. Two Chainz man.
What method do you use to clean prior to rewax?
@@davidrogers7137 put chain in a colander and pour boiling water over it while shaking. Learned from OZcycle
8 years of waxing my chains. Whether my chains last longer or save watts I honestly can't comment but I love it. My bike is so clean.
Declaring that specially for MULTIPLE BIKES / Chains - its really economical. Waxing multiple chains at ones and store / rotate them is really economical and time saver - would make this video perfect. 👋
Great for some climates, but not others (in my experience). At this time of year here in Seattle I find that a waxed chain will start to show rust, and sound squeaky, after 3 or four days of rainy commutes. Maybe the particular brand of wax you're using would improve that, but I'm probably not going to bother trying. I use NFS lube (Nixfrixshun), which relies on you wiping the chain down after every ride, and re-lubing whenever it seems appropriate. Works well.
I've been waxing chains since the mid-70s. Home made mix back then, paraffin, graphite powder, moly-disulfide and some motor oil. I used my backpacking stove and an old frying pan from a mess kit. Now I run Squirt wax lube and find that works quite well.
Yeah, Squirt lube is good enough for me, without all the hassle.
@@spektrumB Yes, especially with the new narrow chains that don't like being broken open many times. In the old 5sp chain days, just push out any pin with a pin vise, drop the chain in a pot of hot wax, drip dry and then press the pin back in.
Yep. Squirt lube at the end of a ride every couple of weeks. I use the park chain brush dry to knock off the build up now and then.
I love Squirt lube too!
I’m an all in chain waxer, no real wear and it is clean, no grease marks on your right calf.
A few things.
1. I do boil the chain before rewaxing to prevent small road debris and sand from getting into the wax in the insta-pot that could make it’s way back into the chain and cause wear.
2. Breaking the chain and cleaning out the links after waxing is tedious and hard on the hands and fingers, but it gets the chain up to speed faster and less dried wax everywhere. I do the chain breaking over a garbage can.
3. There can be a build up of wax between first and second cog (12 & 11 spd ) that could lift the chain off the cog in the first gear and cause the chain to skipver the gear, so take a dental tool and clean out the wax periodically between the first and second cogs.
4. I clean off the chain after every ride with a chain brush to remove any road dirt.
Other than those issues I will continue to hot wax my chains.
NOTE: It does make it easier if you have two chains to alternate so your bike is not out of commission.
I am a covert. I will never use any other method until technology ends the need for chains. I get many many miles with zero dirt and grime. After a few times, my speed to perform the wax ritual is pretty quick as well. Great video, I picked up a couple ideas to streamline the process as well.
Technology has ended the need for chains, Gates Carbon Fiber belt
Another reason I use a Rohloff gear system , Yes the initial cost is quite high but ,I don't have to worry about constant maintenance & the chain lasts a lot longer ,over time it's worth it for me .
Both my bikes have Rohloff gear hubs. Nevertheless for my Tumbleweed Bikepacking fat bike, I've decided to use this waxing method prior to a long offroad bikepacking adventure, just to ensure I can keep my chain cleaner and minimise wear. I wonder whether there other Rohloff users out there who have made a similar decision?
I use a small $15 crock pot for waxing only and do it once a month for my three bikes. I make it a monthly ritual of maintenance with toping off the tire sealant and going over the bikes and whatever issues need to get fixed, etc.
Geeking out on bike stuff is fun. As a bike racer, I was a weight weenie, and I did all sorts of things to get marginal gains. I worshipped the bike first. I enjoyed it. Now I’m old, and I’m still enjoying messing with bikes, but now it’s single speeds, and English 3speeds. It’s just fun. Waxing is the best way to have a clean drive train, and less rolling resistance, if you have the time. After 41 years of being a bike geek, bikes are just cool, and whatever turns your crank just do it.
I enjoy your channel, and even as a racer in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, I’ve always enjoyed the the party pace, and was a big fan of Grant, Bridgestone, and Rivendell. It’s always been about the bike!
I've been doing it for about eleven years and it substantially extends the chain life. That said your have to make sure the chain is cleaned with strong solvent like petrol, kerosene or diesel and well agitated. Not only does it remove the old wax and road grit it removes the very fine iron particles that would normally act as grinding paste. If you don't believe there is much iron particles, just drop a Neodymium magnet into the used solvent for a couple of hours and see how much is pulled out of suspension. The wax needs to be a soft mix ie 70% wax (paraffin/candle wax) 10% high temp marine greas and 20% 20W50 oil. Just wax is too dry and too high a softening temperature. You want the mix to soften and act as a lubricant quickly but not flick off the chain. Also it needs to be dry enough so sand and grit is less likely to stick to the wax as it does to just grease or oil. The next important condition is clean the chain every 100-200km and re apply the cold wax mix to the chain before each ride by spinning the cranks and holding the wax block against the chain to give it a light coating.
The chain should be clean and perfectly dry before submerging the chain into the molten wax ~50-60Deg C. Turn off heat and leave the chain for around 15 min you should see tiny bubbles coming out of the chain. that is the air being displaced out of the voids between the rollers and pins. Allowing it to cool a little in the wax means wax will be drawn into those voids and protect the chain. when the wax is just beginning to form a skin use a wire hook and pull the chain out of the molten wax and lay it on a cool clean hard surface, don't put it on a rag as it will wick out the wet wax.
Yes it is fiddly but chains will last 4-5 chains and dramatically extend the life of rings and clusters plus no lubricant splatter or rusty chains.
Ta the end of a ride don't use any detergents on the chain just hose cold water spray to dislodge sand or trail grit.
Maybe I'm not as hardcore of a biker as many people on here - I've not worn out many chains, and certainly not drivetrains.
I use a similar method but cut the paraffin with kerosene in a rice cooker. Needs to cool to consistently of floor wax. Last longer and stays clean. Cheers!
I don't understand the physics. It seems wax would quickly wear off of contact surfaces and would not be replaced by re-flow that occurs with lower viscosity fluids like chain oil. What am I missing?
Switched to wax on my road bike this year and I'm sold on the longevity of it. I use Speedwax and don't really wait for the wax to cool down like you did, but I've doubled the life of my chain so far and love it! I use a heated stir plate and a beaker with a stir bar in it to heat my wax. Melts much faster than an instapot. I re-wax around 1000 miles, where I was regularly lubing a chain every ~200 miles. Huge time saver as well!
Dang, 1k between waxes? I'm doing mine every 200-300 miles.
I prefer the Rock n Roll Gold, cleans and lubes and takes non of this extra time. I have too many Dad bikes to maintain to do this. If I know its going to be more sloppy for a bit, Tri-Flow and Finish Line Heavy. I really like the Rock n Roll though.
I use rock and roll gold and red and i did some tests of surfaces and found a ton of PFAs near my bikes in my apartment. So have had to do some deep cleaning to get rid of those
I used Rock n Roll for a couple of years then went to hot wax about 5 years ago after reading controlled testing but I am only really interested in a clean chain free from oily muck and increased longevity. I will never go back to oil based lubes again .
@@pratikpramanik7782 what is a PFA?
I've been waxing chains for *decades* now. It's not about performance, wax is way cleaner and doesn't wash off in the rain. It's not a performance thing for me, the wattage loss by just using plain paraffin is just not something I need to lose sleep over.
As for commercial preparations, most of them have PTFE ("teflon"), a PFAS -- one of the so-called "forever chemicals". While in small concentrations these molecules are biologically inert, the fact that they take years to break down mean its possible for them to bioaccumulate to very high levels, enough to become hormone disruptors. The fact that these chemicals remain in the environment (and the human body) for years and bioaccumulate means every bit of it counts.
A lot of bike lubricant products contain PTFE, and manufacturers are not always conscientious about including it in their SDS. For example "Tri-flow with PTFE" is *branded* has containing Teflon, but the SDS does not list it (CAS 9002-84-0). Aerosol preparations are something bike mechanics should be particularly concerned with. Inhalation of PFAS impregnated waxes has been identified as a problem in ski mechanics.
I might try the Silca preparation because the manufacturer says it is PFAS-free -- it uses tungsten disulfide. Other lube companies are talking about moving from PFAS to ceramic compounds like boron nitride.
Thats the reason I add olive oil instead of something fancy it all ends up in the places where you ride.
@@tawanga the fact it doesn't wash off is the reason I started doing it. So far I'm really happy with definitely think it gives a quieter drivetrain aswell
In my experience wax is too susceptible to washing off in wet weather. That itself doesn't bother me, but if you forget to dry the chain off post-ride it starts to rust. So I personally use wet lube in the winter and waxed chains in summer, works well for me. Another option might be to get a chrome plated chain to ward off the rust but I was worried this might affect the adhesion of the wax.
It definitely washes off a bit in the rain. I always wax once and ride until I hit wet conditions, at what point it's time to rewax and clean the bike thoroughly.
This has been the biggest thing dissuading me from waxing chains while I'm doing my research. Thank you for this information you have provided
Nice video Russ. I’ve been waxing my chains for awhile and mostly appreciate that they and the rest of the drivetrain remain clean. If the chain/cassette is dirty I just hit it with a gentle wash from the hose.
I mixed up my own wax with paraffin, paraffin oil and a few additives I don’t remember, maybe $20 worth of ingredients. I probably have enough to last a lifetime.
I bought a rice cooker at the thrift store for $5 and use it instead of an instant pot. Works well but seems that it heats the was quicker than what you experienced in the video.
i agree. I made my own wax, 1 ordinary lighting candle, 1 small bottle baby oil. My water bath is a smaller tin inside a larger tin on the camp cooker in the shed. With gravel rides where your bike is covered in grit you can just hose it off - all good.
@@grahamrichards8531 Your setup is near identical to what I have arrived at after years of trial and error. Cheers my fellow waxer!
I switched to wax 1 year ago on my mtb and I love it. Love that the chain stay clean, and so my hands are ! Also the ride is smother.
I have been waxing my chain for years and years.. I remember as a small boy being caught melting down candles in moms best pot. Once you get a routine down it's simple. I rotate three chains, that way you only have to rewax all three after a lot of miles. The best part is how clean the drive train is. Still looks new after thousands of miles. And the wax does not pick up grit that wears out the drive train. I use molten speedwax. Its also really economical as you can get a year of riding out of a 19 dollar packet. Goodbye to chain ring tattoos, hello to clean, quite, long lasting drive train.
Thanks very much for this video! I am super interested to see what you think about maintenance when you're out on the trail, like you said, without a home base for days and maybe weeks. I've been waxing my chain for quite some time now, but not on longer, overnight trips that might go dozens and dozens of miles. A tip, if it helps: I will keep an extra chain on hand fully waxed and then just swap it out quickly when it's time to re-wax. I then take the chain that needs waxing and do the maintenance when time allows. That way there's no rush to try to get your chain back on the bike for the next ride.
I noticed that on a 1000km trip in 6 days. I could literally feel the change from day to day. First 400km were fine, then the wax was not as effective anymore. Next time I will probably take some drip wax like a Squirt lube to top it off to push it till the end. Taking a spare chain is in my opinion too much weight and hassle to carry. Another possibility I have in mind is finding a bike shop that do chain waxing (plan before the trip and ask them if this is possible). Then it's a 1h pit-stop and there you go for 400km more!
@@swe223I rewax at 350-400km as it notice the noise increase. Squirt lube is a good substitute if you are not at home (I use it for week long trips)
Super curious about the drive train longevity result. Thanks as usual for being so clear how to communicate the experiment and what is the main goal. Cheers, love your content. Take care
Fyi, I haven't needed to replace a chain since I started waxing with pure paraffin wax 3 years ago (Shimano Ultegra 10spd chains, only 1 new one). I do spread my riding between 4 bikes though...its like the chain wear has s nearly stopped (I replace at 0.75 on park tool checker).
Slow cookers are a real pain because the inner pot is bad at conducting heat. A temperature controlled induction cooktop with a metal pot gets my wax liquid in just a couple of minutes. Induction pots are cheap, so it's nice to keep a couple around to switch out.
Started waxing my chain few months ago when I installed a new microshift advent drivetrain. Love the clean drivetrain for commuting.
Silca now packages the wax in a bag that you can put in hot water to melt. no ruining instapot needed
I used the bag stuff in the Instapot. It takes about 2x as long to melt in a water submersion. Josh at Silca recommends using the Instapot when possible.
Great vid - what really came across is how much Russ enjoys poking at wax with a flathead screwdriver ;)
I'm a waxing devotee and have my "recipe" for doing it. I watch other youtube clips as there's always a new idea out there. This clip was pretty much my way of doing things and so the only suggestion I have is for the temperatures to be given for when the chain went in to the cauldron, and for the temperatures to be given in Celsius (as used by the world outside of the US). My own slow cooker was bought used on ebay, collected locally, cost $6, and is not allowed close to the kitchen!
Thanks for the video. It's great that you are testing chain waxing out. I feel that in this video you are making it look a lot harder and more complex than it needs to be. I look forward to the follow up video in 12 months where you are a chain waxing convert and have streamlined the process a fair bit! I've been chain waxing for years (for the clean chain benefits) and it takes me about 15 mins to clean a new chain and about another 15 mins to wax 2-3 chains at once.
Hi - when you mention that " it takes me about 15 mins to clean a new chain " - is this a new factory chain with the factory grease? Do you find that cleaning a new factory chain in that time is sufficient to thoroughly clean the chain compared with soaking in solvent overnight? Thanks!!
Really glad for this vid. I'm doing a complete bike build this winter and I've been on the fence if I should wax or not. I'm kinda convinced that I'm going to go ahead with waxing. Plus this totally satisfies my urge to bike nerd. Thanks Russ.
Keep in mind wax performance is variable with temperature. You may have to adjust the recipe. Just saying.
Ill stick with an every ride solvent/oil application and wipe.
When you prepare the chain for waxing, make sure you have _thoroughly_ rinsed it with water and that it is dry. When I first waxed my chain it started to rust because I hadn't completely washed the cleaner out of it before applying the wax. This prevented the wax from sticking to the chain properly. I boiled the chain in clean water a couple of times and then re-applied the wax and now it is fine. Wax ftw.
Not here for the gains, but I do like clean and quiet! If this keeps the drivetrain cleaner and quieter, I'm in!
Great supple video and a simple introduction to the topic! I also started waxing my chains with liquid ready wax and I'm quite satisfied until now. Looking forward for your field test. Especially how you'll clean it and reapply it in the field :)
The biggest standout thing after I started chain-waxing was the cleanliness. After a super-dusty spring gravel ride in CA, my bike frame had dust stuck in lots of places, but the chain itself was almost perfectly clean.
Less friction paste inside the chain links means fewer lost watts, but also means more durable drivetrain. I care more about the durability, some care more about the watts, but they go together.
Some of the tech folks at CyclingTips who've been pushing this, have largely moved to drip-on wax lube - which gives similar gains but more convenience. Still gotta get grease out of, and keep if off of, the drivetrain system though.
Note: not everything advertised as "wax lube" real wax-based (e.g., Finish Line's products, which apparently score poorly on both wattage and durability tests as well).
I only use wax when I expect t the weather to be mostly dry, don't like it for wet seasons.
Some put through an ultra sonic cleaner first.This is all new to me.
I’ve been using wax for several years now. I use a recipe similar to @OzCycle, but at a higher temperature, which I find promotes much better adhesion. I did try Molten once (Wax + PTFE + MoS2), but the moly gets everywhere, which I didn’t like. I usually do a 20-30 minute soak, which I’m sure is longer than necessary, but I did find 5 minutes to be too short.
I haven’t tried letting the wax cool to 140ºF, but IME when working at higher >220ºF temps there’s enough adhesion to make the wax bond strongly with the chain, and I really don’t like the thick layer of wax that flakes off the chain from cooler wax.
The combination of hot wax plus Wipperman chains doesn’t show any where after several thousand miles, IME.
Same here!
I also started with Molten Speed Wax, but I’ve switched to simple Gulf Wax with PTFE added. MSW was fine, and is probably a slightly better lube, but after some use you can’t distinguish in the pot between the MoS2 and any grit, dirt, or metal flakes coming off the chain. In the pot, it all just looked like grit.
Wipperman chains = utility. Nothing fancy; they just work. I haven't worn out my first so I cannot comment on how long they last.
I have 2 Izumi Super Toughness chains. One's on the bike, the other is freshly waxed and ready to swap out as needed. I don't worry about length between applications because I swap chains after any wet ride, which in Houston is at least once per month or so. Super easy, stress-free once the initial degrease is done.
@@chrisswanson9724 I've settled on the same approach. I buy one cassette and three chains as a set for my commuter bikes. I can wax multiple chains at one time. I replace the chains and cassette when the chains are worn out. Minnesota winters with slush, salt, and sand are killers. The process works well for the winter; now I do it for the summer too.
Great video as always Russ! Couple of thoughts
1. I drop my chain on top of the cold wax, turn on the insta-pot, and as the wax melts the chain gets submerged. Saves some time waiting for the wax to melt.
2. I have a larger (8 quart?) Insta-Pot, enough room to do two chains. Helps space out the wax application frequency.
3. The effectiveness of the boiling water clean will depend on the level of contamination. If the chain is subjected to a particularly nasty ride or is topped off a number of times with a drip lube, a boiling water flush and a degrease maybe necessary. But that type of cleaning would be necessary no matter the lube.
4. No matter what your lube choice is, the point is keeping a clean drivetrain. In most cases Hot wax makes follow up drivetrain cleaning an easier job. And a clean drive train means spending less money on cassettes, chains and chainrings and more on PLP stickers!
I'm really not sure why so many people make this so complicated. I've been waxing my chains for 4 years+ now just using paraffin wax, a $7 crock pot and once the wax is up to temp it takes less time than lubing a chain with oil with no cleanup. I'll usually do multiple chains at a time as I have mutliple bikes and if you include the time saved from cleaning cassettes, chaintings, and the chain itself waxing is a huge time saver
Thanks for scaring me off. I would love to extend the life of my chains to produce less waste though... Will wait for your long time review :)
Interesting subject, as long as bikes and motorcycles have chains we will be looking for the holy grail of chain lubes.
Another great video Russ! converted the road bikes and the gravel bike ( still use Tri-flow on the mtb ) 4 years ago, started w / Molten but switched to ( see Archer Sully comment in this thread) @ Ozcycle ( another great channel ) formulation easy, inexpensive and imho works as well or better than molten…
I also find the higher temp > 220 / drip off is fine -
I have 2 chains per bike and with a large crockpot ( from good will ) I do 4 chains at a time I swap out @ approx 300 mi I’m also running YBN chains
will never go back to oil I LOVE a clean drivetrain!!
Sorry I know this a bit old, just wondering why you don't wax your MTB? Do you hit water (creeks/streams) or something?
@@Thylacine1 Hi, it’s a good question, there are a few stream crossings in my local MTB park (Pocahontas state park in Richmond Va) but I’m just about ready to change out that chain so I just might finally move over to wax…
I’ve also bought a used “instapot” and I’m planing to buy a bag of Silca’s hot wax to start using on the road bikes and keep the gravel and MTB on the Ozcycle formula… over the winter I toss the wax in the crock pot and make a new batch… so next winter I’ll toss the DYI batch and I think going forward I’ll use the Silca for all and use Silca drip wax on the MTB and gravel after wet rides between hot dips… have you had good luck with wax on your MTB?
@@guspecunia5887 I actually only ride gravel, and where I'm at it gets really dusty (abrasive) when its dry. I was having to re-lube every 30-40mi although admittadly I like my drivetrain clean and QUIET, I just love a silent bike where you just hear the crunch of gravel that tight sound of your DT and your breathing. Anyways, so I actually just got some of SILCA's Hot Wax for my first try, I figured just go with the best and be done with it. I just got back from my first 50mi ride with it just now - SILENT the whole time, after not a speck of dust or dirt.
Here's a few things I had to deal with though, and not really SILCA's fault, but the bag had opened in the Amazon bubble mailer, was easy to put the pellets back in and no loss, so I popped the bag in my Instant Pot that was set to 175f and came back to find that I had missed a hole in the bag and crap was all over the IP and bag... Shit. So after a long clean up of that I thought about the fact that I use PP 5 plastic containers in my sterilizer for mycology purposes and that gets to like 260f and the containers are fine, so I used a PP 5 container that once held 16oz. of deli meat (every grocery store has these), tossed the wax in and floated it in the water bath - Worked great! I Because its wide and shallow I could really agitate the chain much better than the tall deep bag and its one less "thing" for me to own and store. Now the whole wax setup is self contained and doesn't need a dedicated pot. Sorry for the essay but I felt it was relevant lol hope it helps!
Belated "Thank You" for addressing chain wax. I have been procrastinating waxing for over a year, I am now willing to give it a go. FYI, my mission is just for cleanliness.
When travelling I use Squirt dry lube, after a trip and for around town waxing works well.
Nor sure why anyone would go through that time consuming process of waxing a chain when there is Squirt. I've done both and there is absolutely no difference between wax and Squirt in terms of a clean chain but a huge difference in maintenance time.
I'll never come back. The cleanliness and the low noise of the chain are a double goal for me. Anyway I love the process: the majority of the work is the first time when you need to completely clean the new chain..and I love the neediness of that too
As others said, the little bit of wax prep time is offset by less cleaning time, longer chain life, and less laundry headaches from something touching greasy chain. I use plain paraffin wax from the grocery store. No magic ingredients - the wax performs fine alone. Another good dive on a maintenance topic Russ. But people that can't comprehend the advantages may not be reachable.
Coincidently, I had just ordered my kit to start doing this for the first time. I'm super handy and curious, so I'm stoked! I'm doing it for the same reason; noise reduction and parts lifespan. THX!
Okay I love your commitment, some old family friend used to work on HMS Kimberly before she went down under (Aussie Navy) and he spoke about heating chain grease before applying, I get that but 10,000 on a bike chain Km's or Miles? not possible if you want efficiency. Chains just aren't built that way. Chains work best when they're new. Modern chains are only good for about 600 miles, after that they still work and will do for many years so long as you keep the same running gear but they will be anything BUT efficient. And that's cycle chains in a nut shell.
A tip on waxing. Put your wax in a half gallon mason jar, put water in your insta pot or a stive top kettle. Melt the wax and do the chain. Put lid on mason jar after wax cools and put it neatly away for next time.
Here is a simple fact, no matter if you wax, oil or abuse a modern narrow chain, they stretch at nearly identically at the same rate. How do I know? Cause I'm a professional mechanic and I deal with bikes and chains every day. The reason modern narrow chain stretch is because the hole where the pin goes thru on the inner plates starts to oval because the plates are so thin. Sure, they dimple the hole to create a larger contact surface for the pin to ride on, but the tiny pin with all that human power eventually starts to oval that hole, and when they oval it causes the chain to get longer. What I do know is there are two or three chains on the market that do last almost twice as long, and they are Shimano XTR, DuraAce/Ultegra, and KMC Diamond, but they are expensive at about $100 usd. These chains take an extra step during production where they super polish and harden the inner plate hole as well as the pins that do resist from ovaling. This process is time consuming that's why they're so expensive.
The other hard fact riders have to except is that modern narrow chains (with the exception of those I mentioned), only last about 600 ~700 miles if you're a stud strong rider/racer. And about 800 ~ 1,100 miles if you're a light casual rider. If you use those expensive chains, I mentioned above you than double these numbers.
So many times, my heart sinks when a rider who waxes comes into my shop saying they are having derailleur problems cause the chain is skipping. I ask them how many miles does the chain have? And often they Proudly reply that it has well over 2,000 miles, but they wax so it should be fine, right? I check it with two chain measuring tools to make sure, and their new looking chains are so stretched beyond the limit that my two measuring tools have a hard time measuring anything. But they're so hooked on waxing misinformation that they think I don't know what I'm doing or talking about so they go else where. Many do comeback and they ask me why does this happen. After I tell them the facts they religiously replace their chains on time.
I will have to completely disagree with you. I've been using paraffin and PTFE for a year now and haven't had to replace a single chain due to wear (stretch in your words, which is technically wrong). I use 2 chains per bike. I'm getting at least 3x the time in between waxes that I would have using traditional lubricants. Being a larger person (200+) I had previously been able to get brand new chains to the .75 mark within a month during peak riding season (about 1000 miles a month), or mountain bike riding about 400 miles. I have 4 bikes I rotate through regularly, a 9 spd, a 10 speed, an 11 speed and a 12 speed drivetrain. The sram MTB 12 speed chain (remember I use 2) is showing no measurable wear after 4 months of use and probably 500 miles at this point and the 11 speed is the same but with 3X the miles on it. I'm now halfway through my 2nd season with all the same chains I started with last year, no traditional lube (i feel I've tried them all) can do that. All praise being said, IMO waxing is best done in a confined area, little pieces of wax end up all around my garage floor and driveway, but I can deal with that saving $100s per year on new chains.
@@MichaelSchoenly First of all (assuming you are using ParkTool CC-3.2 or CC-4 which are consistently very accurate), allowing a chain to pass beyond 0.5 let alone reach 0.75, by that time your cassette "Is Toast"! Please those looking at this reply, if you are using either of these Park chain tools CC-3.2 or CC-4, the moment you can push the 0.5 measuring tab into your chain, REPLACE YOUR CHAIN, do not wait till it reaches 0.75...! It does not matter if you Wax it, Oil it, Kick it, or lick it, just replace your chain at 0.5. The only advantage I've seen from those who wax, is their chains are pretty clean. But I have yet to see a clean waxed chain last longer than an oiled chain. So, if you're judging your chain wear testing by reaching 0.75, well I, as a 50 year plus professional mechanic I disagree with your findings as I have to deal with this problem every single working day.
@@danielsotelo3942 This sounds logical I guess.
So no sram chains?
Spot on. I’ve been doing this for a few years now and components last at least 3 times longer in my experience.
I always take my chains straight out and hang them up. It never occurred to me to wait for the wax to cool. Thanks for that, I learned something new. 👍🏻
I usually do several chains at a time. I then use a new one as my race chain. Once I’ve done two Ironmans then this becomes my training chain. This way you minimise the effort, have super fast race chains and you don’t have to do it more than once every couple of years.
Excellent!, commentary and tutorial, thanks! I'm just starting on the path of chain waxing, and will prob wax two or three brand new chains at once, after the very thorough 2 or 3-bath deep cleaning to "sterile". That way I can carry spares already waxed or have them on hand on the bench to change quickly. I'll be adding (mixing-in) 50 grams of powdered PTFE ($10, coming from Amazon via China) to each pound (or half-pound) of molten food-grade paraffin, plus some random number of drops of pure Molybdenum disulfide liquid. Using TWO additives might be overkill, but I think no one really knows (I just know that those additives are VERY slippery). Looking forward to cleanliness of chain wheel, chain, and cassette on two bikes, a 27-inch frame classic Raleigh TEAM USA (~1986), and a new Zizzo Liberte folding bike, on which I also made a mod by switching to drop bars and a new shifter and brake levers. Bikes deserve being treated right, ...with waxed chains. Thanks again, bike safely out there, --Joe / Tucson
I’ve been waxing my chains for years. My fat bike chain has over 2000 miles on it on with the same cassette still in great shape. I have been using 2 pounds of canners wax and about 1.5 oz of T-9 for some rust proofing protection.
I have been dropping new chains into the fry daddy to burn off the packing grease.
Hi Russ I am going down the road of waxed chain this year. Never have done this before. I'm looking forward to the cleanliness aspect. Going to use Silca Secret Chain. Hope you are enjoying your winter get away. I'm still stuck in Missoula. Stay safe
I've been chain waxing since 1983. Better in dusty environments, and much cleaner. I will often touch the chain to show people. And I will run typically two or three chains.
Might try this when I have a lot of time. But for now, for the winter, quick cleans between rides and a good cleaning once a week.
As a touring cyclist I see three options.
A- spare pre waxed chain (s)
B- re wax at camp
C- switch back to "wax based" lube like Squirt
Recently tested the viability of rewaxing at camp. Using pots I already carry I found it tedious but doable. My method of cleaning is simply to boil with an amount of dish washing liquid. Then plain wax (Gulf Wax) which can be brought with or purchased at several locations including Walmart and grocery stores.
The increased use of gas fuel could be an issue. Stability of pot on flame was an issue especially when trying to swish the chain.
The result was a chain with wax on it but I believe its not as clean as when I wax at home. As I say: Tedious but doable.
First ride tomorrow. Normally get 300-400 miles before switching pending fair weather.
On the road I would consider using some carrier that delivers tungsten disulfide to the chain then evaporates. Maybe an anhydrous alcohol paired with an ultra light oil, potentially even PDMS, with the WS2 additive mixed in.
I love it. No more chain tattoos! It's only a pain the first time.
I loved the clean drive train until I discovered that at 2000 miles I had destroyed a vintage SunTour freewheel and Sugino chainring. However, I was using only paraffin, so do NOT just use paraffin, use a modern chain-specific wax if you go this route. Also, as stated, start with a fully decreased chain before you wax it.
I find waxing for wet conditions is an exercise in futility. Wax was good for dry and dusty, but not for wet and nasty.
Or use paraffin mixed with PTFE powder
Do it old school, clean your chain and cogs quick. Pine-sol or Pine-O-Pine. Natural degreaser and cheap.
Everyone I knew competitively racing for five years did the same cleaning.
Do this outdoors. Mix the cleaner @ 4:1 water to cleaner.
Apply with a nylon brush like a chain brush, while rotating your crank/wheel/cogs. You’ll see a lot of dirty liquid coming off your chain and cog. Shortly sparkling clean. Spray with water, while rotating. Allow to air dry. Lube.
I’m all for protecting my gears. Chains are cheap. Time is the thing we wanted to save, and be willing to clean frequently. We did, because this is cheap. Use the lube of your choice. Many of us used Pedro’s.
A a good way to give life to a beat up old chain is oil the chane from the inside while in a container; first I remove the chain completely then I melted some teflon into some prarfin and put it the oven for 30 minutes then boil it in linseed oil or lamp black graphite. If I use the oven it takes about half hour with kerosene gel. Drip it on with a spunge and wipe it off with a rag. The parafin works as a binder and a lubricant so you can use WD-40 or silicone based cleaner without risking a total wipe off
Picked up a small crock pot at a thrift store for $9, works great. I don’t care about speed gains, this is easy and keeps the chain so much cleaner and quieter.
I used to use White Lightning wax-based chain lube in the 1990s and didn't like the wax build-up around my rear derailleur and pulley wheels because it was a pain to clean after 1-2 rides. Fast forward to around 2018 and I was up for trying out another White Lightning chain product, "Clean Ride." It works okay, with not nearly as much wax build-up like the original formula from 20+ years ago. And, I started using Muc-Off Bio Dry Chain Lube which uses a wax-based formula -- not bad, seems better/longer lasting that "Clean Ride" but both of require relubing after each ride to be safe.
I bought a hot parafin wax tub to treat "trigger finger" and have entertained the idea of what you did here, Russ, because I think that it would provide more riding in-between lubes. Thanks for posting, Russ.
I hate cleaning a greasy gritty drivetrain. I think I'm going to give this a try in the spring when I totally replace my drivetrain after winter commuting in the midwest.
Wax doesn't attract sand and salt like oil. I replaced the entire drive train after a winter on my new bike: crank, cassette, and chain. The next year I used wax and didn't have to replace anything in the spring.
I use a paraffin based lube called White Lightning. I lube the chain and run thru the gears to get into the rollers and between the links and to coat the cassette and crankset. Then I wipe the chain with a clean rag until the chain looks fairly dry. I wear street clothes when bicycling and this doesn't leave black streaks on my pants. You need to reapply the was every 100-200 miles. If you lube with an oil based lube or you bike shop lubes the chain I recommend wearing black pants and waxing the chain and redoing the chain after 20 miles before going back to whatever street clothes you prefer. Your pants will last a lot longer this way.
Good introduction to waxing a chain. I'd like to try this since I'm always getting chain grease on my legs or pants and it's a pain to clean. Keep us updated on your experience with the chain waxing. Thanks.
I used breakfree clp firearm lube on a chain. When I got a new bike I had the shop check my old chain and they said it was still good. That chain had at least 8,000 miles on it the cassette was still good too. Just spray on wipe off. It leaves a layer of ptfe behind. It gets into all the small crevices because it’s designed for firearms tolerances which are tighter than a bike chain. You cold spray it down and wipe it in about 60 seconds. I can’t feel the difference between methods while pedaling and the CLP goes further between applications finish line dry Teflon feels the same too. Something that I find interesting is that in the firearms world lubricant is used to keep dirty mechanisms operating and moving freely. The theory is that there will always be dirt and fouling so use a wet lube to keep those particles suspended. When the particles are suspended they’re not making contact with the metal and can’t cause wear. Another thing not talked about in these cycling conversations is about how wear slows down, and sometimes even stops after parts wear in or mate with each other.
It's not about watt gains. It is much cleaner all around (!!!) and markedly improves chain life. I don't get 3 fold improved life but I get at least 50% more, based on three years using that method, about 150 miles per week. I only clean the chain the first time. I don't bother with the reapplicatiom. I just re-imnerse in molten wax about once every two weeks. I add Teflon(PTFE) to my wax . I don't worry so much about the wax being cool when I remove the chain.. It doesn't seem to matter.. It's no big deal to do it once you've done it a few times.
Started chain waxing when i saw oz cycle (OG youtuber) video on it, his homebrew way of doing it years ago. Its not as convenient as cleaning and driping some lube but i mainly do it for cleanliness of the chain. Gone are the days when i have grease/oil streaks on my casual or work trousers. Paired with a quick link on your chain it’s practically easy to do. If you ride your bicycle to commute everyday its worth it, especially if you had a flat, you dont have to show up to work with black greasy hands. As for my set up. I use a small rice cooker (because its cheap) for cleaning the chain i used to use deisel fuel but converted to a natural degreaser on my screen and tub setup. Shuould probly convert to a ultrasonic cleaner sometime in the future
I did this for half a yr. yes it takes more time but it is so quite. Quite amazing. Thanks.
I used to replace chains around the 1500 mile mark on my road bikes. My first waxed chain lasted about 5000 miles with substantially less maintenance overall. My first waxed mtb chain has lasted over 1k miles and counting in Washington weather. I don't care about saved watts, waxing demonstrably results in lower drivetrain wear.
Another tip. After cleaning and drying the chain, I warm it before dipping it into the wax pot. The logic is that warm metal draws the molten wax into the inner components of the chain. A cold chain will cause the wax to congeal as the steel hits the wax. That can be overcome if the chain is left in the pot long enough.
I'm curious about what people are doing with the degreaser/spirits after deep cleaning their chains. Using a lot of toxic chemicals like that makes me nervous about the environmental impact. As Russ mentioned, the tough part about chain waxing is really the cleaning. While the day to day maintenance ends up minimal after it's totally stripped, i can't help but think it's not great to be reliant on degreasers and mineral spirits to get the chain clean enough in the first place.
I've been waxing my chains for the last 4 years. I've evolved the process along with tips from Josh at Silca and have a quick easy budget set up which sees me get over 10,000 km from each chain. No need for a crock pot ,just melt the Silca wax into a round, disposable food container like the blue lidded Compliments range from Safeway and float that in a larger saucepan with simmering water, bain marie style. Lift the chan out after 6 mins with the heat off. That will minimize the waste and manipulate the cooled chain over the container to get ride off flakes after it's hardened. Maintenance is to drop the waxed chain in the simmering water before dipping. This removes the contaminates/grit and heats up the remaining wax ready to receive more fresh wax.
It seems complicated at first, but you get used to the routine then it's like clockwork. Like a baking recipe, most of the time is waiting - the hands on time isn't much at all.
Back watching this as two bikes are approaching the need to re-chain. One 12 and one nine. And I trashed the lid to my flagging Instant Pot mini. No longer in safe food service. The IS pots are cool slowly with added metal thickness on the pot bottom. Even with Silva secret sauce that is less chemicals and solvents than with standard lubes. I am slowly convert as chains wear. I have resisted the tubeless coup but this change I like.
Thanks for taking the time to explain this technique. I’m going to go buy a new chain.
tossing some powdered graphite in the wax bath might be a nice upgrade
Where can be buyed ?the graphite
The biggest pain for me is the initial cleaning of a new chain with the factory grease on. Rewaxing after that is a piece of cake.
Slow cookers are available for a few $ at thrift stores. They heat more gently than an Instant Pot so one is not likely to cause the wax to boil over
I am 78 a just use a 2 in1 spray lube and cleaner that is quick and wipe with a old rag.done. Do not ride in rain or mud after all have no idea how much time remains for me, so easy does it.
Great video , I've been waxing all my chains for many years , greetings from Australia !
Never thought of leaving the chain in till the wax starts to cool.. great tip will definitely have to start doing that.
Hi, live in the UK been waxing for about 8 months now. Home brew food grade paraffin wax and PTFE. Super clean drive chain. Long lasting (300 miles between applications) i haven't waited for wax to start to cool before removing from slow cooker (maybe that bit colder in UK so don't need to). If I go for wet ride I simply drop back into wax again. Worthwhile having a couple of chains to swap out. I agree with comments that I now have super clean drive chain, and the home brew wax is really cheap.
...i said it once...and now will say it again...get an belt drive...🤓🤓🤓...it changed my biking experience massively!!!
...but i love your effort here...
Belt drives are great if you like the bike they’re on. Limited geometries. 🤷🏽♂️
I come from the days when waxing a chain was a mystic ritual used by wizards. If the military had used wax in those days, it would have carried a "TOP SECRET" label. Only some of the elite pros had techs who did it. I was never a pro, I just wanted the best. It has gotten so much better and easier. Wax is all I use personally on any of my bikes and it is all I recommend. My commuter bike has the original chain and more than 5000 miles on it. The wear gauges say I have a lot of life left in that chain. Wax out of a bottle or wax soaking in a pot are a great ways to extend the life of a chain.
I've been doing it for ten years at least. The best thing about waxing the chain has been the ability to touch the chain without grease tattoos.
You're making it harder on yourself than you could. I just pull the chain out of drippy hot wax and let it hang to cool. Yes, there's less wax inside the chain, but the process is so much simpler and faster, so you'll be inclined to do it more often. I just do it once in ~600 km. My road bike chain has done 16000 km already and still shows only ~0.3% elongation.
I was following the super anal science Silca way.
I really want to try a full hard wax it on my mountain bike. Where I live is crazy dusty, anytime I'm on dirt for more than a couple hours the chain gets so filled up with grit the chain starts to sound like it's gonna break and I can feel it in the pedals. Wax sounds like the longest lasting option.
I use OzCycles home brew mix (the PTFE one) but use Molten speed wax's method, the wax works fine I'm sure if we went to a lab I'm loosing a couple of watts/milliseconds per hour compared to the branded versions but for the type of riding I do I don't really care. The method works as well if not better than waiting for the wax to cool and far less time consuming.
9:14 Boiling water isn't a solvent for paraffin wax, it merely locally heats the wax so it drops off the chain. There will always be wax on the chain due to surface tension. Personally I find this a superfluous step since I use a "frying basket" in my wax so all the dirt just drops throught the basket to the bottom where it can be scraped off once the puck is solid again.
My first chain I waxed lasted (50% wear) more than 8,000km, it's clean, and I've got the process to be quicker than drip lube. I use a basic paraffin wax base, with PTFE powder additive and put the chain in a slow cooker about every 2 weeks (500kms or so). Never going back to drip lube!!
I just got my first Gates carbon belt drive. If I could, every bike I own would run this system.
I've always ran wet lube in the past because I've never felt wax does a good job lubricating a chain (and I come from farm machine background). I've settled on chainsaw bar oil cut with about 1/3 real mineral spirits for bike chains and motorcycle chains. Clean with mineral spirits when nessary, and relube. Maby I'm just cheap, but my chains last for ever!
Waxing my chain had been the most satisfying process. i dont think I could ever go back to sticky oils. It is cleaner. The process becomes easier with repetition.
Used to do this with my road bike in the early-mid 80's. Would set up 5 chains to wax at once, fold them up nice when hot and wrap them in newspaper. Ride for 250 miles, swap to a new chain, repeat until I had to rewax them all. This was before quick links were popular, so it's even easier now. It was a good system. Not riding as much, so I'm using the liquid wax formulations; not as clean, but I'm getting lazy in my old age.