The EASIEST Way to Wax Your Chain
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- Опубліковано 14 січ 2024
- First look at Cyclowax, a kit that makes chain waxing super easy!
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As an alternative to having your own garage, consider volunteering your time at a local bike co-op. They usually appreciate knowledgeable people, and it's a great way to get embedded in a new community
How is that an alternative to having your own work area with the ability to podcast while doing bike work?
5 years ago...I bought a cheap slow cooker for AUD$15 from Kmart. 5kg of pure paraffin from eBay for $25. Used less than half of the wax in that time (5 bikes of mine + 3 family members). You are right the biggest pain is cleaning the chains the first time (use mineral turpentine then methylated spirits as per instructions from "Friction Facts"). The benefits are tangible: barely any chain wear, no dirty chains, can use boiling water and a rag to "degrease" and supposedly has very high chain efficiency
oh how glad I am that my bike has a carbon belt instead of a chain
@@user-zj8uq5oz1x good luck with checking the integrity of the embedded Carbon fibers.
@@user-zj8uq5oz1x they seem to be an excellent option for commuters. However, not allowed for criterium racing etc
The silca chain stripper really works - worth it if you do a few chains at once.
The one thing that I find a bit weird is that I've never seen a youtube video showing waxing a chain using a simple bain marie. Go to the dollar store and pick up a small metallic bowl. Either put in on top or even in a pot of water (needs to be heavy enough not to float with the wax in it, though), bring the water up to a simmer. Melt your wax in the inner bowl. My setup cost me $2 since I already own a pot for the water. Pure paraffin candles cost $6 here for 500 grams. Yes, you have to remove the wicks after you melt them, but not really a hardship ;-) The only slightly challenging thing is jury rigging a stand to allow the chain to drip.
Silca have their boil in a bag method, but that wax is $80 for 500 grams O_o. I can go through a few chains for that money. It just seems a bit goofy that everybody is looking at these really pricey "convenience" setups when everybody already owns a pot and a stove and has ready access to paraffin (even better if you can find canning wax -- alas, not a thing here in Japan as far as I can tell). Looking at the zero friction site, I can't really justify the cost of these high price lubricants given that I use low cost components. You work out the math on their "cost to run" and you can see instantly that they are talking about the most expensive components you can buy.
I'm going to be honest here... I saw the title of this video and assumed, given your historical content, that you would be taking a pragmatic approach. While the kit is perhaps moderately convenient, I don't see how it beats a single trip to the dollar (or equivalent) store. I get your point about solvents. Especially in a country that you aren't familiar with, in a language you aren't familiar with, with products you aren't familiar with, and with disposal systems you aren't familiar with --- that's pretty challenging. I still think, though, that for the average person a small can of paint thinner, and a bottle of pure alcohol (for example camp stove fuel) is within their ability to sort out. The main problem is that they don't know what they are looking for. Rather than telling them that they can shell out $250 for a kit, it would be nice to explain that. Even storage isn't really an issue. You need something like 1-2 liters of space. You've got an exhaust hood in your kitchen. Fumes are not an issue. You don't need (or even want, IMHO) a garage. Disposal is an issue, though, and there isn't much you can do about it.
I appreciate that you're going through a lot of changes and it probably all seems overwhelming, but would you really have bought that kit if you needed to spend your own money? Would you appreciate having someone "take it for the team" and demonstrate a streamlined way to wax a chain with minimal cost in an apartment?
Make that video then.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Sorry mate. Honestly trying to give you helpful feedback. Sorry it didn't help :-(
@@trentvlak I just use my hand actually. Man up.
My wax set up: induction burner, 5$ pot. My homebrew wax is 500g paraffin, 25g PTFE, 25g tungsten disulfide. A bent spoke holds the chain and a chopstick to stir.
I dropped 40 bucks for Secret Chain Blend; way better than plain ol paraffin, dumped it into a 5 dollar crockpot from Goodwill and that’s it. What you want to spend money on is an extra chain or two. It’s better to have one already waxed and ready to swap out so you can prep the one you just removed at your leisure.
Pro tip old spokes make good hangers.
The advantage of waxing your chain is you’re not gonna get yourself all very every time you touch it and your drivetrain; Chainring, Cassette, chain, and derailleur cogs, service life is triple what you’d see with traditional 😢 that attract grime and caused it to stick to your components causing wear. I’ll happily wax my chain in order to save the 300
Been waxing all my chains…MTB,Road,Gravel for past 6 years. In wet,windy Co Donegal on NW Irish coastal region..no prob. Croc pot,Parafin wax and coat hanger-all one needs. Would estimate it has cost €30 in wax and €25 for croc pot. Not bad for 6 years! Just re use wax until dirty/gritty. Could not imagine spending €269 on a ‘kit’…
It’s all relative isn’t it? I use friction shifters and can’t imagine someone spending $2k to move a rear derailleur 3mm but here we are.
Great video, thanks! And thanks for admitting that this product is very expensive, not for everyone! 👍🏾✌🏾
Interesting idea. Trick to getting the chain in the small pot is to put the cable only through 1-2 links, on the chain. That way one can fold the chain up on itself more and then the chain goes a lot easier into the pot. I have a small crock pot and that is how I get mine in.
Thank God for Ali express for less $80 I can make my own kit with chain 😂
Nice kit for someone who has nothing and a small place you’ve got. If I had to do it over again I’d follow you’re buddy at bike sauce and boil Silca wax in the bag. Clean and simple.
High initial cost, lots of work and time and a need to do it often. But it's great to see products even if they're not for me. Obviously others do wax their chains. I'll stick the premixed wax in a small bottle.
Well done.
Thank you for this review - For me, living in a small appartment, it will be a lifechanger / as I'm Belgian, it's a nice addon - Sarah
This seems pretty pricey. But I do like that there are products/services emerging to take the faff out of stripping the factory grease.
I think the best thing about this setup is the simple drip stand to recycle excess wax back into the pot, rather than all over the garage floor.
$269….Hard pass. I’ll pick up 1 pound of paraffin wax for $3 at Walmart with a $15 crock pot, $0.02 coat hanger and bank $250.
yep, that worked well for me.
Yup! Thats how its done!
You can even replace the crock pot with a dollar store mixing bowl, using it as a double boiler (Bain Marie).
you can also buy some graphite or moly powder and mix it with the molten wax
Invest a little more in the paraffin wax and you will get a cleaner, more sustainable one. Besides this you are spot on right. My last waxed chain, using just a 12€ 100% pur wax without any Teflon or graphite, lastet 750km before it needed a new wax treatment and I could have used it for longer.
Interesting! Especially because it has everything in one box and allows a newbie to get into this.
But please, please, also add metric information and also the EUR prices - after all, you are based in the EU now.
honestly not a bad kit to get everything all in one place
While I think the Temperaturdisplay (I think that's what it is) is nice and the temperature controle a timer would be a good addition.
This way you could let it do it's thing without giving it attention.
The pot bigger just to make it easier to put the chain in or maybe even two at once.
Otherwise also a very steep price.
That Connex quick link is $27 for 11 speed, and $14 for 10. Looking at the Connex it uses a different style which has more of a twisty channel than a straight pull. I wonder if it lasts a lot longer. I just had to replace a KMC 10R missing link on my bike because it's loose, and I think I've only opened that one up twice. My 11 speed bike I've been using the one time use links, and they're $5 each, so if this lasted at least 6 pulls it might be worth it. I'd be curious what your experiences are with these, might be a good idea for a video.
Thanks for the video! After converting to wax, I can say that the benefits are real: immediate gains include a quiet and clean chain. Plus the promise of lower friction and longer life. The downsides are the time and effort required to clean a chain before the first waxing, and the need to re-wax regularly. For future chain purchases, I would absolutely avoid the hassle of cleaning a chain and simply buy a pre-waxed chain. I would rather spend that time cycling!
The all-black kit from Cyclowax looks great and gives you everything to get the re-waxing done relatively easily, including their app. I very nearly bought their waxing kit (wax heater, hang-up tool, swizzle wire and protection mat but no wax as I wanted to use Silca’s wax) until I realized that the wax heater is either 220v or 110v. I live in Japan where the mains is 100v and it would have taken longer for the wax to heat up. I ended up having to build my own kit but it was a hassle to buy and assemble the various bits, especially the stand and swizzle wire. As I mentioned earlier, I would rather have spent that time cycling!
Silca chain stripper takes 5 minutes to remove all of the factory grease.
the puck looks just like my cooled cooking paraffin & graphite powder DiY wax Mine lives in a empty coffee tin & heats on the stove.
I tried waxing this autumn and initially I was quite happy with it. Then winter struck, hard. We had a long stretch of-20C and colder and then nonstop snowfall throughout December. After Christmas we had a few days of milder weather and very generous salting, and now my chain is a rusty, noisy mess. Either I did something wrong or waxing isn’t the ticket for temperatures way below freezing. What do you guys think?
In my experience oil is more protective but not enough to prevent rust after riding through salted slush. I don't know of anything except frequent cleaning that protects against salt. The -20 part is hard on you, but less of a problem for your chain.
Wax is fine for dry rides but it still needs to be reapplied every few rides. For any type of wet riding, a heavy sticky oil is needed and must be reapplied before every ride.
If it's salty I spray the whole drivetrain in water from a hand pumped sprayer. It's best to take the chain off and wash it in water. I then shake excess water off and swish it in a tub of alcohol for a minute or so before hanging it up to dry. Obviously its best to full immersion rewax straight away or swap chains, but provided you don't leave it drying in a damp place that should buy you a day or so before any rust starts. You can always apply a bit of compatible wax drip lube if full immersion waxing is not an option but that won't get rid of the grit pressed into the chain. A connex quick link also helps a lot !
Salt doesn’t work below +20f. ✌️
@@alans1816my hypothesis is that the very low temperatures made the wax hard and brittle, causing it to flake off. Then when the milder weather came, the protection was all gone and, in quick succession, so was my chain.
Thanks for the review! For me, I just don't really see what's different or better. It's still a crock pot. An expensive one too. The Silca boil-in-water bag of wax might be a more workable solution for lack of space, but I've never tried to do that. I'm happy to stick with my small $15 walmart crock pot set up and a $40 bag of wax beads.
What’s different or better is everything you need comes literally in one box and it takes up a small corner of a desk.
@@PathLessPedaledTV That seems like a huge price to pay when compared to the Silca wax in a bag. Since it works in your own regular pot, you don't even need to have any space dedicated to it.
It is nice to get a kit though - I did suggest that to the Silca booth guys when I was at Iceman. It took me a little while to figure out what to order from them.
The Silca degreaser stuff is pretty impressive as well.
Silca has a biodegreaer to strip the factory grease off a new chain in less than 5 min and can be disposed down the drain. Great product
It is great. I’ve tried it. But even better than that is putting nothing down the drain :)
@PathLessPedaledTV I've done the full solvent route and being in LA I couldn't find a place to take it for disposal until WeHo had their annual hazardous waste disposal day. Since the silca product is biodegradable and safe for disposal down the drain it was a better option for me.
@@PathLessPedaledTVthat really is a great option. Seems like this waxing thing is finally taking off so hopefully in the future it will be a lot easier and cheaper to buy pre waxed chains. Doing in an industrial setting would a snap.
@@JamesFryerCreative working on getting some non factory grease chains made.
Can you clarify what brand the cyclo wax chain was, are they just kmc?
Edit: or connex? They mention a too free link.
Connex
My friend is going through his waxed chain period. I told him Id be there for him at the end😅
While expensive, this does seem a well tailored, turnkey solution
Looks like something the accountant's department designed... do these companies never do any basic r&d?... think I'll stay with my £15 slow cooker
It might almost be worth it just to avoid the chemicals, which are also an issue with traditional chain cleaning and lube. What about just buying a prewaxed chain (to avoid the initial stripping)and getting a crock pot and pariffin? What say you, comment section?
Two things to mention.
1: Cost, I built a complete clean and wax system for less than £100 including wax ,degreaser ,slow cooker and ultrasonic bath.
2: Safety, That tub needs a lid, if the thermostat failes the wax could easily over heat and cause a fire.
Best to switch to wax when your cassette and chain are worn out and need to be replaced anyway. A new cassette won't need to be cleaned, a new chain can be easily degreased using Silca's Chain Stripper. You'll just have to clean the chain rings, which you can do on the bike. Regular degreaser and some some white spirit should be good enough for that.
The Cyclowax kit is still nice. The stand and the little doohickey are quite useful. And while the wax heater is clearly a rebranded cheap beauty wax heater and a bit on the small side, you kinda figure out how to fit your chains in there with time.
Some cassettes I've noticed come coated with a thin sticky residue, presumably to protect the surface in storage, that should come off before it sees a waxed chain.
"Mini potpourri warmer" less than $20 USD from a variety of sources online.
I got basically the same wax heater on Amazon for $23 usd. (14oz waxkiss Wax Warmer, with the digital temp dial). I prefer the wax heater to a food style croc pot because it takes less time to heat up because it doesn't have to heat up the thick porcelain that is designed to stay warm after you unplug the croc pot to transport the food.
How much wax can you fit in it
@@Slow.Smooth Enough? I'm not sure. Something around 14oz.
Definitely need to replace that crock pot, you can't swish the swizzler. All of the wax additives are at the bottom of the pot. If you can't swish the chain your only really getting wax and maybe some zdp.
Rewaxing every 190 miles seems like a big hassle. At that rate many riders would need to do this at least one per month. That seems like a lot of work.
Thats why you have as many extra chains as you can be arsed with. I have three chains I use in succession and then re-wax them at the same time.
As Russ said in his video, rewaxing is easy. It's stripping the initial factory grease off the chain that is the huge hassle.
Good vid. Haven't ever waxed my chains. Just don't see the (alleged) benefits, especially given the added hassle.
There is none. I did this 30 years ago. Dont waste your time.😂
Is waxing a chain cleaner over all. You know that black gunk that ends up on your right calf? Does that still happen? I’m retired and I got nothing else to do but wax my chain.
In my experience, it is cleaner. No marks on your legs, in your car, etc., and you can grab the chain when working on the bike without getting your hands dirty.
@@user-sc9qm2md4d Hey Thanks for the reply. As soon as I get settled again and set the shop up, I’m waxin’ . I don’t know if I’d buy this get up although it does seem well thought out. One that is important in ski waxing is temperature. If you start smoke checkin’ your wax with the iron , The wax will lose its lubricating qualities. With that being said the pot included is most likely made to hold the wax at an optimal temperature and out perform a crock pot in that aspect.
It’s a great package but honestly I think most cyclists that already wax their chains would be putting something together with a crock pot,spokes,hanger and sourcing their preferred brand of solvents and wax.
Would love to hear the initial ride review of the wax. No need for “watts saved” - just a general comparison.
Also, I didn’t figure out the chain-dunking-wire method until I saw you do it. (Doh!SMF) Makes it so easy now.
There is a chain lube that already does this. It's called White Lightning Clean Ride. To get the best results you have to get your new chain very clean before you use the WL the first time. I get a new chain clean by using a bit of gasoline in a small pan. I've been using this product for years and it works quite well.
Emulsified drip on wax is great but different. Nothing beats a full hot wax dip.
want to get rid of chain at all) internal gear hub + belt drive my dream) thinking about "split belt pro" set cause my frame doesn't have dropouts with open capability
Ha, ha! Chain maintenance for the Professional or Anal only. For everyday riding just use a good chain oil. Not junk like WD or 3 in 1. I find a small bottle of chain lube lasts a very long time. Don't lick your fingers. Lots of things are so called toxic. Even enough water could kill you! I have ridden over 150,000 miles (240 Kilos) and used to own a bike shop. I have done TransAmerica and many long tours and did some racing in the ABLA days.I am 75. Used to ride with the IBTS group from time to time.
Yeah, waxing can be a total mess. I hate it when the hair gets al...... OH! Chain waxing! Yeah, gotcha!
$90 for a pre-waxed chain. Which has a recommended re-wax of 180 miles 😮
For me, the PITA of the process isn't the waxing, but the cleaning of the chain. I soak the chain in organic solvent, then two rides through the ultrasonic cleaner, each time I do the chain (yes, the hot wax will clean the chain, but then the wax is dirty). This kit doesn't address the cleaning anywhere near adequately. And my cute little 2-quart crockpot does the job adequately for about $11. And the other commenters are correct: it's an unnecessarily time-consuming process; don't start it unless you like doing it.
Boiling water will get rid of the old dirty wax from the chain. Simple
@@andrewmcalister3462 - Yeah, thanks, after doing some homework on that, I'll stick to my method. Besides, it keeps me out of trouble.
save 200$, just boil the silca bag like pasta. do it while touring too!
Nice idea, but way too expensive!
why don't you rent a house with garage? We in europe have no garage, it is only in US.
There’s none in the city center.
Although I like the idea of waxing (cleanliness and environmental impact), it looks rather time consuming. I’ll stick with my Boeshield lubricant, which I reapply every 100-200 miles and a $10 bottle lasts about 5000 miles. I use no solvents or devices except a rag, and my original chain lasted 5 years (10,000+ mi) and I’m still using my original cassette and chainrings after about 20,000 miles…All paved surfaces though, so my results might be different on gravel or dirt.
same experience myself. Not seeing the benefit of the wax chain.
@@attisthecat Depends on where you ride. My oiled chains get grimy and disgusting within a week. My waxed chain is still clean to the touch 6 months later. I ride daily in an urban environment in the cold of scandinavia. I do need to run KMC EPT chains for the added rust protection when running wax, but it's almost necessary with an oiled chain as well - soooo much salt on roads here.
$269 for just a graphite powder and paraffin wax and ptfe powder. That's just a great way to empty people's pockets. This business priced their product to make it seem like the raw materials used were scarce.
Or... I'll just keep buying $20 chains and not worry about this and use the $10 1 step chain cleaner and lubricator. Chain lasts a whole year, no problems.
It’s not about just the chain but also the wear on the cassette and chainring. 🤷🏽♂️
If only the pot were just a little smaller…
I ride 200 miles per week. So I get to do this every week? No thank you to chain waxing.
In warm weather I'd have to rewax after every other ride.
Your title is kind of misleading. I was hoping for waxing in bike packing scenarios. As an only wax aficionado in my local group, every kind of bike waxing is welcome. BUT! As a third world asian, I obviously couldn't afford this kind of setup. Cheers 😂
I mean it’s lighter than a crockpot. You could stick it in a pannier.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Yeah, you could. Their product gave me some ideas. An emergency small pot with wax and gas stove for multiple days biking where you don't even have stable electricity. They said their puck should last 8 continuous usages , and without rinsing with hot water, right? Then I could prep the same. It would've been more possible for me.
@@zawkalaystart your ride with a waxed chain, bring a bottle of drip wax to top up. Read Silca's guide to waxing. Even if you don't use their products, their methods are the way to do it.
@@MrKipperfishAgree. Topping up with drip wax is the way to do it while bikepacking.
an ultrasonic cleaner will wax a chain too,, and clean the chain.
All you need is some candles, knife and white spirit really ease!
Re-wax every 190 miles? Is that what you all are seriously doing?
That’s what they RECOMMEND. We use drip wax in the interim and only do a full immersion every few months.
I’ll use ear wax and I’ll borrow your crock pot and coat hanger and bank $19 😮
Overpriced!!!
🤑🤑🤑
Why is waxing useful?
I purchased $10 worth of wax, $5 worth of molybdenum disulphide, gives me a lifetime supply. Spent $5 on a used Instant Pot, $0.25 on a coat hanger. Takes very little time, or space, I do not have a garage as well. The idea that someone needs to spend hundreds of dollars is ludicrous.
That's a lot of hassle for something so simple.
What are they thinking? If they gave you a lifetime supply of wax and a guy came to your home to do the job, then maybe????
Good lord cycling has become so complicated.
Wait till you learn about electronic shifters!
If I spend the time doing the things everyone suggests I do for marginal gains and to extend component lifespan, I wouldn't have any time to enjoy riding my bicycles.@PathLessPedaledTV
It literally takes 20 seconds to take off your bike then you hang it for 10 minutes while you take a shower and check email. Then another 20 seconds putting it back on.@@_SpaceDad
why would anyone ever take the time to wax their chain. a pro maybe, maybe. i like riding, not pissing about with my bike. a bit of dry lube always does the trick, easy
I’ve been waxing my chain since the 1980s. Please stop talking with your hands so much. I’m a autistic person.
Congratulations, you are both neurodivergent and come off a little direct. There are other ways, not so polite, to say that. Perhaps, despite yr autism, you should work on that bud, don't you think?