Silca hot wax on my turbo bike (Surly LHT). Will go back to light oil lube (Progold or Viking Juice) as I sweat a lot on the chain, bb and crankset and getting the chain off and on is awkward as the bike is fixed. Love Silca hot wax otherwise, still on my commute bike chains, they would have worn out by now with previous lubes I've used.
I went over to waxing BECAUSE of zwifting. I have a white floor and the chain oil used to leave black spatters. Now I can just hoover up flakes, it's the best!
Same here. Periodically sweeping up wax flakes from under my permanent indoor set-up is such a minor issue compared to dealing with oil-based mess that it's a no-brainer for me.
I just ditched wax lube and use the Synergetic oil-based for everything. It's way easier for daily maintenance and I genuinely don't care about the cleanliness of the chain.
Interesting. Call me crazy, but I just use Mobil 1 0w or 5w20. I dampen small part of a rag, run the chain through it and then take the dry part of the rag and wipe off any excess. It only takes me a minute or two. I've never had an issue with chain wear or corrosion. I figure that if it is good enough for the hand-built motors in my performance cars, it's good enough for my bike chain. Most of these new processes and 'tech', really don't do anything for us recreational riders. I'm 67 and still ride around 25 miles a day. I get along just fine, with my rim brakes and mechanical SIS shifters. If wax is what you want, then wax away.
After drip waxing a freshly cleaned chain, my first trainer ride shed a fair amount of wax. I vacuumed it up. Job done. The subsequent rides have still shed a bit of wax, but hardly anything. I figure I'll vacuum it every five or six rides.
It would be great if the Zwift bike (and all other indoor bikes) would be belt driven. A simple cog could slip onto the freewheel just like they already have one for chains. This would eliminate any need for lubrication. Taking your outdoor bike in and out during the winter is not ideal.
I'm trying UFO Drip for indoor and track. It's rated higher than Silca Synergetic by Zero Friction, and I can just move on to UFO All Season when I can get outside.
The correct answer is - use wax and get a hoover 😅 Joking aside, according to zero friction, there is a coupe of drip wax lubes compatible with immersion waxing, like the True Tension Banana Slip, which I use on my super secret immersion chain.
Waxed chain inside, i sweep up the flakes and use them again in my waxpod, outside i switched to oil for the winter. I use two different bikes, roadbike is on the turbo and the gravelbike is my joice for outdoors.
I’ve just switched from a dry chain lube, to a wet lube as the chain went rusty in my unheated garage (where my Zwift setup is). Degreased in the ultrasonic cleaner, rinse off, wipe-down, dry off, and wet lube on. Time will tell if it keeps the corrosion at bay.🤞🏻
Meh.. I've relegated my old bike to a trainer mule and keep my new bike for riding outdoors. With that said I use the same wax for both and just vacuum up the wax crumbs. I have to wipe down my matt anyway.. :)
Yet another wax-lube question. The last part of the mtb season I had thoroughly cleaned my chain and switched to a drip-on wax lubricant. I ended up having to reapply every 2 rides, wondering if that is normal. That's not my real question though. It's winter now, and I'm in Canada. I know wax doesn't like the cold almost as much as I don't, so it's time to switch back to a wet lube. How should I do this? 1) just apply the wet lube and it will magically displace the wax 2) use a standard chain cleaner, rinse, then apply wet lube, hoping the cleaner actually removes the wax 3) heat the chain with a hair drier then rinse with hot water then apply the wet lube 4) something else Thanks heaps
I use Peaty's Premium all season on my mtb, emtb and road bikes, and for the road bike both indoor and outdoors. Does a great job, last long enough and there is no mesh. But for some reason ZeroFriction does not touch Peaty's products.
How about just use an oiled indoor chain. And if you go outside You just clean the cassette and drivetrain a little and put your waxed chain on. Haven't tried it but doesn't sound ti bad
I use Synergic for indoor and outdoor bike. It may well be that wax can make my chain and drivetrain last a bit longer, and save a few watts and be cleaner etc, but I really hate rust with a vengeance and with the British climate rust can easily become a problem almost all year round. And my indoor bike is on a mat so should I get a drop of oil on the mat it wipes off easily and is no problem whatsoever.
Mixing snake oil silca potions in my crockpot doesn't seem like fun. I wax chains with that silca wax but find their marketing way too sleazy. And who said waxed chains indoors is messy? Way cleaner than lube.
I made the mistake of using a dry lube on my trainer in the winter, chain rusted with all of the condensation from the temperature difference outdoors and inside :(
I use squirt during winter (road bike on the trainer and gravel bike outside) and silca hot wax in the summer. I just bought squirt low temperature version haven't tried it yet soon it's going to be freezing outside. So many things slow you down anyway during winter I won't bother with hot wax.
Luckily, the debris from my chain matches the rich walnut flooring-wouldn’t want it clashing, after all.
6 годин тому
If you do add oil in your wax pot, it means you should consume the whole content before adding more wax into it? Otherwise wax/oil relation becomes unknown and also when spring comes again, you would not want to have any oil in your mixture. (I usually just add wax to pot, when necessary). And I am using drip wax between proper waxing my chain. How that relates to the winter time? Should I also add oil in drip wax bottle?
Pretty bad advice Alex, switching from wax to oil and back. What's the bigger mess? Vacuum out wax flakes, or cleaning an oily floor or mat. Btw, I have a dedicated dummy bike for a trainer, built from an old alu bike, of course with a waxed chain.
I was wondering about rewaxing a chain used outdoor vs indoor. Outside, I don’t pedal continuously, I do coasting. However, inside, I don’t. So, does it mean I should rewax more often? #askgcn
A question for experienced waxers - I have a bike specifically for Zwift and I wax the chain, however, even though I bought a brand new chain and cleaned it ultrasonically prior to applying drip wax, I still get a dirty blackened finger if I run it along the chain after a ride. Is this right?
You have to thoroughly clean and de grease the whole drivetrain when you first make the switch to wax. That includes chainrings, cassettes and jockey wheels. A couple of times preferably.
You have to thoroughly clean and de grease the whole drivetrain when you first make the switch to wax. That includes chainrings, cassettes and jockey wheels. A couple of times preferably.
Using just an ultrasonic cleaner isn't enough to rid a new chain of all the packing grease. Check out the videos on how to completely clean a chain before ever using it. There are multi-stage, dual product methods for this pesky one-time job but Silca now sells an all-in-one solution for prepping a chain for waxing. When properly done, a waxed chain should leave no dirty marks on one's hands or clothing.
You slipped up on this video! A good drip lube, like Silca Secret, is amazing. Zero Friction Cycling tests shows it's very effective: About 90% of the lubrication protection with 25% of immersive waxing effort. Added to that, you can touch-up your chain lube as needed to extend range to 1000 km between cleanings versus just 300 km for hot wax. And as never mentioned these days: you can clean your chain with an inline cleaner like Pedros Chain Pig II to save valuable quick links. You inadvertently settled the argument: A good drip wax beats immersive waxing in just about every scenario, including indoor riding 🚀.
Mixing snake oil silca potions in my crockpot doesn't seem like fun. I wax chains with that silca wax but find their marketing way too sleazy. And who said waxed chains indoors is messy? Way cleaner than lube.
Do you use lube, chain wax, or a mix of both in your indoor setup?⚙🛢
Siliconspray
Squirtlube, indoors and outdoors
Silca hot wax on my turbo bike (Surly LHT). Will go back to light oil lube (Progold or Viking Juice) as I sweat a lot on the chain, bb and crankset and getting the chain off and on is awkward as the bike is fixed. Love Silca hot wax otherwise, still on my commute bike chains, they would have worn out by now with previous lubes I've used.
Wax all the way. Love it.
I bought a gallon of finish line wet lube about 10 years ago. I use this on all of my bikes, including my indoor one.
I went over to waxing BECAUSE of zwifting. I have a white floor and the chain oil used to leave black spatters. Now I can just hoover up flakes, it's the best!
valid point!
Same here. Periodically sweeping up wax flakes from under my permanent indoor set-up is such a minor issue compared to dealing with oil-based mess that it's a no-brainer for me.
I’m lucky enough to be able to use my old bike on my trainer permanently so I wax the chain. Yes it flakes a bit but super clean and easy to clean up.
I just ditched wax lube and use the Synergetic oil-based for everything. It's way easier for daily maintenance and I genuinely don't care about the cleanliness of the chain.
Interesting. Call me crazy, but I just use Mobil 1 0w or 5w20. I dampen small part of a rag, run the chain through it and then take the dry part of the rag and wipe off any excess. It only takes me a minute or two. I've never had an issue with chain wear or corrosion. I figure that if it is good enough for the hand-built motors in my performance cars, it's good enough for my bike chain. Most of these new processes and 'tech', really don't do anything for us recreational riders. I'm 67 and still ride around 25 miles a day. I get along just fine, with my rim brakes and mechanical SIS shifters. If wax is what you want, then wax away.
You're not crazy but almost everyone else is!
I use a very high-tech tool to avoid the wax going all over the floor and trainer, it is called a towel.
After drip waxing a freshly cleaned chain, my first trainer ride shed a fair amount of wax. I vacuumed it up. Job done. The subsequent rides have still shed a bit of wax, but hardly anything. I figure I'll vacuum it every five or six rides.
It would be great if the Zwift bike (and all other indoor bikes) would be belt driven. A simple cog could slip onto the freewheel just like they already have one for chains. This would eliminate any need for lubrication. Taking your outdoor bike in and out during the winter is not ideal.
I'm trying UFO Drip for indoor and track. It's rated higher than Silca Synergetic by Zero Friction, and I can just move on to UFO All Season when I can get outside.
I was thinking about this the other day. I moved to a waxed chain last year for my outdoor bike. I was thinking about waxing for the indoor bike.
The correct answer is - use wax and get a hoover 😅
Joking aside, according to zero friction, there is a coupe of drip wax lubes compatible with immersion waxing, like the True Tension Banana Slip, which I use on my super secret immersion chain.
Waxed chain inside, i sweep up the flakes and use them again in my waxpod, outside i switched to oil for the winter. I use two different bikes, roadbike is on the turbo and the gravelbike is my joice for outdoors.
I’ve just switched from a dry chain lube, to a wet lube as the chain went rusty in my unheated garage (where my Zwift setup is). Degreased in the ultrasonic cleaner, rinse off, wipe-down, dry off, and wet lube on. Time will tell if it keeps the corrosion at bay.🤞🏻
Keep us updated
Finishline dry on the bike that does trainer duty. The others get wax. Because its inside during winter, it stays clean.
Meh.. I've relegated my old bike to a trainer mule and keep my new bike for riding outdoors. With that said I use the same wax for both and just vacuum up the wax crumbs. I have to wipe down my matt anyway.. :)
Do you want to see our new tech
Normal wax for me. I just vacuum up the flakes. It's not a big deal.
GCN, why are you posting this video now? I lubed my chain yesterday.
Wouldn't it be easier to just have 2 chains, one winter (oil), one summer (wax), instead of cleaning and degreasing/waxing?
It depends on how difficult replacing the chain is for each person but not a bad idea!
Yet another wax-lube question.
The last part of the mtb season I had thoroughly cleaned my chain and switched to a drip-on wax lubricant. I ended up having to reapply every 2 rides, wondering if that is normal. That's not my real question though.
It's winter now, and I'm in Canada. I know wax doesn't like the cold almost as much as I don't, so it's time to switch back to a wet lube. How should I do this?
1) just apply the wet lube and it will magically displace the wax
2) use a standard chain cleaner, rinse, then apply wet lube, hoping the cleaner actually removes the wax
3) heat the chain with a hair drier then rinse with hot water then apply the wet lube
4) something else
Thanks heaps
SILCA recommends to go with boiling water over the chain to get out the rest of the wax before lubricating
I use Peaty's Premium all season on my mtb, emtb and road bikes, and for the road bike both indoor and outdoors. Does a great job, last long enough and there is no mesh. But for some reason ZeroFriction does not touch Peaty's products.
How about just use an oiled indoor chain. And if you go outside You just clean the cassette and drivetrain a little and put your waxed chain on. Haven't tried it but doesn't sound ti bad
Just use an old cassette, chain, and chainrings if you have them. No cleaning required come summertime.
I use Synergic for indoor and outdoor bike. It may well be that wax can make my chain and drivetrain last a bit longer, and save a few watts and be cleaner etc, but I really hate rust with a vengeance and with the British climate rust can easily become a problem almost all year round. And my indoor bike is on a mat so should I get a drop of oil on the mat it wipes off easily and is no problem whatsoever.
Mixing snake oil silca potions in my crockpot doesn't seem like fun. I wax chains with that silca wax but find their marketing way too sleazy. And who said waxed chains indoors is messy? Way cleaner than lube.
I made the mistake of using a dry lube on my trainer in the winter, chain rusted with all of the condensation from the temperature difference outdoors and inside :(
I use squirt during winter (road bike on the trainer and gravel bike outside) and silca hot wax in the summer. I just bought squirt low temperature version haven't tried it yet soon it's going to be freezing outside. So many things slow you down anyway during winter I won't bother with hot wax.
Luckily, the debris from my chain matches the rich walnut flooring-wouldn’t want it clashing, after all.
If you do add oil in your wax pot, it means you should consume the whole content before adding more wax into it? Otherwise wax/oil relation becomes unknown and also when spring comes again, you would not want to have any oil in your mixture. (I usually just add wax to pot, when necessary). And I am using drip wax between proper waxing my chain. How that relates to the winter time? Should I also add oil in drip wax bottle?
i use the juice left at the bottom of a pot noodle
Channel sponsors vid
It's getting out of hand recently
They've crammed 4 in thumbnail alone
In fairness, the info is still very relevant
It's useful and it's free. Lord you people love to complain 😂
Yes, this is how it works, but the content is actually relevant to anyone independently of which brand they use.
Pretty bad advice Alex, switching from wax to oil and back. What's the bigger mess? Vacuum out wax flakes, or cleaning an oily floor or mat. Btw, I have a dedicated dummy bike for a trainer, built from an old alu bike, of course with a waxed chain.
I was wondering about rewaxing a chain used outdoor vs indoor. Outside, I don’t pedal continuously, I do coasting. However, inside, I don’t. So, does it mean I should rewax more often? #askgcn
Or... vacum cleaner and keep the wax going...
A question for experienced waxers - I have a bike specifically for Zwift and I wax the chain, however, even though I bought a brand new chain and cleaned it ultrasonically prior to applying drip wax, I still get a dirty blackened finger if I run it along the chain after a ride. Is this right?
You have to thoroughly clean and de grease the whole drivetrain when you first make the switch to wax. That includes chainrings, cassettes and jockey wheels. A couple of times preferably.
You have to thoroughly clean and de grease the whole drivetrain when you first make the switch to wax. That includes chainrings, cassettes and jockey wheels. A couple of times preferably.
Using just an ultrasonic cleaner isn't enough to rid a new chain of all the packing grease. Check out the videos on how to completely clean a chain before ever using it. There are multi-stage, dual product methods for this pesky one-time job but Silca now sells an all-in-one solution for prepping a chain for waxing. When properly done, a waxed chain should leave no dirty marks on one's hands or clothing.
wax indoors sucks, always flakes off on the floor.
Hi guys! Still no option with a beeswax?! 😅
not yet 🐝
You slipped up on this video! A good drip lube, like Silca Secret, is amazing. Zero Friction Cycling tests shows it's very effective: About 90% of the lubrication protection with 25% of immersive waxing effort. Added to that, you can touch-up your chain lube as needed to extend range to 1000 km between cleanings versus just 300 km for hot wax. And as never mentioned these days: you can clean your chain with an inline cleaner like Pedros Chain Pig II to save valuable quick links. You inadvertently settled the argument: A good drip wax beats immersive waxing in just about every scenario, including indoor riding 🚀.
finish line teflon plus is the wae
Just grab the vacuum the first time...
Ad?
Or… just put down a towel. 😉
I’m
WD40😊
no 🙅
Indoors?
Brand new chain. Don't do anything to it. The lube is factory fitted, and I defy you to measure how much it matters.
Mixing snake oil silca potions in my crockpot doesn't seem like fun. I wax chains with that silca wax but find their marketing way too sleazy. And who said waxed chains indoors is messy? Way cleaner than lube.