Chain waxing thread
Discussion
I'd be interested to know how people who have adopted immersive chain waxing are getting on with it!
I started a couple of months ago. Cheap (<£10) slow cooker, and have started with Molten Speed wax. I have to say I think I am a convert. I have waxed the chains on a couple of road bikes and an XC MTB.
The initial chain prep was a massive faff- it took a reasonable effort with a few rounds of meths and degreaser to strip factory grease off the chain. A previously oiled chain was easier. Once that was done however on a dry weather bike it is easily lasting a couple of hundred miles, and actually very quick to pop the chain off, leave it on the wax and then back on later. It seems very smooth. Too early to comment on the chain/group set wear yet but I believe it should be favourable. The lack of oil and gunk anywhere is great. I'm certainly not a polisher but It's good that the group set and chain is always just clean.
When I have done wet and gritty rides I just rewaxed afterwards. OK for weekend rides but not possible on a commuter!
How do they get on in the wet- is gentle neglect possible or do they need drying/rewaxing a lot?
I started a couple of months ago. Cheap (<£10) slow cooker, and have started with Molten Speed wax. I have to say I think I am a convert. I have waxed the chains on a couple of road bikes and an XC MTB.
The initial chain prep was a massive faff- it took a reasonable effort with a few rounds of meths and degreaser to strip factory grease off the chain. A previously oiled chain was easier. Once that was done however on a dry weather bike it is easily lasting a couple of hundred miles, and actually very quick to pop the chain off, leave it on the wax and then back on later. It seems very smooth. Too early to comment on the chain/group set wear yet but I believe it should be favourable. The lack of oil and gunk anywhere is great. I'm certainly not a polisher but It's good that the group set and chain is always just clean.
When I have done wet and gritty rides I just rewaxed afterwards. OK for weekend rides but not possible on a commuter!
How do they get on in the wet- is gentle neglect possible or do they need drying/rewaxing a lot?
Not great personally
Think my chainn prep wasn't good enough and I was using the Oz cycle wax recipe
Might invest in an ultrasonic cleaner and propietry chainnwax set and try again.
That said, with all the farms around here, there's always tons of muck on the roads so never really a hope in keeping it clean
Think my chainn prep wasn't good enough and I was using the Oz cycle wax recipe
Might invest in an ultrasonic cleaner and propietry chainnwax set and try again.
That said, with all the farms around here, there's always tons of muck on the roads so never really a hope in keeping it clean
Once you get a good system going, its a massive timesaver in terms of bike cleaning, which lets face it, in the UK is a constant piece of bike admin.
The only real faff is the initial prep ... white spirit overnight followed by isopropyl alcohol has always stripped the factory grease off my chains so they're rready for waxing but once thats over and done with, its a piece of piss.
I started with a crockpot but then bought the Silca waxing pot which is easier in terms of temp control but not a gamechanger. I've used a few waxes ... the one I've settled on is the Enigma wax ... I heat wax to 115 degrees, drop chain in, turn off wax pot (I really haven't found the exact temp to lower it to) and let it cool until I get a skin on the wax ... agitate chain, remove from wax and hang up to harden. I have two chains on rotation and tend to swap every couple of weeks (500 ish miles) using the Enigma drip was between rides.
The only real faff is the initial prep ... white spirit overnight followed by isopropyl alcohol has always stripped the factory grease off my chains so they're rready for waxing but once thats over and done with, its a piece of piss.
I started with a crockpot but then bought the Silca waxing pot which is easier in terms of temp control but not a gamechanger. I've used a few waxes ... the one I've settled on is the Enigma wax ... I heat wax to 115 degrees, drop chain in, turn off wax pot (I really haven't found the exact temp to lower it to) and let it cool until I get a skin on the wax ... agitate chain, remove from wax and hang up to harden. I have two chains on rotation and tend to swap every couple of weeks (500 ish miles) using the Enigma drip was between rides.
I've been a wax convert for around 18 month's now.
As family of 4 all 4 bikes are now converted, a mixture of new & used chains.
New chains are dunked straight in the wax (Silca) with a strip chip in there. Used chains were first cleaned/degreased in the ultrasonic bath a couple of times before waxing.
Its been an absolute game changer for me. With two kids & mainly transporting the 4 MTB's in the boot with wheels removed - the lack of oily hands, clothes as well as inside the car has made it worth it.
The lack of oil/sticky gunk on the drive chain is also great for those with irregular cleaning routines!
I started with a pan on the hob - not recommended. Took me ages to clean up all the wax splatters!
Quickly moved onto an Argos deep fat fryer with adjustable temperature - only cost about £15 on offer.
The only downside is after wet weather rides or washing - you have to dry the chain to stop flash rusting.
I've used a hot air gun to good effect - but can be slow. And have just upgraded to a handheld air blower - which seems to work well.
I've not seen any issues with chain wear. I normally run the chains till they start sounding a bit 'dry' - on the adult bikes that do the most miles. Then do all the chains at the same time.
All are 1 x drive chains and used all over the UK and Europe in the summers. Main use is Peak District grit though, the fact that mud & dirt does not stick to the coating is also great & must help with longevity of parts.
I'm happy I took the plunge & will be sticking with it for the foreseeable. I did spot another make of wax that seemed to last longer & be more off-road biased so when the current pot runs low I might investigate that further. But that will be more than 12 month's away.
S.
As family of 4 all 4 bikes are now converted, a mixture of new & used chains.
New chains are dunked straight in the wax (Silca) with a strip chip in there. Used chains were first cleaned/degreased in the ultrasonic bath a couple of times before waxing.
Its been an absolute game changer for me. With two kids & mainly transporting the 4 MTB's in the boot with wheels removed - the lack of oily hands, clothes as well as inside the car has made it worth it.
The lack of oil/sticky gunk on the drive chain is also great for those with irregular cleaning routines!
I started with a pan on the hob - not recommended. Took me ages to clean up all the wax splatters!
Quickly moved onto an Argos deep fat fryer with adjustable temperature - only cost about £15 on offer.
The only downside is after wet weather rides or washing - you have to dry the chain to stop flash rusting.
I've used a hot air gun to good effect - but can be slow. And have just upgraded to a handheld air blower - which seems to work well.
I've not seen any issues with chain wear. I normally run the chains till they start sounding a bit 'dry' - on the adult bikes that do the most miles. Then do all the chains at the same time.
All are 1 x drive chains and used all over the UK and Europe in the summers. Main use is Peak District grit though, the fact that mud & dirt does not stick to the coating is also great & must help with longevity of parts.
I'm happy I took the plunge & will be sticking with it for the foreseeable. I did spot another make of wax that seemed to last longer & be more off-road biased so when the current pot runs low I might investigate that further. But that will be more than 12 month's away.
S.
Yes. It's brilliant. I always rebutted the notion until the badgering friend did mine without me knowing. It's incredible. Clean, smooth, it's an absolute non-negotiable for me. Mine needs topping up with drip wax every 700-1000km then get it re-waxed at service.
Even better, my LBS do it so I don't even get dirty.
Even better, my LBS do it so I don't even get dirty.
I have bought an air blower to give the chains a quick blast to dry when I get after a wet ride. I don't think I will do the chain on the rough and ready commuter- no realistic way (or time) to dry the chain if I commute in to work in the drizzle.
Lack of oil on the inside of the car has been great!
Lack of oil on the inside of the car has been great!
I use the Silca Secret Chain Blend wax which is handy because it's like a boil in a bag / sous vide where you just pop the bag into a saucepan with some water, heat it up until the wax melts (Takes a while so start this step before you clean your chain) then dip the chain directly into the bag.
With regards to chain prep, I use two kilner jars, one with White Spirit and the other Isopropyl Alcohol. The white spirit does the majority of the work with a few minutes of shaking, then the isopropyl gets rid of any last bits and helps it dry. I then use a hair dryer to completely dry the chain prior to dipping.
I'll be buying an ultrasonic cleaner in the coming months to speed up the cleaning process of the chain, cassette, derailer pulleys etc.
I do a lot of gravel riding and live in the sticks so my chain takes a hammering, I can't believe how simple and easy it is to clean the chain since I started waxing, especially now it doesn't really get that dirty anymore.
With regards to chain prep, I use two kilner jars, one with White Spirit and the other Isopropyl Alcohol. The white spirit does the majority of the work with a few minutes of shaking, then the isopropyl gets rid of any last bits and helps it dry. I then use a hair dryer to completely dry the chain prior to dipping.
I'll be buying an ultrasonic cleaner in the coming months to speed up the cleaning process of the chain, cassette, derailer pulleys etc.
I do a lot of gravel riding and live in the sticks so my chain takes a hammering, I can't believe how simple and easy it is to clean the chain since I started waxing, especially now it doesn't really get that dirty anymore.
Ladders said:
Does anyone run wax on bikes they use through winter / wet weather?
I'd give it a go, but most the stuff I've seen says that you chain rusts if you use them through wet weather, which is most the time in British winter!
Would the Super Secret type wax work for that?
Mine didn't rust and I used wax throughout winter in some absolutely sopping conditions. I'd give it a go, but most the stuff I've seen says that you chain rusts if you use them through wet weather, which is most the time in British winter!
Would the Super Secret type wax work for that?
Not sure why it would rust when it's covered in wax. I suppose if you stripped all the oils etc from it and only applied a drip wax to the rollers then it'll rust, but when you dunk the whole chain in the wax it shouldn't rust at all.
We use ours all year round and in off-road slop.
Maintenance is as simple as get home, wash-bike, blow down with air blower (Wolfbox MF 200 is the one I have).
That works for us.
Before the blower I used a hot air gun which has the bonus of re-melting the wax. A hair dryer would also work.
Before that we did get a couple of chains that flash rusted, it was nothing major and I just cleaned & re-waxed the chains. Still using them now so no ill affects.
If the bikes not to bad we just blow down/dry the chain.
It is a bit more work, but in my opinion it outweighs the cleaning of chains and drive chain gunk at service times.
HTH.
Maintenance is as simple as get home, wash-bike, blow down with air blower (Wolfbox MF 200 is the one I have).
That works for us.
Before the blower I used a hot air gun which has the bonus of re-melting the wax. A hair dryer would also work.
Before that we did get a couple of chains that flash rusted, it was nothing major and I just cleaned & re-waxed the chains. Still using them now so no ill affects.
If the bikes not to bad we just blow down/dry the chain.
It is a bit more work, but in my opinion it outweighs the cleaning of chains and drive chain gunk at service times.
HTH.
I used immersive wax through the winter. I think you need to dry the chain off if it is wet- I didn't bother once and it got some surface rust. I just rewaxed it though and doesn't seem to have come to any harm. All in all I think it reduces time spent faffing once you are up and running. (Except the oil and ignore communter which never gets any love apart from needing replacement chains often!)
I have been using the "squirt" wax lube on my commuter bike chain for a few months.
I cleaned the not-new chain in the ultrasonic cleaner ith degreaser first.
The bike is used in all weathers and is parked outside during the day. In a warm, integral, garage at home.
It has worked well and is much cleaner than it was with oil or synthetic oil lube.
I cleaned the not-new chain in the ultrasonic cleaner ith degreaser first.
The bike is used in all weathers and is parked outside during the day. In a warm, integral, garage at home.
It has worked well and is much cleaner than it was with oil or synthetic oil lube.
Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 20th May 20:10
Ladders said:
Does anyone run wax on bikes they use through winter / wet weather?
I'd give it a go, but most the stuff I've seen says that you chain rusts if you use them through wet weather, which is most the time in British winter!
Would the Super Secret type wax work for that?
Yes and this is when there's possibly the most benefit, not having to clean the chain constantly. The chain does of course need more TLC but way less than using traditional chain oil. I'd give it a go, but most the stuff I've seen says that you chain rusts if you use them through wet weather, which is most the time in British winter!
Would the Super Secret type wax work for that?
I gently blast the chain/cassette with water to ensure no muck, then when I've completed the bike clean, I ensure the chain is totally dry ... microfibre cloth and the compressor (You'd be fine without using a compressor) and then apply the 'inbetween dripwax' treatment so that its ready for the next ride. So really its the same as year round, although I would do this process every other ride if ridden in the dry.
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