Bicycle Mechanics - liquid car wax on bike chain...

first I'd like to say that I hate greasy bike chains. so heres what I do. I remove all greas from the chain, then make shure chain is dry, then squirt liquid car wax on a old sock, rub wax all over chain, wait a few let wax dry then use sock to wipe off. wax on wax off. the wax acts as a lubricant and repels water.

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Buying the liquid bike chain wax wouldn't be easier? It's very popular around here.

FWIW, there's something called chain wax that's actually intended for this purpose. Though its probably not as clean as the method you've described, its a lubricant designed for this purpose and is cleaner than plain grease/oil.

Buy a Fry Daddy and heat up a bar of parrafin from the grocer. Let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes. Remove and wipe off the excess and let cool. Repeat every 300 miles or when it rains. I used to do this, but after I retired and rode more it was not worth the effort.
Now I remove the chain, clean it in an ultrasonic cleaner and reoil with home brew.
The chain on my 7sp tourer has 10,000 miles and shows little wear.

I just got some of this new spray on wax for my new car. I don't know what's in it but until I do I sure would not assume that it's good as a lubricant.

You also don't like a drivetrain that lasts very long either. Car wax is NOT a lubricant, and should not be used as such. If you must use a wax type lube, get some White Lightning (Clean Ride) or the like, as it is made for this purpose.


first I'd like to say that I hate greasy bike chains. so heres what I do. I remove all greas from the chain, then make shure chain is dry, then squirt liquid car wax on a old sock, rub wax all over chain, wait a few let wax dry then use sock to wipe off. wax on wax off. the wax acts as a lubricant and repels water.

What?

The chain is a friction surface, it needs lubrication. A wax based lube is clean, and actually lubricates (though not as well as a wet lube.)

Car wax as a chain lube is...silly. Chances are that chain is ruined, as you'll have a very hard time removing it from under the rollers so an actual lube can get in there. Next time, use a waxed based chain lube, or a wet lube, and wipe the outside of the chain with a cloth dampened (NOT SOAKED) with naptha or mineral spirits after applying the wet lube.

It should go with out saying, but don't use a flammable liquid like naptha or mineral spirits indoors, or near open flame, spark, smoldering stuff.

By the way, the term "wax" is a highly generic one. It's much like the term "apples" where there are many dozens of actual apple types. "Wax" covers a huge number of types of wax from the grunge that comes out of our ears to the stuff used on floors to harder plastic type waxes used for machining prototypes in CNC machines for testing purposes. The chances of a car wax being one of the waxes that is actually decent for lubricating a chain are pretty slim. But at least it would shed water.

Many automotive "waxes" also contain abrasives to help polish out scratches and remove oxidized paint. If the automotive wax you use contains an abrasive, you are not doing your drivechain any favors.

first I'd like to say that I hate greasy bike chains. so heres what I do. I remove all greas from the chain, then make shure chain is dry, then squirt liquid car wax on a old sock, rub wax all over chain, wait a few let wax dry then use sock to wipe off. wax on wax off. the wax acts as a lubricant and repels water.
Yeah, and it gets inside the chain and lubricates the moving parts there about as well as it lubricrates a muffler on your car.

first I'd like to say that I hate greasy bike chains.

save up a bunch of money and get a Belt drive Internal gear hub propelled bike..