Originally Posted by
CliftonGK1
I may have missed it in skimming the thread, but I didn't see anything in the process about actually cleaning the grit and grime from the chain before the re-waxing process. Just that the hot wax will melt the old stuff. Sure, it will... but all that does is briefly resuspend any particulate matter and allow it to penetrate the rollers while you create a dip bath of it for the rest of the chain. In a relatively clean environment, it could work. If your roads are really gross and parts pick up a lot of contamination, maybe not so much.
I'm curious as to why you clean and do this with a fresh new chain, though. Stock from the factory, chains are lubed with GLEITMO (or some other similar lube) which is designed specifically for the application. No need to clean and relube a new chain, just stick wtih the stock stuff until it needs a first scrub-down.
There isn't any significant grit and grime on waxed chains. I can slide my hand across my chain and cassette and it comes off clean, even after 200 miles of riding. Any particles on the chain will be washed away when dipping in the hot wax--I suppose my years old pot of wax has some suspended dust/dirt in there but I don't believe it's significant enough swap out. Perhaps every 2-3 years or so it could be a good idea to swap out your pot wax?
If you don't remove the factory lube from the new chain the wax won't stick to it like glue. Since the new chain comes broken already, I feel this is the best time to clean it thoroughly by using solvent once. Then I use the supplied Shimano break-off pin to install and never take the chain off the bike again.