Originally Posted by
Maelochs
The chain-lube fanatics are scouring the internet for clues to your whereabouts. Don't be surprised to wake up one night with a flaming bottle of Tri-Flo on your front lawn.
I wax some of my chains (some bikes) but oil others .... and I have tried a ton of different products. Not sure how wax works with water---everyone claims it doesn't---but on my dry bikes, wax is the way for me. But one of your posts has me wondering, "Why wouldn't wax work in wet conditions?
I’ve used wax lubricants (solvent based) in wet conditions while on tour and during rain even here in the dry West...a lot of our water falls in brief but very intense doses. I also use wax based lubricants in winter conditions. People are under the (very) mistaken impression that wax “washes off”. You could put wax in water and mix it with a 150 horsepower Evenrude and it would never mix with water. Oil doesn’t mix with water nor does it “wash off”. Wax is solid oil with even less affinity for water.
Wax doesn’t flow back into gaps when it is squeezed out which is why chain squeak after rain. But while oil flows, it doesn’t mean the same damage isn’t caused by water when wax is used. It just masks the sound.
And, yea, I’m expecting flaming Triflow any day. Thankfully it’s tough to ignite.