canklecat

I don't know what's in ski wax. I use Gulf wax, same stuff my grandma used for canning vegetables and fruits. It's just food grade white paraffin.

Some hot wax fans experiment with additives, including solvents (variously described as paraffin oil, lamp oil, etc) to soften the Gulf wax, which is roughly like hard soap. I experimented with leftover wax from scented candles, which already contains some softeners. But I couldn't tell whether the additives made any difference. And over time road grime from the used chains contaminated the wax so after two years I'll discard it and start over. I never tried the boiling water method, which might have extended the useful life of the wax.

Some folks add powdered PTFE ("Teflon") and/or molybdenum disulfide, but opinions vary over whether these improve the wax significantly. The Australian guy with a YouTube channel on chain waxing reports his best results from adding PTFE powder to plain paraffin. I just got some PTFE powder and plan to try it with hot wax soon.

Once the chain is stripped of all lubes, greases, etc., the hot wax method is pretty easy. For me, living in an apartment now, it's impractical to store the flammable degreasers that would be most effective. I might try the caustic soda method.

Meanwhile, the Rock 'N' Roll Absolute Dry works pretty well. It's the least bad of the many wet lubes I've tried. Seems pricey since it appears to be just PTFE powder in naptha, which I could homebrew cheaply. And it doesn't go far. I'd probably go through a 4 ounce bottle every month, applying it as directed on my two road bike chains. They recommend applying it generously each time,which probably helps clean the chain and get the PTFE to penetrate. But 4 oz won't go far used that way.

I can see why NFS (NixFrixShun) has its fans. It's intended to be applied sparingly, a single drop per link, and reportedly lasts a long time. That application method seems too tedious, but perhaps it's less trouble over the long run if it doesn't need to be done very often.

See this PDF report of chain lube tests by Friction Facts/Ceramic Speed.

Papa Tom

Funny you should ask. A few years back, I started a long thread about a "crunching" sound in my drive-train that I could not explain or eliminate. Several good techs looked at the bike and could not figure out what was causing the crunch either. After about two seasons of putting up with this disconcerting noise, I decided to try going back to the "dry" White Lightning lube I had been using for many years before someone gave me the bottle of Finish Line Teflon lube I had been using more recently. Like magic, the crunch immediately went away and my bike started shifting smoother and faster, too. I have used nothing but White Lightning since then and have had no problems.

I don't think this was a coincidence, but I'm sure others will have stories about the same thing happening with the products reversed.

stephr1

OK. I considered the idea of waxing my chain some time ago. You've convinced me it's something I might want to reconsider. I do have a garage and a place to work (that is not a kitchen or dining room table

Haven't done any research on it either, but I have a sense that the characteristics of ski wax just might lend itself to chain lubing. To wit:

1. Ski wax is designed to provide a slick surface between the skis and the snow.
So maybe this can provide a fairly good slick surface between chain moving parts/links (tho, we're talking about a kind of plastic on the skis against frozen water as compared to metal on metal)

2. Ski wax is designed to be somewhat durable
This might offer longevity of lubrication for riding.

3. Ski wax is easily melted (still have my wax melting/application roller tool)

Maybe not exactly ski wax (which I presume is much more expensive than plain old paraffin). It's also possible (again, have not done research into this) that some combination of the additives contained in ski wax may be applicable for bike chains, as well.

If anyone has investigated this, I'd be interested in seeing the analysis.

Cheers.....

Sapperc

I’ve used both as well as several other supposedly dry film, wax based lubes. There is only one bike chain specific, wax based lube that actually had a liquid film carrier that drys leaving the chain internally coated with a hybrid dry wax. It’s insanely expensive, but it it an alternative to hot wax dipping. That is UFO Drip.

Neither of the lubes you are asking about are truly dry lubes. Neither dry completely, and neither last very long even in dry conditions. Both tend to gunk up and require a lot of chain cleaning. Neither are in any way comparable to true wax lubes. Which is not to say they won’t lube your chain, just don’t think your waxing your chain. I prefer Finishline products to White Lightning though as they work better and last longer.

This is my experience. Opinions are going to be all over the place, and there isn’t an easy one solution for all even when it comes to something as simple and old as chain maintenance. If you’re happy that what really matters.

Sy Reene

FWIW, I ordered a bottle of Pedro's "Slick Wax".. which seems to at least somewhat fit your description for UFO.. no idea yet how it would compare as I haven't tried yet.
https://pedros.com/faqs/differences-slick-wax-ice-wax/