Chain wax longevity
 

I'm hot waxing my fleet.

On the road bike, it seems to last for hundreds of miles. Not sure exactly how much but its just never a problem.

The mountain bike lasts many rides. I ride that bike a ton and only switch chains a few times a year.

Now to the gravel bike. Unless it's a particularly short ride, the wax isn't enough to get through a single ride of 3+ hours.

All are done the same way, wash with soap and water and a few drops of degreaser. Rinse and dry. Then let soak it the waxy crock pot and agitate it so all bubbles come up. I let it stay in long enough to get to the same temperature as the wax, easy to see since a cold chain will turn white as the wax hardens on it.

My formula is paraffin and some powder PTFE. Based on information from here, I won't be adding any more PTFE once I run out since it isn't great for the environment and probably doesn't improve any performance.

I live in dry and dusty Central Oregon. The only water my bikes see is on vacation or me walking through a snow drift.

Are there any additives or premixed formulas that'll get my gravel bike wax longevity up to what I'm getting on the others? I don't mind some maintenance in the pursuit of cleanliness but I've got to be able to finish a ride without squeaks.

Try a mix of zero parts wax, and 100 percent oil of your choosing.

I second this. Sounds like too much work otherwise.

https://triflowlubricants.com/produc...dry-lubricant/

Chain waxing takes ten minutes and a sauce pan.

If it dry, what is causing your wax to be prejudiced against your gravel bike?

You are missing the time to take the chain off and put back on.

Oiling the chain takes 30 seconds or less.

Chain removal and install take 1 minute. And the wax lasts longer than wax.

How do you determine that it does not last on the gravel bike ?

Barry

My ears

100 percent oil plus lava dust equals 200 percent filth.

Maybe you should skip the unnecessary water and soap step.

Just to understand more, because I don't use wax: the chain doesn't need any cleaning before new wax?

Are all three of your chains the same brand and model? Some chains have textures or coatings that may not hold wax as well as others.

Did you do a thorough degreasing originally? Have you soaked in acetone or another aggressive degreaser?

FWIW, My CX/Gravel bike holds wax as well as my road bike and TT bike, allowing for conditions.

I add a small amount of mineral oil to my melted paraffin wax. It makes the wax a bit less flaky and it seems to stay on the chain better.

I have a chemistry degree, but I'm not sure why this works better chemically, it just does.

Like oil, this depends on how fastidious you are.

If you use liquid wax, the process is identical to oiling.

Isn't this too low? I use ptfe lube for dry environment (I avoid rain as much I can) and I clean and lube the chain on average at 1300 km (1000 km is my "standard", but I'm lazy...). I would probably get 12000+ km from a chain before reaching the maximum level on the chain gauge, but I prefer to change it at around 9000 km to protect the components.

Sounds about the same as my chain longevity for my riding, although without the cleaning and waxing steps.

It’s really only for the surface dust. I’ve got images in my mind of the microscopic dust plus wax (or oil) creating a grinding paste.

I’ve heard of people boiling chains to remove old wax. I don’t feel like getting out the camp stove right now and I won’t do it inside because my wife would beat me.

Well, wax and lava dust equals squeaky chain, hence no lubricity.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a18e47eedb.png

Does oil from the brake bleed work? Or do you use baby oil (Diddy)?

The road is 10 speed, probably KMC.

The MTB is SRAM XX1 in gold, to match my pedals.

The gravel is the Campy C13 Ekar chain.

I just pulled off the gravel chain to wax and it sure seemed really waxy. Maybe my pulleys or pedals are squeaking but I doubt it.

Perhaps you should dust off that chemistry degree:rolleyes: Mineral oil softens the harder wax because it is the same material with a lower molecular weight. The Wax Brigade…the ones without the chemistry degrees…will probably attack you for daring to violate the sanctity of the Holy Wax with any adulterant. A soft wax like Vaseline will likely soften the wax a little too which will help with flaking.

Digressing a bit, my Elite smart trainer stopped working correctly (the resistance remained at the lowest level). Contacted Elite in Italy: they sent me a replacement circuit board and told me to use "pure industrial petroleum jelly" to lubricate the threaded rod that adjusts the position of the magnet cart

I figured they knew what they were talking about, so I searched for the industrial version. Lots of sources of 55-gallon drums. Finally ordered a couple of pint containers. It's about the same viscosity as Vaseline but has almost no odor. It became my go-to for protecting the skin on my face for riding on the coldest days.

It worked fine to free the magnet cart, though Vaseline probably would have worked just as well.

So what does the "pure" mean in "pure petroleum jelly"?

No. Nothing really sticks to a waxed chain, so when you put it in the hot wax you are just liquifying the old stuff. There's some dirt, and the wax in the pot will not stay perfectly white. But the amount of actual impurities that get back on the chain are so low that it just doesn't matter.

I would be more inclined to blow the chain off with air, but I'm basically wondering if your wax problem is because you aren't actually getting all the water and soap off.

Somehow I doubt chemistry has much to do with what you're seeing. Fluid dynamics maybe?