I've done the wax thing in the past. It's a pain to do and not really all the effective. It has zero water resistance. It's even worse than solvent based wax lubricants which aren't all that great. It is clean but then so are the solvent based wax lubricants. I have no idea what you are doing that with those where you feel you have to wipe with rags or that the stuff is nasty or gets on your clothes. You aren't supposed to spray it on with a fire hose.

As for cost, I get dozens of applications out of a $5 bottle which works out to pennies per application. That's as close to free as your wax is. Considering that I can use every single drop of the liquid in the bottle but you can't use every single ounce of wax in your pan...not using your method anyway...I probably come out ahead. And with less bother.

Finally, you never know when you might need to take a chain apart. Removal of either derailer requires it. Removing the chain at the end of it's useful life is easier. Putting the chain together when installing it is easier.

in addition, paraffin wax is a petroleum-derived product, which I tend to shy away from due to environmental concerns.

There are few chain lubes that aren't petroleum based. Personally, I don't have a problem using petroleum based products...I dare ya to try to avoid them in every day life But I don't use as much petroleum as the common American and probably less than the most people in the developed world on a yearly basis anyway. What little I use on my bicycle is a ppb in the grand scheme of things.

I actually use algae-based lubricants ... but I'm a dork.

Also, petroleum usage demographics are rapidly changing. Currently, I work in "metabolic engineering" or getting microbes to produce compounds that significantly reduce petroleum-based precursors for chemical synthesis. The field is just getting started.

I'm still interested in the net gain/loss in overall energy consumption of commuting by bike versus public transport.

I remember buying the tin of paraffin lube from Nashbar, going to all the trouble to melt it and dip the chain, then having the chain start squeaking again at the end of the first ride. It was the 1980's; Been there, done that.

I'd say that your field is 'growing' but it's not 'just getting started'. There are lots of people who have been working on the problem for a very long time. Technically, you could make just about any from an alcohol and we've been using microbes to ferment sugars for quite a while now.

I agree that dry lube is easy and clean. You don't realize how clean until you use a wet lube...FFFFAAAAKKK! it gets dirty as a mofo!

I am a bit skeptical of paraffin wax dipped for such a short amount of time. I think removing the chain and soaking in for a bit of time will really get into all the rollers and pins. quick disco chains are so common, it's not a big deal.

as for performance, it looks like both are correct- with a mix of wax, ptfe(dry lube) and moly sulfides- yields the best lube.

I can tell that the wax is used as a base, ptfe adds the 'slippery' properties, and moly makes it 'stick' to the metal better.

edit: forgot the link!
https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/...ain-efficiency

Fellow waxer here. I use a "party wax melter", which I'm 99.9999% sure is just a rice cooker with different decals. I can either "warm" or "heat" the wax (in my case gulf wax). And if I get hungry, I guess I can cook up a few cups of waxy rice. Yum.

One point not yet raised with the OP's method: how hot must the chain itself be to insure adhesion? By removing and soaking the chain for 1 hour or more, I feel warm (bazing!) about the ability of the wax to adhere to the metal of the chain. With a SRAM quick-link it is easier for me to dunk the whole chain, so the question is moot for me.

Allow me to wax eloquent on some other issues I've encountered:

1. I prefer wax for derailleured drive trains and oil (Chain-L or chain saw bar) for single speed/fixed drive trains. Single cog and chainring setups were very loud with the wax and near silent with the oil. YMMV.
2. Adding Triflow after wax didn't seem to do anything with respect to wear or noise.

Summary; If you can be bothered to re-wax your chain the day before a ride on your derailleur bike, wax provides a great option. But not for every person or drive train.

Has anyone tried additives to the wax? Alan of (former) Eco Velo blog fame advocated for teflon additives. While I'd like to avoid those in particular, are there other things that seem to help? My paraffin solution also contains some bee's wax, but since I've only used that solution, I can't compare it.

My mileage does vary. My fixed gear with waxed chain is quiet as can be.

I throw the pot on the stove and take a shower or something...then in under 5 mins the whole process is done. That's a pain to do?? No. Not really all that effective? I've been waxing with parrafin since the 1970s and let me tell you, it's very effective and clean. Also, Friday I got caught yet again in the light rain. I don't see any problem here--the wax sheds water like a duck and my chain still looks well waxed. I do make it a habit of re-waxing if my drivetrain gets very wet and I'm close to my 200 mile mark however--just because the process is so easy and quick to do.

You use White Lightning and you make it clear it works fine for you. Good for you. But to constantly rag on parrafin waxing saying it isn't effective and it's a pain to do seems out of line imo. It isn't a pain to do and it is very effective alternative to oil and wax based commercial lubes like White Lightning.

Weird. My chain is smooth as butter for many miles after waxing. Perhaps your chain was rusty and old and worn out from using grimy gritty oil for too long. Wax can't fix a rusty squeaky chain--better to keep gobs of oil on it. Yukky.

Yes you are 100 percent correct that you must keep the chain in the hox wax long enough to heat the chain so the wax adheres to the metal and melts the old wax away completely. I thought I was clear to say 10 seconds for each draped section was enough time for this to occur. In my opinion, 10 seconds or 1 hour won't make a bit of difference. But any less than 10 full seconds in hot wax won't be long enough to heat the chain's metal enough--you should see a shiny clean chain exiting the pot as you rotate it through.

I use Dura Ace chains with Shimano break off pins--I still don't like the idea of master links from what I read online (obviously Shimano doesn't either so I'm not alone). I also don't see any advantage to breaking and re- installing a freshly waxed chain. Much easier to just rotate it through using my drape method imo. Fishing a waxed chain out of a pot and fiddling with a long dripping snake and then installing it while it flakes fresh wax all over seems like senseless hassle. Why not just leave the chain installed and rotate it through? Seems like a no-brainer to me but hey, whatever you like.

Indeed.

I could as the same thing. You've claimed that wax based lubes are "a messy slimy substance", " 'wax' lubes attract grime like oil", make for "a messy drivetrain", etc which are equally out of line, in my opinion. In 15+ years if using commercial wax lubricants I've never experienced these kinds of problems.

My $.02. I have a chain with a master link, and it is simple to remove the chain, let is soak in the hot wax for several minutes, remove and re install I would think that leaving the chain in wax for only 10 seconds would not be long enough to heat it sufficiency, but it obviously is working for you. I can only guess you have a couple pound or more tub of wax, and a pot that also holds heat very well. With the little can I used on a cool day it would not have worked, but I don't mind removing my chain. I will say next time I will not will not was the master link halves, as re installing the chain with wax on the master was a hassle. Ended up scraping off most of the wax from the master to get it back together. Live and learn.

I do find that the ride is sweeeeeeeeet. Just rode around my neighborhood for a couple of minutes and it felt great. Really looking forward to the commute today to get some sustained speed on it.

Thanks for sharing this tip here, while others have done this or similar techniques for decades (like you have), I had not seriously investigated it until this thread. One other article (actually 3 articles follow the one link) I found to be quite helpful was: https://www.ecovelo.info/2011/10/10/chain-waxing-101/

I will also add I have been using an oil lube on my new bike for 2000 miles, and it was not a messy slimy thing at all. When applied properly it is quick an easy. However, cleaning the chain periodically, as well as the cogs and such, is messy and time consuming. It appears to me the waxing method will be lower maintenance, and if the quality keeps as well as it started then I am sold.

Nice link and info on ecovelo. Alupang can you comment on what that blog says about getting only 4-6 waxings per batch? I know he talks about removing and dunking the chain. But I'm like you, trying to get a waxed chain back on and back together with a master link seems to be not such a great idea. I'm assuming any dirt just settles to the bottom of your wax as you drape the chain through it.

I'm seriously thinking of trying this on my KHS bike. Its drivetrain is so nasty right now. I've been using a White Lightning product, but when I took it in to the LBS for derailer adjustments a few weeks ago it's like they slathered oil all over the thing and now is super greasy and nasty. I need to figure out a good way to get the cassette, rings, and even the RD jockey wheels all squeaky clean before I try this. Probably would be best to do it with the parts off the bike, but unfortunately I don't have the proper tools.

4 or 5 waxings per batch? LOL I've been using my same old pot of wax for years and years. Yep my wax is black now (actually grey) but I don't care--the chain exits out of the pot looking perfect shiny clean and I don't think switching out my blackened wax with fresh wax will make one speck of difference.

I think what matters most is how often you wax and I wax often=200 miles. Because I don't fiddle with master links and removing/re-installing I can rotate my chain through the pot in under 5 mins with absolutely no mess. It's so easy to do once you get the process mastered--again, it takes me more time to shave each morning than wax my chain.

Think about it...the wax on the chain and any dirt that sticks into it eventually flakes off as you ride. By the time you wax again the chain should look rather dry but still clean. I don't see significant dirt getting into my pot of wax. Now if you are a cross rider riding in mud that's a different situation for sure. Muddy chains aren't my thing...can't help here.

Yeah my pot is about the size of a med/med-small soup pan. I will tell you this: I get the wax pretty darn hot--hot enough so it's churning over a bit on the stove. Hot enough so when you dip the chain in bubbles pop up and you can see the wax turning over inside the pot. If you heat the wax well past it's melting point but less than flash point--I assure you 10 seconds will be plenty long enough to get the job done perfectly.

Fair enough and 2 wrongs don't make a right. Right? Can I ask though...you keep reapplying White Lightning over and over correct? You say you don't use rags or anything to wipe down the chain. Where does "it" go then? Wax just falls/flings off onto the ground I know that...where does the wax based lube go? Does it fall/fling off like wax or perhaps evaporate or what exactly? Can you just keep applying White Lightning over and over for months and months and you cassette and pulleys always look clean? I have to wonder where all this stuff goes.

It acts just like wax does. It flakes off. That's the draw. From White Lightning's website

I have found this to be the case with this product. I can't say that all wax lubricants work this way because I haven't tried them but the White Lightning works as described. And, no, I don't wipe off excess because the idea is to flood the chain and allow the solvent to evaporate leaving the wax behind.

This is my winter bike on which I have used White Lightning exclusively



There is a small amount of wax on the cogs but most of the smutz you see is road spray like you can see on the stays and derailer.

I've also found the time between applications is far less than most people believe...for my ride conditions. Here in dry Colorado, I can go between 600 and 800 miles without reapplication. That's what many using wet lubricants see. A $5 bottle of the stuff will last me several years.

The drivetrain on my KHS used to look like that, maybe slightly more dirty.... until the LBS slathered oil all over everything.

This is a different kind of "waxing your chain" than I am familiar with.

I'm going to give waxing a try on my MTB. I picked up a cheap 2qt crock-pot for $10, and a few pounds of paraffin wax at $2.50/lb. I got about 2.5lb of wax melted in the crockpot. It took about 4 hours to melt, though. I'm currently degreasing my chain in in a jar of gasoline, and I cleaned up the cassette, derailleur, and chainrings.

If all goes well, I'll do the same with the commuter, and then my wife's bike (which only gets ridden about 30-40 miles a month).

Yeah your drivetrain looks good so I was wrong saying all wax based lubes collect grime like oil. So imo it all boils down to method of application. You carefully squeeze a drop or two on each pin/roller's exterior VS me totally submerging my chain in hot wax as I rotate it through my pot. Since I don't "count" the time it takes to melt my wax on the stove (I'm usually watching TV and/or web) I think I'll call this a draw for "pain and application time". But I still like the concept of total submersion better (I like knowing I got fresh wax deep inside my chain's interior while bathing my chain) than drops simply applied on the chain's exterior (hoping it flows inside) so for me, wax is the winner over wax based lubes.

But...if I were to go on the road and tour I think I would switch to White Lightning. You have convinced me it's the next best thing to parrafin waxing.

Whoa 4 hours to melt 2.5 lb of wax, wonder if that was because it was done in a slow cooker instead of a pot on the stove?