Chain waxing
 

I've been using dry lube the whole time, and planning to change it to wax. But then I'm still curious of the ingredients. I'm not sure if I can use normal white candles and melt it or I need to use pure paraffin wax. As I know, normally white candle contains some chemical in it. Thanks guys

Use the unwanted candles if you don't want to sink $4 into the project. Chances are, they're paraffin, but they might have other oils, beeswax if they're fancy, or various fragrances. You can always try the candles first and rewax them in paraffin -- it's pretty easy once the chain's been all cleaned up and ready for wax.

alright, I'll try using white candle first , if it not working well I'll try with paraffin

Squirt.
Works good. Simple. Easy. Lasts better than lots of other wax lubes out there.

A bottle of Squirt is a thick emulsion of plain water & wax. It's a whole lot less involved that the ultrasonic cleaner, paraffin & crockpot route.

Dunno if it's better or worse. Just throwin' it out there.

Yep, been using Squirt for about 3 years now and it's excellent stuff. Just make sure to completely degrease/clean chain before first application. No point in faffing around melting candles etc.

I have been using molten speedwax. Don't know if it is better at reducing friction then other waxes or lubes, but it does keep chain cleaner. I alternate between two chains. Once a week take one chain off, I use KMC quicklink, whipe it, and put it in to a crockpot dedicated to this. Put a new one on. Once wax is melted and up to temp swish it, leave it there for another hour, then take out and hang to dry.

One thing. I primarily use my bike trainer. So initially chain does shed some wax. So it does tend to accumulate on chain stay and below the bike. That being said it's pretty easy to wipe off, or vacuum clean.

So on down side I need to swap chains once a week. On the other side it's fast, and chain doesn't accumulate gunk.

This has been hashed out many times but I'm going to share my opinion again for the heck of it. People like to hate on wax because of the perceived effort involved. It is more labor intensive per application. Ultimately it's a time saver for me

I prefer the wax because I'm a neat freak and like it to be clean. I spend less time on my chain now than I used to by cleaning and re-applying wet lube.

1) Plug in crock pot (ebay parrafin wax)
2) Break chain w Park Tool and drop in
3) Remove chain and give it a single wipe with a rag
4) Put it back on

People get more involved but that's all that I do. It's pretty easy. Last a few hundred miles but I probably do it every couple hundred. I do this on 5 out of my 6 bikes. The best part is that if I need to grab my chain with my bare hand for any reason I don't hesitate and don't get a wet greasy spot on it.

Yeah, just buy some Molten Speed Wax this time around - it's about 20 bucks and will probably last you a couple years, during which time you can peruse the internets looking for the best home-brew solution (many of which include stuff like fine teflon that's hard to get your hands on right about now).

TMonk 's experience is the same as mine. I will add that you need to consider the time and effort saved by not having to clean and de-grease your drive-chain, ever. Also, my purely anecdotal experience is that my chains and cassettes are surviving at least a factor of 2 longer.

I've tried fancy wax products that I've been given to sample but I currently don't feel the need to buy anything too fancy. I'm on the same block of parrafin I bought on ebay for like $10 a couple years ago. I might consider purchasing some PTFE powder and titrating it in to my next pot. I can't imagine it makes much of a difference. I am a road bike racer (and time trialist) so on paper I'm into incremental gains but it's just not my style.

Good to hear other waxers' experiences -- I read all the Friction Facts stuff years ago, and switched to waxed chains, but after it starts to get thin, I just use Squirt on them until I fire up the wax pot again, which usually isn't until winter.

I think Squirt and wax work about the same, at least according to the tests. I sure can't tell a difference. Squirt is a pretty clean, but not as clean as wax. Squirt doesn't make the chain stiff and maybe more difficult to shift for the first ride or two. Some people don't have that issue; I always noticed right after a waxing that shifting was a little off.

I've had the same chunk of Molten Speed Wax for a long time. You don't lose a whole lot on each chain. The tests show that its benefits over regular old paraffin are slight.

Waxing hurts, it pulls out the hair by the roots. You might want to try shaving first. Less painful.

Squirt is easy to use and gives all the advantage of wax without requiring tools or a crock pot or anything else. I've been using it for a few years now after always using a dry lube. I always thought the waxers were a little bit crazy.

Yes, but if you wax your chain when you wax your legs, you save time by multiplexing.

And if you're going to wear bike shorts, please please please wax first!

I have been waxing for some time now, best product I found with my simple home trials is MSW, Molten speed wax, stuff is awesome. I use one bag of MSW and 1/4 pound of gulf wax. More golf wax then its starts to lose its longevity. A batch lasts me two years. its the best!!

Just my set.

I was thinking of adding some Triflow for similar reasons, but I fear making a huge mess of it.

BTW, what demarcation determines the titration endpoint?

​​​​​​​It rurns red once you've hit that sweet spot between further lubrication and compromising the longevity of the wax coat :).

Good question, I would probably try to see if I could weasel out some w/w% figured from commercially available offerings and just add that, but with generic teflon I bought on ebay.

Since I'm doing a drivetrain overhaul (new crankset, chains, cassette), I thought I'd give waxing a go. I bought a small cheap ($13 amazon) slow-cooker and a bag of paraffin wax granules (eBay). At this early stage, I don't want to overthink the process, but I'm reading here about adding teflon, Triflow, different wax blends etc. I'm assume that plain ol' paraffin is an adequate place to start? I'll degrease the chains (sequential sloshings in spirits and acetone) clean up the derailleurs and jockey wheels and dunk all three chains (I usually rotate them every ~500 miles) - waxed chains will store OK in a ziplock bag?

Breaking a chain every few hundred miles is a 100% no go for me.

I use Squirt.

How do you clean it first? I'd be down to grab a sacrificial crockpot or something from the thrift store for this.

Also, you're a chemist aren't you. The titration recs for ptfe were hilarious. I'd probably wear a mask handling fine powder like that though. Your lungs won't like it at all.

​​​​​​​Quick link?

You want a small crock for this - 2qt. Just go to Target or the like, they've got 'em for 10 bucks.

rubiksoval quick link is the way to go. You can re-use them (shimano or KMC). No chain tool required on either end.

You do need to remove the factory grease the first time. I put it in a jar of degreaser overnight and shake it around a bit, then rinse copiously with water before dropping it in. No other cleaning required. The long-chain wax isn't miscible with dirt and other crap you pick up outside so it all falls off in the pot and after a single wipe. Same reason it doesn't get dirty in the first place. And yes I'm a chemist (nanotechnology).

I've yet to do anything other than parrafin. I just buy a big block of it on ebay, not the granules. I slice off a big chunk with a chef's knife and that's good for like 5+ waxes.

Early this season I experimented with my own blend of gulf wax and beeswax with a tablespoon or two of paraffin oil to soften it. I liked that it wasn’t brittle like pure gulf wax (paraffin). Strangely, it was quiet and long lasting on one chain but on my Wipperman Inox chain it didn’t stick to it s well.

So so then I added back some leftover Molten Speed Wax from last year and this new blend seems to be lasting and quieting things well.

haha yeah, I remembered from years ago! So since the crap isn't really miscible doesn't it fall off in the wax when you put the chain in there? How do you stop it from contaminating the future waxes if you're getting 5ish uses out of each batch of wax in the pot?