bbbean 

Best case scenario - you get 5-10K miles, your chain is more efficient, and you don't get chain mark tattoos on your leg, your clothes, or anything else your chain touches.
Worst case scenario - you get all the above, but you don't like it, so you switch back to oil. You spent the price of dinner for two with one drink, and now you know about waxing from experience.

Polaris OBark

Where can I get a dinner for two for $1.50?

SpedFast

He spent way more than a buck fifty on his wax setup.

Polaris OBark

That is always an option, but a $1.50 block of paraffin can be used for > 100 applications, easily, and most likely works just as well, if not better.

bbbean 

$88 was what he quoted in his message.

jadmt

here is $57 or the $88 the other $31 is being held up by Amazon. They keep saying items has been picked up and shipped and then a few hours later it says item delayed by shipper.....it was supposed to be here Saturday...I finally was able to contact Amazon and they said the shipping company kept screwing up the shipment. I told them Amazon was the listed shipping company and they said yup we keep screwing it up but ensured me they would get it straightened out. I figured the bottle probably broke and the whole warehouse in Boise ID where it was shipped from has been evacuated . Not going to lie really does not feel like $32 worth of wax....

bbbean 

It's $32 worth of r&d to develop the best possible wax for the application. FWIW, it isn't simply wax, it is lubricant suspended in wax. If just any old wax would do, we'd all be rubbing old candles on our chains instead.

At any rate, the long term value of the product has been discussed ad nauseum.

spelger

i practically rub old candles on my chains. it works (probably much more than just) well enough. anything else is a waste of money.

YMMV.

jadmt

yes indeed and I have 3 new ultegra 11 speed chains just waiting to get the spa treatment......

phughes

I saw that. It was basically a regurgitation of the same tests that have been on the internet for ages. I was in an airport browsing a store when I picked up the Bicycling issue with that article in it. When I saw the article I simply shook my head, put the magazine down, and walked out of the store. So many more worthwhile things they could write about instead of rehashing the same ridiculous topic, one that can be answered like this; Use some sort of lube, whichever lube you want. The end.

jadmt

There are only so many things a bicycle magazine that caters to the audience that Bicycling can write about...most of them are equally ridiculous. be 100% honest did you really shake your head just because of the wax article or did the $10 price make you shake your head . I looked at it at the grocery store and thought hmmm this magazine for $10 or a six pack of Shiner Bock for only a dollar more..Shiner Bock won out..

phughes

I honestly didn't even look at the price. I had no idea it went up so much. Good call on the Shiner Bock.

tomato coupe

Or ear wax. (You can't beat the price!)

jadmt

I tried using the boil pouch but what a pain. went to Target and spent another $14 and sooo much easier.....first ride impression....oh my.

staehpj1

Wow, I had no idea. When I used decades ago to use wax we all just used blocks of paraffin wax, the stuff they sell for sealing canning jars. I think it is maybe $4-6 a pound at the local grocery or craft store.

SpedFast

I have been using scented/unscented candles donated to me by the neighbor ladies for several years now with good results. See no point in changing up. I wax biweekly and have several chains in rotation for each bike averaging around 300 to 400 miles depending on the weather when riding. If it's wet I move up the rotation frequency. Only chain I've had a problem with since starting this routine was a Chinese counterfeit that stretched out within 2000 miles while the others in rotation hadn't shown any signs of wear. This is my personal experience, your's may differ. I only use the candles because it makes the neighbor ladies feel like their contributing to the cause (don't ask what cause)

bbbean 

Like everything else, our understanding and our technology have advanced in the past several decades.

Aardwolf

I did some research 18 months back and went for wax (with no Stearin - aka canning wax) + PTFE powder
..
Mixed 10:1 as in this Oz Cycle video Just mixed a fresh batch so the 1kg wax is going to last 6 years, not exactly expensive.
Not sure the PTFE is really required.

tomato coupe

Scented = increased friction. Extensive testing supports this.

SpedFast

I don't doubt this for a second. But if the ladies thought I didn't appreciate them donating their candle ends it would be worse than a little drive train wear. Trust me on this one

jonathanf2

There's an immense satisfaction of cleaning chains in an ultrasonic cleaner and seeing all the grime come off. Plus the enjoyment of immersing a chain into melted hot wax, pulling it out and have it cool down within its harden waxed shell. Then when you go on a ride, your cassette and chainring look spotless! Unlike tubeless or hydraulic disc brakes, it's one of those things you can do to any vintage bike and it will make your bike maintenance that much better. I see it as a total win especially if you own multiple bikes. I'm definitely a convert now!

Lombard

That makes scents, nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!

vuurmot

Maybe it is placebo, but I can feel the friction reduction with waxed chains.
It runs quieter and smoother

Lombard

It's placebo. I always feel faster when I change something on my bike.

Eric F 

It might be just a placebo, but it's interesting how so many people get the same feeling after their first hit on their first ride.