Eric F 

It seems that Zero Friction Cycling has done that mind-numbing testing for us, and concluded that wax is good stuff for bike chains, for both efficiency and longevity.

Personally, I don't care much about variations in longevity. I'm lucky if I ride 5k miles per year, and that's shared among 5 different bikes (including trainer). I'm not burning through chains fast enough for me to give a damn about chain lifespan. For me, I like drip-wax because it's easy, clean, and data says I get an extra couple watts of zoomies when I use it.

bbbean 

Its very popular right now, but waxing has been around for decades. There is no question that a good wax lubricant is the gold standard for chain lubrication. It will extend the life of your drivetrain and increase efficiency. The only question for an individual user is whether the process is worth their time and trouble, or whether you have some specific application that makes waxing impractical.

FWIW, Both my road bikes and my CX/Gravel bike all sport waxed chains, and I've seen the benefits.

terrymorse 

Same for me, for the same reasons. I'm using Flower Power drip wax. I bought two bottles last year, still haven't used up the first one.

Polaris OBark

May I ask how/what you used, and how you applied it?

I had the 180° opposite experience, and it would be interesting to try to reconcile two sets of admittedly anecdotal observations.


Here are a few of my very anecdotal observations:

1. Using a new chain and completely removing the oil it is packaged in is fairly critical. If you don't get all of the oil off, the wax doesn't adhere.

2. If you use mineral spirits to clean off the oil, the more you can remove the mineral spirits, the longer the first waxing will last. (I found this out the hard way, because I reasoned that mineral spirits was similar to paraffin, so its presence shouldn't matter, but it did. It made the wax on the chain softer, and it didn't last very long.)

3. I just melt canning wax (paraffin) in a little crock pot, and dump the chain in, and swirl it around occasionally while it sits in there for about 30 min. Then I pull it out, hang it on a nail to cool off, and then put it on the bike. The new wax should make the chain stiff enough to thread through the front derailleur. I thread it through everything, and then put the quick-link on, and pedal it on the stand for a minute or two while I shift through all the gears, and it is ready to go. With no water on it, I usually change the chain after 200 to 300 miles. If I get fine moon-dust in it, and it starts to make noise, I change it at the end of the ride. I have 2 or 3 chains going at one time, so I don't have to melt wax that frequently.

4. I've found lubes like White Lightning to be worthless.

5. I've used Squirt, which is just a mixture of water, paraffin, and slack wax (a paraffin synthetic precursor). I've found it works ok, but has a tendency to ball up into snot-like clumps, which annoys me, so I only use it as a backup.

Eric F 

My experience with Silca Super Secret drip-wax is not at all like this.

smd4

But that’s not what you said.

Goalpost, consider yourself moved.

Many people here have said their chains last longer using wax. So either you didn’t read them, or you’re deliberately ignoring them.

PeteHski

If you only managed 2-3k miles on wax then you did something wrong. But seems like oil based lubes work for you. I still have one road bike using an oil based lube, but it requires considerably more effort to keep the drivetrain clean. So I’m planning to switch it back to wax over winter. Chain wear has never been a big issue for me with either lube. But wax is definitely cleaner.

Lombard

Longer than what? Numbers please.

smd4

That’s ok. Forget it.

Lombard

If you look back at my post you replied to, you will see it was a reply to a poster who claimed he got better longevity using drip wax. You are talking about hot wax.

Lombard

No numbers? Hmmmm.

Polaris OBark

Lombard

More like gaslighting on your part.

smd4

Let's get the goal post back to where it started, shall we?

YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR NUMBERS WHEN YOU WROTE THIS:

So either you haven't read the posts here that are claiming a longer chain life, or you've deliberately ignored them. I'm going with the latter. Neither one is a good look for you.

Lombard

Vague claims need to be followed up on. It's not moving goal posts. Is it really difficult to answer how many miles you get out of a chain?

Polaris OBark

> 5,000 miles on (hot) waxed chains

vs

< 1,500 using conventional chain lubes

smd4

He’ll ignore that.

Polaris OBark

I've tried to give you the benefit of the doubt and have described what I do in detail, as well as the limitations I have observed.

How on earth can you interpret that as "gas-lighting"? Do you know what the term means?

smd4

You’re the one making the claim about never seeing anyone claim longer chain life. Pointing out people who make the claim seems, well, pointless.

Eric F 

You may be in the habit of logging your chain mileage, but I'd bet a reasonable amount of money that most people do not keep track very closely at all. Also, the variations in riding conditions between one rider and the next make those kinds of comparisons fairly useless. You say you get more mileage out of an oil-based lube compared to the wax-based lube you used years ago. Polaris says he is getting more miles from his waxed chain. Both of these can be 100% accurate. IMO, the best way to make a true comparison between lube performance is in a controlled environment, such as what ZFC has done. ZFC's results are pretty clear. No relocation of goalposts required.

Lombard

Granted what you are saying about riding consitions ia true.

However, if you aren't logging your mileage, how do you know chain lube method A lasts longer than chain lube method B?

Lombard

Very good! Now that wasn't so difficult, was it?

Polaris OBark

I've said it several times previously, and have provided exhaustive detail, including pros and cons, of the procedure I have used.

You, on the other hand, have provided only one sentence snippy dismissals and a false accusation of "gas-lighting."

Is it really that difficult for you?

Much more importantly, I haven't had to replace a cassette or chainring since I started waxing.

The "> 5K" is a lower-bound estimate, btw, because I run at least two chains in rotation, and I last replaced the chains when I got a second wheel-set and a new cassette as a conservative and probably needless precaution. (At that time I also purchased a replacement for the cassette for wheel-set #1, but it turned out there was no evidence that I needed it.)

Lombard

If you mentioned the numbers before, I missed that. So my bad on that.

smd4

Just like you missed all the posts where people said they got longer chain life using hot wax!!