I've become a waxer

[mcteague]

Originally Posted by BdaGhisallo

I think this the most underappreciated benefit to chain waxing.

Without an oily chain flinging an oily grunge on the lower half of the bike, things simply don't get anywhere near as dirty with a waxed chain.

Totally agree. I started using the Silca waxes mostly for drivetrain longevity. However, I am quite pleased at how clean my bike stays. Now I just use a baby wipe to clean my bike unless I get into a messy rain situation. Never going back to wet lubes!

Tim

[GregL]

Originally Posted by mcteague

Totally agree. I started using the Silca waxes mostly for drivetrain longevity. However, I am quite pleased at how clean my bike stays. Now I just use a baby wipe to clean my bike unless I get into a messy rain situation. Never going back to wet lubes!

I find the cleanliness factor especially helpful for my gravel bike. A bike cleanup after a messy gravel ride is now just a few minutes. The grime just washes off since there is no oil keeping it on the bike. For me, the net effect of chain waxing is less overall time needed for bike maintenance and more time for riding or other (less important) parts of my life

Greg

[redir]

Originally Posted by biker72

Silca Secret hot wax.

Thanks.

[Tramp]

I finally took the plunge this past weekend, after acquiring a new-to-me gravel bike with a waxed chain. I've been living with the anxiety of tracking lube from my workspace--really an inside storage room--into the house proper for over a decade. No more worries on that score! I've found it helpful to put an old towel under the drivetrain of the bike on my trainer to catch the stray wax bits, at least for the first few rides. But I love the relative silence of my bikes now and look forward to not replacing chains, cassettes, and chainrings as often as before. I've gone all in on the Silca system: pot, wax, chain stripper, and Super Secret lube. I certainly could have made the switch for less, but appreciated the drip refresh and the way everything works together so seamlessly. YMMV, of course.

[hernium]

One thing though, the very first ride is usually punctuated with rough/clunky shifting as the links are not fully free-moving and the excess wax has yet to be shed off. Someone told me to break the links, link by link, but that is such a pain in the bum - so these days I put the bike in the small chainring and small cog and ride like that for about 10 minutes before going back to the usual for the next 300-400 miles.

[GregL]

Originally Posted by hernium

One thing though, the very first ride is usually punctuated with rough/clunky shifting as the links are not fully free-moving and the excess wax has yet to be shed off. Someone told me to break the links, link by link, but that is such a pain in the bum - so these days I put the bike in the small chainring and small cog and ride like that for about 10 minutes before going back to the usual for the next 300-400 miles.

There's actually a very easy way to "break the links" and shed excess wax before using a newly waxed chain. I clamp a short section of ~1.5" inch pipe in my vise. I place my crock pot of chain wax under the pipe. I then wrap the chain 180 degrees around the pipe and move it back/forth to loosen the links. The excess wax falls into the crock pot for reuse. This task only takes a few minutes and ensures the chain will work smoothly and cleanly when installed on the bike.

Greg

[tv_vt]

Like the video on page 1, this thread title would mean something very different on a different forum. Yeah, I'd probably have clicked on that one, too.

[mattscq]

I started waxing too with Silca hot dip. One thing I’ve noticed though is I get a lot of wax on the sides of my chain and it’s grey with the tungsten stuff. I’ve gone on a few rides already and it hasn’t completely flaked off yet. Am I just supposed to scrape it off or should I have pulled it out sooner or shaken it a bit during the waxing? I remember hearing about taking it out when the wax gets filmy so it doesn’t just all drip off but it gets very gloopy and then I just end up with a globby chain. Ideas?

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by mattscq

I started waxing too with Silca hot dip. One thing I’ve noticed though is I get a lot of wax on the sides of my chain and it’s grey with the tungsten stuff. I’ve gone on a few rides already and it hasn’t completely flaked off yet. Am I just supposed to scrape it off or should I have pulled it out sooner or shaken it a bit during the waxing? I remember hearing about taking it out when the wax gets filmy so it doesn’t just all drip off but it gets very gloopy and then I just end up with a globby chain. Ideas?

When you pull the chain out of the wax pot, wearing heavy rubber gloves so you don't burn yourself, pull the chain through a rag. That'll take off most of that wax and minimizes the flaking. I don't wait till the wax starts to solidify before I pull the chain out of the wax. I don't think that's necessary and neither does Zero Friction Cycling. I also just put the chain on the bike and turn the cranks in the workstand to "break" the links. Anything more doesn't seem necessary, like pulling the chain over a PVC pipe.

[mattscq]

Originally Posted by MikeD

When you pull the chain out of the wax pot, wearing heavy rubber gloves so you don't burn yourself, pull the chain through a rag. That'll take off most of that wax and minimizes the flaking. I don't wait till the wax starts to solidify before I pull the chain out of the wax. I don't think that's necessary and neither does Zero Friction Cycling. I also just put the chain on the bike and turn the cranks in the workstand to "break" the links. Anything more doesn't seem necessary, like pulling the chain over a PVC pipe.

Huh good tips, thanks! Do you re hot wax a chain or do you just use the drip top off? If and when you do, do you strip it first or you just redip it?

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by mattscq

Huh good tips, thanks! Do you re hot wax a chain or do you just use the drip top off? If and when you do, do you strip it first or you just redip it?

I've been stripping the old wax off in near boiling water, drying the chain, then rewaxing. I want to keep my wax clean from contaminants as much as possible since it wasn't cheap to buy the Molten Speed Wax. I've got several chains so have not had the need to top off the wax with drip wax (I just change the chain), but I do have some Silca drip on wax if I need to do that.

[mattscq]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I've been stripping the old wax off in near boiling water, drying the chain, then rewaxing. I want to keep my wax clean from contaminants as much as possible since it wasn't cheap to buy the Molten Speed Wax. I've got several chains so have not had the need to top off the wax with drip wax (I just change the chain), but I do have some Silca drip on wax if I need to do that.

Lastly, you don’t really need to wax your quicklink right? Last time I did that it took me a whole half hour or trying and retrying to get it to snap closed.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by mattscq

Lastly, you don’t really need to wax your quicklink right? Last time I did that it took me a whole half hour or trying and retrying to get it to snap closed.

I do and haven't had any trouble getting it to close. I just step on the cranks and it snaps closed.

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by mattscq

Lastly, you don’t really need to wax your quicklink right? Last time I did that it took me a whole half hour or trying and retrying to get it to snap closed.

Interestingly, MSW recommends waxing the quicklink while Silca recommends not doing it.

I have done both and notice no discernable difference either way, though not waxing it makes it easier to snap closed.

[gravelreformist]

I pull the chain out hot and let it drip dry over the crock pot. A rag would absorb an awful lot of wax. Once cooled, I pull it back and forth over the handle on the end of my work bench to break the links. I find if I don't do this, the chains are mighty prone to chain-suck for the first 10 miles or so which is annoying and potentially damaging to frames.

I don't generally clean the chains with hot water before re-waxing. I find that's a step that's a bit of a hassle. I don't have a hot water source in my workshop, and don't want to bring this stuff into the kitchen. And then what do I do with the waxy water mixture? I don't want it going down the drain and with the additives I don't want it in my garden either.

If the bike is very dirty it gets washed first and then the chain gets a quick dry from the air compressor before it goes back into the pot. I've just been adding wax to the same pot for ~10,000 miles now and no discernible change in longevity. Still 100-400 miles between waxing, dependent on conditions.