Wax vs "oil based" lubricants and use applications

[clarendon]

Originally Posted by joosttx

My unscientific experiments suggest you get about two uses out of those 12 speed quick links before they become potentially a problem. So what it is worth? About $5 a month. I am a little obsessed with this issue.

I was concerned about the longevity of the quick link but have been using a SRAM Eagle link for a Campy 12 speed chain and still seems pretty solid after half a dozen disassemblies. I carry a spare in the seat roll in case one breaks on a ride though

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by clarendon

I was concerned about the longevity of the quick link but have been using a SRAM Eagle link for a Campy 12 speed chain and still seems pretty solid after half a dozen disassemblies. I carry a spare in the seat roll in case one breaks on a ride though

I broken a few on the third install but never on the first or second reuse. I have had a few that went forever. So my feeling is the they are really good for two uses and after that the their functionality demises to a point of less that 100%.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I broken a few on the third install but never on the first or second reuse. I have had a few that went forever. So my feeling is the they are really good for two uses and after that the their functionality demises to a point of less that 100%.

What brand of link are you using? YBN links are reusable up to 5 times.

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by MikeD

What brand of link are you using? YBN links are reusable up to 5 times.

Sram. I have about a years worth of them but plan to switch to YBN when my supply runs out.

[carpediemracing]

Seems like a couple watts either way?

For those mired in the last decade and still use cables (like me)...

One thing that I found to be effective is White Lightning (normal stuff) as cable lube in lined housing (I use Nokon, and I use a full length teflon housing, even where cables are exposed). Incredibly slippery - with a narrower shifter cable it feels like there is no cable, i.e. a couple times I thought I forgot to thread the cable through. I lube once per install, replace when either cable breaks (rare) or when I change shifters (maybe every... 5-8 years?).

To be completely transparent, since 2011 I don't think I've ridden in rain, except a couple races.

[El Chaba]

If the risk is a broken chain, I think I would seriously rethink my chain lubing strategy....Having said that the Wippermann link seems to be able stand up to multiple uses....

[stackie]

Hmmm,

Nothing anyone said has changed my initial thoughts.

I had previously used NFS for all chain apps, though I've been mostly road.

I think I'm going to wax my MTB chains as I ride in mostly sandy conditions and any wet lube will just pick up sand and grind the chain for the entire ride. I've purchased the Silca Secret Chain Wax that I will use for initial wax. I'll top off with the the Silca Super Secret chain lube. Going to trial that and see how long chain lasts.

I'm moving to the Silca Synergetic for my road bikes, not that I was ever unhappy with NFS.

Thanks

Jon

[Dave]

I'm still happy with my home made wax lube that has a water-like viscosity when applied, but leaves paraffin with a little oil, once the solvent evaporates.

One part wax, with 20-30% gear lube melted down, then 4-6 parts naptha (camp stove fuel) added. In cool weather I have to warm the lube by placing the dispensing bottle in some hot tap water and I warm the chain (on the bike) with a heat gun. The lube changes from it's low viscosity to a mush, much below 75 degrees F. If applied to a cold chain, it will start to solidify before penetrating.

With this lube, I have the cleanest drivetrain I've ever had. Many years ago, I used home-made Prolink, which was probably the dirtiest of all lubes.

[biker72]

I guess everyone has their own idea of what makes a good chain lube. Here's mine.

I've used Rock N Roll Gold for years. I don't ride in the rain or dirt. I clean and re-lube the chain every 150-200 miles. I wipe down the chain after every long ride. I'm getting 4-5k miles on KMC and Shimano 105 11s chains.

It works!!!

[Bob Ross]

Crock pots? Heat guns? Caustic chemicals?

Chains and cassettes are consumables. They're like the 9-volt batteries in your smoke alarms, you're supposed to replace them at regular intervals. Life's too short to spend time mucking about with bags of boiling wax just to save ~$35/year.

[Dave]

Some of us just like to tinker. It's not about the money, but the price for a few ounces of some lubes is ridiculous. Being retired, I have lots of spare time on my hands. With below zero temps, I'm only riding indoors.

My latest project is getting a large irrigation pump strainer overhauled so it's ready to use later this year. It requires annual disassembly and replacement of the rollers and wear ring, along with a lot of cleaning. The three thrust rollers at the bottom wore out too quickly, so I used my machinist's skills to drill a new 5-bolt hole pattern and install 5 rollers where there used to be three. We've flowed 30 million gallons of water through it in the last two seasons. It runs 14 hours per day, for about 4 months.

http://sure-flo.com/wp-content/uploa...er-catalog.pdf

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Crock pots? Heat guns? Caustic chemicals?

Chains and cassettes are consumables. They're like the 9-volt batteries in your smoke alarms, you're supposed to replace them at regular intervals. Life's too short to spend time mucking about with bags of boiling wax just to save ~$35/year.

My argument is life is too short to have a greasy chain. It really very little effort to do. I personally don’t like greasy chains.

[Ralph]

Originally Posted by Dave

Some of us just like to tinker. It's not about the money, but the price for a few ounces of some lubes is ridiculous. Being retired, I have lots of spare time on my hands. With below zero temps, I'm only riding indoors.

My latest project is getting a large irrigation pump strainer overhauled so it's ready to use later this year. It requires annual disassembly and replacement of the rollers and wear ring, along with a lot of cleaning. The three thrust rollers at the bottom wore out too quickly, so I used my machinist's skills to drill a new 5-bolt hole pattern and install 5 rollers where there used to be three. We've flowed 30 million gallons of water through it in the last two seasons. It runs 14 hours per day, for about 4 months.

http://sure-flo.com/wp-content/uploa...er-catalog.pdf

Interesting. Thru the years I have read most of your engineering posts.

[drewskey]

I recently went down this rabbit hole and ended up setting up a new and barely used chain with the Silca SS stuff.

I had a rain ride on my second ride and there was zero noise the entire time. When I got back I wiped down the chain with a white paper towel and there was barely any dark grim.

Consider me sold.

[93KgBike]

I switched to lanolin lubes for the bike about 10 years ago so as not to worry so much about little curious fingers tasting this and that.

And I started running the chainsaw with SVO for the bar-oil 3 years ago.

Nothing to report, and no complaints.