Chain Wax Discussion thread
- Thread starter jShort
- Start date
If you get it wet you need to dry and rewax. Which can be a PITA. No chain lube = rust when wet.
This is the place for details and to fall down the rabbit hole
Oh damn, wet chains seem like a constant on a mtb. Curious to see what your thoughts are long term.
I'm willing to bet you were running older chains like a 9 speed where they didn't really have a limitation on uses.
It's the newer stuff that's supposed to be one-time only.
But that's kind of also like saying "Dry Clean Only".
As long as it clicks into place when you put it on, you’re good.
It’s noticeable with 12 speed after a couple re-uses
Not like “I went through a puddle wet”.
More like, “I just raced jungle habitat for 4 hours in the pouring rain”.
I bought a bottle of squirt lube to replace a bottle of T9 and various other products. I swear I can feel a difference.
Most noticable on the trianer push watts.
Most noticable on the trianer push watts.
Did you clean the chain first? You also need to let the squirt dry before riding.
I tried squirt a long time ago and did not follow any of the directions. It made a total mess of my drivetrain and was a bitch to clean up.
I listened to a cycling tips nerd alert podcast (so fitting for this topic) and they broke it all down and I realized I did it wrong. Once I did it right, it was night and day.
@Glenn Rides After 4 PM CST if you like the squirt, try the silca wax. That zero friction website says it’s by far the best. That guy hooks up chains to drivetrains powered by machines and runs them for days, then measures the roller wear. The waxed chains last 10x longer than oil based lube.
Which….sidebar; rollers wearing is what causes chains to wear. There’s no “stretching” at all. When a chain wear tool fits, and the chain needs to be replaced, the rollers wore down.
JDurk
Well-Known Member
I found the same with Squirt, threw all of it out and went back to T-9. Leaving it in the detached garage over the winter turned it to a thick sludge.
I watched a Dylan Johnson YouTube video with the guy from Silca. Very informative. Dylan said he uses the squirt to top off when racing.
I’m not super familiar with the squirt instructions but I assume you need to let it dry completely.
Silca has 2 different waxes. A immersion ( crockpot) and a drip. You can use either by themselves or combine them (which is what I do). I do the immersion and then top off as needed with the drip. But after drip I let it dry overnight. And when applying it, I really work it into the chain rollers with my fingers. Then wipe off excess with a clean shop rag and some alcohol.
rick81721
Lothar
After seeing this a few weeks ago, I got the Silca super secret chain coating. Same technology in a liquid. The "magic" is nano particles of tungsten disulfide. Tried it on my road and mtb - felt smoother for sure
carvegybe
Well-Known Member
This is very interesting. Looking into this...but how does a waxed chain react to post-ride cleaning with a pressure hose*? How often do I need to re-wax?
*Muck-off pressure hose for bikes, so not too much pressure
You would definitely need to resubmerge in a wax bath. But the beauty of wax is it attracts no dirt, or dust so you dont have to hose it off. Stuff doesn’t stick to wax like it does to lube.
You drive train stays completely clean. You can run your finger along the chain and it won’t leave any residue.
The Kalmyk
Well-Known Member
Josh does a great job on his podcast as well. If you want to get into the weeds on tubeless, tire pressure. Waxing chains, etc., check out Marginal Gains. His new sealant is on my radar for sure. Apparently peoples old kestrals may have a second life.
I love the geekery. Waxing my chain is like a mini science project😁
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The Kalmyk
Well-Known Member
I use purple power in the cleaner then i let it sit in denatured alcohol. That helps with getting
off degreaser residual.
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serviceguy
Well-Known Member
I noticed a huge difference on my SS after ultrasonic cleaning and applying Maxima Chain Lube. Kind of cheating on the wax I suppose. I believe the key is the cleaning part. I think it’s telling when after an ultrasonic cleaning and rinsing you put the chain back in the cleaner and it keeps spitting out clouds of dark stuff, times and times again. I put it back until it doesn’t release any more crap. That’s quite a few times. Not sure if a simple bath in a solvent really does the trick. But I may have too high expectations, after all I’m after the 1/100 of a second on each race as you all know! The cleaning solution for me is diluted Simple Green HD metal safe (purple).
I dont think I ever cleaned my chain? No joke. Just lazy I guess.
The Kalmyk
Well-Known Member
I’d consider a quick denatured alcohol bath after cleaning. I just use the old bottle and shake for about a minute, take it out and let it dry. It doesn’t leave residue itself but does break down the degreaser left behind from cleaning. Those ultrasonic cleaners get deep as you eluded to.