Chain Wax Discussion thread

Waxed the chains on my two main bikes yesterday. Used Silca, got the drip stuff too for touch up. Don’t have an ultrasonic cleaner yet and acetone triggers migraines in seconds so I tried the Silca new chain prep cleaner. Put half of it in a container with lid, cleaned four chains and should be good for a few more. Definitely can feel some slight grease residue leftover (especially after the third and fourth chain) after rinsing but a dunk and swish into some denatured alcohol cleaned it right off.

I had waxed two without letting the wax cool first the night before. Dunked them back in the wax yesterday when I was doing the other two, intending to let the wax cool first. I’m not too sure leaving them in until cool is ideal, definitely sells more wax I’m sure. Gonna try both ways and compare. If the gains are minimal…

It was nice that all the Silca stuff was on sale, as were the chains and new cassette I grabbed.

So clean! I can touch my chain now on the dinglespeed! Move it back and forth between the cogs without trying to use a dirty stick or the through axle.
 
OddTrickStar said:
I had waxed two without letting the wax cool first the night before. Dunked them back in the wax yesterday when I was doing the other two, intending to let the wax cool first. I’m not too sure leaving them in until cool is ideal, definitely sells more wax I’m sure.
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I let mine cool in the wax the first time and it wasted so much. On top of that, it was like trying to thread a stick through the cogs when installing the chain. I will definitely take it out much sooner next time.

I also picked up some of the chain cleaner and will give it a go on my MTB in the near future. Glad to hear it worked fairly well for you.
 
rlb said:
I let mine cool in the wax the first time and it wasted so much. On top of that, it was like trying to thread a stick through the cogs when installing the chain. I will definitely take it out much sooner next time.

I also picked up some of the chain cleaner and will give it a go on my MTB in the near future. Glad to hear it worked fairly well for you.
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Yeah. I find that doing that just makes a ton more flake off in the first few rides and it doesn’t last any longer than a dip and pullout while still hot. I wonder how much extra will be wasted with the new hollowcore pins.
 
krink said:
Yeah. I find that doing that just makes a ton more flake off in the first few rides and it doesn’t last any longer than a dip and pullout while still hot. I wonder how much extra will be wasted with the new hollowcore pins.
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It never comes out after the first dip, so unless you push it out with a toothpick, none.
 
rlb said:
I let mine cool in the wax the first time and it wasted so much. On top of that, it was like trying to thread a stick through the cogs when installing the chain. I will definitely take it out much sooner next time.

I also picked up some of the chain cleaner and will give it a go on my MTB in the near future. Glad to hear it worked fairly well for you.
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I agree, I watched a video that said let it cool to a "thin film" and in the video the thin film was barely visible. Unless you have some kind of control to compare against and ride in the same conditions every time, it's impossible to know which way works better.

The start with the wax on the rain bike has been kinda rough, 4 rides, all in moderate to heavy rain. While I did have to wipe and re-drip, no crap on the cassette and rings is the plus side.
 
Is this too much wax on a new chain?
IMG_0304.jpeg
 
Finally got to wax the MTB chain. I'm starting with a used chain that I prepped with the Silca chain stripper. The chain was in pretty clean shape to begin with. It's been lubed with mostly rock n roll gold so it wasn't super greasy and gunked up. Still, there was plenty of cleaning needed, see pics below.

I started with a mineral spirit soak, acetone rinse, then water rinse. Since I already had everything on hand and ready to go, I figured it couldn't hurt. I let it soak in OMS while I cleaned the cassette so it wasn't really wasted time.

I then went to the chain stripper, ~10 mins of soaking with a few minutes of agitation along the way. I took it out, rinsed it, and determined it needed another round. After the second round of chain stripper I figured this was as good as it would get without a whole lot more effort. I was also running short on time, so into the wax it went. I'll take it out after the kids get to bed tonight and put it all back together. I was able to clean the chainring and one derailleur pulley during the two rounds of chain stripper, so all in all it was a pretty quick and easy process even starting with a somewhat dirty chain.

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rlb said:
Finally got to wax the MTB chain. I'm starting with a used chain that I prepped with the Silca chain stripper. The chain was in pretty clean shape to begin with. It's been lubed with mostly rock n roll gold so it wasn't super greasy and gunked up. Still, there was plenty of cleaning needed, see pics below.

I started with a mineral spirit soak, acetone rinse, then water rinse. Since I already had everything on hand and ready to go, I figured it couldn't hurt. I let it soak in OMS while I cleaned the cassette so it wasn't really wasted time.

I then went to the chain stripper, ~10 mins of soaking with a few minutes of agitation along the way. I took it out, rinsed it, and determined it needed another round. After the second round of chain stripper I figured this was as good as it would get without a whole lot more effort. I was also running short on time, so into the wax it went. I'll take it out after the kids get to bed tonight and put it all back together. I was able to clean the chainring and one derailleur pulley during the two rounds of chain stripper, so all in all it was a pretty quick and easy process even starting with a somewhat dirty chain.

View attachment 232307View attachment 232308View attachment 232309View attachment 232310
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Waxing curious.

What type of container did you use for the soak? Thinking of getting an ultrasonic cleaner big enough to put a 12sp cassette in. Until then, have a few plastic containers for dropping the chain in for a soak and agitation. How is everyone disposing of the waste fluid?

No crockpot either. So there's that too.

Will need to go back and read all the previous posts.
 
JDurk said:
Waxing curious.

What type of container did you use for the soak? Thinking of getting an ultrasonic cleaner big enough to put a 12sp cassette in. Until then, have a few plastic containers for dropping the chain in for a soak and agitation. How is everyone disposing of the waste fluid?

No crockpot either. So there's that too.

Will need to go back and read all the previous posts.
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2 glass jars for cleaning. Screw on lids and shake
Insta paot over crock pot. Crockpot takes for ever to heat.
Diesel fuel for first cleaning
Simple green degreaser.
Acetone for final cleaning.
 
JDurk said:
Waxing curious.

What type of container did you use for the soak? Thinking of getting an ultrasonic cleaner big enough to put a 12sp cassette in. Until then, have a few plastic containers for dropping the chain in for a soak and agitation. How is everyone disposing of the waste fluid?

No crockpot either. So there's that too.

Will need to go back and read all the previous posts.
Click to expand...

I was looking at ultrasonic cleaners but at the size needed for a cassette I haven't found one worth it. IMO the cassette deep cleaning only needs to happen once, it's easy enough to scrub it with a brush and degreaser to get through that step.

For mineral spirits I use old Gatorade bottles. The plastic holds up fine but the caps get a little loose. When I need to dispose of it I dump it in with the waste motor oil from car oil changes.

For acetone I need to grab another glass jar when it comes through the kitchen. Yesterday I used a tin foil baking pan as a backup, and I just let it sit in the shed and evaporate to dispose.

I used a glass pasta sauce jar for the Silca chain stripper which worked well, but the top didn't seal perfectly so I did get some drips on the side. Not really a big deal once I realized it.

The cheap target crock pot took about an hour on high to warm up yesterday, I can deal with that based on the frequency I need to use it right now. I switched it to low as soon as it was all melted then dropped the chain in.
 
rlb said:
I was looking at ultrasonic cleaners but at the size needed for a cassette I haven't found one worth it. IMO the cassette deep cleaning only needs to happen once, it's easy enough to scrub it with a brush and degreaser to get through that step.

For mineral spirits I use old Gatorade bottles. The plastic holds up fine but the caps get a little loose. When I need to dispose of it I dump it in with the waste motor oil from car oil changes.

For acetone I need to grab another glass jar when it comes through the kitchen. Yesterday I used a tin foil baking pan as a backup, and I just let it sit in the shed and evaporate to dispose.

I used a glass pasta sauce jar for the Silca chain stripper which worked well, but the top didn't seal perfectly so I did get some drips on the side. Not really a big deal once I realized it.

The cheap target crock pot took about an hour on high to warm up yesterday, I can deal with that based on the frequency I need to use it right now. I switched it to low as soon as it was all melted then dropped the chain in.
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Good point on the cassette.

I've got a few plastic rice containers like this. The top opening is large enough to fit my hand in for pulling out small parts. Have used these in the past to shake and agitate a chain cleaning.
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JDurk said:
Going to go down the waxing rabbit hole soon. I'll have plenty of free time after 2/29 for a few weeks. Read the chain lube article in Bicycling magazine for the Fall 2023 issue I picked up in the airport at Thanksgiving. Since I don't have a Bicycling magazine account, here's another link to the article.

www.discountmags.com

THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FRICTION-FREE | DAN CHABANOV - DiscountMags.com

www.discountmags.com
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It’s super simple. Clean the F out of the chain. Dip it in wax. Now that I’ve been on the wax bandwagon for a year+, it’s better and easier in every way than wet chain lube. I don’t think I’ll ever go back,
 
jShort said:
It’s super simple. Clean the F out of the chain. Dip it in wax. Now that I’ve been on the wax bandwagon for a year+, it’s better and easier in every way than wet chain lube. I don’t think I’ll ever go back,
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whats your stance on a bike you think would get trashed in mud/weather? like i get the whole routine once you are done, but what about mid ride? thats my hang up on the rest of my bikes. my fairweather racer and mtb (really never sees mud with the way the trails work down here) are on the wax method, while the others are still the OG lube method.

I'm out of regular chain lube, the chains are relatively new so I was thinking of just going all in but thinking about a chain halfway through a 2 hour ride with mud/rain and hearing the grinding noise would make me cringe.
 
Pearl said:
whats your stance on a bike you think would get trashed in mud/weather? like i get the whole routine once you are done, but what about mid ride? thats my hang up on the rest of my bikes. my fairweather racer and mtb (really never sees mud with the way the trails work down here) are on the wax method, while the others are still the OG lube method.

I'm out of regular chain lube, the chains are relatively new so I was thinking of just going all in but thinking about a chain halfway through a 2 hour ride with mud/rain and hearing the grinding noise would make me cringe.
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Ive never had that happen. Not with a fresh chain. I wax two chains per bike and switch them out after 4 or so months, depending on usage. so Im waxing once or twice a year for all bikes and all chains, and the only time I hear grinding is when I was lazy or lost track of how old the chain is. if its recent wax, 2 hours isnt going to wear it off. I know some keep the drip wax refresher for those times. I dont - I just switch it out at the end of the ride. The spend 1 or 2 days a year with a crock pot of wax, some degreasers and a beer. works for me.
 
so i have 3 road bikes that i cycle around, so i think its a perfect fit for me, just wondering if doing the gravel bike and it being a wet/muddy race makes sense!
 
Pearl said:
whats your stance on a bike you think would get trashed in mud/weather? like i get the whole routine once you are done, but what about mid ride? thats my hang up on the rest of my bikes. my fairweather racer and mtb (really never sees mud with the way the trails work down here) are on the wax method, while the others are still the OG lube method.

I'm out of regular chain lube, the chains are relatively new so I was thinking of just going all in but thinking about a chain halfway through a 2 hour ride with mud/rain and hearing the grinding noise would make me cringe.
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2 hours wouldn't make an oiled chain noisy too?
 
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