krink
Eddie Munster
Me and a buddy yesterday stripped and cleaned drivetrains on 7 bikes and waxed 9 chains. Took 2 hours and now done and silent till fall. Some sources tout it increases the life of the drivetrains 3x. Haven’t seen that though.
Chain Wax Discussion thread
- Thread starter Jeremy
- Start date
Not sure about 3x, but it's definitely >1x. I'd guess 1.5-2x
You only need drip refresher in that time?
krink
Eddie Munster
I don’t use drip refresher. When the chain starts to squeak I switch chains. The two bikes I use most often have two chains each. That will last me until August at least.
interesting, not sure if I can last til fall doing that
I have 113 miles on my mtb since I waxed the chain last week
and 217 miles on roadie since wax (2 weeks ago). I can't see how drip refresher wouldn't be part of the solution for me
krink
Eddie Munster
Well I also have a belt drive SS that I throw into the mix, but you sound like you ride 600+ miles a month. I'm lucky if I can get half of that.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Yes, but your trainer chains have a serious case of dandruff...
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
I bought a like new instapot for $30 of fb. Have all the cleaners and wax just need to do it. In the meantime I cleaned my mtb drivetrain thoroughly before rattling, applied silca super secret as well as microadjusted axs and it was super quit.
I’ve been contemplating putting a piece of cardboard in that spot to catch the wax and reuse it.
Karate Monkey
Well-Known Member
You don't need to, I've got a few tails. Just ping me at some point, and I'll break them down tonight (unless you are doing microscopy, or something).
Make sure you use a thermometer. Instapots get pretty hot and the wax only needs to get to ~150 or so. I’m not sure what their smoke temp is….
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
Yea, I was reading you want the chain and wax to be as close to the freezing point as possible when you extract so it doesn’t all fall off.
Yep. And the hotter it gets, the longer it takes to cool off.
I wait until it starts hardening and then pull the chain off. Then, I wipe off most of the excess wax and put back into the crock pot, wearing gloves. The chain is hot AF.
Definitely use a clothes hanger and loop the chain as directed. That makes it much less messy and easier to manage.
krink
Eddie Munster
Thats interesting, I always thought that the hotter the wax (within reason, like high rather than low on the crock pot) would make the wax less viscous and penetrate the rollers and pins better than thicker wax. All the thick stuff on the outside is what flakes off as you reinstall the chain on the bike anyway.
When I immerse the chain, I move it around until no more bubbles, let sit for a few minutes and do that 2 more times before I take it out, but I dont let the wax pot cool down at all. I made hooked handles out of wire hangers to grab the chains out of the wax, allow them to drip back into the crock pot and then hang them from a nail until use. The chain IS hot AF no doubt.
Pretty much what I do as well.
I think a lot of the wax is just dripping out of the rollers then.
krink
Eddie Munster
I think thats ok. Youre not filling the rollers with either lube or wax. They both create an adherent film on the metal. How tightly its bonded or how thick to be effective I dont know, but I thought when the film wears down, thats when the squeaking starts and I re-wax. I did find this:
https://www.klueber.com/in/en/products-service/lubricants/lubricating-waxes/#:~:text=They form a dry-to,boundary and mixed lubrication friction.
Could do a much deeper dive into boundary lubrication and chain-oil interaction, could be interesting.
Marginal Chains
marginalchains.com
Sounds like these guys do the dip the way I do, but its lower temp than mine, I think.
Wolfblood Racing
Our Wolfblood racing products are based around Tungsten Disulphide lubricant technology. Made for space, born to race. Oil additives, waxes and greases to keep you ahead of the pack!
wolfbloodracing.com
But these guys do just like you said. looks like what we have here is a gen-you-wine area for further study!
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rosceaux
Well-Known Member
Chain waxing is the barbecue of cycling maintenance. Little hands on time, but a lot of prep and a lot of waiting.
My first chain is cooling off now. Was going to do two, but even after multiple runs through the bottle method of cleaning/degreasing, I don't feel confident in the older training chain. I'd rather wait until I can give it the ultrasonic treatment to be more confident. The new chain was a breeze to prep. Will give this one a good run through before I add more to the rotation. Gave every other component a super thorough cleaning as well.
Now I'm hungry for some barbecue...
My first chain is cooling off now. Was going to do two, but even after multiple runs through the bottle method of cleaning/degreasing, I don't feel confident in the older training chain. I'd rather wait until I can give it the ultrasonic treatment to be more confident. The new chain was a breeze to prep. Will give this one a good run through before I add more to the rotation. Gave every other component a super thorough cleaning as well.
Now I'm hungry for some barbecue...