Chain Wax Discussion thread

I use Silca hot melt wax and the wax-based lube on my road bikes and am super happy. Their wax-based lube is now my go-to and I find the little extra daily maintenance is worth a tidy drive train and minimizing wear on expensive AXS components.

I was hesitant to use it for mtb and cross thinking durability would be an issue but I've been really happy with the switch to waxed chains for cross in particular. Cleaning bikes and drive train is much easier with the no-grease chain and this really sealed the deal for me. I even went so far to to switch my son's cross bike over to a waxed chain given the ease of cleaning after spending way too long digging out greasy grass from his jockey wheels following Pineapple Crush Cross
 
Take THAT you sadistic chain tormentors!

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November update
Since I started this experiment in March I have the following time in on wax:

Mtb: 1400 miles, approx 170? hours
Road: 2500 miles, approx 135? hours

The last month being super dry has really let the wax shine. Basically zero drivetrain maintenance during that time. The road bike is 100% a no brainer, mind you I don't ride in the wet with that particular bike.
The mtb could still be a toss up. the wet summer mornings with humidity, when everything green is wet, is enough to make re-waxing more frequent. What makes me continue is how clean the the drivetrain is.

Also, not even remotely through the fix bag of wax I bought.
 
stb222 said:
November update
Since I started this experiment in March I have the following time in on wax:

Mtb: 1400 miles, approx 170? hours
Road: 2500 miles, approx 135? hours

The last month being super dry has really let the wax shine. Basically zero drivetrain maintenance during that time. The road bike is 100% a no brainer, mind you I don't ride in the wet with that particular bike.
The mtb could still be a toss up. the wet summer mornings with humidity, when everything green is wet, is enough to make re-waxing more frequent. What makes me continue is how clean the the drivetrain is.

Also, not even remotely through the fix bag of wax I bought.
Click to expand...
So is this a good idea in a sandy environment?
 
rick81721 said:
So is this a good idea in a sandy environment?
Click to expand...
I think it should be. I did a race in south jersey with some sand sections. I would hear the slight grinding you usually get in sand traps, but it would clear off a minute later
 
Wouldn't you agree that higher frequency of waxing due to mtb riding in the wet is better than dealing with the grease? The former is largely a passive activity where you can get stuff done while wax warms up and then you just dip. The latter requires active participation and possibly also having to hose down the bike, which is bad. I think one of the greatest benefits of waxing is not having to hose down the bike....

Just my 10 cents..
 
carvegybe said:
Wouldn't you agree that higher frequency of waxing due to mtb riding in the wet is better than dealing with the grease? The former is largely a passive activity where you can get stuff done while wax warms up and then you just dip. The latter requires active participation and possibly also having to hose down the bike, which is bad. I think one of the greatest benefits of waxing is not having to hose down the bike....

Just my 10 cents..
Click to expand...
Yes and no, lt can be slightly annoying to have to take the chain off to wash the bike but i see your point. Using t9 on my chains i didnt get a ton of grease build up and it can mostly be cleaned with just a regular wash, but eventually would need to degrease.
 
stb222 said:
Using t9 on my chains i didnt get a ton of grease build up
Click to expand...
I had the opposite experience with t9, but maybe I was applying too much? No matter what lube I've used in the past it always turned to black grime pretty quickly, even on the road.
 
carvegybe said:
Wouldn't you agree that higher frequency of waxing due to mtb riding in the wet is better than dealing with the grease? The former is largely a passive activity where you can get stuff done while wax warms up and then you just dip. The latter requires active participation and possibly also having to hose down the bike, which is bad. I think one of the greatest benefits of waxing is not having to hose down the bike....

Just my 10 cents..
Click to expand...
Yes. Also, cleaning the wax off a chain after a ride in slop is as easy as warming up an electric kettle and pouring hot water on the chain. I used to take my chain off to clean but after doing this a few times, it’s not necessary. It’s pretty crazy how the boiling water takes the wax right off as easily as it does. The chain looks new afterwards.

I’ll still remove it to submerge occasionally but when supplementing with drip wax, it’s even less frequent.
 
jShort said:
Yes. Also, cleaning the wax off a chain after a ride in slop is as easy as warming up an electric kettle and pouring hot water on the chain. I used to take my chain off to clean but after doing this a few times, it’s not necessary. It’s pretty crazy how the boiling water takes the wax right off as easily as it does. The chain looks new afterwards.

I’ll still remove it to submerge occasionally but when supplementing with drip wax, it’s even less frequent.
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So after you just dump the boiling water over the chain, you just use drip wax after that?
 
Cole said:
So after you just dump the boiling water over the chain, you just use drip wax after that?
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I pour from a kettle. It comes clean. Then I blow dry with my compressor or heat gun /blow dryer / sticker remover thing. Once dry I drip new wax on.
 
jShort said:
I pour from a kettle. It comes clean. Then I blow dry with my compressor or heat gun /blow dryer / sticker remover thing. Once dry I drip new wax on.
Click to expand...

So rather than read thru this whole thread - what's the Cliffs notes version on how to? Can this all be done without taking the chain off? What's the best wax to use?
 
rick81721 said:
So rather than read thru this whole thread - what's the Cliffs notes version on how to? Can this all be done without taking the chain off? What's the best wax to use?
Click to expand...

Yes. This stuff works pretty well to get the factory grease off the chain and cassette.
 
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Btw, i was uber skeptical about boiling water thing to clean the chain/rings but it works like magic. Chain looks brand new afterwards.
 
Re waxed my road bike and gravel bike chains today. . Gravel bike had 300 miles on it. Started sounding loud. Same with the road bike. I think the road bike chain has a bit less , all trainer use. Probably pushed the wax out quickly.

Note the crock pot method still sucks and is to slow. Need to get a insta pot.
 
So I am building up a new rain bike and I decided to go wax with it. Again, the initially cleaning process sucks, but the lack-of-cleaning after that is well worth killing the environment. We will see how it goes.
 
I used the Silca chain striper, was super easy to do, only 2 passes through my chain cleaner and a good rinse was all it took to remove the factory crap.
 
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