Chain Waxing Tutorial

[MikeMckinney]

I think DaveWh was comparing 1 immersion waxing (IE Gulf Wax, MSW) 2 drip wax (IE Squirt, Secret Lube) 3 drip oil (IE Rock and Roll Gold) and he was rating which is the best for different criteria

I didn’t particularity like Squirt

I don’t generally ride in the wet or mud - immersion waxing is my 100% go to - I don’t see ever going back. However if you ride in an environment that is frequently wet/muddy/sandy I can totally see where wax isn’t the end all be all for everyone.

[DaveWh]

@NotRailingTurns

Am I reading this correctly that you base your experience and summary on drip-waxing versus oil lubes, and not hot-waxing?

I used hot melt waxing. Not worth the extra effort vs drip wax IME.

[Alen]

@kurt.braeckel

Haven’t visited this thread in a while, a couple (OK a lot) of thoughts:

• Been waxing exclusively for more than 3 years now. I’m an OG convert of this thread.
• I get 300+ miles out of every waxing (on Ultegra chains, I’m switching to YBN when these wear out), that’s about a week of riding. I don’t get the people who say it’s too much trouble too frequently, but…
• I suspect the people who think it’s too hard are making it too hard… this is not a difficult or time-consuming process after the initial setup. Some are boiling chains all the time or are worried about cleaning between waxing… you don’t have to mess with that unless you’re riding in wet and dirty conditions often.
• Rotate two chains. One is always ready to go.
• Just take the chain off, put it on your homemade swisher tool, into the crock pot on low, let the wax melt and cover it for 20-30min. I usually put the chain on the hardened wax and set a timer for 1:30 on my iPhone. When it’s done, do the other chain with the timer set to like 30 minutes.
• No cleaning in between… even ZFC talks about that - the chains don’t attract that much crud between waxings. Yes, your wax will eventually get dirty… change it out. One bag of MSW lasts me a year; half in at the start, I change it out midyear.
• Some guys are doing two crackpots for training and racing chains… OK… again, making things harder than you need to (in most cases). I don’t fault people for seeking every marginal gain, but to me this isn’t worth it either. YMMV.
• I guarantee you spend more time cleaning and re-lubing a conventionally lubricated drive train than you spend waxing chains… that is, assuming you actually keep your oiled drive train clean (which most people don’t). So if you don’t care about wear parts and keeping your drivetrain clean, by all means, keep using regular chainlube and don’t clean your drivetrain. That saves you tons of time… but you’re slower and your parts will wear out about 4x as fast as waxing.
• Simple waxing as spelled out above has me getting thousands more miles out of my chains, silent drivetrains, plenty of speed to compete and win races. K.I.S.S.
• The most common mistake I see new waxers make is hanging their chains to dry after the alcohol rinse. Even in dry conditions, your chain will attract moisture from the air which will then get sealed in by the wax, particularly overnight when most places experience more humidity. If you wax and you have crunchy, noisy chains, this is probably why. I’ve helped a number of my club mates convert to wax, and every time someone has issues, the first thing I ask is how they dry it after the cleaning and rinsing. Invariably, they hang it dry… and they all say, “I let it dry even longer and it got worse!!” Then they start using the blow dryer and waxing it the first time right away, and Presto it works like a champ.

*** Caveat: I’m a roadie… I don’t ride gravel or MTB (all that much, MTB is on Squirt), so the above would apply to roadies in good conditions. You live in England and ride all day in the rain on Roman chariot paths? Disregard!

This is not a difficult process. Don’t seek out ways to make it harder than it needs to be in the hopes of making it perfect. You’re probably not saving anything, you’re probably not making that much of a difference (if any) in drivetrain longevity by cleaning and using separate crock pots… but you are using up more time, for sure.

Once the initial chain setup is done (mineral spirits baths - usually 3 of them on a new chain; denatured alcohol rinse; blow dry; into the wax)… it’s literally chain off, back into the wax. Change your wax every six months or so depending on how often you do it. (I use half the bag first, then the other half after six months. It’s plenty to cover each chain.)

You don’t need an expensive crockpot. I have used the same 2qt crock I bought for $8 at target for 4+ years.

You don’t need a timer. Use your cell phone.

You don’t need a temperature sensor. Put the crockpot on low.

Keep it simple, guys. The gains at this point are so exceptionally marginal as to not be worth the time or money, beyond just following that ZFC Zen Master’s guide to chain waxing!

Enjoy the benefits of a drive train that you literally just wipe off with a dry rag for the rest of your bike’s life, and know that you’re also faster than basically anyone else who isn’t waxing, too.

Wax on!

Completely this. I have 4 chains I rotate. I just like to do them in batches. I don’t keep track of mileage. I just put on a new chain at the end of the week.
The only thing I don’t like about waxing is cleaning up all the wax flakes by my trainer constantly.

[hvvelo]

Regarding don’t overthink it…

My wife had a bunch of basic paraffin unscented taper candles from TJ Maxx that sat on a shelf for like 15 years and never got used.

I’ve been waxing for at least 3 years on that stash, 15000+ miles and haven’t even thought about replacing a chain or cassette. Can’t even measure any stretch wear among my 3 chains I rotate.

I did the initial clean thoroughly - but I don’t bother for rewax. Just drop it in, swirl a few times, give it a couple mins and pull it out. After maybe 15-20 chain dips, if it’s not as white when dry, chuck the wax and get another candle. A little grit and sand will settle to the bottom of the pot that I wipe out.

I’m finally running out of candles and may actually have to buy some wax…

On the podcast, they really missed this #1 reason to wax. Your drivetrain becomes immortal. The studies looking at this are incredible. And that is worth huge time and $$$ in a scarce market. Clean to touch quiet chains and free watts are a nice bonus!

[thyroxine]

what do you bathe your parts in? i assume for wax, you’d just use hot water. similarly to just boiling on the stove.

[TheOtherOne]

I saw this unfortunate news over at the WW forum. Steven John Leffanue (Oz Cycle YT Channel) has posted several videos about waxing on YT I’m sure many of us have watched or used as a basis to get into waxing.

Man jailed for beating neighbour's barking dog to death

[vbx2010]

WHAT
Oz Cycle did this??
I am shocked beyond belief

[TheOtherOne]

Yeah. I was really unsure if this should even be posted here since it really doesn’t have anything to do with waxing.

Mods can delete the post at their discretion.

[kurt.braeckel]

Had to go check to see who was who… fortunately, I’m in the ZFC camp.

[TheOtherOne]

I watched some of his videos when I was just getting into waxing but really got most of my info from MSW. Haven’t watched anything of his in years though.

[a59a2e9a2645dbb]

Same, ZFC has always had real data like Friction Facts before him. OZC on the other hand… not so much.

That-Oz-Cycle-Video-v1.2.pdf

[lloydrm]

I got a connex link (steel) for my 10 spd shimano drivetrain, for endless capacity to take the chain off for cleaning. On the 11t sprocket it skips. Mine came with a very large outter plate, I don’t know if that is normal, but I am guessing that was the cause of the problem. I put sram link that came with the chain and no problems.

[DaveQB]

@lloydrm

On the 11t sprocket it skipps.

Sounds like you have it upside down. The Connex link is uni directional. The curve needs to mini the shape of the cassette.

See manual download link on this page.
Direct link.

[lloydrm]

Thank you!
I am embarrassed to say, that is very likely what happened. Will give it a try next time I switch chains, which is very soon.
Edit: but then on mine the “10” engraving is upside down! No wonder I got it wrong …
Still, I too would very much like a 12spd version for the mtb.

[jonnyknight]

I waxed a brand new 12s XTR chain last night but after putting it on the bike, including engaging the quick link, I’ve determined I need to remove a link. Therefore, I’m wondering if the new Shimano quick link that came with the chain can be reused after being engaged but not ridden?

[TheOtherOne]

I reuse them several times on my SLX 12 spd. chains. Haven’t had a problem yet. When new, they are pretty tight to close and open but as you reuse them they loosen up. I kind of use my best judgement when they feel too loose I pitch them. I’m not endorsing this since it is not recommended, just what i (and a lot of others) do.

[alexgold123]

@Johnnyvee

The most expensive one I use is a KMC 11 EPT which is great and always waxes well using the same treatment as them all.

That’s funny, as that’s exactly what zfc suspects causes a problem with waxing kmc chains. He’s so against them I’ve gone to ybn and shimano. Here’s the ybn version in silver (gold also available for another tenner!). They’ll also prep and wax chains like zfc for a small fee

YBN 11 Speed Silver Chain SLA110 (222g)

[roadney]

I have multiple quick links that I have reused over a dozen times each and never had an issue. If the quicklink locks in tight you should be fine. If it starts to feel “loose” or snaps in too easily I would replace. I think the main concern would be the link coming unhooked while riding.

[webdev511]

Yep I have the Wolftooth compact chain link tool and extra links exactly for that reason. Well that and I did Unbound so I still have stuff in my pack that I’m never likely to need on a “normal” ride.

[lloydrm]

You did Unbound on a waxed chain? How did that go?