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Q5. Has anyone out there personally tried that Silca bike chain waxing kit? Is it worth the bother? I've been wax-curious for a while but never really seriously considered it.

I was going to start waxing my chain when I had some upgrades installed on my bike. But the shop told me they could get a belt drive to fit, so I did that instead! I love love love belt drive bikes.

Here's a review of another chain waxing kit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMSK25B4O-I

#BikeNite
@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite #BikeNite A5. I have no moved to wax, yet, but I'm planning on getting two chains with quick-links to do it, so I can rotate them, as needed.

I think it is probably worth the bother to never have to deal with the mess of liquid lubrication again. Wax is a different kind of mess, of course, but I think the trade-offs are worth it.

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite #BikeNite

A5. I have made my own wax mix (my own 1/3 beeswax mixed with 2/3 paraffin) on two chains, and I am liking it! VERY clean, and doesn't require re-lubing it all the time. I haven't, however, gone through an re-waxed either chain yet. It's SMOOTH. VERY quiet. I think it's a great idea. Road bikes... have not tried it on a MTB, not sure how it holds up against dirt. I would recommend it, given my experience. (note, I don't race or anything, just toodle around town for enjoyment).

@ai6yr @ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite I believe that you do want to make sure the chain gets up to the temperature of the wax. I believe for penetration into the chain. For my crockpot, it takes about 75 minutes, but I put the chain on top of the hard wax so the chain heats up with the wax, then it’s just a minute or so of agitation and done! #BikeNite

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite A5

I definitely would recommend waxing. It has worked great for me. I started waxing last season. Im still on the second chain, the first only replaced because of physical damage in a collision. I did about 5000km last year between the two chains.

I use drip wax to every 300km or so after wiping off the chain to remove dust.

Prior to that I thought I was doing a good job with wet/dry line based on season and weather. I was going through a chain every 6 months and destroying a cassette every year.

For me, waxing is easier to get right and has been cheaper on the long run.

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite

Waxing has absolutely been a game-changer for me.

I thought I'd try a cheap & simple approach, so melted down tea-light candles and added powdered graphite from a hardware store.

Before this, I totally destroyed chain, cassette, and BB through ignorance, and riding near lake & ocean, so chain was absolutely filthy with grinding sand. Then I started cleaning the chain (and my leg, and sock) after every ride.

With wax, chain stays clean, and lasts!

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite I have belt drive these days, but a good friend moved to waxing their chain and preferred it to standard lube. @bikenite #bikenite

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite I do use Silca wax, but don't have their fancy crockpot—I have a cheap one.

A waxed chain can last a lot longer than an oiled one.

Wax does not hold up as well in the rain as oil, and Silca's official recommendation is to use (their) oil on top of (their) wax, or mix oil into the wax, to get through rainy spells.

You can use drip wax to extend the time between immersion waxings. One hitch with both drip and immersion wax is you need to give it time to dry before you ride—you can't do it right before you head out.

IMO, the biggest pain with waxing is the need to thoroughly strip the chain first. There are special stripping potions now, Silca has a "strip chip" you can mix with the wax, and you can also buy pre-waxed chains.

Another thing you need to plan on is that with 11 or 12 speed drivetrains, you really aren't supposed to reuse most quick links (I think everyone does, at least once or twice). However, Connex has a reusable quick-link for their chains, and they sell factory-waxed chains as well.

@whack @adamrice @ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite The YBN quick links are reusable up to 5 times. Their chains are very thin nice too. https://moltenspeedwax.com/

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite A5: I *love* wax - hardly any maintenance. I've been using waxed chains for a year, using "Silca Super Secret Wax" (but my own pot, not theirs). Waxing, for me, is purely a benefit of reducing maintenance. I ride dirt/mtb/gravel, and I used to clean/relube my chain at least weekly. Its messy, the chain-grime is nearly permanent if it touches me or clothing.

Compare with waxing, I do zero maintenance outside of "put it in the wax pot" which I have done twice. When riding, the chain doesn't accumulate any grime, and I don't do any between-waxing upkeep.

Highly recommend it.

I've been tracking my chain and lube experience on this thread: https://hachyderm.io/@whack/112364144650572852

@dgodon @ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite Yep! I averaged 500mi per chain-wax before it starts getting squeaky. I checked for chain stretch before rewaxing and none of the chains showed any measurable stretch (8 months later on 4 chains used across ~2000mi/3200km)

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite A5: Now that I have an ultrasonic cleaner I want to try that kind of bike waxing. Get a few chains, do a bunch at once. But I haven't yet! ^_^

@whack

I had the use of an ultrasonic cleaner at a job. I used it to clean keyboards -- pop off the keycaps and stick them in the tub with water and a drop of dish soap. Only thing I ever found that did a good job of removing that layer of human grime from keys.

Once I got called away on a tech support call. Must have left the cleaner running for hours! The water gets mighty hot in there...

@moira @ascentale @gnomon @bikenite

#BikeNite A5: In my reply to @gnomon I didn't answer his question, but said that I've been using a dab of axel grease from a pot I must have bought 30 years ago.

When my bike was new the chain was waxed (or had some other hard factory lube), seemed to stay clean, and I did no chain care for years for fear of damaging it. But axel grease is a magnet for dirt, and that's probably ground down the gears and chain beyond repair. Also does a number on my socks and pant legs.

@ascentale
@bikenite

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite I love waxing but if you’re not someone who does regular maintenance (for whatever reason) then it might not be worth it. There’s a shop in Seattle that provides a waxing service where you can come in any time to swap to freshly waxed chain. Not sure about price but a buddy does it and it’s worth it to him.

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite A5. I don’t have a kit, when I got my road bike I followed the directions at zero friction cycling, bought a few pucks of MSSpeedwax and grabbed an old unused crockpot. I have three chains so I can wax up two at a time, and have one ready when I need it. I swap them about once a month.

More work? Sure, greasy hands? Nope. (I do run my chain through a rag after each ride, keeps it a little cleaner.
#BikeNite

@ascentale
A5: I do use wax but not the one you mentioned. I use the liquid wax aka drip wax.

The initial cleaning to remove the product put by the manufacturer is a pain but after than, reapplying is easy. Brush it, rub it and reapply (and wait for it to dry)
@gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite

@ascentale @gnomon @bobjonkman @bikenite generic warning: not all products are alike. I've heard good things about pot / soaking style application. But I absolutely do not recommend drip on wax like white lightning and... (I Forget). I tried those two products and only got 1000 miles per chain, despite applying every 50 miles like the label asks for. #BikeNite