You'll get the black clumps with Squirt and Rock n' Roll Extreme. I haven't been using the Rock n' Roll Extreme for long enough to know whether the clumping is better or worse with it.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

For the best results you really need to get all the original grease out of the chain. Check out the cleaning instruction on thr Molton Speed Wax site. You won't need a pristine cleaning, but a good soak in mineral spirits and an alcohol rinse should do the trick. The nice thing with doing a good initial cleaning is that you will also get all the left over metal shaving out of the chain.

I got the same thing even though I thoroughly cleaned my chain, chainrings, and cassette with commercial chain cleaner, mineral spirits, and isopropyl alcohol. Gave up on Squirt and went with LillyLube, which tested very well and lasted much longer. No more black gunk on my floor.

How long are you letting squirt dry before riding?
I've found its best to apply when you wipe down your bike after riding, not immediately before setting out.

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two things worth mentioning... there was (a year or two? maybe more) an issue with counterfeit squirt lube being out on the market. My fading memory tells me it was identifiable by the different label colors. The other was that allegedly Squirt lube is self-cleaning and what you're seeing may be the wax "grabbing", for lack of a better word, the old lube.

I've seen this movie before firsthand. I switched to Squirt right from the get-go on my then new tri bike (chain stripped of its factory lube at the LBS) and also put a new cassette on my Kickr. Any excess wax came off but it was white and clean, essentially invisible. After several outdoor rides, excess wax comes off black and falls off when I ride the trainer (basically it is cleaning the chain). Most of the wax is polite enough to fall on the shop towel I place there, but on the whole I'd say it's messier than oil, at least while on the trainer.

Black fallen wax is a pain in the butt to be sure, especially if I step on a small lump as it grinds very nicely into the hardwoods and doesn't come out all that well without some swearing. To mitigate, I don't use quite as much, I wax less often (because clearly I have plenty on there), and I place the shop towel down below the drivetrain.

However, I benefit from using wax by not getting grease on my hands or leg when I handle the chain, and I really do prefer the ride to oil (I can accept that this might be just in my head). Oh, and it's faster - at the end of the day it's all about faster.

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Kiwami NA Racing Team

Thanks for all the messages.

For what it's worth, I do leave the wax to dry before riding. I've left it at least 12 hours which I guess should be ok.

I'm planning to give everything a good clean again - including disassembling my rear cassette - and trying again before I give up on it. I really do want it to work for me!

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http://www.howesgreg.com

Sounds like a daft question, but are you cleaning the Degreaser off the chain after you use it? If not, then you need to. Any residue from the degreaser will have a negative effect on your lube, regardless of brand.

For me the sequence goes wipe, degrease, wipe degrease, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, dry, dry, dry, lube.

And don't over-lube, always wipe off the excess.

There are no such things as stupid questions, only stupid answers (hopefully this isn't one!)

Yeah, I rinsed the degreaser off quite throroughly. Hosed down and wiped off the chain quite a few times, then air dried for a few days.

My money is on the degreased being of poor quality.

Is degreasing a chain already lubed with Squirt essentially the same process?

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http://www.howesgreg.com

I guess your bike is on a trainer. I just assumed that the black lumps were tiny particles of rubber off my (normal) road tyre, worn-off by the trainer flywheel. Could certainly be contributing.

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29 years and counting

I use a red trainer tyre, so that was never a possibility! The odd red fleck on my wall or window blind, yes, but big black clumps on the floor, no!

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http://www.howesgreg.com

Hello BungleJapan and All,

I will have to read the Squirt directions on the bottle again ... I did ..... and I have been doing it wrong ... according to the bottle directions ...

"Do not wipe off, even if it looks excessive." and "Repeat after 5 minutes" ............. which might cause the excess Squirt to fall off the chain on to the floor.

The Internet directions (which are closer to the procedure I follow) state:

http://www.squirtlube.com/...lube-application.pdf

"For road riding we suggest that you apply a thin stream on the inside of the chain as you rotate the cranks backwards. Allow a few minutes for the lube to penetrate into the gaps between the pins, plates and rollers, and then wipe the outside of the chain with a rag, taking most of the remaining lube off. Now let the Squirtlube dry properly. In the event of the chain on a road bike going a bit black (soft rubber residue on some tar roads), still don't degrease. Only use Squirt's Bio Bike cleaners (not as a concentrate but diluted to bike wash) to wash lightly. (This info is also on our website's home page, a link at the bottom of the page)."

I see I can improve my procedure by using Squirt after a ride (instead of before) so it has time to dry before polishing the chain clean with a shop rag. (I polish off all the remaining visible lube off ..... since the Squirt is in the chain joints .... and polish the chain until it shines ..... and never bother to degrease or clean the chain.)

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Cheers, Neal

+1 mph Faster

I seriously think it's even easier to just do the slow-cooker paraffin dunk (instead of Squirt) and done. No worrying about individual pins or whether you've gotten wax/lube where it's supposed to go.

The hardest part is seriously reconnecting the masterlink, which takes all of a forceful pull (I've had some stiff masterlinks that were more annoying.)

LOVE the fact that you can just manhandle a waxed chain with your bare hands with NO chain tattoo. It's turned wrenching my bike from a total chore to an enjoyable activity.

I got a lot of chain action this morning playing with my front derailleur settings,which involved throwing the chain around and off the bike with the limiter screws - that would have totally sucked with a normal lube which would make your hands miserably black, but it was actually fun with the waxed chain - no residue! No dirty clothes!

1. Rotate cranks until masterlink is on it's way from cassette to crankset.
2. Hold rear brake.
3. Slight push on crank-arm.
4. Profit

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Yup, that's what I have to do when they're tight. But my bike is usually up on a stand by then and I have to take all that time to bring it down (gasp!)

Those masterlinks are really great.

That's why you hold the rear brake!

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I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

I tried Squirt lube last season and despite religiously cleaning the drivetrain I always ended up with a black chain full of clumps. Same for the two times I paid my LBS to do it as well. Can't fathom that there are any performance gains to be found with a chain full of gunk. I'm back to Silca lube.