Hello friends, I’m sure there is a thread about this but I cannot find it. I’m looking for advice on the following:
Thanks in advance. I’ve been riding many years now and really need to get better at bike maintenance.
I’ve been waxing for four years now but prior to that I used wet lubes for about thirty years. The best wet lube I ever used in that time was Nixfrixshun (NFS) lube - https://www.nixfrixshun.com/nixfrixshun-ultimate-bicycle-chainlube/
You’ll find a wealth information on various chain lubes here:
https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/
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I was a fan of that also. I also switched to wax, Silca, on my TT bike. But used their lube on gravel bike until this year, recently switched that over to wax also.
I like wax.
Dang it. You guys are going to talk me into using wax. Ok, tell me what setup I need?
I used to wax but gave it up. Love rock n roll gold now.
Clean the chain
Apply as indicated (30 seconds?)
Reapply occasionally (150 miles? Once a week? Once a month? Idk)
It’s incredibly easy. Get some canning wax at the grocery store (it’s actually paraffin). Melt it in a double boiler, or a FryDaddy or equivalent. Kerplunk the chain. Swirl with a stick, pull it out with the stick (it’s very hot) and hang it up to cool for a few minutes. Do this in the garage, or at least where there is no carpet along the path. End of black slimy gritty mess.
I use a mini crockpot and Gulf paraffin wax (about $4 at Walmart).
Before soaking chain in wax is it recommended to soak the chain first in a degreaser? Diesel, paint thinner, gas etc. to get the wet grease and gunk off?
I’ll give a shot at actually answering the question. If you believe Adam Kerin, probably the best non-wax lube tested by him is Silca Synergetic. I think you should probably lube once a week, briefly wipe the chain down with a rag every wide. Do at least an on-bike chain cleaner session after a wet ride. Ideally, try to do the on-bike chain clean as often as you can manage it, maybe try for once a month.
If you go wax and you do not want to go through the hassle of cleaning your chain, I’d consider buying a pre-treated chain from MSW or Silca. Or maybe even Ceramicspeed. Then you can apply whatever wax you want - I think that would include the Ceramicspeed chain, although I don’t know exactly what they use on their chains. I think Adam Kerin has remarked that it should be fine to lube over a CS chain with a good drip wax. If you want to do this, I’d check his writing - but he does tend to write rather long.
Before soaking chain in wax is it recommended to soak the chain first in a degreaser? Diesel, paint thinner, gas etc. to get the wet grease and gunk off?
Yes, if you’re going to wax a chain it needs to be completely clean. I haven’t used wax myself, but my brother has waxed his chain and said it would have been easier to get a new chain and clean the factory lube off that than to properly clean an used chain.
I clean new chains in mineral spirits three or four times over two to four weeks. They soak for a few days to a few weeks each time.
After that, I clean the chain in an acetone bath.
I clean new chains in mineral spirits three or four times over two to four weeks. They soak for a few days to a few weeks each time.
After that, I clean the chain in an acetone bath.All I gotta say is WOW!!
Before soaking chain in wax is it recommended to soak the chain first in a degreaser? Diesel, paint thinner, gas etc. to get the wet grease and gunk off?
No, not at all. The paraffin itself, when in liquid phase, is a solvent. All the greases and any other goo will easily dissolve away and the paraffin will soak into all the areas it needs to go. Simple swirling is all that’s needed. Triathletes, being intensely compulsive as we are, tend to overthink and overdo this.
When I’m waxing a chain that hasn’t been waxed before, for a friend or one of the neighborhood kids, I find that there is quite a lot of grit, because the grease/oil/whatever is uniquely well suited to attracting these contaminants and keeping them on the chain. But all this stuff sinks in the liquid and settles to the bottom of the pan, where it stays when you pull the chain out to drip and cool. Chains that have been waxed before and are now being rewaxed tend to be very very clean (by normal bicycle standards).
Note that I am using “wax” and “paraffin” interchangeably, as is normal in bicycle parlance.
same. I go straight from the box to the crock pot.
wipe with a dry rag until it comes off fairly clean before I rewax.
it is really handy if you take a spoke and bend a loop like the letter “p” into it on the hooked end. leave it open at the hook (bent end, so it is not in contact with the long section of the spoke) Thread the chain and master links onto it and then close the hook onto the rest of the spoke so the chain and links can’t fall off. That way you don’t loose the links and you can swirly it to your heart’s content.
Thank you all for the advice and tips. Andy sorry to derail your ? I’ve switched from wd40 to squirt. Squirt works fairly well and doesn’t tend to collect as much dirt and grime. I hit my chain about 1x/month if I remember. Sometime several months go by although it depends if I clean it or get caught in the rain.
Here is the most recent compilation of ZeroFriction Data, hot wax and drip wax dominate and Synergetic is top rated wet lube:
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