I’m planning to pick up a dedicated racing chain from PremierBike and looking to “convert” my training chain to dry wax lube to avoid cross contamination when swapping back and forth. I’ve seen talk of Squirt wax lube but also know that Finish Line has a dry wax lube. Are they essentially the same? Any reason to go with one over the other?
I’m planning to pick up a dedicated racing chain from PremierBike and looking to “convert” my training chain to dry wax lube to avoid cross contamination when swapping back and forth. I’ve seen talk of Squirt wax lube but also know that Finish Line has a dry wax lube. Are they essentially the same? Any reason to go with one over the other?
I can’t remember if Finish Line dry wax lube was tested or not, but Squirt wax lube was the best testing lubes in the Frictions Facts report, beating even Parafin Wax. I can’t see a reason based on that test why you wouldn’t go with Squirt as your waxed-based lube. If you want a less waxed-based lube the option is Rock n Roll Extreme. I have both and use them both. I did talk to the Squirt dude and a few years back and he told me they had a problem with counterfeiting even.
I’m planning to pick up a dedicated racing chain from PremierBike and looking to “convert” my training chain to dry wax lube to avoid cross contamination when swapping back and forth. I’ve seen talk of Squirt wax lube but also know that Finish Line has a dry wax lube. Are they essentially the same? Any reason to go with one over the other?
My $0.02, Squirt is an excellent lube for about 1 days worth of riding, longevity is not good.
Now I mix Squirt with some LPS1 wax and it’s better
The best non-petroleum lube I’ve ever tried was Boeshield T9
Things I love about Squirt:
-Tests really fast
-No need to wipe off excess (just apply and ride)
-Biodegradable
-Keeps chain/drivetrain clean
The only downside is it definitely doesn’t last as long as other lubes. I reapply about every 200mi. Given that you don’t need to wipe off the excess, lubing takes literally 1min.
I used Squirt all last season after reading the report Thomas mentioned. I found waxy deposit buildups on the jockey wheels which I assume are from the thicker nature of the formula. This season I’m trying Rock n Roll Extreme because I want to try the runnier mixture which I assume will have less residue buildup. It also performed very well in the Friction Facts tests.
That was my experience as well. I’m back to Rock 'n Roll Extreme. It just keeps everything clean. It’s fast to apply as well.
That was my experience as well. I’m back to Rock 'n Roll Extreme. It just keeps everything clean. It’s fast to apply as well.
I put on a fresh chain to race so when I do I wipe down the pulleys, derailleur cage etc. But I have had a similar question just for curiosity sake, does it actually slow anything down. Ideally, all of the wax is pushed off the path of the chain anyway.
I went back to Rock 'n Roll Extreme also. Was not happy with Squirt.
I put on a fresh chain to race so when I do I wipe down the pulleys, derailleur cage etc. But I have had a similar question just for curiosity sake, does it actually slow anything down. Ideally, all of the wax is pushed off the path of the chain anyway.
But think of the increased weight of my $500 ceramic jockey wheels!
FWIW, I’ve gone through a few bottles of Squirt and Rock’n Roll Gold. Another nice one is the Muc-Off hydrodynamic lube. In my experience, all the wax lubes build up on the jockeys, even when you try and be really tidy.
I put on a fresh chain to race so when I do I wipe down the pulleys, derailleur cage etc. But I have had a similar question just for curiosity sake, does it actually slow anything down. Ideally, all of the wax is pushed off the path of the chain anyway.
But think of the increased weight of my $500 ceramic jockey wheels!
FWIW, I’ve gone through a few bottles of Squirt and Rock’n Roll Gold. Another nice one is the Muc-Off hydrodynamic lube. In my experience, all the wax lubes build up on the jockeys, even when you try and be really tidy.
I do wipe them down before races. I can’t be carrying extra weight or having any extra drag. It would simple drive me bonkers.
I’m planning to pick up a dedicated racing chain from PremierBike and looking to “convert” my training chain to dry wax lube to avoid cross contamination when swapping back and forth. I’ve seen talk of Squirt wax lube but also know that Finish Line has a dry wax lube. Are they essentially the same? Any reason to go with one over the other?
I’m not being sarcastic … just asking: is cross-contamination a known issue?
I’m planning to pick up a dedicated racing chain from PremierBike and looking to “convert” my training chain to dry wax lube to avoid cross contamination when swapping back and forth. I’ve seen talk of Squirt wax lube but also know that Finish Line has a dry wax lube. Are they essentially the same? Any reason to go with one over the other?
I’m not being sarcastic … just asking: is cross-contamination a known issue?
I’m just thinking in terms of swapping G between training and racing mode as easily as possible. I don’t want to run a wet lube for training and accumulate black grease that will require extra time and effort to clean when I swap in my nice race chain. If I change over to a dry wax lube across the board it will keep things simple - just a quick wipe down between swaps.
How about doing your own paraffin wax treatment for your training chain? I’ve been running paraffin chain on both my bikes, my wife’s as well as a gal we train. It’s cheap and I’m seeing 500mile longevity per treatment. It’s so nice to work on the bike or transport it without the black oily mess one gets from wet lubes no matter how much you wipe things down. It would be completely compatible with your race chain as well. No build up on the derailleur jockey wheels either.
Hugh
I will do that initially but would want to relube every couple of weeks and prefer not to go through the whole melting process that often.
I will do that initially but would want to relube every couple of weeks and prefer not to go through the whole melting process that often.
Once you’ve gone through a couple of cycles it really isn’t that big a deal. If you put two or three chains into rotation it becomes very time flexible too.
Hugh
I guess having an extra chain would help - can do two at a time and run them both before repeating.
I guess having an extra chain would help - can do two at a time and run them both before repeating.
Some people keep three in rotation and treat two of them at the same time …well one after the other but with the same pot of molten paraffin. That way you’ve always got a nice one ready to go.
Hugh
Just basic fully refined paraffin wax is sufficient for training chains? It’s $8/3lbs on Amazon compared to $20/1lb for Molten Speed Wax with molybdenum.
Just basic fully refined paraffin wax is sufficient for training chains? It’s $8/3lbs on Amazon compared to $20/1lb for Molten Speed Wax with molybdenum.
Yes, many of us use it. I also purchased PTFE and molybdenum but seldom use them as the paraffin alone seems to work so well.
Hugh
Molybdenum has the side effect of inhibiting corrosion if that’s an issue for you.