[tlg]

I use Molten Speed Wax. Works great. I think it's the best priced option.

Seems like some brands are more complex than others when it come to the process.

They are? What are the more complex processes?

 

[tlg]

You mean you are Mr. Wax #2?

No. I'm Mr Wax 1,000,001


How about we don't make this yet another thread 'I don't like wax so lets pile on anyone who does'
If you can't answer the OP's question start a new 'Waxing sucks thread'

 

[tlg]

First I'll say this... If you ride a lot in wet conditions, just don't do it unless you really really really like going through through the whole waxing process often.

This is not a big deal. It's not the whole waxing process where you need to strip a chain and start from scratch.
After a wet ride, throw the chain (even if wet) into the hot wax and renew it. Other than waiting for the wax to heat, it's a <5min process.
Even with oil lubed chains, you should dry off the chain to prevent rust. And clean/relube more often if you ride a lot in wet conditions

It's cleaner to the touch and in general with some caveats. If I drop a chain, grab it put it back on and jump on bike and roll. No need to clean fingers or hands after touching the chain. That was my main reason for switching.

The cleanliness was my main reason too. If you travel with a bike, it's so much easier and cleaner than dealing with a greasy chain and drivetrain.

It doesn't wear the drive train as quickly. This is the reason I have stuck with hot wax on my main ride. I have 2 chains I rotate and still have less than .5 wear on both (after boiling hot water cleaning before re-imersion treatment) after 2.5 years and guessing milage of at least 12k miles if I exclude a chunck for trainer bike virtual "miles". Thats probably around 6k per chain so far.

I was dubious of the chain life claims. And it wasn't my reason for switching. I've never had an issue with chain life. But DAMN. Chain life is far and above anything I've ever seen.
I'm rotating two chains, each has 4,000mi. I recently measured zero wear over 12" (on both chains). I couldn't believe zero wear was possible. So I measured the whole chain. And I found ~1/32" over 50". That's only 0.06% wear. The chains should last over 12,000mi.

Cons:

• It's ALOT of faf to get started. You need completely clean your WHOLE drivetrain. Everything that the chain will touch will need to be stripped of any oil or grease if you don't want to contaminate the wax. Chain, rings, pulleys, and yes the derailleur cages. I know people who skipped this and then had sub par results from the wax not lasting as long as it should or black grease like wax on their chain and it not being "clean" like I said above. If you are going to go to the trouble of using hot wax don't skip the prep.

Agreed. I don't think I'd want to switch over a used oiled drivetrain. And definitely wouldn't attempt to switch a used oiled chian.
I've only waxed on my new purchased bike. I haven't converted over all my other bikes.

It's more faf to maintain. Some people don't mind this. Some find it worth it for waxing. Others not so much. You have to be more diligent on maintenance. This means you should wipe clean your chain after every ride.

I find the exact opposite. It's a breeze to maintain... as in zero maintenance. I never wipe my chain and there's no wax buildup on the rings, cassette, or pulleys. Perfectly clean.
That's the greatness of waxing. Far less maintenance than oiling.

It can be noisy, when you need to re-wax or are severly crossed chained, it can be loud.

I don't find them to be any more noisy than an oiled chain that needs to be relubed.

It can be dirty. Wax will get on everything around your drive train. I will not use it on my trainer because I do not want wax bits all over my floors in the workout room - if it gets into carpet it's a real PIA to clean!!!.

Don't you have a sweat towel/mat under your trainer anyway?
You can get oil lube on the floor too.

It will gum up your rings, pulleys, and in your cassette over time if you do not scrape them regularly. This is simple to prevent and takes less than 5 minutes - if you don't let it build up. Whenever I swap chains, I just scrape them with a plastic wedge. Same goes for wiping the derailleur cages with a cloth and rubbing alcohol.

I don't have this problem.
It's been over a year and no wax to clean off.

 

[tlg]

My question is with all this removing and re-installing the chain on the bike, how many uses do you get out of a single quick link? I know Shimano says to never re-use a quick link, but some here say you can get at least a few uses out of one.

I reuse them a lot more than 'recommended'. Most people do.
A Shimano I'll reuse 3-5 times.

The Connex Link is reusable indefinitely. But they're ~$30.

KMC makes a reusable (5x) and a non reusable link. But I don't think the reusable one is offered in 12sp.

YBN makes a reusable (5x) 12sp link. It's what I use. And I use them more than 5x, until they stop solidly locking.
A 6-pack is $20. Replacing them at 5x should will get you over 10,000mi.

 

[tlg]

So you only re-wax every 2,000 miles?

A 6 pack of links at 5x use is 30 uses.

 

[tlg]

Are you racing? If not, why are you wanting to hot wax your chain?

You don't have to race to enjoy the benefits of a waxed chain 🙄

Now there is the point that can be made that a hot waxed chain can last longer, but trying to find an average difference between a hot waxed chain and wax drip chain was impossible on the internet, but I doubt the difference is more than 500 miles.

So you don't wax your chain and don't know anything about modern waxing but you'll just pull numbers from your behind.
I can tell you it's more than 500 miles.
I'm on track for 12,000-16,000 miles on a 12 speed chain. I never got 11,500mi from oil lubes. I bet you don't either

I did read the more you hot wax it, like at the 150 mile mark the longer the chain will last, but no numbers were given.

So you have zero experience but you think you read something but can't give any facts 🙄
That's nonsense

Also if you get caught in the rain, as soon as you get home you have clean it and hot wax it again.

More nonsense. You can just dry it.
Guess what... if you don't dry your oil lubed chain after getting caught in the rain it can rust.

The expense of all of that clean and waxing, plus time, and in my book time is money, just isn't worth it TO ME, but you might think differently about that then I do.

Nobody asked you if it is worth it to you. He asked for himself.
Feel free to start your own thread about the virtues of your chain lube. I'm sure the OP won't come by to lecture you

Back in the 70s when I first started racing I hot waxed my chains, it was a headache, eventually I moved on to Tri-Flow, and while it was a wet lube it wasn't messy from what I can remember, I continued to use it for many years so it must not have been overly messy.

This isn't the 70s. Yea putting candle wax on your chain back then was stupid. But you did it for many years 🙄
This is 2025. It's an entirely different ballgame.

 

[tlg]

behave, I wasn't lecturing anyone

Of course you were.

"Are you racing? If not, why are you wanting to hot wax your chain? Do you think that by hot waxing your chain you'll go on a 100 mile ride and get back 30 minutes sooner?"
🙄

 

[tlg]

Is there any real data from a designed experiment that makes it verisimilar that wax has better lubricity than oil?

Yes. ZFC has mountains of data. On pretty much every lube there is.

Lubricant Testing - Zero Friction Cycling

zerofrictioncycling.com.au

 

[tlg]

It's a test, but they don't log the intervals between lubing. I think it is suspect.

Yes they do. You don't know what you're talking about. Well done.

It's hilarious watching people 'think' they know so much about wax while demonstrating they know absolutely nothing.

But I can lube my chain with oil every 150 miles, easy peasy, try that with your waxed chain.

That may be the stupidest thing ever. What sort of black magic do you think prevents me from waxing my chain every 150, 50, or 25 miles.

And you'd spend a shit ton more time cleaning your drivetrain. 🤣

 

[tlg]

No, you are arguing.

Arguments are claims backed by reasons that are supported by evidence.
He's just thinking things (that are patently false) and sharing them.

 

[tlg]

Who is making stuff up?

GO LOOK!

All the data is shared.

 

[tlg]

I haven't tried the Silca Strip Chip, but their liquid stripper is fantastic for chains - regardless if you are waxing or not.

These are both really game changers. It's (was) the biggest deal in going to wax. Now it's super simple.
I've used the liquid stripper. It's fantastic. I really couldn't believe it would work so well.
It's like magic voodoo syrup.

I think the flakes and mess and buildup are a by product of the drip wax top off.

Ahhh. Yea that'll do it. It cakes on and gets everywhere. I don't find it worth the effort and mess. I can just swap a chain faster than doing drip.

 

[tlg]

Any lubrication test which includes WD-40 is .... suspect! What are they going to compare it with to make it look good, water?

Everything you think is suspect.
They're not trying to 'make' anything look good. FFS They compare ALL LUBES against each other. It's DATA.

People actually use WD-40 as a chain lube. It's a valid test to see how it compares.

Oh looky... duriel thinks they're trying to make it 'look good'. 🤣

 

[tlg]

I don't mind testing it. What I find suspect is that it outperformed a number of established chain lubes.

Why would that be suspect? There's a shit ton of snake oil chain lubes on the market. Anything beat by WD-40 should just shut down (as he explains in the video).

No idea why ZFC chose to test the original and not WD-40 company's "specialist" bike chain lube product.

It's not some big mystery. Because many people wanted it. The test is very popular.

@better.better 2 months ago
personally I think this is one of the ones that should have been done early on to establish the baseline. it's the one that every "Average Dad" has in the garage next to the duct tape and 3-in-1 ... so much so that Si on GCN would joke about people using WD-40 on their chain, so it's not even just a US dad cultural thing

@davidlilja9180 2 months ago
Adam, it's great you tested such an old, cheap and well known lubricant to see where it landed amongst the others. Though I do doubt that, for those lower performing lubes, that their makers or marketing departments care much about their competition anyway. Liars and deceivers rarely care about truth at all.

@infocuslearning 2 months ago
Confirms my experience of using WD40 in the 90s on my daily commute. Very cheap and actually not too bad as long as you give the bike a good squirt every day, which takes about 10 seconds to do. I never got a rusty chain, which I have done with drip wax. It did get a bit messy after a while, but not as bad as factory grease. For a commuter bike with relatively cheap components, it's not the worst option. You'll end up buying a new chain a bit more often, but that's the main downside.

 

[tlg]

15,000 km. No measurable chain wear