Nice video Christin. Glad you used petrol in the initial clean...yes its a harsh chemical but there isnt much else out there that does the cleaning job thoroughly. Keep up your good videos guys 👍😎
Thanks Steven! How awesome to have the legend himself comment on our video. I enjoyed your latest video about the update and response to all the chain waxing comments. Always find your videos very informative and a great resource to refer to.
Interesting video for sure. I started waxing my road bike chain last year and found that it works well. My process involves using an ultrasonic bath to get the chain super clean before initial waxing. I have a glass jar each for gasoline, KrudKutter, and then denatured alcohol. It gets the chain squeaky (ha!) clean, especially in the rollers where it counts. After the last step I put the chain in an old toaster over to get it dry quickly before rust can think of starting (and it can and will start fast once the oils are off it). Next, I fill the ultrasonic cleaner with very hot water and get it to about 168 degrees. Another jar has my wax (I prefer Silca's Secret Chain Blend. It seems to work better than the Oz Cyclist formula, which I also tried). Once the wax melts I drop my chain in and let it run for about 15min to deep seat the wax in all the rollers, then pull it and hang to dry. FWIW I've re-used my Shimano quick-links, and although not recommended, I've never had one break. Also, it can be an advantage to have a second chain of the same length pre-waxed. This allows you to swap out a dirty chain for a fresh one and keep doing rides without the pressure to get the dirty one ready to go. One last thought- to clean my dirty waxed chain, I use an old electric tea kettle and boil water that I then pour down the length of the hanging chain. It will melt the wax and wash the chain clean. Cheers.
Lots of awesome suggestions in this comment! Great timing as well. I have a new road bike chain that I needs to be prepped for waxing. Wish I had that ultrasonic cleaner, but will be trying out a few of the other steps in your process. The old toaster trick is next level!
@@DanTuber what I find is that the chains are generally a little noisier than if they are heavily oiled, however that means with oil you are gathering a lot more grit, dirt, and mess than you would with the wax. So there's a bit of a trade off but I think it's worth it.
Would be great to see a video on what you do between each main (hot slowcooker) wax , like how do you clean and dry the chain before applying that selfmade bottle-wax , after a daily ride in Wet muddy conditions?
@@tomalbert3299 True, he stated in his latest video that he no longer uses oil in his mix because it inevitably attracts some grime. However, he still recommends it for continuously wet weather (like north-eastern Europe [Belgium, Netherlands]). Sadly, there is no perfect do it all chain lube. But even the oil containing waxes perform significantly better (cleanliness, drivetrain longevity) than pure oils. Cheers!
@Dogsdoodas from my point i'd think every issues,FAQ ,how to ,a.s.o, you want to get solved, you 'll find by watching all the episodes from Adams ZERO FRICTION CYCLING on YT. In my opinion the best,most complex and sophisticated access towards the subject "immersive chain waxing". If still questions left, go for Yosh Portners SILCA VELO complete waxing guide. After that and roundabout 25 hours of YT ;-)) ,you can graduate on Harvard :-)😀
how do you clean it? boiling water doesnt get all the wax out. and when i rewax, all of old stuck in between wax comes out and contaminates my pot of clean wax
Been using wax now for 12 months on all my bikes from road, single speed, to gravel and will never go back! Gravel here in Georgia is usually has clay and sand mixed and can destroy a chain quickly, now I get 200+ miles between waxing and have over 1000 miles on one chain!
@@olitonottero7620 clean during bike wash with same soap and since it’s wax no need to relube, I usually get 300+ miles on wax without issues! Terrain really determines how often you need to rewax it!
My friend runs wax instead of lube and his chain looks spotless, but it squeaks like crazy. Which tells me the wax has dissipated out of the rollers and he's running the pins and rollers dry. He keeps blowing chains and doesn't know why....
That is absolutely one of the downsides of wax as a lubricate...short ranges. You really have to stay on top of the regular re-waxing. I've found that Silca's Super Secret Lube works great to top-up the wax and requires less time and effort than a full wax bath.
Hello everybody :) A cheap and simple rice-cooker is ok to liquefy the wax? how much chain treatment can be done before having to put in new wax? Has anyone compared the life of their chain between standard oil lubrication versus this wax technique, if so what is the verdict? with this wax technique, are the gear shifts as smooth, precise, silent as with a quality oil? Best regards.
Thanks for posting this. I am also experimenting with waxing a non-pavement bike. I'm doing my hardtail mountain bike that does double duty as a gravel bike. I am interested in how it hold up on our super dusty gravel roads as well as actual mountain biking.
Have you tried Silca’s Drip Wax yet? th-cam.com/video/1QrI4Qlqu20/w-d-xo.html I explain it better in this video but it lasts a good bit before getting squeaky. Another viewer suggested heating up the bottled wax container before application as this helps to stick better to the chain
Short answer, yes. I’ve been using wax chains for well over 2 years by now and have found that on the first 1 or 2 rides it will be fairly silent, but then as the wax wears off a slight metallic noise begins to creep in. Especially on the more extreme end of the gear range. That said, the benefit of a cleaner & easier to maintain waxed chain far outweighs the con of a bit more noise.
@@MountainRoadRide thanks for answering that quick. another thing that couth my attention was the fact that a waxed chain feels some sort of stiff when you move the links with your fingers even after some riding. there is a tiny bit of resistance that i couldnt feel on a wetlube chain.
Yes, more like what we saw at the BWR held in Utah recently. I wish we had more roads like that in my area, but here on the East coast I find more rocky/clay-like gravel roads (it rains a lot!). Something to look into the next time I get to go ride on some dry dusty roads in another part of the country.
Glad that the video was helpful! Ski wax, now that sounds really interesting. If you find that doing the full wax bath takes a lot of time, then be sure to also look at drip wax like Silca’s Super Secret chain lube. I made a full review of that here (th-cam.com/video/1QrI4Qlqu20/w-d-xo.html). I’ve seen that lots of people have had good success with a full initial wax bath and then using the Silca wax to top it up every once in a while.
@@MountainRoadRide ok, thanks! ill look into it. The reason i am interested in Fluorocarbon ski wax is because it contaisns flourocarbon which are extremely hydrophobic. it would keep the chain really dry and clean.
I didn't, but I was doing the whole wax procedure outside on a well ventilated porch. When working indoors it might be wise to rather be on the safe side.
On my road bike I found that Oz Cycle’s recommendation of every 250-300km was spot-on. However on the gravel bike, with the 1x set-up, the additional strain on the chain means that I need to re-wax around 200kms. Not massive range, hence the 8/10 rating I give it in the video. But that’s where the self-made bottled wax can come in handy.
@@MountainRoadRide I wonder what you do between each main wax , like how do you clean and dry before applying that selfmade bottle-wax on the bike chain after a daily ride in Wet muddy conditions?
Sheldon Brown says on his website that bushingless chains are significantly less susceptible to chain stretch or wear. This seems like valuable information that is not getting the attention it deserves. Are KMC X8(99) chains bushingless? Are any other KMC chains bushingless? Or other, non-KMC chains?
I haven’t dove that far down the chain maintenance rabbit-hole just yet, so can’t offer any insightful answers to your questions. Let’s see if there is someone reading this that can…
@@MountainRoadRide I've been going deeper into this rabbit hole, doing some more research. It does seem that bushingless chains are less susceptible to chain wear and stretch. KMC X8 (/X8.99) chains are apparently bushingless. KMC says they do last longer. Most high-end KMC chains are bushingless. Ditto for high-end Shimano and SRAM chains.
They look a bit weird, true, but they actually feel great. Especially the wider gravel bars that give you plenty of hand positions. Plus being able to pull with the biceps while in the drops make them great for climbing 💪🏻
![[[OFFICIAL MV]] เอิ้นขวัญให้อ้าย- อ๊ะอาย สกุณาพร | ค่ายเพลงเป็นหนึ่ง](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/83x6L3X3qh0/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice video Christin. Glad you used petrol in the initial clean...yes its a harsh chemical but there isnt much else out there that does the cleaning job thoroughly.
Keep up your good videos guys 👍😎
Thanks Steven! How awesome to have the legend himself comment on our video. I enjoyed your latest video about the update and response to all the chain waxing comments. Always find your videos very informative and a great resource to refer to.
Not to mention, using gasoline to clean is the most economical, in both quantity and cost.
Interesting video for sure. I started waxing my road bike chain last year and found that it works well. My process involves using an ultrasonic bath to get the chain super clean before initial waxing. I have a glass jar each for gasoline, KrudKutter, and then denatured alcohol. It gets the chain squeaky (ha!) clean, especially in the rollers where it counts. After the last step I put the chain in an old toaster over to get it dry quickly before rust can think of starting (and it can and will start fast once the oils are off it). Next, I fill the ultrasonic cleaner with very hot water and get it to about 168 degrees. Another jar has my wax (I prefer Silca's Secret Chain Blend. It seems to work better than the Oz Cyclist formula, which I also tried). Once the wax melts I drop my chain in and let it run for about 15min to deep seat the wax in all the rollers, then pull it and hang to dry. FWIW I've re-used my Shimano quick-links, and although not recommended, I've never had one break. Also, it can be an advantage to have a second chain of the same length pre-waxed. This allows you to swap out a dirty chain for a fresh one and keep doing rides without the pressure to get the dirty one ready to go. One last thought- to clean my dirty waxed chain, I use an old electric tea kettle and boil water that I then pour down the length of the hanging chain. It will melt the wax and wash the chain clean. Cheers.
Lots of awesome suggestions in this comment! Great timing as well. I have a new road bike chain that I needs to be prepped for waxing. Wish I had that ultrasonic cleaner, but will be trying out a few of the other steps in your process. The old toaster trick is next level!
what about the noise. do wax chains eventually become squeaky?
@@DanTuber what I find is that the chains are generally a little noisier than if they are heavily oiled, however that means with oil you are gathering a lot more grit, dirt, and mess than you would with the wax. So there's a bit of a trade off but I think it's worth it.
Would be great to see a video on what you do between each main (hot slowcooker) wax , like how do you clean and dry the chain before applying that selfmade bottle-wax , after a daily ride in Wet muddy conditions?
Props for recommending Oz Cycle.
Oz does say for heavy rain, extreme mud or winter weather, add some paraffin oil to the mixture to stop the chain and cassette suffering from rust.
Thanks for pointing this out. I actually missed that detail.
OZ does not recommend it anymore as far as I understood. I think it was in his FAQ video where he reverted his view on adding paraffin oil.
@@tomalbert3299 True, he stated in his latest video that he no longer uses oil in his mix because it inevitably attracts some grime. However, he still recommends it for continuously wet weather (like north-eastern Europe [Belgium, Netherlands]). Sadly, there is no perfect do it all chain lube. But even the oil containing waxes perform significantly better (cleanliness, drivetrain longevity) than pure oils. Cheers!
@Dogsdoodas from my point i'd think every issues,FAQ ,how to ,a.s.o, you want to get solved, you 'll find by watching all the episodes from Adams ZERO FRICTION CYCLING on YT. In my opinion the best,most complex and sophisticated access towards the subject "immersive chain waxing". If still questions left, go for Yosh Portners SILCA VELO complete waxing guide. After that and roundabout 25 hours of YT ;-)) ,you can graduate on Harvard :-)😀
I love my waxed chain. Never going back
how do you clean it? boiling water doesnt get all the wax out. and when i rewax, all of old stuck in between wax comes out and contaminates my pot of clean wax
Yes brother....With a waxed chain an air compressor (most of the time) can get the bike clean quickly...
Been using wax now for 12 months on all my bikes from road, single speed, to gravel and will never go back! Gravel here in Georgia is usually has clay and sand mixed and can destroy a chain quickly, now I get 200+ miles between waxing and have over 1000 miles on one chain!
That is fantastic! how do you clean and dry and lube your chain in between each wax?
@@olitonottero7620 clean during bike wash with same soap and since it’s wax no need to relube, I usually get 300+ miles on wax without issues! Terrain really determines how often you need to rewax it!
@@olitonottero7620 automotive degreaser and cleaning solvent, then a mix of paraffin wax and speed wax
My friend runs wax instead of lube and his chain looks spotless, but it squeaks like crazy. Which tells me the wax has dissipated out of the rollers and he's running the pins and rollers dry. He keeps blowing chains and doesn't know why....
That is absolutely one of the downsides of wax as a lubricate...short ranges. You really have to stay on top of the regular re-waxing. I've found that Silca's Super Secret Lube works great to top-up the wax and requires less time and effort than a full wax bath.
Hello everybody :)
A cheap and simple rice-cooker is ok to liquefy the wax?
how much chain treatment can be done before having to put in new wax?
Has anyone compared the life of their chain between standard oil lubrication versus this wax technique, if so what is the verdict?
with this wax technique, are the gear shifts as smooth, precise, silent as with a quality oil?
Best regards.
Thats a Great Ride and Review.
Now i really wanna wax my chain.
Thanks and RideSafe always
I wondrr if it's good for full on MTB too as it could reduce wear a lot from the cassette staying clean and the chain not being sticky.
Thanks for posting this. I am also experimenting with waxing a non-pavement bike. I'm doing my hardtail mountain bike that does double duty as a gravel bike. I am interested in how it hold up on our super dusty gravel roads as well as actual mountain biking.
Glad you liked it! Let us know how it goes and how the waxed chain works for you on the off-roads.
I've tried the cold wax lubes. Got sick of the squeaking.
Have you tried Silca’s Drip Wax yet? th-cam.com/video/1QrI4Qlqu20/w-d-xo.html I explain it better in this video but it lasts a good bit before getting squeaky. Another viewer suggested heating up the bottled wax container before application as this helps to stick better to the chain
@@MountainRoadRide No haven't tried those. Gone back to regular oil lubes. Yes it gets messy quickly but the silence is worth it.
Very well done. Helped me to the max. Thanks
That’s awesome, so glad that it was helpful!
do you notice any difference in terms of noise from the drivetrain compared to wetlubes?
Short answer, yes. I’ve been using wax chains for well over 2 years by now and have found that on the first 1 or 2 rides it will be fairly silent, but then as the wax wears off a slight metallic noise begins to creep in. Especially on the more extreme end of the gear range. That said, the benefit of a cleaner & easier to maintain waxed chain far outweighs the con of a bit more noise.
@@MountainRoadRide thanks for answering that quick. another thing that couth my attention was the fact that a waxed chain feels some sort of stiff when you move the links with your fingers even after some riding. there is a tiny bit of resistance that i couldnt feel on a wetlube chain.
How to know if the chain needs a rewax? I see empty gaps between the roller and inner plates.
It starts squeaking
I would be curious about dry dusty gravel rides like 50+ miles.
Yes, more like what we saw at the BWR held in Utah recently. I wish we had more roads like that in my area, but here on the East coast I find more rocky/clay-like gravel roads (it rains a lot!). Something to look into the next time I get to go ride on some dry dusty roads in another part of the country.
@@MountainRoadRide The C&O when its dry is probably the closest thing we'd have. The dust from the towpath is real in the dry.
Is that a 2 liter slowcooker?
This one is even a bit smaller. It’s 1.5 quarts (~1.4L). The smaller size helps to heat up the wax quicker.
im totally convinced! im gonna use a blend of UH-flouro/molybdenum/graphite cold temp nordic ski wax for my chain!
Glad that the video was helpful! Ski wax, now that sounds really interesting. If you find that doing the full wax bath takes a lot of time, then be sure to also look at drip wax like Silca’s Super Secret chain lube. I made a full review of that here (th-cam.com/video/1QrI4Qlqu20/w-d-xo.html). I’ve seen that lots of people have had good success with a full initial wax bath and then using the Silca wax to top it up every once in a while.
@@MountainRoadRide ok, thanks! ill look into it. The reason i am interested in Fluorocarbon ski wax is because it contaisns flourocarbon which are extremely hydrophobic. it would keep the chain really dry and clean.
Do you use a mask for the steams from the ptfe and wax?
I didn't, but I was doing the whole wax procedure outside on a well ventilated porch. When working indoors it might be wise to rather be on the safe side.
Good video, how long did it last before reapplying?
On my road bike I found that Oz Cycle’s recommendation of every 250-300km was spot-on. However on the gravel bike, with the 1x set-up, the additional strain on the chain means that I need to re-wax around 200kms. Not massive range, hence the 8/10 rating I give it in the video. But that’s where the self-made bottled wax can come in handy.
@@MountainRoadRide I wonder what you do between each main wax , like how do you clean and dry before applying that selfmade bottle-wax on the bike chain after a daily ride in Wet muddy conditions?
Sheldon Brown says on his website that bushingless chains are significantly less susceptible to chain stretch or wear.
This seems like valuable information that is not getting the attention it deserves.
Are KMC X8(99) chains bushingless? Are any other KMC chains bushingless? Or other, non-KMC chains?
I haven’t dove that far down the chain maintenance rabbit-hole just yet, so can’t offer any insightful answers to your questions. Let’s see if there is someone reading this that can…
@@MountainRoadRide I've been going deeper into this rabbit hole, doing some more research. It does seem that bushingless chains are less susceptible to chain wear and stretch. KMC X8 (/X8.99) chains are apparently bushingless. KMC says they do last longer.
Most high-end KMC chains are bushingless. Ditto for high-end Shimano and SRAM chains.
Fantastic
Drop bars on a mtb trail looks weird. lol
They look a bit weird, true, but they actually feel great. Especially the wider gravel bars that give you plenty of hand positions. Plus being able to pull with the biceps while in the drops make them great for climbing 💪🏻
Yikers