Thanks for your instructional videos on waxing the chain. I followed your instructions and it worked like a charm. The first 10 miles it was alittle noisey but I still noticed a difference in the shifting. Much smoother. By the time the 30 miles was done, the noise went away and I was not thinking about anything but how good the bike felt and and how shiny the drivetrain looked. No more grease marks on my legs after I carry my bike up to my 2nd floor apartment. Thanks again and keep your great energy.
Thanks so much! I recently started using wax on my bike chain and was Google-ing on how to clean the wax. Google brought me to your TH-cam channel. Very useful sharing. Learning a lot, including how to clean my cassettes too. Realized that I had been spraying water on my bottom bracket when washing my bike! Hope I don't do much damage to it.
Thanks for this tutorial!!! I followed your steps and my bike so far is running a bit smoother and quieter. You are very thorough and informative. Great Job!!!
Thank you sir. I just recently started Waxing chains and glad you did this video. I did learn a few things I have been doing wrong....Notch this up as another pearla of a video mate.
When I was a kid, I had a few crappy racing bikes for the majority of my youth. I never cleaned, replaced or worried about the chain ever and got stupid miles from them all. Now I have a $2500. fat Ebike with 4" tires, a 750W rear hub motor with a 52v battery. I recently purchased a Wippermann Connex 908 chain which I plan on using parafin only, especially your new formula as soon as you make that video. I know parafin far exceeds any other chain lube so last year I followed another person's video on how to make a parafin/xylene mix for application in a bottle. It's too messy, so I look forward to your new recipe.
Hmmmm...quenching makes a lot of sense. I wonder if an easier way to clean off the surface was though would be to just hang it and do a very quick pass with a blow torch. Just enough to get the surface wax melted without heating up the chain too much
'Preciate the upload, and simple, clear and concise explanations in your vids. Just installed my first hot waxed chain. Does everything you've described. Now a permanent waxer. Massive difference between wax and oil lubing. - Grabbed a 2nd hand electric frypan, as cheap as free, from a nice retired couple, the pan is old, so far superior quality to today's crap. - Grabbed all the ingredients from the hardware for the hot wax and wet lube versions. - Hot wax: didn't have to run 1:1 mix of wax and parrafin oil...I mixed 30-40% oil. - First ride was at 0.4 degrees, cold and invigorating, the chain was fine. - Have yet to make up a batch of wet lube. My shit quality entry level Norco Storm 1 requiring upgrades. Lesson learnt...never, never, never buy "entry level" anything, you're just wasting your hard earned $ Final upgrades...some installed...some on their way... Sunrace 11-42T cassette , Shimano XTR rapid rise 9 speed der, old model Deore 3sp front der, Deore M6000 shifters, Connex chain and either Sunrace or Shimano 26-36-48 hollow crankset.
I think I have discovered a great method for drawing wax into the chain rollers. Steps: Melt wax and Teflon and stir as usual, turn off slow cooker and let cool and cake totally, remove caked wax/Teflon patty from slow cooker, place cleaned chain on bottom of slow cooker, get a heat gun and set to high and heat clean chain to some high temp 121° C (or more?), once the chain is heated, place the cooled wax/Teflon patty on top of the heated chain. The heat of the chain will melt and draw the wax into the rollers and at the same time quickly come to an equilibrium temperature. This is the same principle electronic soldering is based on, heat is applied to the components you want to solder, place solder on component connections and the solder is heated, melted and sucked into the small openings/connecting points of the board and component. One thing that needs to be sorted out is the best orientation of the chain when placed in the cooker for heating. Seems the ideal position would be with rollers exposed, but this may be problematic as the chain will need to be folded a couple of times to have rollers exposed within the cooker. Having the chain in a spiral pattern on the bottom of the slow cooker will require the wax to melt down and under the links and then into the rollers. Another option is to have the chain laid out straight out side of the cooker with all roller exposed (perhaps on a piece of wood?) and heated and then the wax/Teflon patty dragged across the heated chain... Thoughts? Great channel and content by the way.
Sorry but your method of wax application is way too fast, in my understanding. I'm not sure if there is enough time for liquid wax to really get deep into chain links. I think you need to ensure at least 10min for the wax to get in...
In the cooker the wax has finished getting in when you move the chain and there are no more air bubbles getting out. It's not like baking a cake. But you need to make sure is that the chain has reached the same temperature as the liquid wax, otherwise the wax will cool and stop moving before fully reaching inside.
I switched to chain waxing after watching one of your other videos and love it! My improvised technique is to do a 2-stage waxing. 1st stage i just drop the dirty chain into previously used dirty wax. Wax has a density less than water so all the grit immediately sinks to the bottom. I move the links to free up any grit then move it to the 2nd bowl of clean wax. I'll swish it around again moving the links to get any remaining grit then hang to drip dry. Very easy and does the trick.
I'm a huge fan of waxing chains. They stay cleaner longer too. I use KMC X11- SL so have lots of space for excess wax to be cleaned out from. I run 2 road chains and simply swap them over between cleans. I'll clean the one just coming off in Diggers Wax And Grease Remover then soak it in Paraffin Oil until ready to re-wax. Cheers and thanks for the cold water trick, I just usually just let it drain let most the other folks.
Thank you Mr Oz. Just finished up waxing my chain for the first time using your methods and am really happy with the results. Really appreciate the time you took to make and post these videos as they are very informative. Also love hearing the birds chirping in the background. Thanks again.
I've been waxing the chains on all of my bikes for months now after watching your videos, but I don't go through all this. After every 300km, I just put the dirty chain back in the same wax. While the chain is still in, I remove the crock from the cooker (to help the wax cool) and put it on a big magnet. Any grit generally sets to the bottom, and ferrous metal bits immediately go to the bottom. At around 50-54C, I remove the chain and hang it to dry. Once the wax solidifies, I take it out and scrape all the dirty wax (and any metal) off the bottom 3-4mm of it.
Thanx Daaave for telling us your method. Never ceases to impress, all these different methods people use. A magnet on the bottom of the pot to attract metal grit...great idea! What about non-ferris dirt?
I don't monitor temperature or cool in water. Definitely getting 300k here, maybe I'm just lucky? I like the magnet idea. I just dunk and stir until no bubbles, pull out and hang vertically to air dry.
this will be ideal for my track bike. I change cogs and chainrings for different events and I don't want oil on my hands. Track bike never is ridden the rain or dirt so the wax will last a long time
Tim Trial: Wax lasts long even when the bicycle runs in rain and dirt, especially so in fact. Wax has been shown, via an independent study, to be the best of all lubricants available today.
I've tried instead of pull out from its hot wax and dip into cold water, I've stop the heater and waited for the wax getting a little bit cloudy and jelly consistency. I thought the same principle try to stop run off wax when it's liquid.
I pull out the chain out of the hot wax and just let it cool in the air. Works well enough, really. Had the last chain (Shimano) for a year, and it still is not even dropping on the .75 mark on the chain gauge. Used it spring/summer/fall on a hybrid bike that sees all kinds of use from road to light trails, dusty and dry, and all weather types from heat to snow. Commuting and adventure alike. Only replaced it because I wanted to try a KMC chain. Also: If not feeling like it is worth bothering cleaning your chain to an extreme level before you applying new wax, then just dump it in a container with some petrol and let soak for 15 mins while having a beer. Then pull out, wipe off, and let air dry until all petrol has evaporated. Repeat if you really want to, but do not overdo it. Soaking in petrol will not get it all clean, but clean enough. Once done with the petrol (and it has evaporated off!), dip in wax. And not to have to worry about the wax getting dirty, simply mix a larger batch of wax to your liking. Then let it cool, and divide into right size lumps that you store separately. When about to wax your chain, melt one lump and use only once. All you need is enough wax at the bottom of the pan to cover the chain. Not more. If it gets a bit dirty? So what? Throw away afterwards, and be done with it. Low cost, less work intensive, less messing about with degreaser, and way way easier. Chain will still be fine for many thousands of kilometers and it will still run smooth. Take care of your chain, but do not overdo it or you will get tired of it all really fast. And once you have grown tired of it, you are back to squirting some lube on it every now and then. And that will wear it out way faster than waxing the lazy way!
Good idea using small batches, Per....mite try that myself. Petrol leaves a light oily film which doesnt allow wax to stick hence using degreaser after the petrol. Great your getting so much mileage out of your chains!
T'was you taught me in the first place. ;) I recon that since petrol comes from the same barrel of crude as paraffin oil and paraffin, the remaining grease from the petrol should not really matter. I might be wrong but so far it seems to work just fine anyway. And I always end up with loads of wax on my cogs regardless of having the chain "drip dry" after exiting the hot wax bath, so I think that there is enough wax left internally. (Maybe I should be more carful getting the wax out of the chain?) However, this "easy and dirty" method that I am promoting might not work in warmer climates than where I live (Sweden), which has a sort of average temp of between +20 C and -10 C over the course of a year. However, I mix 1 batch for both winter and summer use respectively, and then fine tune by adding either paraffin or -oil as I heat it up. Makes the entire process a breeze, takes about 30 mins from start to finish including heating and cooling off. I rarely leave the chain in the wax for more than 5 mins. I repeat wax treatment approx at the same intervals as you do, 300K. All this might not be the best method, but it works wonders for me and the riding I do. Keep up the good work with the channel! Cheers!
I waxing too my chain on my mtb.I using this method last 4 monts and is it werry good.Chain is clean and silence long time.Hi a thanks for vid from Czech Republic
Great series, oz. I've been a waxer for years, yours is the first procedure I've seen with emphasis on starting with totally bare stripped metal. I think that's where others fail when they say it doesn't last or rusts. For me gasoline (US) followed by acetone does the job. It's got me thinking though if an ultrasound bath in the melted wax wouldn't do a good job ensuring the wax gets into all the hidden places. I don't have one so don't know if it would keep the wax hot enough.
1:13 "you can use an Ultrasonic Cleaner if ya want" With the petrol in the UltraSonic? No mineral spirits? Thanks for all the amazing tutorials and info Oz. Hi from NYC
Been waxing my chain for a year now and love how clean it keeps the bike and drive chain, but all I do to clean the chain before re-waxing is soak it in a tub of paraffin oil instead of the petrol you use then put the chain straight in the wax bath. The oil tub is then sat on a magnet that draws all the dirt to the bottom before pouring the oil into a separate container so I can clean the gunk out the tub ready for it’s next use. For those of us who ride in colder climates (England for me) has anyone figured out a way to prevent the chain from rusting when they start gritting roads ????
Seems like your approach to waxing has changed. Aren't you happy with your previous solutions? For example, using some lattice to sedement dirt from upper part of wax is brilliant idea. Did something go wrong?
Thanks for the updated waxing video. Even though you wipe the chain after it cools, does any flick off or cake the jockey wheels? I used Squirt lube for 2 years on the mtb chain & liked how clean the chain was but found the jockey wheels, chain rings & cluster were caked with excess wax that didn't drop off as it suggested (or come off with degreaser). I went back to the RockNRoll Gold but with all the dusty trails the chain is gritty after a single ride so find I'm doing a full degrease & lube each ride, no amount of liberal R&R squirting on the chain gets rid of the gritty sound. I'm about to get a few more chains & try your method. I figure doing a few chains at a time will save a bit of time & might prolong the chain ring & cluster life.
Do the hot wax method Stuart. Thoroughly clean chain first. Once waxed,wipe off excess wax on outside of chain....done. You should get minimal wax anywhere on your drivetrain.
I've been using the wax for three months (half oil and paraffin as described) as lubricant because I ride in extreme conditions during winter with my mountain bike (-20 in snow and ice) here down in Montreal. The wax repels dirt and water indeed which is smooth on the drivetrain and reduces the appearance of rust on the chain. I never go beyond 200km before rewaxing. The only thing is that I recently had to change my chain after only 600 km (over 0.5 stretched). Maybe should I add more oil in the recipe considering the cold weather ? Now I'm doing a batch of three at a time to save some time. It's very easy to do and also very cheap. In fact, the whole kit cost me less than 100$ and I think I'll be good for years...
Hi there, first of all thanks for shared the imformation. I followed the same procedures you instructed here with my own chain, ①Firstly, i soaked the chain with petrol(used in my car) overnight; ②Secondly, i soaked with Muc-off bike chain degreaser for several hours; ③Thirdly, soaked with denatured alcohol for two rounds with 30 mins for each. BUT after all those done, i found out my chain actually got rusted, with some minor rust here and there especially between rollers, i didn't pay attention to the chain itself in the 3 steps respectively, so i'm not so sure which step went wrong. One thing to note here is that i didn't do that with the brand new chain, rather after getting the new chain i went out for a few rides straight with factory oil, didn't put any extra lube, was trying to ride off the brand new chain for 2-300 km first then came to the 3 steps mentioned above straight without washing it beforehand, any thoughts on where did i go wrong? Thanks in advance.
@@stevenleffanue I actually did that, the only time it got exposed to the air is in the transition, and i rinse it with tab water before transitioning to the next step. I don't think it is actually waxing part or to-the-wax-pot transition part went wrong, i think it is the problem caused in the cleaning part, anyway, just wanted to post it here to see if you got any thoughts, i just opened up a new Connex chain 2 days ago, i will do another 3-4 more rides and then repeat the same procedures mentioned above, but this time i will pay more attention to the condition before starting the cleaning process as well as the condition at each step and in transition in between, thanks for the reply.
I’m always amazed when someone gives a thumbs down to OzCyclings content. I’ve been following him for years from Cardiff. My BMC, TCR and Super Galaxy have all benefited from his advice. For me he has the best and most approachable bike mechanics site anywhere. Only Peak Torque comes close.
Brilliant, loving the very intelligent methods. I'll definitely be following all this to the tee, much appreciated. $1.80 for those ebay brushes so I ordered 5 lol.
Boil chain in water to clean wax off then soak in metho let it dry then dip in wax. Works for me. I find chain is slipperiest when it has been run in and has very thin coating in the links so not sure it matters to dip in cold water. Love Connex links!
Unfortunately boiling water doesnt remove all foreign matter on and in a chain....even boiling it for quite some time. Try it, you will end up with a lot of dirt in the metholated spirits.
oz cycle No probably not as good as degreaser or Ultra sonic cleaner which I plan to get but boiling gets my chain pretty clean I swish it around a lot and dirt easily rubs off the outside in boiling water. Just means don't need any chemicals. I also use mixture of palm and bees wax rather than paraffin.
There is something that makes me shiver placing my freshly waxed chain in water. Fortunately I have a deep freeze 2-feet away from my work bench. Using a couple of old spokes bent at 90° I extract my chain from the skinned over wax and plop it on a pie pan which I had pre placed in the freezer. 90 seconds later solid waxed ball.
hi oz to give a final review the ptfe never mixed well with the wax but i am on my third chain rewax with the same wax solution in the rice cooker and I am extremely happy with cleanliness and wear on the chain and also how quickly I can do a reapply every 400 km . I have also purchased a connex chain and link under your recommendation for my second bike a ridley Noah fast but havent fittted it yet . I definitely recommend chain waxing even without effective ptfe . too be continued .....
Yeh,the ptfe sinks to the bottom if the liquid wax if let sit still. The chain should sit on the bottom of the pot anyhow when waxing so all is good. Dont forget to swish the too 😁
Great explainations, it sounds good. Nevertheless, before trying it on my bike, i have 2 important questions, and i'm sure i'm not the only one to wonder about it : 1. Isn't that ungood to pour some water directly on all the metal parts ?? (Chain, drivetrain, etc.) 2. ..i guess it isn't, but then : how to DRY totally (i mean : absolutely totally) all that water ? Just by using a tissue ? Thanks a lot, love your energy. Greetings from France. :)
Hy again ... Just a Q , two weeks ago i apply muck off dry lube to dry chain and i see rust starting to appear on side wall of chain ? How do i remove it as its a new chain just 900km on it and how to properly apply lube on chain? Please answer or create a video or refer one that helps. Thanks in advance
You can remove the rust but it will come back again. Best way to avoid rust is to keep the chain coated in the lubricant. There are stainless steel chains on the market.
Thanks for this! But just to warn those about connex links, be sure the tolerances fit with the manufacturers specification. If you run 11 speed campagnolo, the connex links are .01 mm too thick. This interferes with shifting heavily and causes rub on the derailleur cage. I wish I could continue to use the Connex links because they really are amazing
Is it possible to keep the chain too long in the cooking pot (assuming the temperature of the wax is hold stable at 80-90°C)? Or can i leave it in there for something between 30-60min just to be sure the wax get's really everywhere
OZ Cycle, Hello Sir. I am decided to follow your chain waxing route as a way to lubricate my bicycle chain. The only thing I am missing is the Paraffin/Lamp Oil. I have found them easily available at our local DIY/Hardware stores but I can't seem to find one which is COLORLESS. I am thinking, if I use YELLOW paraffin oil, will it ruin the aesthetics of my bicycle? Also, I will still be using white paraffin candles. Maybe it will dilute the yellow paraffin oil somewhat to lighten its yellow color. Appreciate your input Sir. Thanks in advance.
@@stevenleffanue Thank you very much Sir. You have just made a new sub out of me. Best DIY I have seen regarding bikes. More so that it is scientifically proven. Long life and more power to you Sir. We need more people like you.
@@stevenleffanue Oh! Another thing, I was in a bike shop here in the philippines and was promoting your channel to other bikers there while I was waiting for the shop attendant to adjust my gas forks. They never imagined that all there supposedly professional chain lubes are worth nothing compared to paraffin wax.
What's the logic of doing the run in period of a new chain with the factory grease? Are there sharp edges and burrs in the new parts that you want to smoothen and polish down and is grease or oil quite a bit better at either protecting or wearing in the chain compared to wax? It's been raining a lot where I live; is it ok to add extra oil to my chain during the run in period, to prevent rust?
I'm going to try your idea, paraffin wax and teflon, but my bike shop doesn't approve. I've tried Squirt and BananaSlip bike wax and as soon as it rains the chain goes rusty. They say it's okay inside, but a rusty chain looks worrying. Squirt say to rewax if it rains. It rains all the time here in the UK. BananaSlip make a motorbike version for extreme conditions, trails bikes in the wet, but their cycle chain version seems to be different.
I ended up here from advice in the review section for MSW. Looking forward to trying your alternative. Edit: found the sprayer. I can't believe they are new to me :)
Question On Re-Waxing: It is possible to mistakenly orient the "top" of the chain to the "bottom" on reinstallation, while still keeping the logo facing out. Is there any easy trick to keeping this straight? I don;t see you taking note of this in the process(?). I have a Shimano chain, where the right side logo orientation alternates, right side up, and down, so that doesn't help. I have considered leaving the quicklink fastended to one side when dropping into the wax, and just remembering (or noting) the side. Am I overthinking it?
Great video as always! Wax on my road bike (applied following your original method exactly) seems to be lasting over 500 miles so far... I have waxed most of my bikes, my wife's and kid's bmx bikes ( really just so I don't get grime over myself when I need to work on them :-)). Are you sponsored by yoeleo now or just love their product? :-) Also quick question.. Why the 400k bake-in period? Why wouldn't you strip the factory grease and wax straight away?
High performance lubing your kids bikes....nice move 😁. Not sponsored by anyone...yes Yoeleo are careful what they sell. Run-in period to get initial excess metal out of the chain....better with thicker lube than thin.
There are some chemicals that gather on our chains that degreaser cant disolve but petrol will. You dont need much petrol to do the job tho,just a small amount in a jar ir container with a good fitting lid.
I bought some paraffin wax just a few hours ago for this reason but you didn't tell us about the snap freeze cold water trick in your other videos. I have just been hanging it up until its cool, the cold water method makes sense.
Yeh, I had to be sure the cold water idea worked first....been doing it successfully for just over a year now on all bikes and it works a treat. Hope it works for you too.
is this the same wax formula as you previously used? Parts paraffin wax and oil? The cool water was a genius idea BTW! Triples the mileage I get before re-waxing. Thanks a million!
i tested chain to see what is longest milage it can stand before chain is destroyed- it is no more than 150km by single waxing. if you wax chain on 150km or less it can last at least for double life
Oz, I've been waxing chains for 2 years now, but found using standard wax/parafin mix it didnt last - even when keeping the temperature just over 50C. I've since moved over to Molten speed wax and im really impressed by the results. It runs quietly too. Strangely Mlolten Speed Wax needs to get to 92C, possibly because of the other ingedients ,but is really stiff after cooling.
Rapid cooling the chain from the hot wax bath increases its useful lifespan...a lot of people were allowing the chain to drip cool which was not the best way. Yes, you will need to work each link before putting it on the bike with "Moltens wax".
Thank you. Yesterday I thoroughly cleaned the chains of my two bikes, then waxed them according to your recipe Paraffin + Paraffin Oil (1:1). It turned out Great. However since I could not find PTFE powder here in Kosovo where I live, By chance I stumbled on a ABRO P400 Carnauba car polishing wax with the base of........guess......PTFE/Teflon. Immediately bought a package which content is similar to pudding in texture. Since I already made 400 gr candles + 400 ml paraffin oil, added 40 gr (two tbsp) of Carnauba PTFE wax, put it on the heater and turned out even Greater! After cooling down compared the results of both recipes by how they feel with fingers. I can tell that the enriched recipe with the P400 wax is way more slippery and has less friction. Now since I already treated my chains with your original recipe, I’ll wait for the 300 km phase then use the one with the car polish wax. It is indeed fun to experiment and seems this formula is flawless for it keeps the chain even cleaner, it lubricates better and it Polishes the chain to shine. Thank you Steve for your honestly human approach to cycling. Rinoni from Kosova.
I think I know what causes the difference in wear between a MSW waxed chain and un-waxed. It is of course strange that a waxed chains shows more wear than an un-waxed. The tension on the chain is in one direction, making the MSW shift from one side to the otherside inside the chain. It remains there and is not shifting back. Now when you clean it the pinion is shfting back to the middle of the chain. Conclusion is in my opinion that the teflon is probably less easy shifting in the chain and keeping therefor the pinion more in the middle of the hole. Deriving from this you could conclude that MSW is less lubricating the chain at the spot where the tension builds up inside the chain. This also explains the final wear is higher of the MWS waxed chain.
As a BMX'er I don't care about micro improvement in efficiency, or prolonging chain life. What I want is to not get grease on my leg. Waxing still attracts dirt from the look of it. I wipe and lube my chain every ride almost. Years ago I had a can of synthetic lube from Castrol that was teflon based. That seemed to work in actually repelling dirt. Wish I could find a similar product. Everything synthetic seems silicone based these days. Any thoughts are welcome.
2 methods... 1/You can mix ptfe powder with candle wax instead of paraffin oil...that would do what you want. 2/Always keep outside of the chain as clean as possible whilst keeping inside parts lubed.
I think issue is being Queensland and the humidity the product sweated in the bag and turned the powder to a clay and it just wouldn’t separate and hotter it got in the molten wax the worse it turned into chewing gum . Something unlikely to occur in victor harbour. Story of my life lol .
Can you coat a chain with silicone? Will it work? Sounds insane, but it would be a think semi clear coat of protection, much like wax! I know you're a curious clever guy,...so i was hoping you'd have an answer and save me the trouble of ruining my chain. : )
@@stevenleffanue You answered! : ) Aloha from Hawaii! I spent a summer in the middle of Queensland on a farm in high school! I'mthe Thinkinsanely stupid idea?
@@stevenleffanue I was far south, so was pretty dry. About the silicone, im not talking about spray lube, im talking about the silicone caulking. The same OMS/caulking mix you made in your water proofing video. Could you make a thick version of that and dip a chain in it, the way we do with wax? Would it work? Or is it a terrible idea?
What do you recommend if the rollers always freeze up after relaxing? Izumi chains are smaller and they won’t roll after on the bike. It’s loud af and grinds the heck out of the drivetrain
Yes I do I used the m speed wax whole system and I followed your cleaning method.. I emailed MSPEEDWAX about the issue and he said put the the chain on hot and ride immediately but it made a huge mess and the wax just runs out.
Thanks for your great videos, can I ask about those connex links..... they seen really lose do they ever come undone? I’d hate to damage my new 3k bike.....
The core issue with all this is the exposed drive train design. This stuff is a lot of work and most people will just refuse to do it. I just got to the point where i just replace the chain soon as it starts grinding. Its not worth the hassle. But its a good tutorial.
I just melted down the wax/oil combination again, turned off the gas and waited 45 minutes with chain in and still didn't see the film on the top layer. Maybe I need to add more wax. It does eventually get that film layer but the liquid is almost cold at this point. How long does it take to get that film in your experience?
uppon2, do you know if this video is still using the xylene/paraffin oil/paraffin wax mixture, or are we now on paraffin oil/paraffin wax, or just paraffin wax? I thought this video was an upgrade from xylene/paraffin oil/paraffin wax mixture, to straight paraffin wax only, as Oz said in another comment "Xylene based wax is temporary fix on. All info in this vid is for hot wax method". This is very confusing.
Arahorn The Xylene is only added for the lubrication that you bottle up for squirt on use. The waxing of the chain is different. It's only 50/50 Parrafin Candles/ Paraffin oil.
Oh my goodness I can't believe I misinterpreted the previous videos! I have watched both those versions, but obviously still got it twisted. I must go back and rewatch them. Wow. I just mistakenly bought some Xylene yesterday, woops! Expensive stuff too. Not to worry, I'll go back and rewatch the videos. Now I'm back on track. Thanks so much! Did you read Oz's revealing reply to a commenter who questioned the use of the factory lube? Oz: "It [the factory lube] provides a good medium for breaking in the chain, as it holds all the tiny shards of metal coming off during that initial period which would cause more damage if is was a lighter lubricant. Once washed out, the chain can be run with lighter lubes...like wax. Note that the outside of a chain should be clean at all times to minimize dirt attraction."
I just rewatched the chain videos and you're absolutely right, I don't know how I got that twisted. I also discovered there are a couple of follow-up chain waxing videos which answer commonly-asked questions, which was informative too. The method does end up cheap, candles are cheap, paraffin oil is cheap, and then you're reusing the tub over and over and over again. Incredibly cheap compared to the bottled stuff you buy, as well as being better both in keeping drivetrain clean as well as performance.
@@stevenleffanue hey there this is danny the for getting back to me so fast I'm literally in garage now doing this tonite but hey what is petrol are you referring to gas?? Since ur in Australia I'm here in the US... and also is it the gas that breaks down the wax cuz I remember the gas breaks down heavy oils so is it the gas?? Then degreaser then meth spirit... this method is so sweet the process is a bit consuming but I think the benefits are truly way better peace OZ thx!!!
May I ask why you suggest to ride the bike for the first 500k on the store grease? Can I just degrease the chain from the off and wax it straight away?
Yes, you can wax a new chain straight out of it packaging. It's a suggestion for those who want maximum low friction. Riding a new chain first, then cleaning it completely, will help get rid of the swarf.
So if PTFE doesn't actually dissolve and become a whole solution with the paraffin wax, how will the PTFE actually get into the chain if it simply has a tendency to clump to the bottom of the crock pot.
How do you clean chain between waxing. Lots of dust settles while riding. So how do we clean that? If we use degreaser or petrol, wont the wax in chain diminish or completely go away?
As explained in the video clean outside of your chain between each ride...attracts minimal dirt. When needing rewax,simply put it in hot wax. If chain begins to feel gritty, its time for complete clean and rewax.
Hi Stephen, can you please tell us how long the Wipperman connex link should last. I must have had mine in for about 3000km by now I notice it's hard to remove one of the halves from the chain, it's like the pin has burred over. I've also recently found my chain jumping in the highest gear even though it has not reached 0.05% stretch yet (chain is over 4000km old and cleaned/waxed regularly using your method) . It is possible that the quick link itself has elongated it is somehow responsible for the chain skipping?
Thanks muchly Stephen. I had it the wrong way. I also found a burr on one of the teeth of the 11 cog which I filed off. Possibly the link was catching on that and lifting. Anyway problem looks like it might be solved.
I have a problem with my Wax mixture when doing the Chain on the Bike. It's 36.2 C here and the Wax although hot goes solid too quickly as it goes onto the Chain. The mixture is exactly the proportion that you have in your original Waxing Video.
In this video there is one, I believe, very important detail, missing in 99% videos from other enthusiasts. After 10-15min of soaking chain in hot wax (even if there are no more bubbles coming out) DON'T pull out your chain while wax is still quite warm. Wait for the wax to cool of a bit, until it reaches less that 60°C or just before way starts to solidify. If you don't want to wait that long then put the chain from wax straight to cold water. Am I right?
Just got a new SRAM PC951 chain, and the first thing I did was thoroughly degrease it. I finished by rinsing with water, and it's RUSTED! The links feel quite rough and gritty. Should I discard this chain, and get a better quality one, that is plated? By the way, I didn't realise that I was supposed to "run it in" first, with the factory packing grease.
@@stevenleffanue Thanks for the quick reply. I just watched another video of yours about thoroughly cleaning - I did not finish up with the metho. Would that have helped to remove the water, or at least greatly dilute it? I suspect so. Just by the way, I intend to first try "Squirt" lube, rather than the hot wax bath method......unless you strongly advise against it. 😃
When the waxed chain is to dirty you can take a heat gun or put it in hot water and the dirt with the wax come out of you chain. Soak it in petrol may not pull out the whole wax.
I do it the same way with ultrasound my last chain lasted 3000 mile,s ! just put a knew one on today ! I wipe and clean my bike every ride and polish it to ! The tacky grease that comes with a knew chain is a pain !
Hi Oz Cycle, thanks for these videos, I have been religiously using this method for some time now, the only issue I have is that I find the chain gets rather loud after only around 10 miles or so, I know they often say a loud chain can be a fast chain but I kind of like the chain to be quieter, I am currently running one chain with your wax method and one with wet lube and the wet lube one stays quiet so much longer (but has the pain of getting filthy so fast), is there any way in which to quieten the chain using wax? Should I add more paraffin oil so the wax isn’t so firm? Thanks in advance Lee
Hi Lee. Immersing your chain in hot wax is the best method as it allows the wax to get into the chain rather than just on it. You will then get 250-300km each waxing.
oz cycle I have been immersing my chain in hot wax, using a crock pot I heat a mix of wax and paraffin oil, the chain is left in there for maybe an hour or so while the wax cools and thickens, I then drop it into cold water and all is good. It’s just the chain becomes noisy after only 10 miles or so, maybe this is normal and wax is just noisier than oil??
Yes, I use your method of cleaning with petrol and then degreasing, the chain is sparkling and can feel when holding the chain it’s clear of any wax or oil in the rollers. Could it be that I have added too much paraffin? Does the wax method work better with a much harder wax rather than one that has been made softer with the paraffin?? P.s. thanks for replying by the way 👍
You can actually just use wax with no paraffin oil and you should still get at least 200km before sounding dry. Difficult to say whats going wrong Lee. Id say post the chain to me and I will find out whats going on 😁. Is the chain at or below .5% wear?
@@stevenleffanue Hi there. Sorry for being a pain...I meant if I had not break in the chain but waxed it straight away. Is this OK to carry on with wax?
Everyone seems to have their own opinion and technique as to whether or not to remove the factory grease, how to degrease and clean, how and how often to clean and rewax, what chain and quick link to use, etc.
Im in florida. I can take a brand new chain and within 1 ride its grinding badly. After checking the entire chain is full of sugar sand. The only way i have been able to stop this is to strip the chain and use a super light oil like mineral oil then clean it all off the outside. Even after doing this the chain starts grinding badly very fast. In the end sugar sand seems to be the absolute worst type of terrain to ride in. The chain wears outs every 3 or 4 rides. Its a complete nightmare.
Thanks for your instructional videos on waxing the chain. I followed your instructions and it worked like a charm. The first 10 miles it was alittle noisey but I still noticed a difference in the shifting. Much smoother. By the time the 30 miles was done, the noise went away and I was not thinking about anything but how good the bike felt and and how shiny the drivetrain looked. No more grease marks on my legs after I carry my bike up to my 2nd floor apartment. Thanks again and keep your great energy.
Nice to hear your experience 😁
Yes but you it requires a lot more time and more rinses.
Thanks so much! I recently started using wax on my bike chain and was Google-ing on how to clean the wax. Google brought me to your TH-cam channel. Very useful sharing. Learning a lot, including how to clean my cassettes too. Realized that I had been spraying water on my bottom bracket when washing my bike! Hope I don't do much damage to it.
Knew I had seen you reference the new chain run-in. Thanks Oz very much for your great contributions to cycling.
This process is the bomb. Like so many other suggested service processes this is very effective. Thank you Oz cycle
Thanks for this tutorial!!! I followed your steps and my bike so far is running a bit smoother and quieter. You are very thorough and informative. Great Job!!!
Vey nice video! I work in a candle making small factory so i can wax my chain all the time.
Thank you sir. I just recently started Waxing chains and glad you did this video. I did learn a few things I have been doing wrong....Notch this up as another pearla of a video mate.
Ravin Premji what he does the video is it not the correct way to wax your chain!
@@Urgento22 What you do in your criticism is not explain what you mean. As such, your post means nothing.
When I was a kid, I had a few crappy racing bikes for the majority of my youth. I never cleaned, replaced or worried about the chain ever and got stupid miles from them all. Now I have a $2500. fat Ebike with 4" tires, a 750W rear hub motor with a 52v battery. I recently purchased a Wippermann Connex 908 chain which I plan on using parafin only, especially your new formula as soon as you make that video. I know parafin far exceeds any other chain lube so last year I followed another person's video on how to make a parafin/xylene mix for application in a bottle. It's too messy, so I look forward to your new recipe.
Hmmmm...quenching makes a lot of sense. I wonder if an easier way to clean off the surface was though would be to just hang it and do a very quick pass with a blow torch. Just enough to get the surface wax melted without heating up the chain too much
Another fantastic video. Love your methodologies on the smallest of details as well as the different and practical approach on cleaning the bike
'Preciate the upload, and simple, clear and concise explanations in your vids.
Just installed my first hot waxed chain. Does everything you've described. Now a permanent waxer. Massive difference between wax and oil lubing.
- Grabbed a 2nd hand electric frypan, as cheap as free, from a nice retired couple, the pan is old, so far superior quality to today's crap.
- Grabbed all the ingredients from the hardware for the hot wax and wet lube versions.
- Hot wax: didn't have to run 1:1 mix of wax and parrafin oil...I mixed 30-40% oil.
- First ride was at 0.4 degrees, cold and invigorating, the chain was fine.
- Have yet to make up a batch of wet lube.
My shit quality entry level Norco Storm 1 requiring upgrades. Lesson learnt...never, never, never buy "entry level" anything, you're just wasting your hard earned $
Final upgrades...some installed...some on their way...
Sunrace 11-42T cassette , Shimano XTR rapid rise 9 speed der, old model Deore 3sp front der, Deore M6000 shifters, Connex chain and either Sunrace or Shimano 26-36-48 hollow crankset.
I think I have discovered a great method for drawing wax into the chain rollers. Steps: Melt wax and Teflon and stir as usual, turn off slow cooker and let cool and cake totally, remove caked wax/Teflon patty from slow cooker, place cleaned chain on bottom of slow cooker, get a heat gun and set to high and heat clean chain to some high temp 121° C (or more?), once the chain is heated, place the cooled wax/Teflon patty on top of the heated chain. The heat of the chain will melt and draw the wax into the rollers and at the same time quickly come to an equilibrium temperature. This is the same principle electronic soldering is based on, heat is applied to the components you want to solder, place solder on component connections and the solder is heated, melted and sucked into the small openings/connecting points of the board and component.
One thing that needs to be sorted out is the best orientation of the chain when placed in the cooker for heating. Seems the ideal position would be with rollers exposed, but this may be problematic as the chain will need to be folded a couple of times to have rollers exposed within the cooker. Having the chain in a spiral pattern on the bottom of the slow cooker will require the wax to melt down and under the links and then into the rollers. Another option is to have the chain laid out straight out side of the cooker with all roller exposed (perhaps on a piece of wood?) and heated and then the wax/Teflon patty dragged across the heated chain... Thoughts? Great channel and content by the way.
Sorry but your method of wax application is way too fast, in my understanding. I'm not sure if there is enough time for liquid wax to really get deep into chain links. I think you need to ensure at least 10min for the wax to get in...
In the cooker the wax has finished getting in when you move the chain and there are no more air bubbles getting out. It's not like baking a cake. But you need to make sure is that the chain has reached the same temperature as the liquid wax, otherwise the wax will cool and stop moving before fully reaching inside.
I switched to chain waxing after watching one of your other videos and love it! My improvised technique is to do a 2-stage waxing. 1st stage i just drop the dirty chain into previously used dirty wax. Wax has a density less than water so all the grit immediately sinks to the bottom. I move the links to free up any grit then move it to the 2nd bowl of clean wax. I'll swish it around again moving the links to get any remaining grit then hang to drip dry. Very easy and does the trick.
So 2 bowls of hot wax? Never thot of doing that. Amazing how many ways to do the same thing! Thanx for that Phenoge.
I'm a huge fan of waxing chains. They stay cleaner longer too. I use KMC X11- SL so have lots of space for excess wax to be cleaned out from. I run 2 road chains and simply swap them over between cleans. I'll clean the one just coming off in Diggers Wax And Grease Remover then soak it in Paraffin Oil until ready to re-wax. Cheers and thanks for the cold water trick, I just usually just let it drain let most the other folks.
Thank you Mr Oz.
Just finished up waxing my chain for the first time using your methods and am really happy with the results.
Really appreciate the time you took to make and post these videos as they are very informative. Also love hearing the birds chirping in the background.
Thanks again.
Good to hear John...thanx for the feedback 😁
From california to you guys ....thank you for such wonderful videos....
I've been waxing the chains on all of my bikes for months now after watching your videos, but I don't go through all this. After every 300km, I just put the dirty chain back in the same wax. While the chain is still in, I remove the crock from the cooker (to help the wax cool) and put it on a big magnet. Any grit generally sets to the bottom, and ferrous metal bits immediately go to the bottom. At around 50-54C, I remove the chain and hang it to dry. Once the wax solidifies, I take it out and scrape all the dirty wax (and any metal) off the bottom 3-4mm of it.
Thanx Daaave for telling us your method. Never ceases to impress, all these different methods people use. A magnet on the bottom of the pot to attract metal grit...great idea! What about non-ferris dirt?
I do mine the same way. I got 10,000 km on my last KMC doing it this way. I add about 10% olive oil in my mix..
I don't monitor temperature or cool in water. Definitely getting 300k here, maybe I'm just lucky? I like the magnet idea. I just dunk and stir until no bubbles, pull out and hang vertically to air dry.
Personally I find just swishing the chain in the wax cleans it plenty for a training chain, plenty of life from it as well
Im just getting started in cycling and your content as been so helpful. Thank you for sharing to everyone. Your channel is amazing!
this will be ideal for my track bike. I change cogs and chainrings for different events and I don't want oil on my hands. Track bike never is ridden the rain or dirt so the wax will last a long time
Yes it would be great for fixed gears Tim.
Tim Trial: Wax lasts long even when the bicycle runs in rain and dirt, especially so in fact. Wax has been shown, via an independent study, to be the best of all lubricants available today.
I've tried instead of pull out from its hot wax and dip into cold water, I've stop the heater and waited for the wax getting a little bit cloudy and jelly consistency. I thought the same principle try to stop run off wax when it's liquid.
I pull out the chain out of the hot wax and just let it cool in the air. Works well enough, really. Had the last chain (Shimano) for a year, and it still is not even dropping on the .75 mark on the chain gauge. Used it spring/summer/fall on a hybrid bike that sees all kinds of use from road to light trails, dusty and dry, and all weather types from heat to snow. Commuting and adventure alike.
Only replaced it because I wanted to try a KMC chain.
Also: If not feeling like it is worth bothering cleaning your chain to an extreme level before you applying new wax, then just dump it in a container with some petrol and let soak for 15 mins while having a beer. Then pull out, wipe off, and let air dry until all petrol has evaporated. Repeat if you really want to, but do not overdo it. Soaking in petrol will not get it all clean, but clean enough.
Once done with the petrol (and it has evaporated off!), dip in wax. And not to have to worry about the wax getting dirty, simply mix a larger batch of wax to your liking. Then let it cool, and divide into right size lumps that you store separately. When about to wax your chain, melt one lump and use only once. All you need is enough wax at the bottom of the pan to cover the chain. Not more. If it gets a bit dirty? So what? Throw away afterwards, and be done with it.
Low cost, less work intensive, less messing about with degreaser, and way way easier. Chain will still be fine for many thousands of kilometers and it will still run smooth.
Take care of your chain, but do not overdo it or you will get tired of it all really fast. And once you have grown tired of it, you are back to squirting some lube on it every now and then. And that will wear it out way faster than waxing the lazy way!
Good idea using small batches, Per....mite try that myself.
Petrol leaves a light oily film which doesnt allow wax to stick hence using degreaser after the petrol.
Great your getting so much mileage out of your chains!
T'was you taught me in the first place. ;)
I recon that since petrol comes from the same barrel of crude as paraffin oil and paraffin, the remaining grease from the petrol should not really matter. I might be wrong but so far it seems to work just fine anyway. And I always end up with loads of wax on my cogs regardless of having the chain "drip dry" after exiting the hot wax bath, so I think that there is enough wax left internally. (Maybe I should be more carful getting the wax out of the chain?)
However, this "easy and dirty" method that I am promoting might not work in warmer climates than where I live (Sweden), which has a sort of average temp of between +20 C and -10 C over the course of a year.
However, I mix 1 batch for both winter and summer use respectively, and then fine tune by adding either paraffin or -oil as I heat it up. Makes the entire process a breeze, takes about 30 mins from start to finish including heating and cooling off. I rarely leave the chain in the wax for more than 5 mins.
I repeat wax treatment approx at the same intervals as you do, 300K. All this might not be the best method, but it works wonders for me and the riding I do.
Keep up the good work with the channel!
Cheers!
I waxing too my chain on my mtb.I using this method last 4 monts and is it werry good.Chain is clean and silence long time.Hi a thanks for vid from Czech Republic
Thank you for relating your experience Daniel.
@@stevenleffanue I think good things should be shared
great advice! love your content. all the best from germany
Great series, oz.
I've been a waxer for years, yours is the first procedure I've seen with emphasis on starting with totally bare stripped metal. I think that's where others fail when they say it doesn't last or rusts. For me gasoline (US) followed by acetone does the job.
It's got me thinking though if an ultrasound bath in the melted wax wouldn't do a good job ensuring the wax gets into all the hidden places. I don't have one so don't know if it would keep the wax hot enough.
Yes an ultrasonic cleaner can be used but I found it unnecessary
I was thinking about making a vibrating plate to put my slow cooker on
cooling in water is new to me and I will start doing that as well.
Without cooling, part of the still hot wax will seep out.
Jan Willem Kuilenburg don't start cooling your chain and water. it does not make it any better.
please start following zero friction cycling on Facebook for the correct way to wax your chain.
1:13 "you can use an Ultrasonic Cleaner if ya want" With the petrol in the UltraSonic?
No mineral spirits? Thanks for all the amazing tutorials and info Oz. Hi from NYC
Been waxing my chain for a year now and love how clean it keeps the bike and drive chain, but all I do to clean the chain before re-waxing is soak it in a tub of paraffin oil instead of the petrol you use then put the chain straight in the wax bath. The oil tub is then sat on a magnet that draws all the dirt to the bottom before pouring the oil into a separate container so I can clean the gunk out the tub ready for it’s next use. For those of us who ride in colder climates (England for me) has anyone figured out a way to prevent the chain from rusting when they start gritting roads ????
Seems like your approach to waxing has changed. Aren't you happy with your previous solutions? For example, using some lattice to sedement dirt from upper part of wax is brilliant idea. Did something go wrong?
Improvements to making a process more efficient.
Thanks for the updated waxing video. Even though you wipe the chain after it cools, does any flick off or cake the jockey wheels? I used Squirt lube for 2 years on the mtb chain & liked how clean the chain was but found the jockey wheels, chain rings & cluster were caked with excess wax that didn't drop off as it suggested (or come off with degreaser). I went back to the RockNRoll Gold but with all the dusty trails the chain is gritty after a single ride so find I'm doing a full degrease & lube each ride, no amount of liberal R&R squirting on the chain gets rid of the gritty sound. I'm about to get a few more chains & try your method. I figure doing a few chains at a time will save a bit of time & might prolong the chain ring & cluster life.
Do the hot wax method Stuart. Thoroughly clean chain first. Once waxed,wipe off excess wax on outside of chain....done. You should get minimal wax anywhere on your drivetrain.
I've been using the wax for three months (half oil and paraffin as described) as lubricant because I ride in extreme conditions during winter with my mountain bike (-20 in snow and ice) here down in Montreal. The wax repels dirt and water indeed which is smooth on the drivetrain and reduces the appearance of rust on the chain. I never go beyond 200km before rewaxing. The only thing is that I recently had to change my chain after only 600 km (over 0.5 stretched). Maybe should I add more oil in the recipe considering the cold weather ? Now I'm doing a batch of three at a time to save some time. It's very easy to do and also very cheap. In fact, the whole kit cost me less than 100$ and I think I'll be good for years...
Hi there, first of all thanks for shared the imformation. I followed the same procedures you instructed here with my own chain, ①Firstly, i soaked the chain with petrol(used in my car) overnight; ②Secondly, i soaked with Muc-off bike chain degreaser for several hours; ③Thirdly, soaked with denatured alcohol for two rounds with 30 mins for each. BUT after all those done, i found out my chain actually got rusted, with some minor rust here and there especially between rollers, i didn't pay attention to the chain itself in the 3 steps respectively, so i'm not so sure which step went wrong. One thing to note here is that i didn't do that with the brand new chain, rather after getting the new chain i went out for a few rides straight with factory oil, didn't put any extra lube, was trying to ride off the brand new chain for 2-300 km first then came to the 3 steps mentioned above straight without washing it beforehand, any thoughts on where did i go wrong? Thanks in advance.
Immediately put the chain in hot wax after the full cleaning as the metal is fully exposed to the air and begins oxidising.
@@stevenleffanue I actually did that, the only time it got exposed to the air is in the transition, and i rinse it with tab water before transitioning to the next step. I don't think it is actually waxing part or to-the-wax-pot transition part went wrong, i think it is the problem caused in the cleaning part, anyway, just wanted to post it here to see if you got any thoughts, i just opened up a new Connex chain 2 days ago, i will do another 3-4 more rides and then repeat the same procedures mentioned above, but this time i will pay more attention to the condition before starting the cleaning process as well as the condition at each step and in transition in between, thanks for the reply.
I’m always amazed when someone gives a thumbs down to OzCyclings content. I’ve been following him for years from Cardiff. My BMC, TCR and Super Galaxy have all benefited from his advice. For me he has the best and most approachable bike mechanics site anywhere. Only Peak Torque comes close.
Brilliant, loving the very intelligent methods. I'll definitely be following all this to the tee, much appreciated.
$1.80 for those ebay brushes so I ordered 5 lol.
Awesome... this is some of the answers we were all needing- thanks!
Boil chain in water to clean wax off then soak in metho let it dry then dip in wax. Works for me. I find chain is slipperiest when it has been run in and has very thin coating in the links so not sure it matters to dip in cold water. Love Connex links!
Unfortunately boiling water doesnt remove all foreign matter on and in a chain....even boiling it for quite some time. Try it, you will end up with a lot of dirt in the metholated spirits.
oz cycle No probably not as good as degreaser or Ultra sonic cleaner which I plan to get but boiling gets my chain pretty clean I swish it around a lot and dirt easily rubs off the outside in boiling water. Just means don't need any chemicals. I also use mixture of palm and bees wax rather than paraffin.
There is something that makes me shiver placing my freshly waxed chain in water. Fortunately I have a deep freeze 2-feet away from my work bench. Using a couple of old spokes bent at 90° I extract my chain from the skinned over wax and plop it on a pie pan which I had pre placed in the freezer. 90 seconds later solid waxed ball.
after a previous video of yours, the recommendation of the connex link has been a revalation. so easy to use, I have even bought a connex chain too.
What's the brand of degreaser you use? I like the concentrated spray, rather than a wide mist that coats everything you don't want coated!
hi oz to give a final review the ptfe never mixed well with the wax but i am on my third chain rewax with the same wax solution in the rice cooker and I am extremely happy with cleanliness and wear on the chain and also how quickly I can do a reapply every 400 km . I have also purchased a connex chain and link under your recommendation for my second bike a ridley Noah fast but havent fittted it yet . I definitely recommend chain waxing even without effective ptfe . too be continued .....
Yeh,the ptfe sinks to the bottom if the liquid wax if let sit still. The chain should sit on the bottom of the pot anyhow when waxing so all is good. Dont forget to swish the too 😁
Great explainations, it sounds good. Nevertheless, before trying it on my bike, i have 2 important questions, and i'm sure i'm not the only one to wonder about it :
1. Isn't that ungood to pour some water directly on all the metal parts ?? (Chain, drivetrain, etc.)
2. ..i guess it isn't, but then : how to DRY totally (i mean : absolutely totally) all that water ? Just by using a tissue ?
Thanks a lot, love your energy. Greetings from France. :)
Hot water evaporates quickly off the chain
Hy again ... Just a Q , two weeks ago i apply muck off dry lube to dry chain and i see rust starting to appear on side wall of chain ? How do i remove it as its a new chain just 900km on it and how to properly apply lube on chain? Please answer or create a video or refer one that helps. Thanks in advance
You can remove the rust but it will come back again. Best way to avoid rust is to keep the chain coated in the lubricant. There are stainless steel chains on the market.
@@stevenleffanue its comes with giant bike and its KMC 11 ... I thought they are good :(
Yes but will still rust as its nickel plated.
@@stevenleffanue thanks man ...
Would diesel work instead is petrol? I don’t know where to get it and diesel it’s easy in any gas station.
no diesel fuel is greasy
Thanks for this! But just to warn those about connex links, be sure the tolerances fit with the manufacturers specification. If you run 11 speed campagnolo, the connex links are .01 mm too thick. This interferes with shifting heavily and causes rub on the derailleur cage. I wish I could continue to use the Connex links because they really are amazing
Just don't use Campagnolo :D
I've been waxing for about 5 years now I've used plain wax and a mix with PTFE. Have you tried Molybdenum Sulphide? I swap mine about every 100km .
Yes tried molybdenum disulphide but only got 4,600km life from the chain. With PTFE it's 10,000km - 16,000km (depending different factors).
Is it possible to keep the chain too long in the cooking pot (assuming the temperature of the wax is hold stable at 80-90°C)? Or can i leave it in there for something between 30-60min just to be sure the wax get's really everywhere
You can leave it in as long as you like. Give it a few swished too.
OZ Cycle, Hello Sir. I am decided to follow your chain waxing route as a way to lubricate my bicycle chain. The only thing I am missing is the Paraffin/Lamp Oil. I have found them easily available at our local DIY/Hardware stores but I can't seem to find one which is COLORLESS. I am thinking, if I use YELLOW paraffin oil, will it ruin the aesthetics of my bicycle? Also, I will still be using white paraffin candles. Maybe it will dilute the yellow paraffin oil somewhat to lighten its yellow color. Appreciate your input Sir. Thanks in advance.
Little bit of colour want hurt Melvin ,most if the wax is inside the links anyhow.
@@stevenleffanue Thank you very much Sir. You have just made a new sub out of me. Best DIY I have seen regarding bikes. More so that it is scientifically proven. Long life and more power to you Sir. We need more people like you.
@@stevenleffanue Oh! Another thing, I was in a bike shop here in the philippines and was promoting your channel to other bikers there while I was waiting for the shop attendant to adjust my gas forks. They never imagined that all there supposedly professional chain lubes are worth nothing compared to paraffin wax.
What's the logic of doing the run in period of a new chain with the factory grease?
Are there sharp edges and burrs in the new parts that you want to smoothen and polish down and is grease or oil quite a bit better at either protecting or wearing in the chain compared to wax?
It's been raining a lot where I live; is it ok to add extra oil to my chain during the run in period, to prevent rust?
Yes,a new chain wears off some of its material which combines with the factory grease. This settles down after about 500km.
I'm going to try your idea, paraffin wax and teflon, but my bike shop doesn't approve.
I've tried Squirt and BananaSlip bike wax and as soon as it rains the chain goes rusty. They say it's okay inside, but a rusty chain looks worrying. Squirt say to rewax if it rains. It rains all the time here in the UK.
BananaSlip make a motorbike version for extreme conditions, trails bikes in the wet, but their cycle chain version seems to be different.
Is it possible to re-use the wax or do I have to throw it away? Many thanks for your videos.
Reuse for up to 15,000km
I ended up here from advice in the review section for MSW. Looking forward to trying your alternative.
Edit: found the sprayer. I can't believe they are new to me :)
i really like all your roadbike in all of your vedio man....pretty well maintained !!!
Question On Re-Waxing: It is possible to mistakenly orient the "top" of the chain to the "bottom" on reinstallation, while still keeping the logo facing out. Is there any easy trick to keeping this straight? I don;t see you taking note of this in the process(?).
I have a Shimano chain, where the right side logo orientation alternates, right side up, and down, so that doesn't help. I have considered leaving the quicklink fastended to one side when dropping into the wax, and just remembering (or noting) the side. Am I overthinking it?
As long as the writing faces outward it doesn't matter
@@stevenleffanue Excellent 👍! Thanks for the quick reply. You've made a wax/PTFE convert out of me!
Great video as always! Wax on my road bike (applied following your original method exactly) seems to be lasting over 500 miles so far... I have waxed most of my bikes, my wife's and kid's bmx bikes ( really just so I don't get grime over myself when I need to work on them :-)). Are you sponsored by yoeleo now or just love their product? :-) Also quick question.. Why the 400k bake-in period? Why wouldn't you strip the factory grease and wax straight away?
High performance lubing your kids bikes....nice move 😁.
Not sponsored by anyone...yes Yoeleo are careful what they sell.
Run-in period to get initial excess metal out of the chain....better with thicker lube than thin.
Is it regular paraffin wax for candles or something else ?
Where does the Xylene come in ..How much do you use ratio wise please .??!
Great Video..
Paul...
Liverpool
England ..
Why do you need to use petrol and degreaser? Can you get away with just degreaser? (I don't want to keep petrol in my flat)
There are some chemicals that gather on our chains that degreaser cant disolve but petrol will. You dont need much petrol to do the job tho,just a small amount in a jar ir container with a good fitting lid.
I bought some paraffin wax just a few hours ago for this reason but you didn't tell us about the snap freeze cold water trick in your other videos. I have just been hanging it up until its cool, the cold water method makes sense.
Yeh, I had to be sure the cold water idea worked first....been doing it successfully for just over a year now on all bikes and it works a treat. Hope it works for you too.
oz cycle I have a bike on a magnetic trainer with the paraffin wax chain and I've been slack rewaxing it. Its done over 1000kms and still smooth.
is this the same wax formula as you previously used? Parts paraffin wax and oil? The cool water was a genius idea BTW! Triples the mileage I get before re-waxing. Thanks a million!
Yes,same formulae David. Thats great, thanx for letn us know its improved your mileage.
i tested chain to see what is longest milage it can stand before chain is destroyed- it is no more than 150km by single waxing. if you wax chain on 150km or less it can last at least for double life
Oz, I've been waxing chains for 2 years now, but found using standard wax/parafin mix it didnt last - even when keeping the temperature just over 50C. I've since moved over to Molten speed wax and im really impressed by the results. It runs quietly too. Strangely Mlolten Speed Wax needs to get to 92C, possibly because of the other ingedients ,but is really stiff after cooling.
Rapid cooling the chain from the hot wax bath increases its useful lifespan...a lot of people were allowing the chain to drip cool which was not the best way.
Yes, you will need to work each link before putting it on the bike with "Moltens wax".
Steven why don't you "paint" the rear cogs with wax also?
Not necessary...keep them nice and clean
Thank you. Yesterday I thoroughly cleaned the chains of my two bikes, then waxed them according to your recipe Paraffin + Paraffin Oil (1:1). It turned out Great.
However since I could not find PTFE powder here in Kosovo where I live, By chance I stumbled on a ABRO P400 Carnauba car polishing wax with the base of........guess......PTFE/Teflon.
Immediately bought a package which content is similar to pudding in texture. Since I already made 400 gr candles + 400 ml paraffin oil, added 40 gr (two tbsp) of Carnauba PTFE wax, put it on the heater and turned out even Greater!
After cooling down compared the results of both recipes by how they feel with fingers. I can tell that the enriched recipe with the P400 wax is way more slippery and has less friction. Now since I already treated my chains with your original recipe, I’ll wait for the 300 km phase then use the one with the car polish wax.
It is indeed fun to experiment and seems this formula is flawless for it keeps the chain even cleaner, it lubricates better and it Polishes the chain to shine. Thank you Steve for your honestly human approach to cycling. Rinoni from Kosova.
Why do you recommend riding with original factory lube for 400k before waxing, instead of stripping it from the package and waxing?
To break off and remove any burrs and imperfections from within the chains sliding surfaces
I think I know what causes the difference in wear between a MSW waxed chain and un-waxed. It is of course strange that a waxed chains shows more wear than an un-waxed. The tension on the chain is in one direction, making the MSW shift from one side to the otherside inside the chain. It remains there and is not shifting back. Now when you clean it the pinion is shfting back to the middle of the chain. Conclusion is in my opinion that the teflon is probably less easy shifting in the chain and keeping therefor the pinion more in the middle of the hole. Deriving from this you could conclude that MSW is less lubricating the chain at the spot where the tension builds up inside the chain. This also explains the final wear is higher of the MWS waxed chain.
As a BMX'er I don't care about micro improvement in efficiency, or prolonging chain life. What I want is to not get grease on my leg. Waxing still attracts dirt from the look of it. I wipe and lube my chain every ride almost. Years ago I had a can of synthetic lube from Castrol that was teflon based. That seemed to work in actually repelling dirt. Wish I could find a similar product. Everything synthetic seems silicone based these days. Any thoughts are welcome.
2 methods...
1/You can mix ptfe powder with candle wax instead of paraffin oil...that would do what you want.
2/Always keep outside of the chain as clean as possible whilst keeping inside parts lubed.
Excellent, thank you!
I live in the tropics where average temperatures is 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Which wax you recommend (highest melting point maybe)?
Nominally paraffin wax melts at 127 deg F , so it will be fine to use there Luis.
@@stevenleffanue perfect! Do you think soy wax would do the job? It is what a have here at home before buying candles.
Thanks for your attention.
I have melted my candle and tipped the 50g bag of ptfe in and it was quite solid and doesn’t seem to want to melt in.
PTFE doesnt melt into the wax but simply becomes a mixture.
Well I don’t know much except it had ptfe on the bag and rest is in chinese . Might be cross contaminated with a bit of covid-19 powder chucked in
Appreciate your help thanks Oz
I think issue is being Queensland and the humidity the product sweated in the bag and turned the powder to a clay and it just wouldn’t separate and hotter it got in the molten wax the worse it turned into chewing gum . Something unlikely to occur in victor harbour. Story of my life lol .
Is the cooling down important before taking out?
No
Can you coat a chain with silicone? Will it work? Sounds insane, but it would be a think semi clear coat of protection, much like wax!
I know you're a curious clever guy,...so i was hoping you'd have an answer and save me the trouble of ruining my chain.
: )
Difficult to get silicone into the links. Using spraycan the carrier remains and collects dirt.
@@stevenleffanue You answered!
: )
Aloha from Hawaii! I spent a summer in the middle of Queensland on a farm in high school!
I'mthe
Thinkinsanely stupid idea?
Right. Queensland tropical climate a bit like Hawaii?
Silicone spray is ideal for sliding joints like derailleur pivots
@@stevenleffanue I was far south, so was pretty dry.
About the silicone, im not talking about spray lube, im talking about the silicone caulking. The same OMS/caulking mix you made in your water proofing video.
Could you make a thick version of that and dip a chain in it, the way we do with wax? Would it work? Or is it a terrible idea?
Did you stop mixing liquid paraffin with wax? Or the slow cooker has the mixture you used one year ago?
I make a new mix appx. every 5 months
Cold water deal new, what kind of degreaser do u use after gasoline?
Degreaser from an automobile parts outlet, although it should be available at any hardware store also.
What do you recommend if the rollers always freeze up after relaxing? Izumi chains are smaller and they won’t roll after on the bike. It’s loud af and grinds the heck out of the drivetrain
Are you using ptfe in your wax?
Yes I do I used the m speed wax whole system and I followed your cleaning method.. I emailed MSPEEDWAX about the issue and he said put the the chain on hot and ride immediately but it made a huge mess and the wax just runs out.
So if you buy a new chain, just pop it on and use for 400km? Only clean it by wiping ? Then clean it how you show and give it first wax bath.?
Exactly
What's the next best method after waxing?
These are all quite tidy but is that a dingo chasing you guys at them end?
What is this new container you are using at 1:16 now?
Thanks for all the effort!
Its a beetroot container from supermarket. You dont need to use the strainer.
Thanks for your great videos, can I ask about those connex links..... they seen really lose do they ever come undone? I’d hate to damage my new 3k bike.....
Ive never had nor heard of any coming undone Michael.
ok thanks
The core issue with all this is the exposed drive train design. This stuff is a lot of work and most people will just refuse to do it. I just got to the point where i just replace the chain soon as it starts grinding. Its not worth the hassle. But its a good tutorial.
Yes you can do that. Having a waxed chain stems from the racing world...it saves power over factory lubes.
My bad, watts per kilo measuring.
I just melted down the wax/oil combination again, turned off the gas and waited 45 minutes with chain in and still didn't see the film on the top layer. Maybe I need to add more wax. It does eventually get that film layer but the liquid is almost cold at this point. How long does it take to get that film in your experience?
The film forms at 52deg C. Maybe you have too much oil in the mix. Just add more solid wax if thats the case, and it will be fine.
uppon2, do you know if this video is still using the xylene/paraffin oil/paraffin wax mixture, or are we now on paraffin oil/paraffin wax, or just paraffin wax? I thought this video was an upgrade from xylene/paraffin oil/paraffin wax mixture, to straight paraffin wax only, as Oz said in another comment "Xylene based wax is temporary fix on. All info in this vid is for hot wax method". This is very confusing.
Arahorn The Xylene is only added for the lubrication that you bottle up for squirt on use. The waxing of the chain is different. It's only 50/50 Parrafin Candles/ Paraffin oil.
Oh my goodness I can't believe I misinterpreted the previous videos! I have watched both those versions, but obviously still got it twisted. I must go back and rewatch them. Wow. I just mistakenly bought some Xylene yesterday, woops! Expensive stuff too. Not to worry, I'll go back and rewatch the videos. Now I'm back on track. Thanks so much!
Did you read Oz's revealing reply to a commenter who questioned the use of the factory lube?
Oz:
"It [the factory lube] provides a good medium for breaking in the chain, as it holds all the tiny shards of metal coming off during that initial period which would cause more damage if is was a lighter lubricant. Once washed out, the chain can be run with lighter lubes...like wax. Note that the outside of a chain should be clean at all times to minimize dirt attraction."
I just rewatched the chain videos and you're absolutely right, I don't know how I got that twisted. I also discovered there are a couple of follow-up chain waxing videos which answer commonly-asked questions, which was informative too. The method does end up cheap, candles are cheap, paraffin oil is cheap, and then you're reusing the tub over and over and over again. Incredibly cheap compared to the bottled stuff you buy, as well as being better both in keeping drivetrain clean as well as performance.
How to remove the wax?? Say if u wanna start with a new wax application... like just metal to metal will boiling water work?
No. You will need to do the complete clean ( Petrol,degreaser,.metho).
@@stevenleffanue hey there this is danny the for getting back to me so fast I'm literally in garage now doing this tonite but hey what is petrol are you referring to gas?? Since ur in Australia I'm here in the US... and also is it the gas that breaks down the wax cuz I remember the gas breaks down heavy oils so is it the gas?? Then degreaser then meth spirit... this method is so sweet the process is a bit consuming but I think the benefits are truly way better peace OZ thx!!!
I gave it a shot. I am very hopeful
May I ask why you suggest to ride the bike for the first 500k on the store grease? Can I just degrease the chain from the off and wax it straight away?
Yes, you can wax a new chain straight out of it packaging. It's a suggestion for those who want maximum low friction. Riding a new chain first, then cleaning it completely, will help get rid of the swarf.
@@stevenleffanue how should I go about lubricating the chain for the first 500k then? I’m guessing some lube is needed?
The factory lube should do 500km by itself
My bike uses a KMC X9 chain with a Magic link... Is this magic link reusable like the connex link.
So if PTFE doesn't actually dissolve and become a whole solution with the paraffin wax, how will the PTFE actually get into the chain if it simply has a tendency to clump to the bottom of the crock pot.
It shouldn't clump. Chain sinks to bottom of pot into the ptfe if not stired but once stired up the ptfe spreads quite evenly throughout the wax
It's critical that the cassette and crankset come out for the cleaning. Degreaser inevitably winds up in the hubs and BB otherwise.
How do you clean chain between waxing. Lots of dust settles while riding. So how do we clean that? If we use degreaser or petrol, wont the wax in chain diminish or completely go away?
As explained in the video clean outside of your chain between each ride...attracts minimal dirt. When needing rewax,simply put it in hot wax.
If chain begins to feel gritty, its time for complete clean and rewax.
oz cycle that explains.. thanks.
Hi Stephen, can you please tell us how long the Wipperman connex link should last. I must have had mine in for about 3000km by now I notice it's hard to remove one of the halves from the chain, it's like the pin has burred over. I've also recently found my chain jumping in the highest gear even though it has not reached 0.05% stretch yet (chain is over 4000km old and cleaned/waxed regularly using your method) . It is possible that the quick link itself has elongated it is somehow responsible for the chain skipping?
Have you got the link facing in the right direction Rex?
I didn't know there was a direction with Connex Links. I'll check that out.
Chain closest to ground : chain from front rings,link goes toward outside. Chain going to rear mech,link goes on inside.
Thanks muchly Stephen. I had it the wrong way. I also found a burr on one of the teeth of the 11 cog which I filed off. Possibly the link was catching on that and lifting. Anyway problem looks like it might be solved.
Thats good news you got it solved Rex. Thnx for letting me know. Cheers
I have a problem with my Wax mixture when doing the Chain on the Bike. It's 36.2 C here and the Wax although hot goes solid too quickly as it goes onto the Chain. The mixture is exactly the proportion that you have in your original Waxing Video.
Are you using the bottled wax or hor wax method Michael?
So very helpful thanks a ton
In this video there is one, I believe, very important detail, missing in 99% videos from other enthusiasts. After 10-15min of soaking chain in hot wax (even if there are no more bubbles coming out) DON'T pull out your chain while wax is still quite warm. Wait for the wax to cool of a bit, until it reaches less that 60°C or just before way starts to solidify. If you don't want to wait that long then put the chain from wax straight to cold water. Am I right?
Yes
Just got a new SRAM PC951 chain, and the first thing I did was thoroughly degrease it. I finished by rinsing with water, and it's RUSTED! The links feel quite rough and gritty. Should I discard this chain, and get a better quality one, that is plated? By the way, I didn't realise that I was supposed to "run it in" first, with the factory packing grease.
You can still use it Greg its fine. Once completely cleaned a chain has to be quickly dried and put in the wax bath...rust want have time to start.
@@stevenleffanue Thanks for the quick reply. I just watched another video of yours about thoroughly cleaning - I did not finish up with the metho. Would that have helped to remove the water, or at least greatly dilute it? I suspect so. Just by the way, I intend to first try "Squirt" lube, rather than the hot wax bath method......unless you strongly advise against it. 😃
@@gregsullivan7408 Oops,yeh the metho is important. Yes squirt is a good chain lube.
Also, could I try bathing it in CLR to remove the rust?
Yes but exposed metal must be quickly coated with a barrier against water and air.
@ozcycle after waxing I'm getting a dirty chain after 2 rides. My consistency seems correct, but I feel there is too much paraffin oil? Tips?
When the waxed chain is to dirty you can take a heat gun or put it in hot water and the dirt with the wax come out of you chain. Soak it in petrol may not pull out the whole wax.
Steven, do you use a quick link or a joining pin?
I use the Wipperman connex quick link on all my bikes....never a problem.
How many km does the chain last in your case? I'm using Shimano HG-40, and it only lasts 400km :(
I use Shimano HG50s,(for 105 components)....and get 3,500-4,000km before they reach .5%wear.
Are you waxing your chain there?
I do it the same way with ultrasound my last chain lasted 3000 mile,s ! just put a knew one on today ! I wipe and clean my bike every ride and polish it to ! The tacky grease that comes with a knew chain is a pain !
Hi Oz Cycle, thanks for these videos, I have been religiously using this method for some time now, the only issue I have is that I find the chain gets rather loud after only around 10 miles or so, I know they often say a loud chain can be a fast chain but I kind of like the chain to be quieter, I am currently running one chain with your wax method and one with wet lube and the wet lube one stays quiet so much longer (but has the pain of getting filthy so fast), is there any way in which to quieten the chain using wax? Should I add more paraffin oil so the wax isn’t so firm?
Thanks in advance
Lee
Hi Lee. Immersing your chain in hot wax is the best method as it allows the wax to get into the chain rather than just on it. You will then get 250-300km each waxing.
oz cycle I have been immersing my chain in hot wax, using a crock pot I heat a mix of wax and paraffin oil, the chain is left in there for maybe an hour or so while the wax cools and thickens, I then drop it into cold water and all is good.
It’s just the chain becomes noisy after only 10 miles or so, maybe this is normal and wax is just noisier than oil??
It shouldn't get noisy so quickly Lee. Was the chain cleaned thoroughly before your first waxing?
Yes, I use your method of cleaning with petrol and then degreasing, the chain is sparkling and can feel when holding the chain it’s clear of any wax or oil in the rollers.
Could it be that I have added too much paraffin? Does the wax method work better with a much harder wax rather than one that has been made softer with the paraffin??
P.s. thanks for replying by the way 👍
You can actually just use wax with no paraffin oil and you should still get at least 200km before sounding dry. Difficult to say whats going wrong Lee. Id say post the chain to me and I will find out whats going on 😁. Is the chain at or below .5% wear?
could you use varsol or paint thinner as its called here in north america?
Yes
Can I wax my chains without break in first? Simply after cleaning the manufacturer's lube?
Yes absolutely. Breaking in just makes the chain more efficient quicker and helps remove excess metal particles.
@@stevenleffanue oh dear. Do I have to lube it and ride as normal once the chain had been waxed?
Once waxed,always use wax
@@stevenleffanue Hi there. Sorry for being a pain...I meant if I had not break in the chain but waxed it straight away. Is this OK to carry on with wax?
How do you wax your chain without removing it?
Still waiting for that new recipe! I got a new 12spd red axs chain that needs some waxing!
Motel Speedwax. Faster than any waxed candle.
Everyone seems to have their own opinion and technique as to whether or not to remove the factory grease, how to degrease and clean, how and how often to clean and rewax, what chain and quick link to use, etc.
Im in florida. I can take a brand new chain and within 1 ride its grinding badly. After checking the entire chain is full of sugar sand. The only way i have been able to stop this is to strip the chain and use a super light oil like mineral oil then clean it all off the outside. Even after doing this the chain starts grinding badly very fast. In the end sugar sand seems to be the absolute worst type of terrain to ride in. The chain wears outs every 3 or 4 rides. Its a complete nightmare.
Try waxing your chain. Keep it absolutely clean on the outside and sand want stick to it.