Ask the experts

[J. Barron DeJong]

You're talking about hot wax, and I'm talking about drip wax, so that's certainly part of the disconnect here.

Hot wax sounds great until it's not. But my issue with hot wax isn't the longevity, it's the general hassle. And yes, I'm aware it's "really not that big of a hassle, just do these quick and easy 37 steps and then it's the best thing ever." And I don't doubt that the end results are very nice.

But at least until I get bored, I'm sticking with my extremely low hassle lubing regiment, because it works fine and requires approximately zero effort or forethought.

What are these 37 steps?

On my road bike, it’s: pop the chain off, thread it onto the swisher thing (bent spoke in my case) put that in the crock pot and turn it on low uncovered.

Some time later, whenever I’m free and the wax has melted, come back and give it a swish for a few seconds, then hang to drip.

Before next ride, break the wax bonds by running the chain around something (I run it around the handle of one of my garage cabinets). Then put the chain back on the bike.

It’s literally a few minutes of actual working time, and broken into even smaller chunks that you can be flexible with.

For (dry) mountain, I wipe the chain with a rag sprayed with alcohol before taking it off the bike. So that adds another 30 seconds to the process.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Ok, maybe a dumb question, but what's the purpose of lube in the drivetrain? Is it to lubricate the pivots in the chain, lubricate the chain/sprocket interface, push dirt out of the interface? I'm not sure I understand where the friction in the system is.

Chain lube is for the internal parts of the chain, not for the chain/sprocket interface.

’Shedding’ type was lubes - hot melt, or a few types of drip - actually shed wax particles as the bike is ridden, and that can carry contamination out with it.

[toast2266]

What are these 37 steps?

You missed all the steps where I have to go buy a fucking crock pot. So now I have another thing cluttering up my work bench to solve a problem that I don't have.

[J. Barron DeJong]

You missed all the steps where I have to go buy a fucking crock pot. So now I have another thing cluttering up my work bench to solve a problem that I don't have.

Here, I’ll save you the time and effort it would take you to find one, and delivered right to your door!

https://a.co/d/eOwInR1

[Cocximus]

I microwave my wax in a glass jar with a loose metal lid. Overall I find wax is less maintenance and hassle compared to oil based lubes.

[J. Barron DeJong]

Overall I find wax is less maintenance and hassle compared to oil based lubes.

Yep.

If I rode in the wet much I might think differently. Though I think the solution in that case may be to just say fuck it and run less expensive cassettes and chains knowing they’re going to wear quickly regardless of lube type unless you’re religious about cleaning your chain.

[rideit]

I microwave my wax in a glass jar with a loose metal lid. Overall I find wax is less maintenance and hassle compared to oil based lubes.

You put a metal lid in the microwave? (I assume not, but the wording suggests….SPARKS!)

[Powder Ho]

Tried the egg beaters today on a road ride and I really liked it. In and out is super easy and most importantly my pedal stroke felt identical to my mountain bike.
My shoes are stiff enough I don't think hot spots will be an issue on long rides.
I feel silly for not trying it sooner.

[jm2e]

What are these 37 steps?

On my road bike, it’s: (1)pop the chain off, (2)thread it onto the swisher thing (bent (3) spoke in my case) put that (4)in the crock pot and turn it (5) on low uncovered.

(6)Some time later, whenever I’m free and the (7)wax has melted, (8)come back and give it a (8)swish for a few seconds, then (9)hang to drip.

Before next ride, (10)break the wax bonds by running the chain around something (I run it around the handle of one of my garage cabinets). (11)Then put the chain back on the bike.

It’s literally a few minutes of actual working time, and broken into even smaller chunks that you can be flexible with.

For (dry) mountain, (12)I wipe the chain with a rag (13) sprayed with alcohol before taking it off the bike. So that adds another 30 seconds to the process.

(14) research Crock Pots
(15) buy Crock Pot
(16) clear workshop space for crockpot near electrical outlet
(17) research cheesy waxes
(18) buy cheesy wax
(19) wait for wax in the mail since they didn’t have it at the LBS.
(20) buy some degreaser or kerosene or something to clean with. Because I’m pretty sure that’s always been part of the queso jam.
(21) find a jar for the cleaning stuff
(22) soak, shake, stir, wait while the chain cleans itself because it’s that easy
(23) rinse
(24) dry. Because I’m pretty sure that’s always been part of the queso jam too
(25) find another place in the shop to hang cheesy drippy chain
(26) get some towels to protect the cheese drip zone
Definitely fewer than 37 steps. But certainly 20 ish more than a bottle of lube.


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[toast2266]

(14) research Crock Pots
(15) buy Crock Pot
(16) clear workshop space for crockpot near electrical outlet
(17) research cheesy waxes
(18) buy cheesy wax
(19) wait for wax in the mail since they didn’t have it at the LBS.
(20) buy some degreaser or kerosene or something to clean with. Because I’m pretty sure that’s always been part of the queso jam.
(21) find a jar for the cleaning stuff
(22) soak, shake, stir, wait while the chain cleans itself because it’s that easy
(23) rinse
(24) dry. Because I’m pretty sure that’s always been part of the queso jam too
(25) find another place in the shop to hang cheesy drippy chain
(26) get some towels to protect the cheese drip zone
Definitely fewer than 37 steps. But certainly 20 ish more than a bottle of lube.


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(27) blog about it on the internet so that everyone knows you put queso on your chain.

[XXX-er]

hot wax is a lot more steps than just dripping wax or petro lube from a little 4 oz bottle while moving the chain

we will believe you can do hot wax pretty quick and you don't find its a hassle

but nobody is buying the idea that removing a chain is faster than not removing a chain

[Roxtar]

You're talking about hot wax, and I'm talking about drip wax, so that's certainly part of the disconnect here.

Hot wax sounds great until it's not. But my issue with hot wax isn't the longevity, it's the general hassle. And yes, I'm aware it's "really not that big of a hassle, just do these quick and easy 37 steps and then it's the best thing ever." And I don't doubt that the end results are very nice.

But at least until I get bored, I'm sticking with my extremely low hassle lubing regiment, because it works fine and requires approximately zero effort or forethought.

Ahhhh
Gotcha (except the 37 steps thing)

[Roxtar]

You missed all the steps where I have to go buy a fucking crock pot. So now I have another thing cluttering up my work bench to solve a problem that I don't have.

That's kinda like saying for regular drip lube you have to:
-Go to store
-Pick out lube
-Pull out wallet
-Pay for lube
-go to car
-drive home
-...
How many steps do you want to break that into? I could probably get to 100 if I tried.


Lets be real. Without including the purchasing which you have to do to both, you have to:
-Clean chain - No wait, it's already clean.

-Turn on crock pot
-Take off chain and put in crock pot
-Take out of crock pot and reinstall
Look at that, we just eliminated 34 steps.

And actually, using the 2 chain rotation, all I do is:
-Take off chain
-Put on chain
Maybe two minutes.
I rewax the "old" chain whenever it's convenient.

It literally takes me less time than properly applying drip lube.
Actually far less when you include cleaning/degreasing an oily gritty chain which, hopefully, you are doing occasionally.

Oh, and if you don't have a crockpot size spot available somewhere in your garage/shed you have too much stuff.

[t.odd]

hey slow cooker aficionados ->https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...-Chain-Thread?

[J. Barron DeJong]

It probably takes me an extra 3 minutes each time I lube my chain vs. using a drip lube. Except I’m doing it less often, I virtually never clean my chain (but when I do, it’s way, way quicker and easier), and my drivetrains are lasting forever.

(And let’s be honest, I’d be wasting time posting on here regardless.)

[buttahflake]

Enough with the fucking chain lube, for fucks sake. Beaters.

[jm2e]

Seriously. Isn’t it time to talk about home brew sealant vs store bought vs YesTubes?


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[J. Barron DeJong]

(14) research Crock Pots
(15) buy Crock Pot
(16) clear workshop space for crockpot near electrical outlet
(17) research cheesy waxes
(18) buy cheesy wax
(19) wait for wax in the mail since they didn’t have it at the LBS.
(20) buy some degreaser or kerosene or something to clean with. Because I’m pretty sure that’s always been part of the queso jam.
(21) find a jar for the cleaning stuff
(22) soak, shake, stir, wait while the chain cleans itself because it’s that easy
(23) rinse
(24) dry. Because I’m pretty sure that’s always been part of the queso jam too
(25) find another place in the shop to hang cheesy drippy chain
(26) get some towels to protect the cheese drip zone
Definitely fewer than 37 steps. But certainly 20 ish more than a bottle of lube.


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I posted the crock pot for you, and you want Molten Speed Wax. Research done. No need to run to the store, just buy from Amazon.

And you know you need to degrease any new chain before using a bike lube? If you’re not doing that, honestly doesn’t matter what lube you choose.

I don’t care what chain maintenance people end up going with, I’m just trying to provide an accurate assessment of the effort vs benefits of hot wax. It’s seriously much less effort than most people expect (I was one of those people), and the results are pretty impressive (both from personal experience, and from test data).

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

OK so how worn is this? I've never knowingly worn out an XT 12 spd before but I think I was preemptively replacing them before the shifting sucked.

FWIW sparkly clean after going all OCD on the cassette for 30 minutes and brand new cleaned waxed chain and the shifting will still suck. I know it looks dirty AF in those pics.

[J. Barron DeJong]

OK so how worn is this? I've never knowingly worn out an XT 12 spd before but I think I was preemptively replacing them before the shifting sucked.

…

FWIW sparkly clean after going all OCD on the cassette for 30 minutes and brand new cleaned waxed chain and the shifting will still suck. I know it looks dirty AF in those pics.

Have you used a chain checker to see if the chain is worn out?

[climberevan]

That cassette looks a lot better than mine and mine shifts fine. Derailleur hanger, cable, & B-screw are the first things to check. I also find that all of my bikes shift way better with the clutches off, and they work just fine that way. "Clutches are just new-fangled tech that they tell us we need, like disc brakes and a 66 degree HTA. Get off of my lawn!"

[Dee Hubbs]

^^ that cassette is like brand new.
No obvious wear on it.
I look at the valley between the teeth, when they are smoothly semi circle shaped they are still good.
When the valley gets elongated, and wallowed out, like a U shape with steep walls, that’s when it’s wore out
Kinda hard to describe…

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

- I checked the old chain and with the park tool CC-3 I couldn't see even 0.75% wear. Now I know 12 speed chains can be bad at 0.5% wear so I put a new chain on anyway.

- Brand new cable and housing, and to be sure I checked for any kinks/pressure on the housing which I guess can be an issue with my frame. Nothing out of the ordinary.

- B screw had backed out some (even with thread locker on it).....so I corrected it and shifting did not improve. I know 12spd XT very sensitive to B screw adjustment.

- I opened the rear mech clutch to see if dirty/rusted/etc. Pretty much looks brand new. Moves smoothly. No sticky feeling. Clutch turned off the shifting is better, but not suddenly amazing. Clutch adjusted to various tensions and shifting still sucks.

- Hanger "looks" straight but maybe it's not? Mech does have battle wounds on it from a couple rock hits.

- Shifter going bad? As I said in a post earlier I did have an XT shifter go bad on me. Little spring would break inside and cause weird shifting. I guess this was a thing, but Shimano fixed it. Shifter is from late 2021.

[jm2e]

I’m thinking WRG just needs to spend a season on an old rattle can and realize it’s just having fun on bikes going downhill. Honestly, you can have a beautiful show horse that lives in the barn except brief excursions to prance around the ring in a show of perfection, or you can ride that old mare hard and fast and put her up wet and tired with just enough time to recover before dragging her out again the next day.


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[Meconium]

Enough with the fucking chain lube, for fucks sake. Beaters.

Does a chamois last longer if you don't scrub out the skid mark? My wife was complaining about leaving inside out shorts next to the bed so I tried scrubbing with some shout before the wash.
Chamois should just be molded brown, baby blue is nice and all but .................