WTF is this? Hot waxing bike chains?

[RootSkier]

Discuss: https://www.outsideonline.com/241775...our-bike-chain

[PNWbrit]

My father used to do something similar to this with motorcycle chains.

[Peruvian]

[rideit]

Works for some, doesn’t work for others. This has been a thing since the late 1800’s...

[XXX-er]

I think wax for chains has been around for a long time, never done the hot wax but i been using Squirt for a few years, what i like is that it is superclean, it may not work well in some terrain but its fine where I ride

https://www.squirtcyclingproducts.com/

Its pretty much like using any chain lube IME, just drip the squirt on and the water in solution evaporates, i never clean the chains instead I just keep adding more Squirt, got it on my enduro/ touring/ road/ fat bikes

You are suposed to put it on a super clean chain SO on an old chain or a new chain you gotta clean all the smoo off, the best way I have found is a few inches of white gas in the bottom of a jar, soak over nite & hang the chain to dry

DON't let Squirt freeze ( sez so on the bottle ) cuz it will alter the consistancey so it doesnt really penetrate the chain like it used to, I had left it in the shed over winter so i emailed Squirt and they got back to me real fast, told me to add some water which worked

but don't leave it in the shed at -20

I think Boeshield might also be wax ??

[johnnyg82]

I got some paraffin in bulk, and a cheap small slow cooker. I’ll throw the chain in when I need to and forget about it for an hour or overnight, put it back on and get back out there. Pretty easy, pretty clean. Hot wax on your hands is hot still.

Hardest part was cleaning off the lube that came from the manufacturer on the chain. Got an ultrasonic and degreaser for that.

I use it for my commuter. Noisy AF though if I don’t throw it back into wax after a wet ride though.

[Dee Hubbs]

I’m a fan of waxing my road bike chains. I don’t bother with my MTB bikes anymore.
Clean a degrease the chain really well once, then paraffin wax in a crockpot.
The waxed chain lasts a few 100kms and keeps super clean. And when it needs a re-waxing, you don’t have to clean it, just back into the warm wax crockpot.
I really like waxing the chain on my indoor training bike. No mess all winter long inside.

[outofthesaddle]

After lots of years and lots of chain lubes - it seems to matter less what you use but matters more how frequently you lube.

[Roxtar]

I've been doing this for a few years now. Nothing else comes close.
Works best if you use a two chain rotation. That way you can switch when the chain starts getting noisy and recook when convenient. Even before this, I've always advocated the two chain rotation. Whole drivetrain lasts longer.
Lube is generally good for a few weeks of riding.

Like others above, I use about a 4:1 ratio of ski wax (paraffin) to beeswax with powdered Teflon and molybdenum added. Straight paraffin tends to flake off. The beeswax adds a little pliability and just enough grip without being sticky (attracting dust/dirt)

[Boissal]

Like others above, I use about a 4:1 ratio of ski wax (paraffin) to beeswax with powdered Teflon and molybdenum added. Straight paraffin tends to flake off. The beeswax adds a little pliability and just enough grip without being sticky (attracting dust/dirt)

Holy alchemist recipe! How does one decide on the proportions for powdered teflon, and how in hell did you think thing of adding Mo (and what does it do)??

[ill-advised strategy]

Process-wise, I have a coffee can of gulf wax and ski wax scrapings, and a small standalone 2-burner electric oven I keep in the garage. I put the coffee can right on the burner, outdoors with an extension cord...so spillage or fire isn’t an issue. Drop a chain in there with a loop of bailing wire, let it soak a bit, and it’s good to go.

I have also used this pool of liquid wax to “paint” vulnerable metal stuff for our rusty winters. It’s handy.

I have run a neglect-test on 2 similar commuting bikes...one I use Lucas red and tacky spray grease, a real industrial type heavy smelly disgusting red grease...the other I waxed. Then ride and leave alone and see. The heavy grease one is a disgusting blob of black crud but still smooth and quiet after 2 years. The wax one got squeaky after a couple months.

To me, the above matters because the main feature of wax is a relatively long-lasting but clean application...but I’ve found that if you can live with ugly black goop, heavy duty grease is way longer lasting. Wax seems like a good choice if you want your stuff to look clean, but you also want a longer-lasting option.

I think a lot of cyclists want everything to be squeaky clean...I was raised by a mom who commuted year-round back in the early 80s and was a believer in simple heavy bikes, and lots of heavy grease all over the drivetrain...and lots of outdoor metal stuff around had heavy grease: railroad stuff, construction and logging equipment, ski lift parts, truck 5th wheels...so I kinda got a different upbringing into utility cycling and mentality about the greasy drivetrain. I have bikes I keep really clean, but they’re not the workhorses. The workhorses get grease.

[Roxtar]

Holy alchemist recipe! How does one decide on the proportions for powdered teflon, and how in hell did you think thing of adding Mo (and what does it do)??

Both powdered Teflon and Moly are pretty cheap so I figured "like brown sugar in baked beans, mo is betta" and just dump some in. I added the Moly after being told by a chemistry nerd riding buddy (I work at Los Alamos Natl Lab) that moly is a better lube than Teflon at summer temps.

[Dantheman]

Your drivetrain will stay quite clean if you simply wipe off the excess drip-on lube after applying.

[Roxtar]

Your drivetrain will stay quite clean if you simply wipe off the excess drip-on lube after applying.

Yes, but that isn't the only goal.
The advantage of waxing is that it gives you that clean, quiet performance for several weeks rather than days.

[EWG]

I hate waxing chains. I hate doing it, cleaning it, redoing it, etc. Do not recommend.

[Canada1]

When I lived in LA, we used wax. The sand there sticks to everything. When I moved to Colorado, I went to diamonde (Sp). Now that I am spending too much time in the desert, I've gone back to wax. I had not done molly, or bees wax. What are you using for a source? I've been watching videos of rides around town. It has changed so much post fire, and a lot of new stuff seems to be present. Waterton and the stuff around American Springs used to be all trees and the new trail up to Pajarito looks like a lot better option than climbing the road. Need to make a trip home sometime and spend a few days.

[Dantheman]

Yes, but that isn't the only goal.
The advantage of waxing is that it gives you that clean, quiet performance for several weeks rather than days.

Yeah, I get that. The OP article implies that the only way to avoid a dirty gunked-up drivetrain is to deal with the non-trivial effort of hot-waxing the chain, which is just not the case. For me, I'll take 60 seconds to lube/wipe my chain every couple rides over the effort required for waxing.

[Roxtar]

When I lived in LA, we used wax. The sand there sticks to everything. When I moved to Colorado, I went to diamonde (Sp). Now that I am spending too much time in the desert, I've gone back to wax. I had not done molly, or bees wax. What are you using for a source? I've been watching videos of rides around town. It has changed so much post fire, and a lot of new stuff seems to be present. Waterton and the stuff around American Springs used to be all trees and the new trail up to Pajarito looks like a lot better option than climbing the road. Need to make a trip home sometime and spend a few days.

https://www.amazon.com/MicroLubrol-M...5635186&sr=8-1
I've been in Los Alamos for about 8 tears now. Amazing badass rocky, steep, techy riding literally out your back door.
Hit me up if you come out.
Check out Macky Franklin's video of a ten hour ride in LA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy6fu8u5UMc

[Andeh]

This all seems like way more work than 5 sec of spray / drip on lube followed by 10 sec of wiping the chain just prior to a ride.

[GoldMember]

This all seems like way more work than 5 sec of spray / drip on lube followed by 10 sec of wiping the chain just prior to a ride.

I'm with you. This does beg the question, though; if you add some fluoro to the mix, do you go faster?

[Roxtar]

I'm with you. This does beg the question, though; if you add some fluoro to the mix, do you go faster?

Believe it or not...

https://www.modernbike.com/product-2126218709
This is what I use. (I'm a dealer for their ski products)

[SKIP IN7RO]

^Does the chain sit on a grate above the bottom of the melter so the debris sinks to the bottom?

[Touring_Sedan]

It amazes me that people have the time to do this kind of shit. I enjoy my moment of zen in the garage as much as the next, but there's about a thousand other things that I'd rather do than hot wax my bike chain. I just give mine a squirt every week or so and wipe it off when it needs it. Drivetrain consumables get replaced when needed. I'm sure I go through a bit more lube, I doubt I go through more parts.

[Sutter]

What would be really cool is if someone came up with a material application that is like that DPS product where you apply it to your skis and then never wax them again.

[johnnyg82]

It amazes me that people have the time to do this kind of shit. I enjoy my moment of zen in the garage as much as the next, but there's about a thousand other things that I'd rather do than hot wax my bike chain. I just give mine a squirt every week or so and wipe it off when it needs it. Drivetrain consumables get replaced when needed. I'm sure I go through a bit more lube, I doubt I go through more parts.

I take off the chain at the end of the ride, throw it in the slow cooker, and leave it until the next morning when I put it on and then go back out. Is it a fire hazard leaving my slow cooker on low for 12 hours? I dunno, but it’s really not time consuming.