The Hot Tub of Queso/Waxed Chain Thread

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Since I already shitted up the experts thread.

Brand new chain > parrafin + bees + molybdenum powder.

5 days of dusty desert riding this week. Maybe 120 miles? By day four it was a little sqeaky and I rinsed it with plain water and then it got quiet again. Day five the squeak came back and more gentle rinsing but it never got quiet again. Only squeaky in the two biggest rings in the cassette. Barely affected performance though.

I'm in too deep now. Don't know if I can go back to lubed chains. The first 3 days I never once thought about it and the shifting was phenomenal.

How many miles are you guys getting per wax? Should I add more queso next time? Maybe some Cotija?

[J. Barron DeJong]

If you’re going to go though the effort, might as well spring for some Brillat-Savarin?

[EWG]

I thought we had moved on to raclette? Wasn't it Toast that proposed that? (which was ironically perfect)

[XtrPickels]

Cheesus Christ.

1. Crockpots are slow- use an Instant Pot on the "Keep Warm +" Setting
2. Pure Paraffin gets you 98% of the way. It's cheap. Lasts a long time.
3. Silca's Super Secret Wax or Molten Speed Wax are the ones to buy if you wan to buy up from paraffin
4. Cleaning your chain prior to initial waxing is essential. Shake in a jar of Mineral spirits, changing the solvent and repeating until the solvent remains clear. Then, rinse with alcohol and allow to air dry.
5. Once Waxed, you can use the Ceramic Speed UFO or Silca drip to re-up to chain without removing and re-waxing.

[El Chupacabra]

Use Easy Cheese aerosol for a quick refresh of the chain.

For the cheesy chain experts here: what about using a pressure cooker to really force the queso into the plates and rollers?

[Boissal]

For the cheesy chain experts here: what about using a pressure cooker to really force the queso into the plates and rollers?

The alternative would be a traditional Swiss fondue pot. Higher temp than crock pot, cheaper than instapot, simpler than pressure cooker.
The traditional way to finish a fondue in FR is to dump an egg yolk and a bunch of strong booze in there to prevent the cheese from hardening. I think the alcohol + cholesterol from the yolk would combine wonderfully with the cheese for the ultimate chain protection.

[XXX-er]

Since I already shitted up the experts thread.

Brand new chain > parrafin + bees + molybdenum powder.

5 days of dusty desert riding this week. Maybe 120 miles? By day four it was a little sqeaky and I rinsed it with plain water and then it got quiet again. Day five the squeak came back and more gentle rinsing but it never got quiet again. Only squeaky in the two biggest rings in the cassette. Barely affected performance though.

I'm in too deep now. Don't know if I can go back to lubed chains. The first 3 days I never once thought about it and the shifting was phenomenal.

How many miles are you guys getting per wax? Should I add more queso next time? Maybe some Cotija?

I kinda redrip the Squrit after 3 to 5 rides the FAT bike was a little noisy after about 5 shorter ride so I redid the drip, I was into Squirt when i went to Moab and it seemed ok , those were some long days so i did it every couple of days , so somewhere between 2 and 5 days ?


yesturday my buddy cam over for a socially distanced deck beer and he was showing me the drive train on his recumbant, On a 55000 km jaunt he needed to replace everything completely in Brazil on the way back from Tiera del fuego, he had reduced 2 SRAM internaly geared hubs to junk, SRAM said he had exceeded the design parameters so no choice, had to instal a triple up front, a 9 spd cluster in the rear but a recumbent takes 3 chains, sez its so expensive for chains he just waits for the entire drive train to wear out and replaces it all

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I started over again. Added more parafin this time. Soaking the chains overnight in alcohol to try to get a better clean. The crock pot is on in the garage all night.

I actually LOVE working on bikes so this level of kookiness is my idea of a good time.

[Gunder]

I tried the wax method a few years ago when one of the mfg’s sent me a bunch to test out. It was a total disaster here in the PNW. It gunked up and held dirt and I went through a drive train in a ⅓ of my normal interval. I currently am running Boeshield T9 and it’s the best chain lube I’ve found.

[Beaver]

Anyone ever use White lightning clean Ride? Wax based, It seems ok, better than Muck off dry lube.

[bean]

I've been doing the wax dip for a few years, works great in front rage Colorado where it's just dry and dusty all the time. I have a small pot that I use just for chain waxing on the stove on low, and I didn't even know about all the fancy waxes until recently and just use paraffin.

Like waxing skins, it's super slow for a little while and then it's super fast and clean.

[thedude2340]

Anyone ever use White lightning clean Ride? Wax based, It seems ok, better than Muck off dry lube.

Yes, works well for me. Dry/dusty high desert riding. Wipe off and lube every ride (sometimes skip a ride or two), chain is quiet, chain is relatively clean.

[XXX-er]

before or apres ride ?

As opposed to the chain-fondue I believe wax based drip-on products especially are sposed to be used after the ride so they can get in the chain and the water carrier can evap,

also if you ride thru water while the wax is still in suspension it will just wash off

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I got some ceramic speed UFO. Will try that when the wax gets squeaky.

[s1ammy]

I currently am running Boeshield T9 and it’s the best chain lube I’ve found.

VT checking in to confirm that this seems true in our conditions as well.

[XtrPickels]

Depends what you define as “best”

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I rode in some wetter conditions than I would like to admit yesterday. Bike was pretty thrashed. Chain had NOTHING on it.

[grskier]

Our typical scenario here... it's ridiculously dusty, run the wax based dry lube, do the two creek crossings and everything just sounds like you're eating chips ahoy cookies... crunch, crunch, crunch...

Would this hot wax help with that?

[sethschmautz]

I went the paraffin oil/wax route a few years ago but didn't like the fiddle factor. This year I'm trying it again with the absolute black product. So far seems to be working pretty well although chains got a little dry for the spring break trip to Moab/StG.

Using a rice cooker for application and AB suggests that if it gets dirty and needs to be reapplied you can just rinse with boiling water through a strainer. Not sure why that wouldn't work for other waxes also.

XXXer - interesting info about apres application of white lightning, etc. That has been my go to when not dipping but I've always applied before. Might need to try that on the kids' bikes that are still running white lightning.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[XXX-er]

XXXer - interesting info about apres application of white lightning, etc. That has been my go to when not dipping but I've always applied before. Might need to try that on the kids' bikes that are still running white lightning.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

well think about it

if you have a product like Squirt which is wax using a water solution for the carrier, proper app is to drip it on and let the water evaporate at which point a solid soft wax will be left where ever it has dried hopefully in your chain

so if you put Squirt on and ride right away into the wet before it has dried/ solidifyed it will get washed off or flung off which is why they say to apply apres ride for the next ride.

a couple years ago the porduct froze in my shed at -20 and was altered to the point it was thickened up not penetrating enough so Squirt told me to thin it out by adding a little water

I don't know how the rest of the mfgers do it or what they recommend, Squirt is the only drip-on liquid wax product i have used, it seems to lube fine, is clean and i don't have to remove chains,

altho i have been told removing/ fonduing/ remounting a chain is faster than a drip on product

[thedude2340]

WL before rides but again, very limited water on rides and if I’m doing stream crossing rides I go w a “wet” lube or just let er ride and wipe/lube next ride.

Im in CO, any water in the lube evaporates quicker than I can get on my bike out of the garage (its dry as a popcorn fart here).

I keep lube in the house in the winter, if I forget a few minutes inside or in my pocket and it’s back to normal. Not sure why you’d have to add water to a lube that got frozen, but I’m no expert nor do I play one on TV

[Thaleia]

The alternative would be a traditional Swiss fondue pot. Higher temp than crock pot, cheaper than instapot, simpler than pressure cooker.
The traditional way to finish a fondue in FR is to dump an egg yolk and a bunch of strong booze in there to prevent the cheese from hardening. I think the alcohol + cholesterol from the yolk would combine wonderfully with the cheese for the ultimate chain protection.

Fondue is so due for a comeback.

[EWG]

Fondue is so due for a comeback.

One of my wife's friends just gave her a fondue kit as a present. I am NOT enthused about this. And I'm a ProGold guy so I can't even steal it to wax my chain. Terrible turn of events.

[Boissal]

One of my wife's friends just gave her a fondue kit as a present. I am NOT enthused about this. And I'm a ProGold guy so I can't even steal it to wax my chain. Terrible turn of events.

Only one thing to do then: get fat on melted cheese.

[XXX-er]

WL before rides but again, very limited water on rides and if I’m doing stream crossing rides I go w a “wet” lube or just let er ride and wipe/lube next ride.

Im in CO, any water in the lube evaporates quicker than I can get on my bike out of the garage (its dry as a popcorn fart here).

I keep lube in the house in the winter, if I forget a few minutes inside or in my pocket and it’s back to normal. Not sure why you’d have to add water to a lube that got frozen, but I’m no expert nor do I play one on TV

several weeks at -20C somehow altered the product to the point it made Squirt noticably thicker so it didn't penetrate the chain as well, i e-mailed Squirt, they got back to me in < 24hrs, they said to add a little water and shake

who read labels its just fucking chain lube BUT the label does say " don't let it freeze, apply to a dry chain, let it dry completely before riding especialy in wet conditions " so after that first year I don't let Squirt freeze, and i apply apres ride for the next ride so the wax will be dry and set up for the next ride


I took a look at White Lighting's site cuz its a popular product, they actualy have 5 chain lube products some appears to be wax, some appears to be petro or synthetic, some of it is suposed to dry before using, some doesnt matter, some it wasnt completely clear, some you are suposed to use exclusively and some you can mix, it appears to me that not all WL is created equal depending on your needs/wants you probably wana read the label and chose accordingly

I think rule of thumb might be that liquid wax should be allowed to dry and used exclusively after switching becuz the cleaning procedure is a hassle

petro or synthetic lubes can be used whenver you want