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Any of you guys using this for your chains? I’d it any better?
It's all the rage.
This is probably going to get me permabanned but I think it's over-rated. It's a faff to put on (blah blah blah I've heard it all but it's still a faff). I did it for a while with the horrid black stuff, but now I'm back to just using decent chain lube which is dead easy to put on and a lot less faff.
It does work better but I think the real benefits are further down the line once you've done about 3 or 4 waxings. The first one is a faff, scrubbing everything to get it spotless. After that it gets easier; subsequent waxings you just wash it off in boiling water, dry it then re-wax.
Kind of like setting tubeless up for the first time. It's a pain getting everything clean, taped, sealed etc then after that you just chuck a few ml more sealant in every couple of months.
What really helps is having a slow cooker or proper wax melt pot. Either do it all properly with the temp-controlled wax melt pot or don't do it at all. Trying half-way-house options like dropping the wax bag into a pan of boiling water is just messy and time-consuming. The only other thing to be aware of is that on 11, 12 and 13sp chains, you'll likely need a new quicklink each time you remove and refit the chain so it can get costly on quicklinks! 8, 9, 10sp links seem to be much more tolerant of being re-used a few times, the 12sp ones definitely aren't!
Chains definitely last longer and stay cleaner, it's been brilliant on my road bikes. Much less cleaning required so in that sense, the initial time of getting it done was well worth it for not having to clean black gunk off the chain and sprockets.
However it's not worth doing on a mid-motor e-bike, the torque will just flake it straight off and you're better off with an e-bike lube that is designed for the extra power going through the chain.
I was initially sceptical, but I bought a small slow cooker off Marketplace cheap so gave the wax from GLF Wax (of this here parish) a go.
Followed the instructions and it’s been happy days since. My chains have survived multiple filthy rides and I’ve had no issues. All three bikes have done loads of miles, less faff than degunking and relubing.
This thread has prompted me to rewax my chains tomorrow.
Hot wax for road bikes. Putoline for electric MTB (Putoline is no where near as clean but lasts aaaages between waxings in winter slop). Makes everything last 3+ times longer and if you use a top end chain (XTR/X0/RED/DuraAce) it will last thousands of miles (I’m currently running two chains on rotation on the gravel bike that between them have done over 8,000 miles and are still showing virtually zero wear). As above much less faff once you have a setup going. Take chain off, put in pot, come back in 30-45 mins, swish about and hang to cool. Have two chains on rotation so a new one is always ready to go. Also can be topped up with a premium wet lube like Silca Super Secret without the need to deep clean before re-waxing. No need to replace the quick link every time IMO. I’ve not had one fail yet and I’ve used well over 10 times before replacing. I’m relatively gentle on them though so 🤷🏽♂️.
Depends why you're doing it.
On balance, I DO believe it is less faff. I never have to clean my drivetrain any more e.g. no chain cleaning, no scraping of gunk off jockey wheels, no black hands after touching chains (I don't include Putoline in this, it's a horrible sticky black mess).
You can reduce faff even further by buying a new, pre-stripped, chain from the likes of inaspin.co.uk
I also reckon it performs better but obviously can't really prove it, I just know it feels smoother and faster to pedal, especially midway through a muddy ride. I imagine this is because there is less crap clinging to the surface of the chain.
I don't really believe the durability claims. I had multiple issues with the chain running unpleasantly dry and noisy anywhere between 50-80km into wet, gritty gravel rides. I've since added an Endurance chip and 1/3rd bottle of Synergetic wet lube to my Silca wax and touch wood this seems a lot better, although I think this mix still wore off after 170km of pretty wet (river crossings, bogs, rain) MTB through Lochaber, to the point where the bike sounded in pain when I was pedalling! You can top off with normal lube but then you need to strip the drivetrain back to clean when you get home.
I don't track mileage well enough to measure drivetrain life, but I have been pretty cavalier with swapping chains and cassettes of different mileages between bikes with no issues. I remember stripping an old chain of wax and lubing with Juice Lubes Viking juice, and the whole drivetrain ground to a halt, as if the wax was the only thing holding it together!
So yeah, marginally reduced faff, probably improved performance, much improved cleanliness and probably increased drivetrain life. Learning curve isn't too difficult, if in doubt use a lower temperature and always remember to set timers for melting and cooling!
Yes and yes.
I'm a bit nerdy with such things but it can be as much, or as little faff as you like.
The two things I've noticed is that I'm using less cleaning products, particularly solvents. Hub and bottom bracket bearings are lasting longer and if struggle to remember the last time I wore out a chain
You can top off with normal lube but then you need to strip the drivetrain back to clean when you get home.
Not if you top up with Silca Super Secret which is basically Silca wax suspended in an emulsion format. Needs a good few hours to "dry". Or Tungsten (I think that's what it's called - Zero Friction Cycling will tell you for sure). You can just re-wax as normal if you use these.. I do this and then reset in hot water once every few months.
All of them are a bit rubbish in the wet. GLF is the worst I've tried. Molten Speed wax is OK and Silca with an Endurance Chip is about the best but still needs doing every few wet rides - this can be negated by using a top up wax emulsion as above if you are away from your system/spare chain.
You can reduce faff even further by buying a new, pre-stripped, chain from the likes of inaspin.co.uk
You can go one better and buy pre waxed chains. I don't have a link but a GCN video mentioned them so they are available
Been using putoline for more than a decade. Its so much better as a lube and your chains last a lot longer.
I'll admit I use bog standard Putolene on my Levo. I run 3 Sram GX chains. The bike keeps track of distance. I change chains every 100km or so. I do no cleaning or anything on the chains. Chainring, mech and cassette get a brisk rub with a manky cloth. I use a small deep fat fryer (£15.99, now £18.40, Argos), turn the dial to vertical which I reckon is 90-100 deg C, and put the chain in the basket. If it is wet, it sizzles a bit. Once it stops bubbling, I take it out, let it cool, the use a manky rag to remove excess from the outside of the chain.
My chains have wee number tags (1,2, and 3), and they live in old takeaway tubs, similarly labelled. I have an identical system on my trail bike, and on my old trail bike which is now ridden by eldest child.
All other bikes get a dunk when chain seems to be "dry". Works really well on Alfine commuter Ebike too. If any chain seems dry, in an emergency, I'd bung whatever lube was to hand on it. Muc-off Dry Lube is the current surplus item in the shed.
In a house with multiple bikes, it makes a big difference to keeping on top of it all.
Not if you top up with Silca Super Secret which is basically Silca wax suspended in an emulsion format. Needs a good few hours to "dry"
I mean topping up mid-ride if it's worn off, there's no point topping off with the Super Secret as it basically needs to dry overnight, no good in the middle of a long wet ride! 😂
To be honest I couldn't bring myself to trust Super Secret for any sort of distance off-road in wet conditions...
You can go one better and buy pre waxed chains. I don't have a link but a GCN video mentioned them so they are available
Yeah totally, I just didn't want to pay the extra for pre-waxed when I had my own crock-pot and 'special blend' of wax 😂
I’m of the mind that it’s marginally better than drip waxes but significantly better than oil based lubes. The waxing process itself is satisfying if you have the time/space but I’d struggle to recommend it to anyone who doesn’t enjoy bike fiddling.
On threads like these there is always someone who says ‘it’s not much faff’ and then proceeds to list their process that is several steps more than ‘wash your bike then drip some stuff on it before you put it away’.
I use putolene on all my bikes.I invested in a small deep fat fryer to do the waxing and since starting to wax I have found that chain life has improved 2x.The putolene does look horrible but after removing the newly waxed chain I hang it up on a nail in the shed and while it’s cooling I lightly run a rag down the chain to leave only a small film on the external part of the links.The magic happens inside the chain.
Is it a faff, yes.
Does it keep chains clean, yes
Does it stop my kids coming in all greasy after they decided to inspect their chains, yes
My 7 year olds chain has a bit of surface corrosion on the top of the rollers that are currently at the bottom after I forgot and left his bike out overnight in the rain. But that will clear up with some pedaling
I've been trying MSW on my bikes this year. Happy with it on the MTBs and it seems to last long enough. On the CX bikes it was also good before the full wet season arrived. After that it's become slightly more annoying as I have to remember to pull the chain off after every ride, rough dry it and wrap up (3 chains for this bike). In the CX slop and jet washing it seems to last 1 training session/race (15-20km). Performance is fine while riding and I'd also have to relube every ride with oil, it's just frustrating when I don't get the chain off quick enough and the surface rust appears.
I do seem to be getting good life from the wax pucks. 2 are supposed to be good for 20 chains. I'm over that on just one puck (though is this a problem?).