What do you think of the chain wax?

[JeffK]

Very interesting idea using a heat gun to apply hard wax. I am going to have to try that!

I have been using Molten Speed Wax all year and really like the results. I have a few spare chains so I just do a batch at a time, them swap chains as the wax wears out. I recently bought a bottle of squirt to try and it seems to work well too. Nice and clean. I am going to use Squirt to keep my current chain lubed for indoor training over the winter and see how it does.

Squirt will fling semi-solid black / dark gray pellets in a line from your bottom bracket to just behind your trainer. It’s not worth the hassle even if you are using a trainer mat. When riding a bike indoors, there is pretty much no grit that can contaminate the pins/rollers and cause excessive chain wear, so you can just use the lightest dry lube possible like Rock’n’Roll Absolute Dry or Gold. If you are leaving the bike on the trainer all winter, I suggest getting a second chain and using that with RnR indoors for several seasons...it should last a very long time.

Case in point, I have something like 400 hours or the equivalent of 8000mi on my spare/indoor bike’s chain and it still hasn’t come close to 0.5% wear. I probably get 40-50 hours of riding per relube indoors...it’s really quite an unchallenging environment.

Thanks for the Info!

[blaugrana]

To be honest, if you use little of whatever bike oil (almost anyway), you get the same results.
Or way around, what is it then that makes NixFrix something special compared to rows and rows of more or less same?
(Nothing is the answer

I haven't tried everything, of course, but compared to other lubes I used previously, NFS lasts a lot longer. In my experience not many lubes can last 600km (in the dry) easily, but this one does. And just wiping the chain after very ride (10 seconds) keeps it reasonably clean, but with other products doing this just leaves the chain too dry and you need to relube.

[MattMay]

Even in super wet conditions, for someone who has a nice bike and maintains it, the Lite version is likely most appropriate, at least for me. Mountain bikers etc are the typical users of the Original (Blue) version. Not to say you can’t use either for either application, but I’ve found the Lite version to be perfect for road bikes. Lasts plenty long and unless you never clean your bike all winter, it’s the way to go.

This is exactly how I use the two versions. Perfect duo for my southern Cal conditions.

[Calnago]

Even in super wet conditions, for someone who has a nice bike and maintains it, the Lite version is likely most appropriate, at least for me. Mountain bikers etc are the typical users of the Original (Blue) version. Not to say you can’t use either for either application, but I’ve found the Lite version to be perfect for road bikes. Lasts plenty long and unless you never clean your bike all winter, it’s the way to go.

This is exactly how I use the two versions. Perfect duo for my southern Cal conditions.

So you can get the regular Dumonde products in California now?... and not just the Pro-X forumulations? Or maybe you always could, so long as it didn't get there by air? The regular versions' solvents act as the "carriers" of the actual lube deep into the nooks and crannies of the rollers and bushings etc. Those same solvents are also the source of VOC's and flamable, which is why Dumonde created the Pro-X versions, so they could air freight it overseas. Trouble is, the Pro-X stuff doesn't work as well, and kinda gums up more. I picked up some more a couple days ago, and noticed a bunch of the Original (Blue) and Original Lite (yellow) bottles on display, and not a single Pro-X bottle. I asked about it and after trying it a couple years ago (I remember it being there) they're just not carrying it anymore as it simply didn't seem to work as well according to according to them. So, it's the Original versions for me. It's what I like to use, mostly because it makes my drive train whisper quiet once you get the lube thoroughly embedded everywhere, and it's never to be removed completely. So if you're the type that likes a sparkling clean chain all the time and regularly remove the chain to thoroughly degrease everything from it, including perfectly good lube inside the rollers, then you're kind of defeating the purpose of this product. After a couple applications, you'll notice that between rides it dries to a very waxy consistency, then pretty much "liquifies" again as soon as you start riding. Just wash the grit away and dont' worry if it is isn't shiny silver. It smells nice too. Anyway, just wanted to clarify a couple points about the Dumonde product. At the end of the day, it's just a chain lube. They all are. Whatever keeps your rolling.

[MikeD]

NFS is OK, but the 3 or 12 drops or whatever to lube the whole chain is pure BS. I tried that on a clean and degreased chain multiple times and it still squeaked. It's also fairly viscous and doesn't penetrate the chain readily. I found it works better thinning it with OMS. I stopped using it and found Lilly Lube works better. There's folks that swear by NFS and I'm thinking they are applying it on a dirty chain that already has old lube on it. YMMV

[TobinHatesYou]

NFS is OK, but the 3 or 12 drops or whatever to lube the whole chain is pure BS. I tried that on a clean and degreased chain multiple times and it still squeaked. It's also fairly viscous and doesn't penetrate the chain readily. I found it works better thinning it with OMS. I stopped using it and found Lilly Lube works better. There's folks that swear by NFS and I'm thinking they are applying it on a dirty chain that already has old lube on it. YMMV

One drop per roller on a dry chain that was fully degreased, then you can use the 12-12-12 method.

[BdaGhisallo]

NFS is OK, but the 3 or 12 drops or whatever to lube the whole chain is pure BS. I tried that on a clean and degreased chain multiple times and it still squeaked. It's also fairly viscous and doesn't penetrate the chain readily. I found it works better thinning it with OMS. I stopped using it and found Lilly Lube works better. There's folks that swear by NFS and I'm thinking they are applying it on a dirty chain that already has old lube on it. YMMV

One drop per roller on a dry chain that was fully degreased, then you can use the 12-12-12 method.

That’s exactly my method.

[Frankie - B]

Exactly what tobin said. When you expect a fully degreased chain to get lubed by the 12-12-12 method, you are expectiing the impossible. the 12-12-12 is great for top ups.

[MikeD]

NFS is OK, but the 3 or 12 drops or whatever to lube the whole chain is pure BS. I tried that on a clean and degreased chain multiple times and it still squeaked. It's also fairly viscous and doesn't penetrate the chain readily. I found it works better thinning it with OMS. I stopped using it and found Lilly Lube works better. There's folks that swear by NFS and I'm thinking they are applying it on a dirty chain that already has old lube on it. YMMV

One drop per roller on a dry chain that was fully degreased, then you can use the 12-12-12 method.

Deleted.

[MattMay]

So you can get the regular Dumonde products in California now?

Yep. For as long as I can remember.

[Finx]

If you have Squirt lube "flinging" off of your chain, you are probably using way too much, and/or not letting it dry before riding.

Applied following the manufacturers instructions, and letting it dry, I've never had it come off in any way (flakes or drips).

[kode54]

Riding in the winter, the Molten Speed Wax does flake quite a bit. I've been adding paraffin lamp oil to the mixture of half a pound with 2 tablespoons of lamp oil.

[TheRich]

If you have Squirt lube "flinging" off of your chain, you are probably using way too much, and/or not letting it dry before riding.

Applied following the manufacturers instructions, and letting it dry, I've never had it come off in any way (flakes or drips).

It'll be a little messy on a new (non-degreased) chain, as the grease works it way out and combines with the wax, which seems to be the point where most people give up on it.

[silvalis]

And the squirt instructions specifically says to strip all existing grease
So just people being lazy?

[TobinHatesYou]

Squirt flinging off the chain is touted as a feature by Squirt themselves. Part of their claim is the contaminants get flung off with the excess semi-solid wax. Look, I kinda like Squirt and Smoove, but don’t pretend the wax flecks/globs don’t exist. I use these wax drip labs to “top off” my waxed chains after wet rides, and I’ve used them in completely degreased new chains indoors as well.

I mean, I use as little Squirt (or Smoove) as possible. One tiny drop per link, with the excess wiped off, but if I check my chainstay after a ride, there are tiny blackish gray flecks on the chainstay. After a couple months of using Squirt, enough semi-solid wax builds up in the machined/stamped out areas of my cassette, that I have to pick it out with a Park Tool scraper or just dunk the cassette in 130F water to dissolve it.

—

Re: Dumonde. I had forgotten how strong the “artificial banana” odor of the original formula was. I can apply Pro X in my garage or even indoors without issue, but the original evaporates so fast, it permeates the entire floor where my training “cave” is located.