My adventures in chain waxing: goals, reviews, suggestions...
Moderator: robbosmans
When I hear squeaking noise I'd swap the chain. It usually starts from 450-500km for my usage.
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MrRolandos wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 2:51 pmAt which point do you guys top off the chain? My MSW chain seems a bit noisy, done 206km in good conditions. Are you guys accepting the noise because shifting is still okay or do you top off with squirt/silca?
If I relubed when I started hearing rasping, I’d be relubing at 120km. I get 400km out of a chain in dry conditions. The sound you don’t want to hear is squeaking.
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If you really want quiet, you need to add a drip wax to the mix, you will also increase your mileage between hot waxings. After the first ride on your hot waxed chain, the hot wax will have become compressed inside the rollers/plates and between the side plates. This compression of the wax helps it perform very well in friction, but opens up internal cavities which you can then fill with more wax by using SuperSecret Drip or UFO 2.0 (Squirt/Smoove and the like will not work here as it can't penetrate). I typically add a drop of SuperSecret to each roller after the first ride on a hot waxed chain, and then every 250km or so thereafter. Just be sure to wipe the chain before applying the SuperSecret to remove any surface contamination.TobinHatesYou wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 7:20 pmMrRolandos wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 2:51 pmAt which point do you guys top off the chain? My MSW chain seems a bit noisy, done 206km in good conditions. Are you guys accepting the noise because shifting is still okay or do you top off with squirt/silca?
If I relubed when I started hearing rasping, I’d be relubing at 120km. I get 400km out of a chain in dry conditions. The sound you don’t want to hear is squeaking.
My other trick is to apply the drip wax in a cross-chain condition, 53-25 on my road bike. This cross-chaining helps open the gaps in the chain so that the wax then better penetrate. Do one drop per roller, run the chain between fingers for a cycle or two to help ensure the wax is wetting the rollers, and then I pedal forward and cycle down the cassette allowing the chain to run on each cog for a few revolutions. You will notice a very fine coating of the wet wax on the cogs after this. Allow it all to dry for 24 hours and I think you'll be shocked at how quiet the drivetrain is for the next 200-250km, and how quickly you can re-silence it with this technique.
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Don't, unless you absolutely need the rust protection or are really into waxing.
I have been running two 11 speed KMC EPT chains for about 3000 km each, hoping to get the benefits of waxing with good rust resistance. I started with plain paraffin wax only, then changed to Silca Hot Melt as I was disappointed with the performance but there was hardly any difference. They get noisy from about 100 km on and are unbearably loud (ok, rasping, not squeaking, so maybe you could push on without excessive wear) at 180 km, all in the dry on a 70/30 road/gravel mix.
I have now changed to YBN 11 speed SLA chains and from a noise and treatment life standpoint they are much better, still running quiet at 300 km.
An Ultegra 11 speed was a bit better than the KMCs but not by much. It recently surpassed 0,5 wear at about 4500 km.
If you dig around on ZFC you'll find all this info but stuff can be hard to find on his site.
For those still in doubt about waxing “being cumbersome” I cleaned 4 chains(that I rotate and wax in batch) with hot water and a bit of solvent on a rag (remove some potential grease that could be on the chain) and waxed them with Silca Hot Melt Wax in 30’… that’s less than the time it would take to properly decontaminate a oiled chain using different solvent bath.
Rotating 4 chains, I am now free for 2000km using some silca Super secret when I need to extend chain swap (only the KMC last less than the shimanos).
Rotating 4 chains, I am now free for 2000km using some silca Super secret when I need to extend chain swap (only the KMC last less than the shimanos).
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Most of my chains are KMC and I haven't had an issue. The coatings get roughened up within a couple of weeks and then the wax adheres nicely. And yes, I haven't replaced a chain, chainring or cassette in about 3 years with a rotation of 5 chains. I doubt any of those components will wear out before I decided to move on to 12-speed.
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Just getting into the chain waxing game, using Silca's Secret Blend, stovetop method. Is it normal to have to break the links loose by hand first before putting it on the bike? I also take a small allen key and push the wax out from between the links, otherwise it won't go on the sprockets. Just making sure this is the expected result when first putting a freshly waxed chain on the bike. Love how clean it stays, and feels smooth and fast.
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rides4beer wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 2:53 amJust getting into the chain waxing game, using Silca's Secret Blend, stovetop method. Is it normal to have to break the links loose by hand first before putting it on the bike? I also take a small allen key and push the wax out from between the links, otherwise it won't go on the sprockets. Just making sure this is the expected result when first putting a freshly waxed chain on the bike. Love how clean it stays, and feels smooth and fast.
TBH I don’t loosen up the links before installing the chain. It makes it easier to thread the chain through the derailleur cages when stiff IMO. I do spin the cranks in small-small with the rear wheel lifted to loosen up the links before I get on the bike.
Yes, this is completely normal. I loosen it up by running the chain around the leg of my work-bench and "flossing" it back and forth a few times. I've not had the issue with needing to push the wax out to get it onto he sprockets though, I just feed it on and it's fine (also Silca)rides4beer wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 2:53 amJust getting into the chain waxing game, using Silca's Secret Blend, stovetop method. Is it normal to have to break the links loose by hand first before putting it on the bike? I also take a small allen key and push the wax out from between the links, otherwise it won't go on the sprockets. Just making sure this is the expected result when first putting a freshly waxed chain on the bike. Love how clean it stays, and feels smooth and fast.
Same for me. I bend the chain a bit to get it through the jockey wheels, but the semi-stiff chain helps.TobinHatesYou wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 4:24 amTBH I don’t loosen up the links before installing the chain. It makes it easier to thread the chain through the derailleur cages when stiff IMO. I do spin the cranks in small-small with the rear wheel lifted to loosen up the links before I get on the bike.
And per C36, even that 30 min to do multiple chains includes time spent doing some other things as well.
In the end, it took me far too long to get into waxing !!
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Yep, willing to give this a ago. The only downside from hot waxing is the noise it produces after about 2 rides. I noticed the packaging changed for the drip wax. Is the formula the same as previous or did something else change?joshatsilca wrote: ↑Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:32 pmIf you really want quiet, you need to add a drip wax to the mix, you will also increase your mileage between hot waxings. After the first ride on your hot waxed chain, the hot wax will have become compressed inside the rollers/plates and between the side plates. This compression of the wax helps it perform very well in friction, but opens up internal cavities which you can then fill with more wax by using SuperSecret Drip or UFO 2.0 (Squirt/Smoove and the like will not work here as it can't penetrate). I typically add a drop of SuperSecret to each roller after the first ride on a hot waxed chain, and then every 250km or so thereafter. Just be sure to wipe the chain before applying the SuperSecret to remove any surface contamination.TobinHatesYou wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 7:20 pmMrRolandos wrote: ↑Fri Apr 15, 2022 2:51 pmAt which point do you guys top off the chain? My MSW chain seems a bit noisy, done 206km in good conditions. Are you guys accepting the noise because shifting is still okay or do you top off with squirt/silca?
If I relubed when I started hearing rasping, I’d be relubing at 120km. I get 400km out of a chain in dry conditions. The sound you don’t want to hear is squeaking.
My other trick is to apply the drip wax in a cross-chain condition, 53-25 on my road bike. This cross-chaining helps open the gaps in the chain so that the wax then better penetrate. Do one drop per roller, run the chain between fingers for a cycle or two to help ensure the wax is wetting the rollers, and then I pedal forward and cycle down the cassette allowing the chain to run on each cog for a few revolutions. You will notice a very fine coating of the wet wax on the cogs after this. Allow it all to dry for 24 hours and I think you'll be shocked at how quiet the drivetrain is for the next 200-250km, and how quickly you can re-silence it with this technique.
If you only hook one chainlink in the middle of the chain, you can wipe it down with a paper towel as you pull it out of the liquid wax, and there won't be any buildup or clogging. Wax on the outside of the chain serves no purpose. The chain is obviously hot, so wait for the temp to drop a bit (but not long enough for the wax to congeal), and fold the towel a couple times to protect your fingers.rides4beer wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 2:53 amI also take a small allen key and push the wax out from between the links, otherwise it won't go on the sprockets.
And yes to leaving it a bit stiff for easy install.
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Take the chain off before washing the bike. Re-wax the chain when the chain needs it and not so much when the bike needs cleaning, though the conditions that precipitated the need to clean the bike might cause the chain to need re-waxing anyway.
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