Chain Waxing, if you're not doing it, you should !

I have been using wax on my bikes chains for a long time now. 

It has great advantages, does not attract dirt, it is much simpler to clean (no need to degrease or use petrol/chemical degreasers), it is eco-friendly and also makes your drivetrain run smoother (faster) and for longer.

What I have been using so far, is a form of emulsified wax, or liquid wax in a bottle.

I have used Squirt lube and quite like it, with two minor issues.

1- It needs a lot of application, it wears out fast, so you need to apply it often. It is not a big issue, as opposite to what happens when you use oils, you don't need a full clean/degrase before re-applying. Just wipe down with a cloth (or old t-shirt in my case) and you are good to go.

Drawback, is it gets a bit expensive if you are doing a lot of hours on the bike.

2 - The wax (GUNK) buildup that happens on the rear pulley wheels. As this is an emulsified wax, it is always very soft, so you see a few drips here in there of black dots (wax mixed with road grime). 

When you put an outdoor bike on a trainer, you see the black wax dots that dripped on the floor.

It is easy to clean though, just a rag and you're done. It is not oily or greasy, so it comes out very well.

In any case, I am moving to the NEXT STEP of drivetrain nerdiness, CHAIN WAXING !!!

I saw a deal on AbsoluteBlack's GraphenWax at 50% off, so pre-ordered it.

Very nice box, with what look like chocolate squares. The wax is mixed with graphene and other stuff to make it faster, and is mentioned to be very pliable.

(Other considerations where Molten Speed Wax and Silca's secret wax, but this was on a discount). 

Now, how to use this ?

Armed with the knowledge of youtube (absolute black has it's own videos, as does Silca) and this great guide with all you need to know:

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/how-to-wax-a-chain-an-endless-faq/

I purchased a cheap slow cooker, and an infrared thermometer (aliexpress).

As my chain was already using Squirt, no need to go through extensive degreasing (to remove factory lube). In any case, the same applies. Stick the chain in a bottle with degreaser, shake shake shake, leave it there half an hour, shake shake shake, done.

You can then let it dry, or pass it through denatured alcohol, otherwise known as methylated spirits to get it ready for waxing.

In my case, I just did the same as for re-waxing, boiled water, pour it over chain, wax melts, comes out with gunk. Scrub a bit with soap with needed (I used dish washing soap and a small brush). Rinse again with hot water, done.

Get an old spoke, bend it like a hanger and here is a clean chain ready to get waxed.

2 liter crockpot ! Cheapest thing I could find. Set it to '2' or "medium".

Wax takes a bit of time to melt, this is a SLOW COOKER remember ?

Initially I was planning to use a rice cooker, but it is not a good idea. It warms up too fast and that can burn the wax a bit, making it less smooooth.

AbsoluteBlack mentions the wax melts at about 70 degrees, but they recommend waxing the chain from 90 to 100 degress, so that it gets properly into the chain.

This is where the AliExpress thermometer comes in !!Dip you chain in, and move it around. Leave it for a couple of minutes, stir again.

After that you are done. Take chain out and hang to dry. You can remove excess from the sides as that is not needed (otherwise it will flake off in the first use, so no biggy anyway).

Hang it to dry above the pot, so it drips back into the pot, and you can use the same wax for a loooonnnnggggggg time. I weighted it to get about 5 grams of wax on the chain. The box has 340grams of wax, and the waxing interval is about 1000km ( or 600 if you ride in wet mucky conditions).

So, a box of wax should be good for 40 to 68.0000kms.

Ok... not that much, as you always need enough so that the chain is completely submerged, but you get the point.

Here is the chain waxed and ready to go on the bike !!

At this point it is stiff as a board, but you just need to run it through your fingers or a round pipe to break the wax and ready to go.

First run on the indoor trainer, I saw some very small flaking on the bike chain stay. Other than that, super smooth, super clean and very dry.

I did the complete Tour of Sufferlandria on it (post coming soon) and it went flawlessly.

Chain performance was super smooth. I tried to get an idea of the claimed friction improvements and watt savings ( up to 7Watts they mention), but that is within tolerances of powermeters, so it is hard to prove.

In any case, I ran the bike and compared the data from the crank powermeter and the KICKR powermeter (at the hub) and it seemed like the difference between them was smaller than usual.

Usually crank reads a bit higher, about 10W (depends on cadence and load), but now it seemed to be more around a 5W difference.

Again, this can be caused by almost anything from temperature variations, to battery level on the 4iiii powermeter to wear on the trainer bearings, so take that with a pinch of salt.

I can for sure claim it was not any worse than with Squirt.

Regarding cost, it is a very cost effective solution if you factor in all the details.

The slow cooker costed 22€ (It is good for at least the 2 years warranty period).

GraphenWax is 30€ (Tour de france winning lube, so this is a premium product, still not that expensive).
Thermometer 7€.
So, 60€ gets you lube and appliances for 40.000km's, and you always have a nice clean and fast drivetrain.

Durability claims that you get at least double the life out of a chain than using oils.
You don't need to waste money and the environment on degreasers and toxic chemicals.

More time riding your bike, less time cleaning it.

The whole process was super easy, and the results are amazing. Super super clean, no need to worry about getting a calf tattoo, or getting your car dirty if you put the bike in.

If you are not waxing your chain, you should !