Hot melt wax - the journey begins

[James_C]

is anyone using candle wax? this tested quite well here: Lubricant Testing - Zero Friction Cycling

 

[G-Sport]

is anyone using candle wax? this tested quite well here: Lubricant Testing - Zero Friction Cycling

That's interesting but is there a summary somewhere?

I do use Candle Wax, mixed with a little bees wax and complimented by "top-ups" with Squirt EMTB drip wax. Seems pretty good. I usually crash and bend the teeth on the cassette before it actually wears out, whereas with oil I wore them out first.

 

[Emteebee]

I have used candle wax (paraffine). After that moved to Silca. Results on candle wax are pretty ok, but there's more to it. Actually, I just wrote a full article on my experiences but the article disappeared, could it be as a newbie I can't make new posts??

 

[James_MTB]

They actually do recommend using boiling water to strip the old contaminated wax off the chain before re-waxing. Otherwise you are increasing how contaminated your remaining pot of wax is with each re-wax cycle. It’s very easy to do with a kettle outside and takes <5 minutes.

That worked a treat. Thank you

Review of the Silca wax + a bit of chat about waxing

 

[Mr President]

I started using the hot was technique with the secret blend in the spring (N Hemisphere). Rotating 2 Eagle GX chains.
it’s been a wet summer in UK.
I have just had to retire one of the chains as it had 0.75mm wear after 650km.
i used to average 750km per chain using traditional lubes.
it’s a bit disappointing, but I’m not giving up.
I don’t mind the process, but it’s clearly not for everyone.
I love the cleanliness of the whole drive train. So much more pleasant to work on and no endless cleaning after each ride.
I’ve used hot wax on 4 bikes now, so I’m invested

 

[irie]

...
I have just had to retire one of the chains as it had 0.75mm wear after 650km.
i used to average 750km per chain using traditional lubes.
...

Is that with identical chains?

 

[G-Sport]

I started using the hot was technique with the secret blend in the spring (N Hemisphere). Rotating 2 Eagle GX chains.
it’s been a wet summer in UK.
I have just had to retire one of the chains as it had 0.75mm wear after 650km.
i used to average 750km per chain using traditional lubes.
it’s a bit disappointing, but I’m not giving up.
I don’t mind the process, but it’s clearly not for everyone.
I love the cleanliness of the whole drive train. So much more pleasant to work on and no endless cleaning after each ride.
I’ve used hot wax on 4 bikes now, so I’m invested

0.75% rather than mm surely?
I think GX chains may be a bit shit. The XO ones do seem to last a lot longer.

 

[Emteebee]

Regarding longevity, the GX and NX chains are some of the worst performing, ref Chain Testing - Zero Friction Cycling.
GX and below lack the hard-chrome coating of the X01>.
Is switching to X01 or XX1 an option for you? They are the best performers.

What might also be helping is the rewax frequency. Consider emtb causing very high load on chain mechanism, GX may last longer on a shorter rewax interval. Personally I’d say 200 miles is far too late. I rewax my XX1 and XT chain after every ride (40-100km), just to be sure. Only done 300km/per chain yet and zero wear, keeping an eye on wear trend closely.

 

[Bndit]

I started using the hot was technique with the secret blend in the spring (N Hemisphere). Rotating 2 Eagle GX chains.
it’s been a wet summer in UK.
I have just had to retire one of the chains as it had 0.75mm wear after 650km.
i used to average 750km per chain using traditional lubes.
it’s a bit disappointing, but I’m not giving up.
I don’t mind the process, but it’s clearly not for everyone.
I love the cleanliness of the whole drive train. So much more pleasant to work on and no endless cleaning after each ride.
I’ve used hot wax on 4 bikes now, so I’m invested

I have done 1500km`s on GX chain on GX drivetrain, it`s getting closer to 0.5% mark. No waxing, just peaty`s all weather lube time to time and sometimes cleaning with muc off bike clean, same I use for the bike.

 

[James_C]

is anyone using candle wax? this tested quite well here: Lubricant Testing - Zero Friction Cycling

I tried it. It certainly works well. But - in wet/muddy conditions, you get grit in the chain that I can't get out. I've run it through clean water, but it doesnt get it clean enough for my liking. I did rewax it again and put it back on, but its such a palaver, I'm not doing that every time.

I've gone back to cleaning with a parktool chain cleaner/dry lube. Will try again in summer when I'm not getting it regularl y wet.

 

[G-Sport]

I tried it. It certainly works well. But - in wet/muddy conditions, you get grit in the chain that I can't get out. I've run it through clean water, but it doesnt get it clean enough for my liking. I did rewax it again and put it back on, but its such a palaver, I'm not doing that every time.

I've gone back to cleaning with a parktool chain cleaner/dry lube. Will try again in summer when I'm not getting it regularl y wet.

Maybe try the squirt liquid wax, that has worked really well for me. You get a lot of the advantages of melt wax (clean and long chain life) but with the simplicity of reapplying as necessary.
I now do melt wax and top up with liquid after every wet ride and wash.

 

[James_C]

OK how are you washing your chain?

 

[Quetech]

OK how are you washing your chain?

I also do hot melt and top up with liquid wax if needed.
To clean the chain I remove it and stick it in a jam jar with IPA and give it a good shake.
Then rewax, I also always have a spare waxed and ready to fit
Used to use the Park cleaner but find it’s just as easy to remove the chain

 

[Mr President]

Is that with identical chains?

Yes. Always Eagle GX

 

[Mr President]

I have done 1500km`s on GX chain on GX drivetrain, it`s getting closer to 0.5% mark. No waxing, just peaty`s all weather lube time to time and sometimes cleaning with muc off bike clean, same I use for the bike.

You have to compare like for like. Same rider, same riding, same conditions. I have bikes that easily do 2000kms on same chain, but here I’m talking about a specific bike and riding.

 

[Mr President]

Regarding longevity, the GX and NX chains are some of the worst performing, ref Chain Testing - Zero Friction Cycling.
GX and below lack the hard-chrome coating of the X01>.
Is switching to X01 or XX1 an option for you? They are the best performers.

What might also be helping is the rewax frequency. Consider emtb causing very high load on chain mechanism, GX may last longer on a shorter rewax interval. Personally I’d say 200 miles is far too late. I rewax my XX1 and XT chain after every ride (40-100km), just to be sure. Only done 300km/per chain yet and zero wear, keeping an eye on wear trend closely.

Yes i understand i will probably get more from a better quality chain ( I tried NX once and it disintegrated in 100kms!). At this point I’m wanting to compare waxing to trad lube, so sticking with same set-up for the moment.

 

[TheMirrorVision]

Very aptly timed video just got posted by Silca on this topic!

 

[Mr President]

Regarding longevity, the GX and NX chains are some of the worst performing, ref Chain Testing - Zero Friction Cycling.
GX and below lack the hard-chrome coating of the X01>.
Is switching to X01 or XX1 an option for you? They are the best performers.

What might also be helping is the rewax frequency. Consider emtb causing very high load on chain mechanism, GX may last longer on a shorter rewax interval. Personally I’d say 200 miles is far too late. I rewax my XX1 and XT chain after every ride (40-100km), just to be sure. Only done 300km/per chain yet and zero wear, keeping an eye on wear trend closely.

The re wax interval is an interesting topic. I’m not sue i have it right yet. with first chain i had not used a good technique for the initial stripping and chain as noisy after 85km (note this is the chain that eventually wore out at 650kms) I restripped with proper silca product and rewaxedit and then rewaxed again after further 250kms.
As well as hot wax I top up with liquid drip wax, but haven’t noted the intervals for that.

 

[Mr President]

Very aptly timed video just got posted by Silca on this topic!

Nice. Have to love Josh. Might give it a go over the winter.

 

[Mr President]

OK how are you washing your chain?

I guess this is to me>? In which case:
silca stripper initially. Then rinse.
hot wax and then drip wax after the first ride
after each ride i hose it and then blow it dry with compressed air
boiling water prior to a re wax.

 

[Mr President]

Maybe try the squirt liquid wax, that has worked really well for me. You get a lot of the advantages of melt wax (clean and long chain life) but with the simplicity of reapplying as necessary.
I now do melt wax and top up with liquid after every wet ride and wash.

 

[Mr President]

Messed up a bit with the reply Upton - this is G-Sport
I am doing the same as you except that the interval for the drip wax may be less frequent - i haven’t rally tracked that.

 

[Mr President]

0.75% rather than mm surely?
I think GX chains may be a bit shit. The XO ones do seem to last a lot longer.

Yes sorry 0.75%
imay Change one day to better chain, but have a load of GX in the drawer at the moment.
Did I read somewhere on here that XO do not take wax very well owing to tight tolerances?

 

[Emteebee]

Yes sorry 0.75%
imay Change one day to better chain, but have a load of GX in the drawer at the moment.
Did I read somewhere on here that XO do not take wax very well owing to tight tolerances?

X0 does very well as long as it has been submerged long enough in the hot wax (15min).
However, the surface treatment of SRAM rainbow (PVD coating) and KMC black (DLC coating) seems to affect the wax sticking to the surface according to ZFC.

 

[Emteebee]

I guess this is to me>? In which case:
silca stripper initially. Then rinse.
hot wax and then drip wax after the first ride
after each ride i hose it and then blow it dry with compressed air
boiling water prior to a re wax.

Last 2 ZFC Youtube updates have some good info on hot wax and water. Whether it was a wet ride, or hosing afterwards; same rules, reset with boiling water and rewax is needed since water may have brought dirt into chain. Or use 2 pot system and no boiling water reset needed.
Something is/are affecting your chain life drastically. You’re using a top of the line lubricant, so that can’t be it. Might be worth looking closely in how you do things differently compared to the textbook. New chain cleaning? SRAM needs more attention than Shimano. Wax temperature, long enough wax bath, interval times, keeping wax clean/no dirty chains in clean wax. Are rides very dirty or wet: reset and rewax chain. High load, wax more often.
A mate rides 5000km on X01 per year, using Squirt. If feel there must be something to gain for you with GX on Silca. Or maybe GX is just really that bad.

 

[TheMirrorVision]

Last 2 ZFC Youtube updates have some good info on hot wax and water. Whether it was a wet ride, or hosing afterwards; same rules, reset with boiling water and rewax is needed since water may have brought dirt into chain. Or use 2 pot system and no boiling water reset needed.
Something is/are affecting your chain life drastically. You’re using a top of the line lubricant, so that can’t be it. Might be worth looking closely in how you do things differently compared to the textbook. New chain cleaning? SRAM needs more attention than Shimano. Wax temperature, long enough wax bath, interval times, keeping wax clean/no dirty chains in clean wax. Are rides very dirty or wet: reset and rewax chain. High load, wax more often.
A mate rides 5000km on X01 per year, using Squirt. If feel there must be something to gain for you with GX on Silca. Or maybe GX is just really that bad.

Agree with all of this and Zero Friction Cycling does state “Please note that GX level chains do not have HARDCHROME and wear VASTLY faster vs x01 & xx1 level chains” in his chain test report.

 

[alleeex]

I’m very happy with the results I’m getting from chain waxing.
SRAM XO chain, initially waxed with Silca Super Secret (prepped using a strip chip) for the first ~500km, then changed onto MSW. It’s done about 2800km and is now showing 0.75% wear so has been changed.

I’m in the UK and ran this from April-present, through all weathers and pretty much 100% at Bike Park Wales which is specially made from drivetrain-destroying grit . Rewax intervals were 120-150km (pretty much weekly), and I’d clean the chain by just pouring boiling water over it.

I was debating going back to traditional oil-based lube (Silca Synergetic) over the worst of the winter but will probably stick with wax to see how it handles real wet/mud/endless grit.