Waxing your chain

[Polar Bear]

Anybody do it?

GCN

[Ian H]

Is this a euphemism?

[rogerzilla]

Tried, it flakes off.  I don't think they mean candle wax 

[Polar Bear]

Is this a euphemism?

That was my first reaction.

[zigzag]

i don't think they are doing it the right way. i've heard mixing in some paraffin oil makes the chain less stiff and run quieter.

[Torslanda]

Linklife used to be the stuff to use.

Don't think it's available any more but Putoline still market something similar.

Best done from new, the chain needs to be as clean as a whistle and possibly too much faff for most peeps...

[LEE]

Chain lube for bicycle chains. It's easier to clean.

Thick, gloopy, stuff for Motorbike chains where it needs to stay put and the loss of a few Watts don't matter.

[aidan.f]

I still have a tin of linklyfe. Good for fixed in winter but tends to clog derraliers. I may get it out again now roads are being salted

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Used White Lightning once.  I found it useless.

[Ruthie]

That video must have come out on April 1st.

Chains are supposed to bend, right? And he recommends keeping your slow cooker permanently full of paraffin wax?!

No stew for him!

[T42]

A double boiler made of an old tin in an old saucepan would do just as well.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I used to use Motorcycle chain wax in australia. It was useful in that the sand didn't stick to the wax in the same way it sticks to oil. Made things very gloopy round the jockey wheels.

[IJL]

seems an awful lot of work compared to a squirt of normal chain lube.  I'm not convinced by all the power loss claims for bits of drivetrain.  If 3 watts was being lost to friction at as many places as we are led to believe I would expect the whole thing to be getter rather hot

[Brucey]

an average bike loses ~50W in the tyres, yet they don't get appreciably warm.  3W is peanuts. 

cheers

[mark]

I tried waxing my chain years ago, it just wasn't worth the effort. Get a chain cleaning tool like Park or Pedro's make, and pick the lube that works best for your riding conditions (or just use whatever's available at the shop).

A home made double boiler like T42 described makes more sense than a slow cooker that could be better used for food. The water in the saucepan will keep the wax from overheating, and will keep the wax warm for a while after you take it off the stove.

[Hot Flatus]

Anybody do it?

GCN

Nope.

Its very shit.

[rogerzilla]

Is this a euphemism?

That was my first reaction.

That's "waxing your dolphin".  Or "polishing your lighthouse".

[Plug1n]

I'm a happy Squirt user http://www.squirtlube.com/.

Probably needs re-applying more frequently than some (e.g. Finish Line Winter), but worth it for the reduction in cleaning time and ther general lack of gunk putting the bike into the back of the car.

[IJL]

an average bike loses ~50W in the tyres, yet they don't get appreciably warm.  3W is peanuts. 

cheers

A bit off topic but can it be true that you lose 50w thru the tyres?  that would mean that any thing less than 50 watts at the pedal wouldn't more the bike at all.  There are all sorts of lubes and gadgets that are meant to reduce power loss but power is never "lost" its just converted to another from of energy generally heat thru friction but it could be noise. 

[mrcharly-YHT]

an average bike loses ~50W in the tyres, yet they don't get appreciably warm.  3W is peanuts. 

cheers

A bit off topic but can it be true that you lose 50w thru the tyres?  that would mean that any thing less than 50 watts at the pedal wouldn't more the bike at all.  There are all sorts of lubes and gadgets that are meant to reduce power loss but power is never "lost" its just converted to another from of energy generally heat thru friction but it could be noise.

Let me introduce you to:
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/

50W is a tad high - that is for the heavier, cheaper tyres. Most 'touring' tyres have a rolling resistance (at the test speeds) of over 20W per tyre.

Rolling resistance increases linearly with speed - it isn't zero at zero speed but it is lowish for nearly all tyres then increases.

So, yes, it is perfectly possible to lose 50W just to tyre rolling resistance. Even the very best fast tyres will soak up 20-25W (for a pair) at good cruising speed.

[Simon_A]

Used White Lightning once.  I found it useless.

Totally agreed for the road bikes.  Being too tight to actually throw away a 3/4 full bottle I've been using up on the MTB where only lasting one muddy ride is acceptable.  However I certainly won't be buying anymore.

[rogerzilla]

Aren't you supposed to drink it with your mates, in a playground after dark?

[Torslanda]

Not when it goes up over 11 quid a bottle in Scotland...

[Moleman76]

Among some USAnians, waxing vs. oil-based lubrication of chains has elements of chain-care denominationalism.

Waxing seems to work better in dry climates or times of the year.

The true believers have a few sets of chains (not "chainsets", of course).  Typically they exchange chains every 500 miles or so, and when they have 3 or 4 which have been used, they get out their thrift-sale "crock pot" slow cooker, add some more wax (which they call paraffin - not the same product as names that in the UK), and let it warm up.  Chains are then immersed for half a day or more; the heat tends to loosen grit up, which falls to the bottom, and wax enters into the various interstitial spaces in the chain.  Chains are then fished out and hung up to cool.  When cool, loose wax is removed by rubbing down.

Those who find waxing to be heretical use a variety of commercial and home-brew products and combinations.  Some thin chainsaw bar oil with solvents, and apply it a drop at a time to the chain links.

[Brucey]

re rolling resistance, the test that is done by the folks who run the website in the above link uses the following conditions;

77 cm drum diameter.
Drum speed of 200 RPM which translates to a speed of 18 mph / 29 km/h.
Diamond plate drum surface.
42.5 kg load.
Butyl tube.
Computerized measurements.
Controlled temperature between 21.5-22.5 °C / 70-73 °F.

detailed on this pagehttps://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/the-test

In the simplest terms the power consumed through rolling resistance varies in proportion to both speed and load.  So if your all-up weight (you, the bike, any luggage) is 100kg then at the test speed of 18mph, tyres that score 20W on the test actually consume about 47W as you ride down the road at 18mph (assuming that the road is similarly rough to the test roller etc).  That is a realistic figure for lots of training tyres, eg conti gatorskins, BTW.

BTW very many of the wax recipes that you will find on the interweb are not remotely suitable for a UK winter.  Basically you need something that won't wash off, and it is good if it has corrosion inhibitors in it. Most oils provide a simple barrier function but they work a heck of a lot better if they have a chemical corrosion inhibiting additive in the mix. Rain alone is bad enough but road salt is deadly.

cheers