The vast majority of chain-waxing deniers I see on social media don’t pay full-fare for replacement drivetrain components. For me, I’ll take the clean, dry chain and 3x the chain/chainset/cassette lifespan, thank you very much!

I've seen Nick change his mind before and I'm confident that a few years down the line he will become a convert. I'm also a professional bike mechanic and until something better comes along there's no way oil will ever touch my drivetrain again.

So if I am hearing correctly, the benefits of waxing a chain (significantly less wear, a more efficient, faster, drivetrain, and a cleaner drivetrain) are all erased by the fact that someone might sue Nick. Because Campag? And this after he admitted that he sells Connex chains with unlimited quick-link re-use? So what about those people then, who buy a Connex chain, Nick? The argument put forth is lazy at best and no real alternatives were offered. Either this was done to drive views and comments (yep, you got me) or Nick doesn't have the faintest idea of what he is talking about.

Nick is demonstrating smug Ignorance. There is so much data on the utility of MODERN waxes and drivetrain extension in REAL WORLD CONDITIONS. The comments are DISAPPOINTINGLY uninformed. As far as Quicklinks, it is hard to see the problem. If they link, and are secure, what is the problem? I get a shop might not recommend. But…when they have messed with my chain, I know the SHOP reused the Quicklink as I was not charged a new one. So, I reuse. And I carry spare quicklinks as well as a breaker tool if the links become unusable. If you are waxing you are probably already more adept than the usual rider.

I can tell you from experience that waxing a chain is not only easy and worth it, but also so much better than oil-based lubes for many reasons. I am a home mechanic, but not a guy with a set of wrenches and a bike stand. I regularly build bikes, I am the go-to mechanic for our cycling club, I teach people how to perform maintenance on their own bikes, I have a better shop than most bike shops, and I have the best maintained bikes in a club of thousands of riders. After the initial immersion waxing, the care for it is no more difficult than oil lubed chains, in fact, it much less care. Now if you’re the lazy bloke that likes to jump on his bike and ride it hard and put it away wet, then this isn't for you. But if you’re the type of person that takes care of his investments and treats his equipment well, then this is for you. I’d hate to see the disrepair that your home, car, or life is in if you just don’t care about the things you have. On the rare occasion of a puncture on the rear wheel, I can change it and not worry about dirtying my hands. I don’t worry about the sudden rain washing off my lube. When I rinse my bike off with clean water, I don’t worry about the chain. Wash and dry and put it away after every ride.

I love waxing my chain. Far less effort than I previously spent cleaning chains. Hot wax once a month with two chains on rotations and top up with a drip wax in between. I reuse links 3-5 times, but pay attention to how it snaps apart and back together, the moment it’s not a solid, well defined click it goes in the bin. But to be fair, the cost of replacing the link every time when you do it once a month is not really prohibitive. Cheaper than replacing your chain 3 times as frequently when you don’t clean it properly.

This all speech is not about wax. Users also reuse quick link for many other reasons.

Not reusing split links is hokey bull shit money grab for manufacturers to bleed more money out of you. Ridiculous.

If you are really worried, you can stick to 11s and use KMC unlimitedly re-usable quick link.

No problem, using a Wipperman Connex RE-USABLE quick link on a KMC 11 speed chain.

This video is brought to you by Big Quick Link.

I never take my bikes to a ‘professional’ bike mechanic. Thanks, Nick, for confirming my right choice.

"You cant use a new split link on an old chain." Why do they sell them?

Wax gunk is better than dirt/oil gunk. It is cleaner and it doesn't wear out your chain. I deep waxed my chain only once and liquid wax drops solution as weekly light maintenance and my chain is 15000Km and still like new. I will never go back to oil.

so i put an informative comment up yesterday - checking for replies today - its gone? was it removed? why?

I'm not even a bike mechanic, but I hate you for waxing your chain, the same way I hate Kardashians wearing Metallica shirts. It's the same thing.

In 999 cases out of a 1000 reusing a split link is completely fine. Those companies just don't want to be responsible for that one oddball case when it fails. Also why would they tell you to reuse anything when you can just buy a new one? Thankfully Apple doesn't sell groupsets, they'd make you buy a whole new drivetrain every time you need to lube a chain 😂

I got 9,000 miles on my SRAM Force chain using Squirt wax and still had 50% life remaining. Only reason I put a new chain on is because my cassette was getting worn. Quieter, cleaner and extends your drivetrain lifespan. Easy as lube to apply to your chain. I don't think there's anything to even discuss...

YBN chains offer quick links that can be reused 5 times. They also state that they are the only company that offers a truly reusable quick link.

Why did you delete zero friction cycling’s first comment?

1. The quicklink argument is bogus. If you want, KMC makes quicklinks that are designed for multiple use, are readily available, inexpensive and work on chains from different manufacturers. 2. In the 'real world' there is WAY less dirt that accumulates on the drivetrain of a waxed chain - fact. 3. It may not be practical for a bike shop mechanic, but for home use, waxing is easy and saves a lot of time over other methods, just in ease & speed of drivetrain cleaning alone.

Connex links and chains are indeed the solution. Though the links will also work with most other chains and in an emergency a 10s links will work with a 11s chain or a 11s links even with a 12s chain and the other way around. One up or down. Will get you home for sure. The connex quick link must be installed in the right direction otherwise it might open. I never had one fail on me in 4 years and 100-120.000km and they also work perfectly fine with most other chains from other manufacturers. For immersive waxing it is the best solution. And you do not need any tools to open the link either. I like it also better than the KMC links and any other quick links I have ever used.

I haven't had an issue with a quick-link failing. But you can definitely feel it getting looser and looser every time. Good idea to only use it a few times. Or use KMC reuseable ones.

I have been immersion waxing for a decade and have always reused my quick link hundreds of times in the chains life.

You can use a connex quick link that doesn't really wear out. Also I've used the KMC missing links up to 20 times probably until they get too loose. Only quick link that's failed me is a shimano one not designed to be re-used.

I have waxed for years now, and I have never had an issue. I always use the same split link. However, I have 3 chains that I rotate. so I'm not breaking the same link excessively

Waxing chain is the best thing I've done on my road bike. Not only am I getting more life out of my components but my ride is completely silent now......... Drip on wax is fine. Although I apply it after every ride. Cleaning the chain with soapy water drying it then adding wax each time.

I had a quicklink on my 9-speed chain come apart, it didn't break just unclipped. put another quick link on and it's good to go, I now buy KMC reusable quick links and I only reuse the original quick link once (even though I know there;s a risk of failure) Recently waxed all my operational bike's chains and it's been amazing thus far. I use SIlca wax and makes cleaning so much quicker. I also run more fixed gear drivetrains waxed and it's been epic too and those master links are reusable.

I love that we are meant to take the advice of a person that has "self confessed" never used wax as to not use wax🤣. I'm now in my mid 50ies. I was waxing my chain back when I was in my teens. Iv broken many many chains (I'm 95kg, so to be expected) and the only time I ever broken a quick link, is when I put it together incorrectly.

I’ve been using wax for 3-4 years now on all my bikes. 11s Shimano chain with Wipperman link. Wipperman isn’t perfect, but it’s very convenient. In all that time I have had 2 links “unlink” while riding. Both times were on my Tandem bike and both times the links didn’t break. It happened over very rough road while changing gears under power (of 2 people). I put this down to crazy bouncing chain and easy connect/disconnect mechanism of the link. Once they were still on opposite sides of the chain and I could reattach and continue on. The other required me to use my spare link. For this reason, I now always ride with a spare link on the tandem.

So use a new split link… or buy a reusable link. There. Problem solved.

I get why most manufacturers say you can't re-use the quick links. I do re-use mine, but if I've re-used it more than 10 times of breaking the chain, I will just replace the link. The only time I've had a quick link fail was when it was damaged because of a stick getting caught up in my drivetrain. As far as waxing is concerned, I hot wax and re-apply with a wax drip and it's been great. By re-applying the wax using the drip wax, I don't have to do the hot wax treatment as often. I do, however, make sure to go through my drivetrain and scrap off any excess was that can accumulate in the drivetrain.

I reuse the split link about 5 times before I change the link out. I wax bath and then use the drip wax in between and rebath about 1K miles , and that has worked pretty well for me and saved me from having to insert a new link each time. Or if I feel like the link is not connecting tightly, then I will replace it. I buy the sram links in groups of 6 so I always have some available as needed. Would love for someone to make a re-usable split link for the AXS flat top chains like the Wipperman's I had on my Shimano 11 speed chains.

I recently undid my quick link on my KMC chain for the first time since I stripped and hot waxed it from new. I wasn't rewaxing, but I just wanted to remove it to give the frame a deep clean. I went to put it back on and it was comically loose. Normally you have to get some tension on it with the brake and push down on the pedal but I could just take it on and off with my fingers. I immediately bought some replacement KMC quick links to replace it. They aren't that much money so if someone is obsessed with the whole waxed chain thing (I love it) it would absolutely be worth it to buy a stash of quick links for maintenance. Also, if you use the Silca stuff, they have chain lube to complement the wax system so you don't have to take it on and off as often. It's SO much cleaner. I won't touch traditional chain lube ever again.

didn't think about it ! in fact one of my links fell apart when i was disconnecting my chain .... (i just used new one) so Connex Link could be the answer ?!

I don’t understand why Nick’s making such a strong connection between quicklinks and waxing. You need to unhook your chain to degrease periodically even if you’re using non-wax lubes.

Solution for less missinglink use, hotwax once and topup with bottle wax lube like zerofriction cycling recommend. Then you will have a safe, long lasting low friction chain.

I believe when they’re saying you can’t reuse a quick link means you shouldn’t use for a new chain but only use it for the life of the current chain. New chain = new quick link. I’ve seen a quick link fail when using an old one on a current chain but never from taking the chain off and putting it back on with the chain you’re currently using. I’ve taken a chain off and put it back on many times for cleaning without an issue! As far as waxing is concerned, I’ve never had good luck with wax based dry lubricants working well so I question the efficacy of chain waxing. I’ve never tried the Silca product (zero friction cycling’s favorite) but if it’s as good as their other products it may be worth a try!

Just replace the split link?

I don't do full wax, but I do use drip wax, which starts with removing the chain for a really thorough cleaning to remove as much of whatever was on there before. I've been occasionally removing my chains to do this full cleaning and re-using quick links, which I didn't know until the just a few days ago were one use. I have broken several quick links, including on my e-bike which resulted in some pretty annoying but not dangerous injuries, but none since I've started using drip wax. In addition to full chains, Wipperman sells their Connex quick links individually, which you can use to replace your standard quick links. They're about $30 USD a piece, but considering my reservations about quick links generally, I'm going to start using them on all my bikes, at least once the 12-spd gold is back in stock, lol.

Many years ago I used quick links on my 8 speed chain and they did fall apart on a couple of occasions. No injury or harm other than not being able to find the missing pieces and put the chain together. I think it tended to happen going over bumps on light pedaling. Modern split links have not ever failed on my 10 speed chains (more than 10 years), but have had riveted joins fail twice. I think that the better chain tension on modern drive systems helps to prevent the split links separating. It is also easy to stuff up a rivet join on 10 speed chains and they will fail under high load (very bad).

Waxing every week? It's more like a hot wax every two months if you dry it off after wet or winter rides. I don't take my bikes in for service so I'm the only one that works on them

I've only ever used Squirt drip on wax for the last 5 years. I change my chains at just over 9,000 miles and the .75 tool doesn't drop between the links at that mileage. I'm very happy with that. I ride in UK(North Wales) conditions. Don't re use split links after having been advised not to some years ago, by a bike shop.

I have had a derailleur and hanger get destroyed by a broken quick link that I believe broke from removing it repeatedly. I was pedaling hard and fast, the chain unhooked when the quick link snapped, the quick link got stuck in a jockey wheel, and it ripped the derailleur and hanger off of my frame. I was reusing the quick link and removing the chain every 4-6 weeks for hot wax and applying drip on wax between hot waxes. I have since changed back to oil for chains.

I hot wax my chains and use KMC reusable quick links for 11sp since 11sp is what almost all my bikes run. So far no issues with their quick links, but I replace them every 1500-2000 miles, and wax every 150-200, so around 10x uses each is what I aim for.

I use a connex 12 speed chain on my road wheels with a 10-36 sram cassette and a flat-top sram chain on my gravel wheels with 10-44 cassette. The connex has a quick link that can be opened/closed by hand. For the sram chain I just use a new power link. Doesn’t cost a lot. I do a deep clean followed by a hot bath dip waxing every 900-1200km or so and for the intermediate intervals a drip-on wax. Saves for some powerlinks. Intervals can vary depending on weather type of riding etc.

Beauty of using an 8spd transmission is you don't need a joining link, very easy just to join and split with a chain tool

I do reuse my quick links, but only two or three times. I recognize that doesn’t resolve the issue. But you can buy quick links that are reusable. A local bike shop told me much the same about wax buildup. But I keep my bike pretty clean and avoid it building up on other components. I’d hazard a guess that many who are fastidious enough to wax are also pretty careful with maintenance and cleaning.

mainly used drip wax, i thought my long nose could open the kmc reusable quick link, but did not budge. so i used drip wax instead. chain stays clean even after all the dust and mud. cleaned it with soapy water and let it dry for the lolz of seeing rust and it did rust. reapplied drip wax and i was good to go again for another dusty ride. someday i might hot wax it but right now drip wax is making my bike look clean.. i remember the drivetrain already looking dirty and gunky after 1 month that you have to clean it or else it will shorten the lifespan. now i just use a rug after a ride, then reapply after 300mi. or when mud and water touches it, that i have to wax anyway, way easier to clean with the chain staying on than brushing or soaking or using ultrasonic whch means removing the quick link as well.

KMC only support MissingLink with their own chains, but their chains are compatible to both SRAM and Shimano so just get one if you want to go the waxing route. Most sources recommend doing wax only on a new chain anyway.

Stayed on 7 and 9 speed chains as I like to be able to remove chain when I like. I have noticed the links are tighter than in the past when it was easy to do by hand. Use mainly YBN or KMC fully nickel plated chains. Wipperman chains are lovely and their link is the best design but either expensive or not enough links. Haven't tried immersion waxing yet but will do, probably get the Silca System kit when in stock. Using Tru Tension Wet Lube / Juice Lube's Viking Juice at moment, Squirt or Juice Lubes Wax rest of year.

Yes I snapped a speedlink right in front of the Furka Pass. Had to walk back to the town to buy a new one. Great start of the day!

Use a connex link

I use squirt drip wax, but I’ve been intrigued recently with the new Silca system and the so called “strip chip”. But I thought…”wait, but then I have to put on a new quick-link every time…that would get expensive”. Good convo. I’m sticking with the drip wax. It works great. I have a LOT of marginal gains to make around my waist line before I start worrying about any difference between hot wax and drip 🤣

It was my understanding that you hot wax only a new chain and from there you just clean then drip on new wax until you replace the chain again. That’s what I’ve been doing and been working great. Waxed chains clean up so much easier

Interesting comment about Campag saying you can only use one quicklink once per chain. I have just bought a new Campag Chorus 12-speed (not to wax) and it came with two quick links!

I wax chains regularly and the clean chain, and smooth operation is worth the snafu around quick links.

What if we don't use any kind of quick link?

I could be wrong... but dont I remeber you guys pushing Wend Wax back in the vlog days?

I had quick links popped/snapped on a ride. I first noticed it on a muddy/wet ride like there was something gritty on the chains. Then on the next ride I noticed I'm having trouble shifting chainrings and while I was cruising on the big ring it just snapped with a loud bang. From then on if I could help not taking off the chains, I would not as I used to remove it whenever I clean my bike. If the quick link is too loose then I swap it with a new one, I'll just sacrifice my coffee break on the next ride.

FWIW - Josh at SILCA does a pretty excellent job of reminding folks they need a new quick link whenever they break a chain. Then again, perhaps he’s mindful of the professional liability that Nick is talking about 😂

he afraid got sue by a random people. i doing waxing and it is the best thing i ever done in my cycling life.

There is a reason why I will stick to Wippermann chains. Just dumped a KMC chain (11 gear) after only 4000 km. Waxed it once, rewaxed by dripping only. Maybe that's what wore it put so quickly. But I would not think abouty link too much. Got more issues with punctures anyway.

I use drip-on wax indoors on the trainer and it works well enough... never been motivated to remove my chain and dip it.

I'm running 8 speed on my bikes. Using those KMC quick links, that you can officially reuse. Super easy to unclip, you don't even need tools. I take off my chain and hot wax it every few weeks, and in the meantime top it up with drip on wax. Works a charm. But that's probably specific to my low end system.

No problems with waxing for me, however move waxxes now, I use silca, only recomend dip waxing once per the live of the chain. Then maintaine with the drip on wax. So the quick link should not be an issue. (70kg rider max 1200watts in a sprint, so I might just not me large or strong enough to break a quicklink.)

I clean and wax periodically, and I reuse the link. Never an issue.

Old Fuddy Duddy is way behind the curve on modern waxing.

Wax for the win. Chain links don’t snap - no matter how old the link is. The risk is that the link becomes unstuck and is no longer aligned with the drive chain. You can just listen for that reassuring “click” if it locks in - all good. No click, no go. Physics takes care of the rest. And electronic shifting reduces the risks of a chain being twisted during a bad shift to zero. Ride safe!

I've always reused quick links. I go by the principle that as long as they need to be fitted with quicklink pliers then they are still OK. If I can do them by hand then I consider changing them. It hasn't happened so far, but I do have spares just in case.

General rule of thumb I have used for my quick links when waxing my chains was to replace it when it starts to not make a confident click anymore when putting it back on. I ride enduro/ trail most of the time and my chain has not broken on me or given shifting issues or come undone while descending. I would say though that you always run the risk of breaking things. I just carry a spare with me is I go riding anyways.

The initial wax then use drip is IMO the best balance. Zero Friction’s results show not a ton of losses yet a lot easier and faster. The key is drip on post vs pre ride to let it dry.

I use squirt. Really like the clean chain but it does washout annoyingly quickly in uk wet weather. One the subject of split links , a shop that did a full service on my road bike clearly re-used my Shimano split link. A few days later the chain detached and I came off - so fortunate I’d skidded to a lower speed by the time I departed the bike. Now I’ve experienced the danger I’d never re-use one (I had previously but didn’t expect the bike shop to do it). Interestingly the KMC split links say there’re reusable and are cheaper so I carry those.

Totally disagree 100%. A quick re-dip once a month or so of heavy riding takes a fraction of the time of cleaning and re-lubing and the drip on top-off works just as well. Totally worth how clean and how long the wax treatment works v re-lubing every 100 miles. Even if I had to replace the quick link once a month - still totally worth it.

Thats my stand. For road, degrease new chain properly, then hot wax it well. After that only top it with fluid wax after rain. Redo hot-wax in fall and spring i.e. twice a year. I ride 4000km/yr, if you do considerably more just do it more often. Unless you are a pro there is no need to hot-wax every month, but then you have a mechanic anyways.

It’s CRAZY that Shimano spilt links are $15. Ridiculous. I don’t wax my chain but I do remove it from the bike and do a 4-stage bath of the chain. Probably about every 300-400km. I do reuse my quick-link and haven’t had a problem, but I'm also 65kg and not putting out big power

I use universal quick links on sram 11 SPD chains and i change them every 3rd dip wax. Not had and issues

I buy quick links in a pack of 10. When the link doesn't snap then I replace it. I carry 2 extra links when I ride aways. The only problem with waxing I think is making sure that your other components get lubricated also so things will not rust or seize up.

I've run Shimano, Wippperman, KMC, and Campagnolo chains on various bikes (3-10k miles per year, depending on the year). My SOP is wiping the chain down 3-4x a week and reapplying Park Chain lube (or similar mineral oil-based lube). Chain wear is nearly imperceptible (as measured by a Park chain wear gauge). I tried waxed-based "lube" and all it does is create a build-up of cruddy, gunky wax on the drivetrain.

I wax my indoor bike chains, I rotate between three chains and reuse the same three quicklinks. I use canning paraffin wax and never had an issues with any components. I have been doing it for 5 years now with the same chains, cassette and chainrings. I problably did in excess of 20k km on this setup. I started this year waxing my fatbike chain with no issues. All my other bikes, road and gravel, I use drip on Squirt. I did more than 10k km with a Campagnolo chain without any wear on it. All my bikes are very well cleaned and maintained on a weekly basis minimum.

As a mech I don't recomend reuse of quick-links, HOWEVER, if customers are gonna do it (and they will do it) I recomend as soon as you don't need the quick-link tool to open it, put a new one in. As of waxing I prefer drops liquid wax instead of hot wax, cleans easier and easier to reaply

I just gave up after the third chain rusted. I've never had a problem with chains rusting while using wet lube, every chain I waxed rusted. I went back to wet lube, no rusting. Just be careful with wet lube (one drop per roller) and degrease your chain occasionally and you'll be fine.

I've broken Shimano 12 speed links from reusing them.

I snapped 2 quick links from YBN 11s chains on very new waxed chains. I think i got a bad batch. I've been waxing chains for years so i dont think it was user error. Either way, since waxing, i don't mind touching my bike and doing maintenance. And taking bikes in and out of cars. Clean. It's wonderful.

Ive never had a splint link fail, but a couple of mine can be disconnected without just my bare hands. Probably not ideal

Use a connex, there, everything is ok now. But they’re expensive, cheaper than chain, cassette replacement tho

YBN QRS master links are good for 5 (maybe 6) uses. Also, I believe wax adheres better to Shimano, Campag, and YBN chains than it does to KMC chains.

I hot melt wax my chain with top offs with drip wax. I generally replace my quicklink on the second removal. I climb a decent amount & have an 800-1000 sprint. So far so good, but the quicklinks aren't reusable warning from shimano has kept ne from trying more.

I slapped a new KMC 11s chain, that came prewaxed, on my gravelbike. A bike that probably sees sand more often than it sees tarmac. Was that a dumb idea?

I did n't get it, even if you're not gonna wax your chain, shouldn't you remove your chain for a proper cleaning process regardless of the lubricant you use?

I use a ultrasonic cleaner to clean my chain a I have had quick links breaking.

Connex claims that their 8/9/10/11/12 speed quick links are compatible with all chains. Except 13 speed Campagnolo I guess. KMC also makes some reusable links.

There are also lots of oem quick links that do guarantee reusability, so not just whole chains, just buy the 11 speed or 12 speed oem link that says you can reuse it, simple.

If that's the the case then I'm sure anyone getting their LBS to wax their chain wouldn't mind an extra couple of bucks for a new quick link. Otherwise it's fine to reuse at home use. It's like saying it's completely unsafe to to tighten any bolt without at torque wrench 😂 Which we all know is BS but it's what the manufacturers say.

Bin taking the Squirt route myself since like half a year ago, personally. Clean the new chain, treat it with Squirt, reapply when needed. No taking off the chains, no issues whatsoever. No component problems, no issues whatsoever. Just a happy face and no more dirty pants or calves or fingers. I couldn’t see myself ever doing the whole hot wax dipping thing, though.

There's a reason why quick links are one time use. It's because they are stupid expensive if you buy name brand.

It's just the manufacturers, industry etc (Nick included) covering their arse from any liability arising from quick-links failing. It isn't as simple as whether or not a yes/no single use will/can result in a failure, it also depends on how much power the rider is able to produce, the type of terrain, road surface quality, user error etc. It is all about risk and reducing it, so a blanket single use only directive will greatly reduce the risks. It is the same reason why tyre manufacturers print minimum tyre pressures on the tyre sidewalls which are usually higher than what most tyre pressure calculators recommend, they do not know who is going to ride on their tyres, how much they weigh, the road conditions etc, so they take a worst case scenario, and then add a factor of safety for good measure!!

Fair comment re split links. I wax, I use KMC chains and I change my split links ‘occasionally’ (when I lose one on the floor). Never had a chain fail, but I’m 56 and I’m no Chris Hoy!..

I do not reuse them, same discussion about brake hose olives, again and again. Live is too short, accidents happen and dental treatment is so expensive. Play your cards or just lube on the bike, easy.

I have been melting paraffin wax in a aluminum soft drink can with propane torch and using an acid brush to paint the chain with melted wax. Never chain removal. Also paint chain rings and sprockets. What?