Agreed, but I'll raise you by one. I wax three chains all on the same day. This just makes the process far more efficient than just using the one chain. I'm running mine for about 500km each, and using the drip on super secret wax if it has been very wet etc. I may be being overly cautious but my motivation is largely to slow down chainset wear.

Have you got to the point that you've needed to replace a chain yet? How long did it last

Definitely at least 2 chains so if you do a wet/dirty ride you dont feel the pressure of re waxing prior to next ride.

@@SpinAnGrin Im over 10kms on my 1X Gravel bike and close to 15k km on my mountain bike. Chains (2 SLX 12spd and 1x XTR 12s for both Gravel and MTB . 2x Ultegra 11spd chains for Road Bike. close so 3000km on Road bike combined) all barely showing any wear on the chain tool. I have changed the chainring on my MTB about 2000km ago though. Soft Alloy and it started to get a bit "rumbly" I was using Absolute Black Graphene Wax, but now make my own with PTFE and Graphene powder added to the Paraffin. I generally swap chains avery 100km on gravel and MTB, unless it has been wet and muddy and Ill do it right after the bike wash. Road bike maybe 300km. They all get a fresh chain prior to an event though. Ill spend an hour re waxing them all when needed, or to hide from doing the dishes/vacuuming. I just throw the chain straight on the bike all "stiff" and pedal easy for a couple of minutes with minimal gear shifts.

@@SpinAnGrin no where near yet. I'm on my third rotation and there is currently no measurable wear on any of the three. But in a years time I will be in a better position to see how low the wear is.

Ah, I didn't realise that was the issue!! I'll try that on the next batch, thankyou

I'm just about to switch to immersion. Only took 40 years! Anyway, it occurs to me that instead of letting a BUNCH of wax congeal all over the finished chain (and then flake off all over the place), it occurs to me that using a heat gun would be a great way to allow the extra to run off as the chain hangs to drip. It seems totally wasteful to let so much adhere and stick to the chain, knowing it needs to be cracked off prior to or just after installation. Wondering if you've tried this. Or anyone else? (And yes, I realize it would be important to not over-heat it. No use submerging a chain in wax, only to over-heat it and have it all run off.)

@@dudeonbike800 it’s easier to just remove the chain before the pot gets too cold. I’ve never done this and don’t need to as I remove the chain while the pot is still warm and no skin layer is formed. Also length of time in the pot can affect clumping too, no more than 30min immersion. A heat gun would be excessive and may also create a problem if not done correctly, again wax is still flammable.

I use a heat gun, but not the type you think. I use an infrared thermometer gun to sense the heat of the wax when I pull the chain. I do a 5 minute immersion under heat, then remove from heat until i get the wax to 160f (about 7 minutes) for a total soak of about 12 minutes. In my experience the chain only needs 10 minutes to soak, after the bubbles stop you are good. I use a 3-qt instant pot (my rice cooker). I set it to saute setting on low. It heats up in 5 minutes and holds about the temp about 230f. Now i just need to buy a new 3-qt stainless pot. The 3-qt is the perfect size for hanging the chain like in the videos. Im still playing with temps, I started @150f. It leaves too much wax in the chain. I havent done 160 yet, I tested 170 early on and it felt like too much wax leaked out. So i think 160 might be a good spot, maybe 155? Im using the secret chain wax from silca.

I'm a newbie to this- some good advice! (I bought gold quick links because they were cheaper but will come in handy with the silver chain too)

@@barriobarranco I kind of discovered this by accident when I purchased chains with different finishes. They came with silver quick links regardless. With a chain rotation setup it can make sense to run different makes and/or color chains on different bikes to avoid getting them mixed up. For my race bike I actually rotate between silver gold and black chains which makes it easy to keep track of them. My other bikes run a different brand. It’s not necessary and might even sound complicated but it’s actually helpful. By the way, nobody ever comments on the mismatching quick links. A gold chain gets you a shocking amount of comments though:-)

@@sven2793I have a Dura Ace chain and 2 KMC X11 soaking in petrol- so the shimano lot stays together, and if I use one gold link and one original silver on the KMC's then I just need a way of marking one chain to go with the gold link for example. A bit of string through the link when it comes off the bike would do...

That sounds like a good process. I was under the impression you had to remove all the old wax but I guess the cooking process takes care of that right?

@@SpinAnGrin when you put it in the pot of melted wax, the old and new wax mix together. You do bring a little contamination into the wax pot. However, because the wax is so good at keeping the contamination on the outside, and you wipe down the outside, it does not bring in much contamination.

That's good to know, thanks

Interesting, it does sound like rotating a couple of chains is the best way to go. Thanks for the tips on when to remove it, I think you hit the nail on the head about that causing my issue. I left it in there so it didn't all run off the chain as soon as I took it out.

@@SpinAnGrin For a cleaner experience pull the chain out of the wax at about 90°C. Please see kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kKuWnJV5tMzVoIE.html . You may lose maybe 5 miles of treatment lifespan at most as most of the wax has been squeezed out of the chain innards by then anyway. Why Silca say otherwise I do not know , apart from you empty your wax pot faster ?!

Silca pulls pretty clean @ 76C/170f. Thats about the pouring temp for a paraffin wax candle. 90C/200f is more of a melting temp for paraffin wax. If the chain is heat soaked to this temp, the wax will stay fluid a bit longer. I can confirm 65C/150f is too low, this is when the ring is forming on the pot. I dont use or endorse silca's cleaner. I dont want more cleaning ingredients. I use an orange based degreaser i buy by the gallon, or a purple degreaser meant for degreasing mechanical parts i buy by the gallon. Both options i buy @ home depot, made by ecolab, but they are ubiquitous and found by other brands. After the degreasing I rinse with a hose, then a little acetone or 99% isopropyl. I also buy isopropyl by the gallon, I get 99% iso cheaper than 91% @ CVS or Walgreens.

Timing removing it from then wax is definitely something I'm working on. I can see how much time and effort it would save

Thanks mate, definitely sounds about time for me to get at least a second chain

1000 miles sounds like the perfect amount of I can get it to work like that. I might have to look into the drip wax then

Appreciate that buddy

Ticking: your derailleur hanger might need adjustment

Similar distance to myself then. I think I need another chain based on people's advice

Redoing after wet rides sounds a bit annoying but finding the balance I guess is key

@@SpinAnGrin I guess you could blow the water out with compress air. Wax with additives should protect rust more from what I read online.

Oh, didn't know that!

Same here. The selling point for me is the no dirt thing. Specially on my commuter bike. Getting dirt grease on a pant leg is no fun.

Thanks, I didn't know there was content specific to that on this. I'll have a good read

@@SpinAnGrinyeah, Adam at ZFC is THE world authority on this stuff. Although not the most concise.

The guy who has no qualifications, whose results have never been independently verified or repeated, who calls everyone questioning his methods a flat earther conspiracy theorist? Oh yeah, he's a real big "authority"... On being nuts 😂

Ye, I remove the manufacturer grease with a ultrasonic cleaner before I start the process. I sometimes give this a couple of rounds to ensure it's all out. I check the temp of the wax as it's melting to ensure it doesn't get too hot. The last couple of times I've now done it, based on advice from comments I've removed the chain earlier than before. That's stopped the large amount of residual wax built up which is great. I'm now waiting on the drip wax that I can apply between full baths to hopefully extend the time between full waxes

Oh really? It doesn't come out from the links? I'll give it a try next time

​@@SpinAnGrin I thout it would too, but the chain stayed rigid after cooling down. Yesterday I vould finally try it, and was silent, everything felt smooth, and after the ride I still saw a lot of small flakes on the chain and on the drivetrain.

Thanks mate, I'll try the removal technique soon

Thats a good distance between waxes. Trying to find the happy medium still

Oh really, I thought you had to leave it overnight? I'll give it a try with only leaving it a few hours maybe and see how I go

PTFE is horrible for the environment, negating one great reason to use waxing, especially silca are mindful of the environment.

@@apa1 agree, but who said PTFE was a requirement? You can use other dry lubricants such as tungsten disulfide or molybdenum disulfide, both which are excellent, non- or less toxic options.

@@dudeonbike800 I was replying to a comment that suggested using PTFE 🤷‍♀️

@@SpinAnGrin You only need to worry about wax drip lubes setting overnight ( sometimes not even that long ) , NOT the wax in immersive waxed chains. I'm sure you know by now so this comments mostly for other people. The Silca drip wax like many others uses water as a carrier for micro blobs of wax and that needs time to evaporate. All the Ozcycle DIY drip lubes use organic solvents , most of which have a cancer risk. The top commercial wax drip lubes have a much higher percentage of wax which more easily gets inside the chain. The DIY solvent based lubes can be paste like and have penetration issues. I doubt your wife would thank you if you used those indoors. The commercial water based ones like Silca Super Secret obviously have no such issues.

Ye, not sure on the corrosion but a few people have said it. Beyond my pay grade to understand how it could do that

@@SpinAnGrin if there is no contact, there can't be any corrosion. The only way the they could corrode is if the Rim tape is not air tight, and sealant can get too the nipples, in that case you would have a leaking rim..

Sealant and/or carbon rims corrode nipples via galvanic reaction, so no contact is needed between sealant and nipple. Look it up.

@@dudeonbike800 in order for a galvanic reaction to occur there has too be a electrolyte (liquid) for that reaction too happen...so there has too be contact with the sealant, or any other Liquid.....

It took me longer than it should have to finally take the plunge and I'm glad I did.

I know I need to buy more chains, but I also have a habit of chopping and changing my setup on a regular basis. I would hate to buy that many, then up the size of the front ring and need to start all over again.

Ye, that's what happened to me. The more I've done it, the better I am at removing it so the whole thing isn't completely coated. I normally remove and get a few drops come off but that's about it. I'm using the drip wax/lube between full rewaxes and it kinda helps but I haven't done it for long enough to know for certain if it does help

Good luck, I'm glad I've made the switch so far

To be totally safe would limit it to around 300km in dry clean conditions. There tends to be a tipping point where the wear rate increases rapidly. Pop over to zerofrictioncycling and read his documents ! I've been waxing since 2020.

@@dawn_rider 300km sounds too often to me. It about 3x as often as ive seen recomended by manufacturers. I went on zerofriction but found 0 testing of the same chain ridden on the same wax for different lengths of time. I did see various breakdowns and charts that did not corelate to the information I was looking for. I would love to see it if its out there. If you know where the info is could you point me to it? What im seeing is its okay to run your wax to 800km If it gets wet clean and dry the chain. (Using running water/air, not towels) If the chain gets grumbly before 800km, its time to clean and rewax. But im not looking for 0 friction, just better than where I came from. The 1st chain I waxed was in 2001 on my kawasaki, using maxima chain wax. I dont think theyve changed the logo on the cans. Funny, its parafin too! If you wanted a spray wax. I should have stated im new to waxing bike chains. Also, wax holds up just fine in the wet/grimy conditions. (On motorcycles) it is good to not let the muck dry in the chain. Technically you should be fine not drying the chain, it shouldnt corrode. Drying wont really prevent rust, it will expedite it. Any bare metal that can rust will develop surface rust after drying from a water bath. Wax is technically a solvent that coats the metal and bonds to it like a penetrating lubricant would. Only sufficient force or chemical processes can remove the wax enough to form rust. The main reason a lubricant outperforms wax in this area is lube is still fluid and can resaturate anywhere its been removed in normal use. The wax must be reheated to become fluid before it can resaturate areas it was removed from. Removing enough wax for rust to form would take quite a bit of wear. This is the most common complaint ive seen from those riding in dirty/wet enviornments. These are the ones saying just rewax when it gets grumbly. Luckily I live in a desert, called California. We use all the water on the palm trees to live that holywood lifestyle! So im on the upper end of wax life on a bike chain. Im doing all this to a mountainbike that was given to me. (2014 trek remedy 7) im using 2 new kmc 10spd chains. If i keep this bike its getting a drivetrain overhaul before too long. I hate 3x front derailleurs and am so glad humanity moved forth. After I get a gravel bike dialed in im going to circle my attention back to the mtb. But for now I need a bike ready for me to put down more miles on. The last road bike I used was a schwinn varsity I collected in 2010. It was so much fun to ride, im looking to get back that direction. Do you have any recommendations on a good gravel bike? Ive been eyeing a Specialized Crux, Pinarello Grevil f3, or a Trek domain. I would love to consider similar options in the $2,500ish range for a new bike. I dont love the domain's max tire size, crux feels expensive for aluminum, pinarello im stuck on a shimano 600 drivetrain. All would need some upgrades to get where I want them.

Yep, rinse and repeat as such. So it stays in that pan and I just melt again each time 👍

Curious to know how the home made batch holds up against the wet of the good of UK roads

@@SpinAnGrinWill keep you posted

Clever

Multiple chains is definitely the way to go as long as you don't change your gearing setup that's for sure

Does it last?.

@@SpinAnGrin It actually lasts longer than refined paraffin wax. The issue is that it increases chain degradation rate, which is what we want to avoid in the first place.

I've ridden in the rain here in Melbourne and it's been fine. Also on wet gravel and it's not fallen off. The wax appears to block the rubbish getting into the Chain, it also easily cleans off with a wipe I've found

Looking at Zero Friction testing, nothing is really good in the wet. Wax will stop stuff getting inside but might not hold on as long, wet lube might stick longer but all the crap gets in the chain. I'm going to try wax once my new chain arrives, the time it takes seems to be similar to cleaning my current drive train. If you're riding all the time in the rain, and don't care about the wear of the components then I'd say wet lube would be better. If you have time/space and want your components to last longer, then wax is the best option you just need to rewax or top it up.

I have 4 chains for my MTB which I ride when wet. 2 for road when it is dry. Important to wipe an dry the chain after wet otherwise it rusts more easily than oiled chains. I switch to one with new wax when it becomes a bit loud

Sounds like this is the best solution

You re-use the same wax bath many times until it gets too contaminated. Clean of the muck on the chain before re-waxing and the wax bath lasts longer.

Ye, I just leave it in the saucepan and reheat for next time. Gravel here is very more gravelly vs muddy I would say. I don't miss the UK mud

I've started to use the drip wax between full waxes and this has really increased the time between full waxes. Highly recommend

From what I've read, a few people are going the DIY route with this stuff now

Thanks Jim, I'm still practicing with which method is more fun for myself. I have the space for my setup but getting it dialled in is the trick. The biggest consensus appears to be using multiple chains on rotation. Hopefully without burning down the kitchen!

I'll have a Google for that stuff to check it out

Makes sense 🤔

Or you could pursue some decent studies of bicycle chain efficiency and understand that friction loss and durability gains for waxed MULTI-GEAR bikes are significantly improved over liquid lubes. Pretty objective results have been obtained and confirmed. With industrial chains, are they dousing them with dirt & grime as they work? Doubt it. Most machines are self-lubricating, so you constantly have fresh lubrication flowing into the links. And if they do see a lot of grit, they utilized "sealed-link" chains that keep out a LOT of grit. The dirt that your bike chain is bathed in immediately attaches to any oil lubricant on the chain. It's like flypaper. Within minutes of riding a dusty trail, my chain's covered. And I'm using dry lube and I ALWAYS wipe off the excess after my cleaning & lubing. Chain's dirty in no time. And I always lube right after my rides, so my bike has sat overnight to allow the lube to totally dry. Like today, for example! That grit then mixes with the lube and forms an abrasive paste that works its way into the chain link rollers and pins. It's the perfect abrasive paste to wear down metal! Your chain is basically suffering abrasive paste wear for the ENTIRE ride. Sure, it's not as bad with road riding, but there are LOTS of happy road riders using wax. I met a guy on a 2-week tour who's chain was immaculate. The cleanest drive train of the group of 20. He loved immersion waxing and his spotless bike was proof. Industrial and motorcycle applications have addressed chain wear problems with simple size and sealing techniques that are not applicable to thin bicycle chains that are designed to also be lightweight. With a machine or motorcycle, you just beef up the chain until you get the durability you want. Add a bigger motor and everything's fine. The bicycle chain and other componentry do not enjoy this option. (Someone in on a topic about upside down forks didn't understand why bikes didn't just use bigger, stronger, less flexible hubs, so I replied that a motorcycle front hub weighs more than my bike's two wheels. Bikes can't tolerate over-built stuff like motorized stuff can.)

@@dudeonbike800 I really do not know what you do for a living but I don't think you want to die on that hill. I've designed chain driven conveyor belts for mining and food industry and have had my hand at industrial lubrication. A quarry is magnitudes worse than any bicycle riding you can do and the chains are not one to one comparison, but same principles apply. Granted, I'm not a lubrication expert, the guys working with us are. Wax has no lubrication properties, as soon as it's compressed it's pushed out of the links as all of us have seen the flakes on our frames. If anything wax is a carrier medium for the actual lubricating stuff that sticks to the chain pins. There are no dedicated "lubrication engineers" for bicycle chains. All big lube brands get their lubes from actual lubricant manufacturers, they get whatever sounds fanciest and charge a premium to the MAMILS. I'll stick to industrial lubrication, they have dealt with all sort of lubrication challenges when it comes to chains and snide at the overprice stuff that's sold to cyclists.

@@sand9577 I've heard the "wax is not a lubricant" argument for decades at this point. Many engineers simply LOVE to make this argument. True lubricant or not, it's irrelevant. But the results are pretty clear that wax with solid additives work very well for providing longer life, smoother operation and excellent durability in bicycle applications compared to pretty much all of the "boutique" lubricants out there. Try as they might, they cannot get away from the "abrasive paste" issue that destroys chains with ease. But if you wanna stick to an endless routine of lubing, cleaning and/or degreasing, lubing and wiping, be my guest. I've been going through this futile routine far too long.

@@dudeonbike800 do you even read what you post? 🤔😂

Sounds like I'm buying more chains then.

@@SpinAnGrin Been really impressed with YBN chains, super hard wearing and only 1w slower than a dura ace chain 👍

I've heard good things also but I run SRAM AXS. Pretty sure I need to run the flat top chains only

I rotate 5 chains as well. I rewax when I have 3 or 4 chains to do so I can do it when I have free time.

Gas stoves are much easier to modulate... provided you keep an eye on what's cooking, of course. Electric is a total PITA compared to gas when it comes to heating, cooking, etc!

@@DR_1_1 The problem with doing this on a gas stove is that as the wax melts, some of it vaporizes and the gas flame can then ignite it.

@Douglas Perrenoud with gas the wax won't vaporize more than on an electric stove, you can set very low heat with gas, often lower than on electric, because it's a manual switch you can set it to any power you want, eg 1/100th, while on electric you have only

@@DR_1_1 With electric you don't have an open flame, that is my point, which you seem to have missed.

@@DR_1_1 Also, I stick by my main point, don't melt wax on a stove, any stove. It is dangerous. I have first-hand experience with this as I stated in my initial comment. Having your son hauled off to the hospital is an experience that I don't wish upon any parent. Look, if you want to risk it, go right ahead, I'm not stopping you. But I'm also not backing down from my assertion that it is dangerous.

On a wet gravel group ride today, I had the only quiet chain 🙌

SRAM: "THANK YOU!"

A half hour into my 3 hour dusty mountain bike ride today, my chain was hurting. Same old same old. I've tried almost every lube under the sun for the last 30 years. They all do the same: form an abrasive paste that wears out metal. I'm just about to finally make the jump to immersion waxing. SO SICK OF THE REPEATED CHAIN CARE! Also: Waxing a chain does not require regular chain removal. Just the initial set up. THEN you can apply wet wax for the next several "re-waxings" until you get to the point where immersion is most effective. Do three chains at once and you won't be doing this more than maybe once a year.

@@dudeonbike800 just use wet lube ant mive on with your life. Who cares if it's a bit dirtier

@@dudeonbike800 anyhow,have don't many all day mrb and gravel rides, my buddy Mike tried rhe chain wax and regretted it dearly,, it don't last son, wet lube, try it, it works!

@@cypriano8763 The problem is that most wet lubes are not very good, and a large amount of them are absolute garbage. There's a reason the only wet lube I use for my all year commuter ebike is Silca Synergetic.