I run a waxed chain on my indoor bike for the sake of drivetrain efficiency and cleanliness, but it’s a bit noisy.
Would it be a good idea to maybe add some additional wax-based lube, especially in the winter when cold wax is especially loud?
Dynamic has a chain wax just for indoor riding:
Nice… just what I needed. Shipping is a bit much, though…
Fwiw, I typically use hot dipped Molten Speed Wax with Silca SS Drip for maintenance on all my chains. Was getting tired of cleaning the bits of wax on my floor, mat, and kickr, so I switched to the Silca Synergetic wet lube and it is very quiet and very smooth feeling.
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The wax bits are definitely an annoyance.
You may be right that a good wet lube might be best for indoor riding.
I found exactly the same; the drivetrain would be whisper quiet for a short time after waxing, but the noise would soon increase. I’ve gone back to using wet lube.
I use Squirt or Rock n Roll Gold to refresh a chain.
I mostly don’t wax my indoor chain. It starts waxed but then I just keep lubing it with one of those too until it’s dead.
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Don’t leave us hanging! Was it the guy from Zero Friction Cycling?
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The video I watched was from oz cycle. Title is chain wax in a bottle.
I haven’t tried it yet, mostly due to the volume it produces.
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Waxed chains do this. The lube hasn’t magically disappeared. The chain is still well lubricated even when it’s noisy, it’s just worn down in the outer surfaces.
Noise =/= inefficiency.
Yeah, liquid lubricants just tend to dampen the noise.
My issue is partially because MSW doesn’t work until its warm.
I wonder if ethanol will work the same as IPA… I can’t really get pure IPA here.
I’d highly suggest not giving oz cycle traffic/ad revenue.
Just use tru tension tungsten all weather if you want an easy drip wax that lasts inside.
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I’m about 18 indoor rides (mix of TR and Zwift) since my switch to Silca Synergetic and it’s bonkers how quiet and smooth the drivetrain on my bike and Kickr is and how long I’ve been tolerating the crackling noise of my previous setup (AirPods Pro helped). I’m sure other wet lubes would work just the same, but it’s been years since I’ve used any others.
I’ve read the reference to “IPA” here so many times, and it took me entirely too long to realize people are not advocating adding a beer to your chain wax to reduce noise. That’s Coach Chad level bike maintenance!
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Outdoors I use Squirt and I’m really happy with it.
My indoor workout room have carpet and I do not want wax neear it. I have been trying traditional lubs but the chain eventually gets gunk up despite the clean environment.
I’m trying Wolf Tooth WT-1 for the last week and I’m well impressed. Very smooth and very very clean. A bit more testing is needed for sure, but I’m even tempted to test it outdoors… but Squirt is soo easy.
Time will tell.
No, but for me at least noise = irritation.
It occurred to me that a lot of the noise is actually coming from the trainer, which squeals a bit when its cold (starting at ~2-3 degrees Celcius).
I think maybe some of the clearances might actually be a bit too small (e.g. between the flywheel and the body, and between the pulley and the belt covers. I’m out of warranty anyway, so maybe I’ll just take a file to it…
Hopefully it isn’t the bearings.
Put a mat or an old carpet on it? If you use wet lube, you’ll also have tiny drops of it come off the chain and stain the carpet over time.
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Either a dedicated trainer mat, or (cheaper) an offcut of linoleum from a nearby carpet store are a must have IMO
Molten speed wax plus squirt top ups for me 