I’ll have to give this a try - I suspect that the friction on the bottom bracket will remain fairly constant until the bearings start to go, so this is probably a reasonable way to ‘measure’ chain friction, at least in the no-load case. I would think that the chain friction varies over short spans of time much more than the freewheel or BB do (at least for indoor/road bikes - wet, muddy conditions could impact this.)
This could help inform me of ‘when to rewax’. Squeaking is too far, so having a way to tell it is degrading before then would be interesting.
Need to really clean the chain again but without any degreaser left and lockdown issues means getting out to buy some isn’t really an option.
I was planning to remove the chain for this session since I’ve tried squirt and it’s pretty grim now, I know wax really needs good cleaning before reapplication so was planning to use a tub, washing up liquid and hot water water.
I know fairy hasn’t really be recommended for bikes/cars due to the salt content but off the bike I can’t see any problems if the chain is fully washed afterwards and squirt reapplied, anyone used soap or should I wait the good few days for delivery (and pay delivery since I don’t think I need anymore socks to get free postage)?
I recently started doing this and mineral spirits works best then dentured alcohol. Last step is some defreaser in hot water like simple green hd. I don’t know where you are but in the US home-depot and even Walmart have those items in the store.
I use kmc 11 el chains with their links and use the links repeatedly. I have two chains that have each around 10 thousand kms and I wax them each week. No problems so far but my peak power is lower than Jonathan’s!
How long are finding it takes your chain to break in. I have my a race coming up soon(kom’s) and just want to make sure I don’t leave any watts on the table
I use the YBN connectors and also have the Wipperman that came with their chain. Both work well. With the Wipperman you don’t need a tool to remove/install.
Just to note for you 11 speed Campy users, the Connex link is slightly wider than Campy spec. This means that if you use the link, it will rub on your rear derailleur and cause stripping.
Lost a rear derailleur due to this and using a chain that was .01 mm larger than spec. Always check your groupset’s manual for tolerances
I used citrus degreaser and it was doing a bad job degreasing the chains. After 3 times in the US cleaner with it, I gave up and switched to gasoline as my solvent! It did the job perfectly. The only problem with gasoline is finding a good way to get rid of it. I think I’ll just use mineral spirits or acetone from now on.
I have been waxing my chains for less than a month now. The mineral spirits and dentured alcohol works really well on a new chain. The simple green hd and hot water in ultrasonic really gets it clean after. Those are initial steps and been nice to take the chain off and re-dip and go now.
Yeah, once you get the chains setup the first time, it’s pretty trivial. Probably the same or less time spent lubing normally. I’ll never go back. I have some Squirt in hand for when waxing isn’t feasible, but that’s just a backup now.
Same. I like the wax concept and since I am all set up with the degrease part it is really nice and easy now. Have 4 chains in rotation now on my 2 bikes. Bonus my hands don’t get greasy anymore.
Sorry if I missed this if it was already asked - but do people re-use the cleaner solutions over and over? Thought I saw someone say they used coffee filters to filter out the debris, but was curious if that was for something else.
Also, is 150 - 200 miles per wax seem about right? Mostly dry conditions that I’m riding in, some dirt from road, but was curious if I wasn’t doing it right or well and if I made some change I’d get an extra 100 miles or so.
Exactly