Thats what I thought… ![]()
When the chain is freshly waxed it is rather stiff and the shifting might be noisier or it might occasionally miss-shift. That should pass pretty quickly when some excess wax drops off, say a couple of minutes. Then it will be silent as mentioned above. That smooth pedalling with a freshly waxed chain is something I look forward to.
This is what I was expecting, the chain is running quite loud even after 10 mins or so of turning the pedals with bike on a stand and cleaning the excess wax away.
I have not ridden the bike yet so I may just remove the chain and re wax, this time I will leave the chain in the hot wax a lot longer. I am thinking maybe that is the issue.
If you can, add a thermometer in the bath so you know the chain itself has reached a sufficient temperature (93* C). I like the MSW method of dropping the chain onto the cold block of wax then turning the pot on. This should help make sure that the chain temp = bath temp.
Does anybody use a thin grate at the bottom of the crock pot to keep the chain out of the black stuff that accumulates at the bottom of the wax?
Spinning the chain on a stand is no substitute for putting some actual power through the drive-train. A couple rotations is all, then take it out. Any roughness should even out in a few hundred feet of travel.
This - I see the same thing. Clunky on stand, and beautiful by the time I get down my 1/4 mile driveway with a couple 5-10 foot hills that put some light load on it to fully break it in.
What temp does the wax need to be?
I go with high on my crockpot
I heard 140 from silica
If im applying at say 180 is the higher temp allowing me to get enough on?
I have to rewax after 70miles and a few puddles on a ride kinda sucks
FWIW the Zen Master’s guide to chain waxing from zero friction cycling says - in bold - to use the low setting on the crock pot… but MSW’s instructions specifically say “high”. So… yeah. ![]()
But MSW says 200F for temp.
I use a slow cooker on low. If you’re finding that you have to rewax so often it’s likely that your chain still contains grease/oil in and on it.
I am on 596km (370 miles) on my chain right now. It doesn’t need to be re-waxed yet but I will re-wax it anyway. This is a combination of indoor riding and outdoor riding in humid conditions.
My chain goes into a professional ultra sonic machine and no lube used in 18months. All chain related items are also brushed clean. Same chains have been cleaned 7 times a piece, I’m onto 2nd set of quick links. On average I get 120-150 miles per chain. Just let set of waxing seems to be short lived making me think my wax temp is too high.
Mine does that also after a wet ride. I did two rides in the rain last week and both bikes got new chains
Interesting. What are chemicals or cleaning agents were you using in the ultra sonic cleaner?
I’ll have to ask the shop, its a http://www.renegadepartswashers.com/
I don’t think wax will prevent rust. My experience with wet cx is I always have to take the chain off when I get home, wipe it dry with a papertowel, and rest it somewhere warmish to dry. I’ve had chains rust a bit if I don’t. In the summer, I don’t tend to have rust issues – I think because I don’t generally ride in crappy weather, but in the off chance I get rained on anyway it dries while I’m riding on it (assuming the rain stopped). Popping the chain off is a cinch with the connex link.
I’ve pulled mine and dropped it in a jar of mineral spirits for the drive home from the occasional wet TT…that seemed to work though not exactly the most convenient thing in the world.
Also in the UK If it happens to rain while I am out I will sparingly spray the chain over with a water dispersing spray and wipe the chain over with a cloth to remove the excess.