I read the same about KMC. I did clean the chains properly based on the MSW instructions and even more so for the used chains. So happy that I’m over this stage already. I used turpentine and methylated spirits. I also cleaned the chainrings, cassettes, jockey wheels, etc. with a degreaser and alcohol. So I am sure I cleaned everything as much as necessary.
I’ll be able to see shortly how the new Shimano chains will do. Hopefully, they won’t she’s any metal dust.
Ahh okay. Not sure where the metal might be coming from. When my chains get dirty the wax and dirt mostly falls off leaving more a dry chain. Sorry couldn’t be more help
My first waxing was done with just paraffin wax.
The chain I am using at the moment was previously lubed with chain oil, I cleaned it thoroughly before waxing it for the first time, The mineral spirits were spotless after about 5-6 cleans and refreshes.
I then waxed the chain but realised afterwards I had got a step wrong because I had placed the cold chain into the hot wax, after I realized my mistake I waxed again but this time I left the chain on top of the wax whilst it melted in the slow cooker.
When the wax was up to temperature I noticed a fair bit of black debris on the chain whilst it was sat in the hot wax (I did not notice this the previous time) this makes me think that the thorough cleaning I thought I gave the chain was not thorough enough to remove the oil/grease from between the links. I do not think you can fully clean a chain that has been oiled without giving it some heat to remove the final remains of oil/grease.
Maybe what you are seeing is remaining oil/grease being expelled by the wax.
Zero Friction Cycling recommends YBN if I remember correctly.
I am also in the UK, and ride CX is wet and muddy conditions. The advice from Ozcycle was to add parafin oil to the wax/ptfe mix to provide a degree of resistance to water. the downside is the chains need to be rewaxed more frequently.
A little rust on the outer plates sometimes occurs after a wet road ride. I just clean the chain in parafin and then wax it. The chains on the CX bikes get waxed after each race after washing in soapy water and then hung to dry.
I’ve been waxing for 3 years now and wouldnt go back to oil based lubes.
I’m curious about the supposed issues with KMC chains. I’ve been using KMC X11SL (silver version, not gold) for a few years and have had no issues. I did start with new chains, and cleaned per the MSW instructions. My only change is that I tend to let them soak in the first mineral spirits bath for about a week shaking occasionally, instead of doing all the cleaning in one go. I’ve done a total of 9-ish chains.
On average, I get about 250-300 miles before rewaxing. I don’t often ride in the wet, but when I do, a quick wipe down with a cloth to soak up the water does the trick. Sometimes some light surface rust shows up, but it’s gone after the next ride, and doesn’t cause any problems. If it gets really wet and I don’t dry the chain, it’ll get squeaky really fast on the next ride, but after a fresh wax, it’s back to normal.
I’ve never had a chain rust to the point I wanted to toss it.
Seems like putting paraffin oil in the mix is defeating the purpose of waxing in the first place. Oil is going to attract and hold contaminants. Pure paraffin, MSW, Silca Wax none of those use oil. Sure putting some oil in will make it last longer but then why not just use a proper wet lube at that point?
The Oz Cycle guy seems like a lot of bro science with no legit testing done.
I am using KMC’s EL 11sp chains on one bike and Shimano Ultegra chains on another. While on the Shimano’s I have together just about 5000 km, I rode about 45 thousand km on KMC. I usually get over 10000 km, the last two I swapped after 15 thousand km. With Shimano I’ve noticed they are slightly noisier and of course directional. Can’t say much about durability yet.
I ride in dry conditions mostly so there is that. And while I don’t have any experience I know other people use parafin oil. Mostly because wax doesn’t like cold conditions. But it might also offer some water resistance as @Raythebike says.
I cleaned my chains exactly how you did but noticed dirt coming out from between the links when the chain was in the heated up MSW. I think the heat expands the links slightly and allows the final bits of dirt/oil to escape.
In the future if I clean an oiled chain I will add a step after the white spirit clean and put the chain into boiling water to let it heat up before a final rinse in white spirits.
Yes I will be using an air line from my air compressor to make sure the chain is completely dry before it goes into the wax.
I will be re waxing on Monday as I have outdoor rides planned for Saturday and Sunday, that should put the chain at around 250 miles since the first wax.
I experienced 105-level chains becoming rusty, too. With XT/Ultegra level chains, they do NOT get rusty. I cannot tell the material differences, but I am quite sure that there is a difference as I experienced it several times. First I thought it was happening by chance, but now I am quite sure it has to do with the material they use.
Following on from my last post, I dont think I need to re wax yet. The chain was running so smooth yesterday at some points I had to double check my Di2 battery was not flat because changing gear was almost unnoticeable.
I had used Squirt in the past and can honestly say MSW takes things to a whole different level. For the record I am using a Dura Ace chain and have not ridden in the wet.
What are people reusing for this? I’ve heard some let the MSW harden in the croc pot and simply reuse the leftovers for the next round.
How are people disposing of the used mineral spirits? I’m considering giving this a go just want to figure out exactly what to buy
I keep the used spirits in a Mason jar. If it becomes too gunked up I run it through a coffee filter. It doesn’t clean it up completely but good enough for me. And since I only use it on new chains it basically lasts forever.
I spoke to a buddy and he uses the Super Secret Chain Wax, how is that compared to a traditional immersion wax, or is it meant to be used more as a maintenance between dips?
Good idea to use a coffee filter.
I just put a big candle in a crockpot and added 1% teflon powder and 0.2% MoS2. And don’t forget to take the wick out.
Previous mix I had added lamp oil to make the wax less brittle and no need to break the chain in after waxing. But chains where very noisy and not happy with it. This time with just the candle wax it is working much better, chains stay clean and silent with minimal cleaning between rides.
How long are they staying silent, in a matter of time or miles?
I have used one chain for 350 km over 7 or so rides and it is still good. There is a buttery smooth period at the begin that you might quickly loose, but after that there is just a nice smooth sound, nothing like dry metal squeaking.
I have now switched to a second shorter chain as I switched cassettes and currently it is on for 150 km.
Silca Super Secret works well as long as it goes on a clean chain. It’s a paraffin wax but has a carrier that needs to evaporate unlike a hot wax which is ready immediately. You can use it solo or to top up a hot wax chain. It just needs time to dry and let the carrier evaporate. I use it when traveling.
It cleans up great with hot water just like hot wax when it is time to reapply.