Chain Waxing Tutorial

Equipment
81

I see. Good info.

Where are you getting the prices for the YBN?
$25 here

Side note, here’s the cheapest 11 speed links I could find atm.

$7.50 per chain waxing, about every 1.5 weeks = $260 for the year.

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82

Keep in mind, the person reviewing also sells Motlen Speed Wax. A conflict of interest.

83

Here’s another Wend Wax review

84

MSpeedwax sells them (in North America) for USD 20. If the local Australian price is probably AUD 25, that still works out to AUD 2.08 per chain if you reuse each of the six YBN master links once. On the other hand, the connecting pins you linked to come out AUD 3.89 per chain. So, if you use YBN chains and reuse the master links once, then master links are going to be cheaper. Reuse them a couple of times, and the price gets much better.

If you don’t ever reuse the master links, then honestly I don’t know what the appeal of them would be, except easy chain repairs out on a ride (i.e., keep one handy with your bike, but it shouldn’t be part of your chain waxing regimen).

85

Yes @Jonathan’s anecdotes from earlier have me worried about reusing any quick links :worried:

86

I don’t put out that kind of power :laughing:

Seriously… not to completely discount his experience, but absent any problems myself I’m inclined to defer to Lennard Zinn:

87

Thanks, I hadn’t twigged that.

It may be telling though that the Wend wax optimised chain on their website has been treated by being submerged in melted wax rather than just using the rub on product and that they’ll sell you another product that helps their rub on wax penetrate properly :thinking:

88

We all only have our own experiences to go on. Two things spring to mind with regard to risk to me…

a. What type of riding do you do? He didn’t say when it happened but I think Jonathan is more of an off road/mountain biker (apologies if this is wrong @Jonathan!) If that were me, or I were somebody who road races and sprints with high and variable power delivery I might have a different perception of risk than I do. I am a triathlete/TT’er and for the vast majority of my racing I actively try to avoid this type of power delivery and stay very steady state so the risk of failure is far lower in that use case.

b. Personally I think there is far more risk installing connecting pins than having a quick link installed. To add another N+1 anecdote I still have scars and chipped teeth from some idiot who didn’t push the connecting pin quite through a chain properly :flushed: Coming round the corner at a place I used to work I often used to try for a short max power PB and the chain failed :face_with_head_bandage:

I guess it comes down to perceptions of risk and the type of riding you do as well as the financial aspect.

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89

I have a few questions about waxing:

  1. It was mentioned that waxed chains last roughly 100 miles in dirt conditions. I am planning on riding the dirty Kanza 200 which is 200 miles in gravel. Once the wax on the chain gives out, what kind of lube is best to apply until the finish?

  2. How long can I expect a waxed chain to last on the trainer?

  3. If I were to use a simple green solution in the ultrasonic cleaner, what do I do with it once I am done cleaning? Can I reuse it? If not, how do I properly dispose of it?

Thanks,

Brandon

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91

Interesting. Similar to my experience, except that my 10sp link isn’t loose on an 11sp chain.

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92

Y’all I have some rust spots on my chain after a muddy cross race. There are spots on the sides of the chain and where the connector pins mate with each link. I have cleaned with water down simple green and relubed. How serious is this? Should I get a new chain now or post cross season?

93

If it works, then what’s wrong with that? Rub on wouldn’t be optimal but might be “good enough” for most.

A side thought: I can’t see how melted wax dripped onto a chain couldn’t be 99% as good as crockpot cooking the chain in wax.

94

I have thought of this. Hence why I have considered maybe just reusing links on my TT bike and not my road bike. I regularly put 1000+ watts through my road bike at the finish of races.

Ohhhh! Damn man! Sorry to hear that. Thanks for the heads up. Maybe pins aren’t the best then.
I wish there was a simple and elegant solution to this.

95

I was hoping you’d respond. So it’s a tight fit?
I found it interesting and my conclusion was

A. You want a tight fit to ensure the chain doesn’t break apart of rough terrain.
B. A tight fit would increase the chance of damage while removing and installing and thus you wouldn’t want to reuse a tight fitting link as much as you could a loose fitting link.

Such a predicament :thinking:

96

I’ve never had an issue with tightness as was displayed in the video. It’s about the same fit as when I’ve used it with 10sp. I also don’t think there’s ever a chance the chain would slack up enough for it to pop off. I think there’s more risk with it popping off under stress/heavy torque and/or from a worn out chainring/casstte. I did have a SRAM link pop off my 30 y/o Trek commuter, but it was due to a work chainring and trying to pull a Chariot with my son up a hill :grinning: so I can’t fault the master link. I wouldn’t stress over Jonathan’s experience. I’ve had chain pins fail on me years ago so a master link is way more comforting. Anything can break on your bike causing you to crash.

That being said I will be ordering the KMC 11sp reusable links in the near future.

97
  1. Prob not an issue to just ride it the 200mi. Waxed chain stays incredibly clean. If you have to lube, it probably doesn’t matter what you add, but a wax-based one might be best. An if you’re really concerned, and have a crew, take a spare freshly waxed chain.

2 I’ve been bad and rode the same chain indoors for probably the last 6 months. Put a fresh one on the other day and it’s just a bit quieter. Mostly in erg mode so not much shifting and a nice straight chainline. Biggest bummer is the wax flakes off on the floor and needs to be cleaned up.

  1. I think simple green can just be dumped on your lawn? It should just have dirt and grime and maybe some melted wax. I would not save it. Maybe try a few drops of dishsoap? I degrease new chains with gasoline (NOT in the ultrasonic cleaner!)), which is a little harder to dispose of, but a one-off for each chain.
3 Likes
98

Absolutely true, it might be good enough for most of the gains and most people.

MSW and IIRC Jason from his original Friction Facts white papers before he moved to Ceramic Speed felt that significant agitation in the hot wax was an important part of the process to make sure the wax (and the PTFE and Molybdenum Disulphide) fully penetrated the chain.

99

Aside from the performance benefits of using wax this to me is a huge improvement as well.

The wax coming off the chain is clean and can easily be hoovered up unlike oil which covers me and anything I touch after doing anything on the bikes. My wife has made me promise never to go back to oiled chains on any of our bikes as I was forever leaving oil marks everywhere

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100

This is still on my mind. I played with my first Connex link last night. The clear difference is it doesn’t “snap” into place. It looks to be using geometry to hold it in place with both adjoining links needing to be at 90 degrees for the link to be free as the link is over sized and bumps in to the next outer plate otherwise. This might help show people reading this what I am saying:

I probably joined and rejoined the link (while on the chain) 2-3 times last night, mostly by accident (no force applied) while trying out the mechanism it uses to join. So I can’t see how this could deteriorate based on how many times you use it; I can now see why it is listed as unlimited reuse. The only way it would wear out is through friction due to use, like any other pins in your chain.

  1. So @Jonathan sorry to keep hammering you about this. When your Connex link broke, how did it break? Slip off or the metal of the link actually broke?

  2. Having a link not snap into place initially makes me worry, but I can see the design of this means the chances of your a) chain becoming slack, b) having the 2 adjoining links turning perpendicular to the quick link and, c) the chain moving side ways enough to free both links all at the same time would be so unlikely, less likely then being hitting by space debris perhaps. But does anyone have thoughts or experiences on this mechanism and any issues of it coming apart while riding?

I am not very fearful on the bike. I know crashes can happen due to things outside of our control, but I like to make sure I take care of everything in my control to prevent something bad happening.

Thanks.

101

Question extension for MrPib85 and @Jonathan : what properties do the mineral spirits have (fairies of course!) that a simple green or other degreaser doesn’t – or more generally, why when would one use mineral spirits versus other degreaser?