I’ve jumped on the wax bandwagon, for both my bikes and my wife’s. So far 4 bikes, but be 6 soon enough.
I want a good way to organise the chains that aren’t currently on the bikes, so I know what goes with what. Both during storage, and also while in the crock pot, so I can wax more than one at a time.
In theory a combination of chain brand/model and chain length could maybe be enough information, but it’s hassle and easily prone to mistakes, and no doubt at least two of the bikes WILL end up the same. (Side question - in this case maybe it’s better TO mix them up. Or at worst, unimportant… I can see pros & cons to both)
Anyway though, I digress. I want a nice easy system.
My first thought is reusable coloured zip ties, and have a colour assigned to each bike, but I know there will be plenty of people here who have years of experience - what’s your setup like?
Out of interest roughly what kind of mileage are you getting before swapping and how are you determining when you need to change for a newly waxed chain?
Am just starting out on the waxing journey, loving how clean everything stays but feel like it’s quite haphazard as to when I swap chains. Am not very fastidious about taking mileage, I’ve been tending to just put a newly waxed chain on ahead of any big bike things like a weekend away or a race.
I’m going by noise, but also extending the life on the bike with drip wax if I don’t want to swap just yet. I’ll measure my chains when I put them on and take them off (park tool) Since I’ve started waxing in 2020, I’ve only had one wear out and that was the one I was using Wend rub on wax. (which was a mistake) I suspect the ones I started using the Absolute Black hot wax on will be next, but I think I only used it for a few chains before swapping to Silca.
I keep all my chains on a dowel with dividers for 11 spd, and 12 spd with the latter getting another divider for road/Mtb.
Agreed on the labeled ziplocks - has worked great for me. I’ll also toss a quick link in the bag with the chain so I know I always have one with it (especially in the case of packing up and heading to a race).
As for keeping the separated or identified if you’re waxing multiple together - assuming they’re different lengths you can weight them and it should differentiate. I have 12spd Eagle on both MTB and Gravel bikes and the chains are like 2 links different and it’s apparent on a scale ( I suppose if the shorter were waxed and the longer dry they could be close…)
ziplocks here as well. I tend to swap chainrings and drivetrains quite a bit, so the bag labeling includes bike/drivetrain/chainring combo(s) that it will work with.
Another vote for large Ziploc bags with bike, cassette size (if you have multiple chain lengths), date, and clean/dirty written in sharpie. Never an issue with rust, once it is waxed, there should be no moisture left.
I use labeled bags for used chains. Each of my bikes also has a repurposed plastic container where I store waxed chains. Next chain to be used is always on top. They’re the Tupperware like packaging that lunch meat comes in.
I don’t have any combos similar enough to need zip ties but that sounds good if you had say two different lengths of sram flat top chains to keep straight.
I use waxed chains on multiple bikes and use wear as the indicator for the replacement chain. It helps that most of the bikes are 9 & 10 speed so chains can be swapped around. I keep old ice cream containers marked, No Wear, 0.75, 1mm and 1mm+. I have only one bike that’s 11 speed so that has two dedicated chains. I keep spare connex links in 9 and 10 speed and these get rotated in no particular order.
The newer road bike and training bike are the no wear chains, the CX and MTB bikes use the .75 and higher wear and are changed more frequently.
I wouldn’t be running chains that far, no matter what speed. I used to run them a bit further than I do now, thinking it was saving money but when you see how a worn chain interacts with non-worn parts it really clarifies how/why everything wears so fast at that point! You have hardened steel rollers essentially working like a cheese grater, dragging down the cassette/chainring teeth - under high load as well - which will wear things to death in a fairly short time. Since you’re using wax the chains should last years before getting to 0.5, I’d say change them (or throw them on a town bike or something) at this point.
Thanks for the advice but the older chains work fine on old cassettes and for CX rides when they get waxed every one or two rides that’s a lot to replace for the few times they get used. My road equipment is new and gets well looked after.
There’s a difference between ‘working fine’ and ‘not grinding away components like a file’, but if you don’t ride the bikes much, or your cassette/chainrings are somehow cheaper than a chain, it might not make a massive difference
Looks like I’m already using what most folks found to be best to track chains. The good old ziplock.
Note for those trying to figure which is 11 vs 12, the quick link and chain links should have 11s or 12s on the links (Shimano).
For those wondering how to track usage, I use probikegarage app for all my components and all bikes. It syncs with Strava for distance used so once you setup a component it’s easy to use. You just swap chain 1 for chain 2 once it reminds you of total mileage over a specified distance. I read 500 miles somewhere so that’s what I’ve started with. We will see how quickly it gets old to change chains every 4 weeks, and rewax every 12 weeks (I switch between 3 chains)
