Yesterday I gave waxing a go for the first time, using MSW. New chain (Dura Ace) cleaned consistent with MSW and Zero Friction instructions. Wiped clean. Slow cooker, left in an hour as wax melted, then 2x swishing, hang dry, broke chain. Cleaned pulleys/cranks (Ultegra), cassette (newish SRAM) with min spirits and acetone.
Noticed even on the work stand the chain was noisy. Like a baseball card in the spokes. Rode next day - spending first few minutes breaking in chain, then did a 2.5 hour ride. Clean shifts, but never got really any quieter. Post ride - lots of wax flakes, black wax on cassette. Chain link sides feel pretty dry. Rollers feel pretty slick.
Not sure what the potential issue or remedies might be. Back to zero and reclean (I hope not(1!) - spent lots of time on that)? Rewax (some internetz seem to recommend letting wax cool a bit for more adhesion), top off with drip on wax?
If the sounds isn’t from the drivetrain but rather the chain itself, I would go back to pour boiling water 2x over the chain to melt whatever wax is on it, soak it in min spirit for 15min before shaking the bottle for 2-3min, then once more with denatured alcohol shaking 2-3 min. Rinse and dry, then rewax. I prefer to melt the wax completely before soaking the chain in, wait for all bubbles are gone, swish then hang to dry.
First thought….did you route the chain correctly in the RD? Specifically, did you accidentally put the chain outside the derailleur cage between the two pulleys?
This is a more common mistake than most people realize.
Ugh. I took so much time to route the chain right, yet missed the cage guide tab between the two pulleys. Re-routed and silky smooth and silent.
BTW - I had emailed Molten Speed and they CALLED ME. On Saturday night. And walked me through my steps and got me to the same answer. Best customer service experience I have literally ever had. They have my business!
I’mvery happy that the forums recognize what I’m trying ask and put up related topics. Just installed new out of the bag SILCA “Raceday” pre-waxed chain, the noise was horrible, and was really worried that I had somehow cut it too short. Checked my chain routing, and yep, I had missed one of the guides.
I can one-up that…I spent about week last fall trying to figure out what the hell was going on with my drivetrain. Kept tweaking the barrel adjuster, even unclmaped the cable and started al over again to dial it in.
It finally hit me one AM while riding…Yup, went ouotside the tab on the pulley cage…and let me tell you, the wattage cost was at least 20W. Minimum.
Did this on my trainer bike once, just before a threshold workout. I ride that bike with noice cancelling headphones so didn’t notice a huge difference in in drivetrain noise but MAN that workout felt crazy hard! Then realized I’d probably added 10-15 watts of drag to my drivetrain…