Chain wax vs. regular lube

[Palmer]

Does anyone have any experience with chain wax? (The usually pariffin based stuff you heat up and then dip your chain in...) I'm just wondering if the stuff is the hot ticket for any winter commutuing/riding. I'm a big fan of dry lube so this makes me curious. Help!

[berrywise]

Hey now I already invoiced you for it :D

[Palmer]

Gee, thanks for the endorsement.
I'll be there. No worries.

[bigwheel]

Does anyone have any experience with chain wax? (The usually pariffin based stuff you heat up and then dip your chain in...) I'm just wondering if the stuff is the hot ticket for any winter commutuing/riding. I'm a big fan of dry lube so this makes me curious. Help!
If you don't mind spending the time to take your chain off, it works great. I use it on my road bike before long trips. On the roads, you can get a couple hundred miles without re-lubing. It is also really good in that it doesn't get your bike all greasy.

Just take your chain off and clean it up, then drop it into an old coffee can that has a couple inches of the wax stuff in it. Wait until the wife isn't looking, and set it on the stove on low. It'll take about 15 minutes for the wax to melt. Leave it on for about a half-hour, and swish it around every several minutes. If the wax starts smoking, it's too hot.

The tough part is taking it out. Your chain will be too hot to touch, and the wax is also hot. Make a hook out of an old spoke, snag the chain, and hang it up, dripping the excess wax back into the coffee can. You'll also want to wipe it down with a rag while it is still hot.

You can re-use the wax. The dirt settles to the bottom of the can, rather than getting back on the chain. When the dirt build-up on the bottom of the can gets bad, just dump all but the bottom gunk into another can.

Martha Stewart probably has a few more tips, but she won't be available for a while.

[okie29]

I use white lightning. It claims to be wax based but you don't have to do the melting and all. It's worked very well for me. My only suggestion: use it on a new chain. I tried converting my oily road chain and it's been a real mess. My new Fish got it from the start and it's been very good....recommended, especially if your cooking skills aren't all that strong...

[jkalla]

Melt the wax by placing the can in a pan of water on the stove. Turn on the heat. The water will heat to boiling and will prevent the the wax from getting too hot and start smoking.



If you don't mind spending the time to take your chain off, it works great. I use it on my road bike before long trips. On the roads, you can get a couple hundred miles without re-lubing. It is also really good in that it doesn't get your bike all greasy.

Just take your chain off and clean it up, then drop it into an old coffee can that has a couple inches of the wax stuff in it. Wait until the wife isn't looking, and set it on the stove on low. It'll take about 15 minutes for the wax to melt. Leave it on for about a half-hour, and swish it around every several minutes. If the wax starts smoking, it's too hot.

The tough part is taking it out. Your chain will be too hot to touch, and the wax is also hot. Make a hook out of an old spoke, snag the chain, and hang it up, dripping the excess wax back into the coffee can. You'll also want to wipe it down with a rag while it is still hot.

You can re-use the wax. The dirt settles to the bottom of the can, rather than getting back on the chain. When the dirt build-up on the bottom of the can gets bad, just dump all but the bottom gunk into another can.

Martha Stewart probably has a few more tips, but she won't be available for a while.

[Rocky Mountain]

BOESHIELD. Less lubricant means less dirt attracts to it. When I used wax it seemed as if my chain turned into a dirt magnet and was prematurely wearing my cassette and sprockets. This is only a theory I had when I used wax based lube.

Reapplying wax based lube in the winter can difficult unless you store it inside since it gels up in colder temps.

[Ish]

I second Boeshieldl. Also, it comes with the Kenwood stamp of approval. Good enough for me!

[bigwheel]

Not familiar with Boeshieldl, but I normally use White Lightning. IMO, it doesn't hang on to the chain nearly as well as the melted stuff.

I found on weekend rides that if the wax picks up some road dirt, you can just wipe if off with a rag without needing to re-lube. IMO, the important parts to keep lubed are the insides of the rollers and the joints between links. The dirt tends to collect in areas that are just along for the ride, and easy to wipe off. The dirt also stops collecting after you wipe it down the first time.

[Magic]

Boeshields is the way to go for me. If it's good enough for Boeing (sp) airplanes, the people who came up with the product I guess it's good enough for my wrecks.