chain lube or wax?

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LancsGirl
Posts: 255
Joined: 5 Jun 2021, 9:57pm

Re: UFO Drip chain lube

Post by LancsGirl »

freeflow wrote: 6 Jun 2022, 1:02pm Another vote for Hot wax. I have two KMC E1 EPC coated chains that I use on my 'bike for life' which has a single speed chain line (gears in a can) but is not an electric bike. I am now at 11,000km distance since Augustt 2020 and I still can't get the prongs of a Park Tools CC2 chain length checker between the links. Me and the bike weigh in at 125 kg.

Mrs F is using a
Hot waxed 10 speed KMC EPC coated chain on her e-bike. After 1200 miles it is only 0.2% worn.
Which hot wax are you using please?

Thanks.
freeflow
Posts: 1637
Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by freeflow »

I started with ceramic speedwax and topped it up with a concoction from eBay ( wax +PTFE+tungsten disulphide) that was about half the price of the speedwax.

I relube every 200 to 400km. The rear axle is bolt through which makes my chains easy to swap.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225011957596 ... Sw6uRilw3Z
LancsGirl
Posts: 255
Joined: 5 Jun 2021, 9:57pm

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by LancsGirl »

These accounts of using wax (of various types) are very interesting to me.

I am seriously considering switching to hot waxing (the bike chain, that is!). Partly for the reduced wear aspect, not having to faff about with oily rags, and especially the cleanliness. Having had to ditch clothes that got oily marks on them (which seem impossible to shift), I'd love a clean drivetrain.

The downside does seem to be what to do after a wet ride. Any more information about that would be very useful.

Thanks.
Nearholmer
Posts: 3928
Joined: 26 Mar 2022, 7:13am

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by Nearholmer »

I remember that Linklyfe stuff from motorcycling donkeys years ago!

Isn’t there a more modern wax that overcomes the need to stew the chain after every wet ride, cos if there is, wax sounds like the way to go.

One ride on the derailleur bike at the weekend, c40 miles largely off road, and I had to spend an hour yesterday deep-cleaning the drivetrain, because fine grit-paste was deep in the chain etc. One ride!
rjb
Posts: 7200
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 10:25am
Location: Somerset (originally 60/70's Plymouth)

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by rjb »

I'm coming around to the idea of lubing with chain wax. My chains get incredibly dirty on the rural roads I ride on. I'm currently using EP90 and degrease and relub every 500 miles. I wipe the chains after every couple of rides to remove the build up.
Waxing seems a lot of effort if you do this every 200km (120 miles). That would be twice a week. :shock:
I just watched a video about homemade chain wax using paraffin wax and PTFE powder. It was even suggested that you could use a candle as the source of parrafin wax, removing the wick when melted. :roll:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HHr9znwpwmQ
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
freeflow
Posts: 1637
Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by freeflow »

@rjb The distances you cover would likely put you in an extreme group whatever the lube you were using. ;-)

For me, with two chains, I always have one on the bike and one clean, because its very easy to cook several chains in one go. For me 200-300km works out to a chain rotation every 2 weeks. I always put a freshly cooked chain on before I go Audaxing as that's part of the pre ride fettling.

The maximum distance I've gone on a single waxing so far is about 400km. At that stage there was nothing telling me that I urgently needed to rewax the chain so it could be that I am being excessively conservative in my rewaxing schedule.

For wet rides you have to consider that the outside of the chain is covered with a very thin non-sticky coating of wax, so basically if the chain is muddy, just slushing some water over it would be perfectly fine and would wash off the loosely adhered crud. My advantage here is the single speed chainline, I don't have deraillierus and cages to collect crud and spread it around.

When I rub my hand up and down the chain before I remove it for rewaxing, my hand comes away effectively clean, just some slight smudges for loose wax flakes.
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by Psamathe »

LancsGirl wrote: 6 Jun 2022, 11:46pm These accounts of using wax (of various types) are very interesting to me.

I am seriously considering switching to hot waxing (the bike chain, that is!). Partly for the reduced wear aspect, not having to faff about with oily rags, and especially the cleanliness. Having had to ditch clothes that got oily marks on them (which seem impossible to shift), I'd love a clean drivetrain.

The downside does seem to be what to do after a wet ride. Any more information about that would be very useful.

Thanks.
I have thought about waxing (ages ago) but then watched https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J19ovxyVVFs and thought too much work (given chains are not that expensive.

But what about lubes like https://www.wiggle.co.uk/finish-line-ce ... 0ml-bottle or https://www.wiggle.co.uk/finish-line-krytech-wax-lube. I've never tried them (forgot to add to my most recent Wiggle order. But they are called "wax" but look as though applied like a traditional lube. I've no experience with them but anybody else? Do they avoid a mucky chain that does not require attention all the time?

Ian
Psamathe
Posts: 17650
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by Psamathe »

Chatting to engineer at LBS about chains (and chain tubes) and he commented about the muck and how to avoid it he uses a stainless chain. And I didn't delve further but the implication was it didn't need oil and thus didn't collect muck ... Is this really the case?

Ian
alexnharvey
Posts: 1923
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:39am

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by alexnharvey »

With putoline wax i am often using it for a month or two in the summer if there's little rain. In the winter maybe fortnightly. It's not so much mileage per se, as it is the number of wet rides.
rjb
Posts: 7200
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 10:25am
Location: Somerset (originally 60/70's Plymouth)

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by rjb »

Anyone using the Ultrafast chain lube formula.?
The recipe for the UltraFast lube is surprisingly simple: 1lb of household paraffin wax, 5g of pure PTFE (Teflon) powder, and 1g of pure molybdenum disulfide (MoS2).
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/friction ... e-formula/
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
alexnharvey
Posts: 1923
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:39am

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by alexnharvey »

rjb wrote: 7 Jun 2022, 4:07pm Anyone using the Ultrafast chain lube formula.?
The recipe for the UltraFast lube is surprisingly simple: 1lb of household paraffin wax, 5g of pure PTFE (Teflon) powder, and 1g of pure molybdenum disulfide (MoS2).
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/friction ... e-formula/
I tried a similar home brew mixture. 90% paraffin wax 10% beeswax blend with about 20g MoS2 but no Teflon powder. I had decided Teflon was not good for the environment. I switched to putoline wax which lasts better for my commuting, in that i think it will tolerate more wet rides before needing redone.
Arubaluba
Posts: 2
Joined: 7 Jun 2022, 4:19pm

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by Arubaluba »

Another Putoline convert here. I've been using it for 18 months and I'm getting ~900 miles between applications during the summer months without any other maintenance. Winter it's 400/500 miles dependant on road conditions, usually run chain through a rag soaked in GT85 after rides with occasional top up with Squirt. Chain life has improved by ~50%.
home
Posts: 66
Joined: 9 Jun 2022, 7:15am

Re: UFO Drip chain lube

Post by home »

tippo12 wrote: 6 Jun 2022, 11:25amCresswell ...
Tippo, I am a new member and I can't message you yet. May I ask a different question to you?

Years ago you asked about removing a Cresswell Uplus2 freewheel on this forum. Did you manage to do it, and if so how? I didn't see an answer.

I'm trying to do the same thing as you did, & it's stumped me too.

Thanks.
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simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by simonineaston »

That is an hour of my life typing that I will not get back. I am not looking for a contest or an argument, just voicing personal experience in case someone else may want to enjoy the same wax lube life benefits that I do.
Thanks, t12! I bought a tub of Putoline a couple of months ago. It works like you said. :D
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: chain lube or wax?

Post by simonineaston »

Just done the chain lube, using Putoline. Oh so fast, so clean, so... so... waxy !!
No waaayy I'm going back to liquid lubes eg oil
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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