Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
Thanks readers for the fascinating comments regarding hot waxing chains, last week’s topic: Event Gear’s Simplyfast Hot Wax Quick Review & Application Video, and even to those of you who think it’s not worth the effort. Speaking of which, RBR’s very own Coach Rick Schultz shares his opinion this week too. It’s based on extensive and impressive chain waxing research – and he’s against the practice. Read his points here: Counterpoint: An Opinion Against Waxing Chains.
The most comprehensive hot waxing instructions were shared by Ron Neher in his document here. It includes all the products he uses with links, every step for used and new chains, pictures and videos. Thanks so much for all the time and effort you put into this resource Ron, great stuff. FYI: Ron uses MSpeed Wax.
More Hot Waxes to Choose From
While researching the different hot waxes out there, I discovered more I didn’t know about. I also received the Sample of Halo waxes from Finish Line that I mentioned last week.
So that you can have a look if you’re considering hot waxing, here are three more products. The first company, CYCLOWAX even offers a wax melting machine that looks similar to the Silca one I previewed here in the winter: Game-Changing New-Chain Cleaner & Waxer From Silca.
CYCLOWAX Clean Chain Starter Kit
Interestingly, Wend Waxworks has a hot wax and also what they say is the first rub-on chain wax that you rub on and massage into the links by hand.
Reusable Quick Links
Reader “Steve” shared his experience using a quick link to reinstall his hot-waxed chain:
“Once the chain was waxed, I reinstalled it with its original quick link. The instant I applied power to the pedals, the quick link broke. I just don’t think they are reliable for reuse — or, at least, the SRAM link that came with the chain wasn’t. There are quick links available that are said to be reusable, and those are what I will be using in the future.”
I’m surprised to hear Steve’s quick link “broke.” I wonder if he meant it separated? As I mentioned last week, it was recommended to me NOT to hot wax the quick link because it would make it difficult to install. I also showed in the video that even with no wax on the quick link, the hot wax on the chain added enough thickness to make the quick link difficult to install. So I can understand if Steve’s came apart when he pedaled.
In any case, he’s correct that there are quick links designed to be used over and over and those that are single use only. I recommend following the instructions for whatever quick link you choose. Wipperman’s Connex links are reusable, come in all sizes and fit together and come apart by hand. KMC also makes reusable links in several sizes. They snap together so they come apart with pliers or in a pinch with a shoelace.
KMC links (you want the ones marked “reusable”)
For a lot more on quick links and best practices, here’s a Tech Talk on them: More Quick Links Tips.
Coach Rick’s Conclusion
If you haven’t already hot waxed and if you’re on the fence about trying hot waxing, be sure to read Coach Rick’s rebuttal: Counterpoint: An Opinion Against Waxing Chains. At the end he concludes with the statement “The hot wax was gone from the chain in under 200 miles.”
Having read the comments of you hot waxers here and having looked into a lot of these hot waxes, I would say that most hot waxers are perfectly fine if they get 200 miles out of a hot waxed chain (a reader named “Demetri” said he gets 500 miles per hot wax treatment in a comment and I have read similar number from other users and companies – so how many miles you get apparently varies a lot).
Also, once you’re all set up to do the hot waxing, the waxers say that it’s an easy and fast job to re-wax. Also, most people wax multiple chains at a time, so if they need a newly waxed chain in a hurry, they just put one of their stock of hot waxed chains on and put the one that needs re-waxing back in line – sort of how you probably replace punctured tubes.
And the thing that committed hot waxers are most concerned about is drivetrain wear, not necessarily wax life. Keeping the chain clean with hot waxing eliminates the grit and grime of wet lubes. And that extends chain, cassette, chainring and derailleur pulley wear – lots of expensive parts.
Does Drip Wax Clean The Chain?
I know the topic is hot waxing, but reader John Klever is trying drip wax lubing, which I have also experimented with. He wrote,
“My big idea is to get 80 percent of the benefit of waxing my chain with 10 percent of the work by going easy on the cleaning and using wet wax so as not to burn down the house. The initial cleaning involved scraping the gunk from the drivetrain, degreasing a new chain with WD40, letting the chain dry., installing the chain, and applying the wet wax. After that the chain is wiped after every ride, new wax is applied every 200 miles or so, and the chain is replaced at .5 percent of wear. I ride three bikes in rotation, so a lot of riding is needed to see the results.
So far, the chain still has black residue, but the shade is turning lighter. When I handle the chain, my hands still get black, but the residue comes off much more easily, and what I feel is much slicker. The chain also runs much more smoothly. My hope is that the black residue will turn to a pleasing shade of gray and I will get more miles per chain with less effort.”
We’ll look forward to hearing how it goes, John. I have tried your approach with several different drip wax lubes and they do seem to slowly clean the chain. But, it’s still recommended that you start with a clean chain for the wax to fully adhere and also so that you don’t trap grit and grime inside your chain since it will then eventually come in contact with your drivetrain components.
Still, it’s likely cleaner than a dirty chain lubed with petroleum-based products at least.
The Tour Starts Saturday!
It would be fun to learn how many teams or riders are running hot waxed chains at the Tour de France this year. I bet some are, maybe even getting chains replaced every few stages? It looks like it’s going to be an exciting year with defending champ Jonas Vingegaard coming off a major crash in April, Tadej Pogačar winning the Giro d’Italia with ease and Mark Cavendish returning at 39 years old to try to top Eddy Merckx’s 34 stage wins. He’s got to figure out a way to beat Jasper Philipsen, the green jersey winner last year.
In case you haven’t seen it already, the second season of the Netflix series The Tour de France Unchained is available for your binging pleasure.
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
The quick-link caution, as with chain strength in general, is of CRITICAL importance. I have had more than one quick link break over the years. NOT “separate” but BREAK. I will not reuse such links EXCEPT for Connex reusables, and I HAVE had those separate on rough roads (chain bouncing around).
As my local biking community witnessed just a few years ago, an unexpected chain snap (regardless of cause) can have FATAL consequences. The poor fellow involved had his chain snap as he stood to accelerate sending him over the handlebar and causing a fatal head/neck injury. (I do NOT know if the chain snap was at a quick link in this case, just mentioned the case to illustrate the importance of chain strength in general).
How many times have we all seen guys cheap out when buying a new chain. If you can’t afford a high quality,(KMC, Connex, Wipperman, Shimano) top of the line chain, wait until you can afford one. The three items I’ve learned never to cheap out on are tires, wheels and chains. Save the bargain hunting for bar tape, saddle bags and jerseys.
I’d add YBN chains to the list of quality chains.
>> I’m surprised to hear Steve’s quick link “broke.” I wonder if he meant it separated? <<
I don't know if it actually broke or just separated. It had just been installed (re-used) at my LBS, and I was outside the bike shop when it happened. I brought it back inside and the owner used the term "broke." In any case, I had him replace it and now it's working well.
I just read an article from Zero Friction Cycling that says that various substitute and aftermarket quick links are reusable, typically up to five times. The article also states that these links are compatible with most 12-speed chains — with the exception of SRAM AXS. Well, guess which drivetrain is on my Trek Domane? So, ZFC says I should only use genuine SRAM AXS quick links. If I have to do that, and if they can only be used once, then it costs about 5 dollars each time I remove my chain for rewaxing. If that's the case, it seems to significantly diminish any savings I get from reduced drivetrain wear due to the hot waxing technique. I'd love to hear if anyone has any comments, experience, or advice regarding this.
Thanks for explaining more Steve, appreciate it. SRAM came up with that unique chain which is why you’re forced to stick with their links. The negative view is that they did that to force you to have to buy only their products since anyone who tries to make chains like theirs or their QL, they will sue to protect their patents. The positive view – if you buy (pun intended) into their promises – it increases performance.
All that being said, $5 is really cheap for a quick link. I wouldn’t see that as having much impact on the total time and cost of waxing a chain. And you do need to use their quick links unless someone decides to copy it, which could happen I guess if they pay royalties maybe.
Thanks!
Jim
Why I like waxing – simple bike cleaning – just wipe off bike with damp towel. No oils / gunk to remove from drivetrain.
– Remove chain every 300 / 500 miles depending on conditions
– Brush off cassette, pulleys, chain rings (no oils / gunk to remove)
– Install waxed chain
– Wax chains when you have a couple needing waxing
With all the empirical evidence singing the praises of waxed chains, it’s difficult to believe that EVERY TdF team is NOT using a freshly waxed chain for EVERY bike for EVERY stage of the race… When you accept the fact of ‘marginal gains’ being the end-all and be-all of every TdF team strategy, then any team NOT using a waxed chain is at a disadvantage to EVERY team that are using waxed chains.
I switched to waxing a few of months ago after finally getting tired of the grease and grime on my drivetrain and the messy cleaning/relubing process. I like the cleanliness of the drivetrain and ease of maintenance. My drivetrain doesn’t attract dirt at all. Cleaning consists of a quick wipe with a damp cloth after the ride. I have two chains in rotation and swapping takes just a couple of minutes. When both have reached about 200 miles they get rinsed in boiling water and go back into the waxing pot.
I care less about long it takes to get to 0.5% wear or efficiency gains I’ll never notice. Admittedly, stripping the new factory grease is a chore. However, I’m expecting at least 5000 mi of use from each chain based on data posted online. That’s two years of riding for me across the two chains. I can handle degreasing two new chains again in winter. 2026.
My process is a lot simpler than the flow chart posted above. Three baths in Coleman lantern fuel (naphtha), fresh fuel each bath with lots of shaking. Two washes in denatured alcohol. Then into the bath of refined paraffin (https://www.ebay.com/itm/204220162623), swish after the wax gets back up to temperature, hang to cool, run over a PVC tube to break the wax , install on the bike. I reuse the quick link up to 5 times or when it clicks into place too easily. I do not wax the quick link. It’s not rocket science to ensure the pins are seated before locking the link.
I have serious doubts about the value of all the expensive wax formulas being marketed and you’ll find this opinion echoed elsewhere as well. And all you need is paraffin, a $15 crockpot and a thermometer to check the wax temperature. Digital cooking thermometers are nice. Finally, don’t try to clean a used chain. In my one attempt it took too many baths to fully strip the embedded oils. Start with a new chain.