Did I wax too soon?

[taco_junkie]

I fear I may have stripped and waxed a bit early in the season. I ran out of the wet stuff and have been putting off needed attention to the undercarriage. I could have gone shopping for more lube but I'm inherently lazy and I'm dodging bike stores like Neo in the Matrix after spending all my damn money in them. Anyway, after more than a few rides since the last proper clean the grime and cake was building up terribly. It was time. But what to do about lubrication? I decided to roll the dice and while the wife took the kids to a park or something I waxed my chain. I had some stuff lying around that I'd sourced from the Performance sale (RIP): Finish Line WAX lube. I can't really give a proper review with just one ride in, but smooth shifts and no build up so far. I avoided mud like the plague and had the benefit of conditions cooperating this time. With moisture in the forecast and dust booger season not yet here I wonder how screwed I am.

What are you lubing with? Do you switch from wet to wax between seasons?

[Ridenfool]

Shake well. Apply wet. Pedal backwards while it cleans the chain. Wipe off thoroughly. Dry lubrication remains that won't attract crud.

Lather, rinse, repeat periodically.

With regular use this stuff will pay for itself by extending chain life significantly.

[Anita Handle]

2 minutes ago, Ridenfool said:

Shake well. Apply wet. Pedal backwards while it cleans the chain. Wipe off thoroughly. Dry lubrication remains that won't attract crud.

Lather, rinse, repeat periodically.

With regular use this stuff will pay for itself by extending chain life significantly.

I'd been using the same one with good results. I did run out (I swore I had another bottle...) and had to resort to my ProLink Gold, which is decent but sticky.

[Teamsloan]

23 minutes ago, Ridenfool said:

Yup, this stuff ^

Apply wet by squirting on to the inside of the chain (the top of the chainline that runs from the derailer to the chainring) as you pedal backwards. After each link gets some, keep spinning backwards for a bit to let the lube clean the chain and work in between all the plates and rollers. Then wipe off as much as you can. The bottle literally says you can't wipe off too much.

I do it every 2-3 rides and it keeps the spooge down and the chain quiet. Just make sure that you keep aware of whats under the bike while you apply. Any drips/extra lube will leave a waxy residue below. The wax settles out in the bottle too, so you have to really make sure it's shaken up before applying.

[AntonioGG]

I've tried almost everything:  Boeshield T9, Pedros Syn Lube, Pedro's Ice Wax, Finishline blue, Chain-L No. 5, Squirt, Rock-n-Roll Gold (currently)...probably forgetting 3-4 more.  The light stuff like gold and blue has to be re-applied often.  In a 24hr race, that means ever 3-4 hours in dry conditions.  The best for long-term and long chain life has been Chain-L but it's a PITA to apply.  I want to try real wax (like heat and dip) since I recently bought myself an ultrasonic with heating cleaner and it leaves the chains looking like new.  Squirt does cake on but it seems to last a while and it protected my chains through muddy events.  Right now I'm pretty happy with the Gold stuff.

[crazyt]

i use rock and roll gold and reapply every ride. I can actually go 3 rides before the chain gets noisy, but then I have to keep track of when I last applied

[mack_turtle]

I bought a tiny Crockpot at a thrift store for $1 and some blocks of candle wax at HEB for a few bucks. Clean the chain in a sealed jar of degreaser, blow dry with and air compressor, then drop it in the melted wax. Install chain on bike and spin the drivetrain a few times. Not sure what this will do to a derailer, as I don't own a bike with a derailer. The chain comes out stiff but after it works loose on the bike and the excess was falls off, it's smooth and stays for a long time.

Edited April 22, 2019 by mack_turtle

[CBaron]

I've been a Tri-Flow guy for decades now.

-CJB

[Seths Pool]

hold on let me pull up a chair to sit down for this drivetrain maintenance lesson I dont know shit about. 

with the exception of using a buddies bike specific lube, or the rare event of me having my own bottle of bike specific lube however I ended up with it , I've been a 3-in-1 oil guy for my chain since my newbie days. probably a mix of convenience and me being cheap about certain things. lol

[CBaron]

In a pinch, and when without my beloved Tri-Flow, I've used 3n1 oil too.  I find it a bit gunky and attracts a lot of dirt grime, but it seems to do the job and keeps my drivetrain quiet.  **Note- those same comments many people will attribute to my Tri-Flow choice for lube also.

PS- when at HH shop, I'd have to say the most requested and used lube for my customers was Rock-n-Roll Gold.  I always kept it in stock due to demand.

-CJB

[larlev]

Just now, CBaron said:

In a pinch, and when without my beloved Tri-Flow, I've used 3n1 oil too.  I find it a bit gunky and attracts a lot of dirt grime, but it seems to do the job and keeps my drivetrain quiet.  **Note- those same comments many people will attribute to my Tri-Flow choice for lube also.

PS- when at HH shop, I'd have to say the most requested and used lube for my customers was Rock-n-Roll Gold.  I always kept it in stock due to demand.

-CJB

Something about that Tri-flow smell......puts me in a happy place. 😁

All I've ever used. 

[AntonioGG]

3 minutes ago, CBaron said:

I find it a bit gunky and attracts a lot of dirt grime, but it seems to do the job and keeps my drivetrain quiet.  **Note- those same comments many people will attribute to my Tri-Flow choice for lube also.

You beat me to it!  🙂

[Ridenfool]

I used 3-in-! as a chain lube when I was a kid riding a Schwinn Typhoon, back in the 1960's.

Over the years employing various spray lubes for "convenience" and always thought I was getting away with something until I finally realized that chain life could be improved by using a lube that wouldn't attract and hold the grit the tire slings on it.

Now I listen to the chain by moving a long section back and forth sideways. If I hear it making grinding noises I'll take two or three minutes and do the Rock&Roll wash and rinse cycle until the noise goes away.

Once I realized how "chain stretch" was actually the internal pins and rollers wearing down because of accumulated grit inside (rather than the plates stretching), it made perfect sense to do everything possible to prevent that deterioration. With a good nickel-plated chain I have gotten incredibly long life from the chain, and, this leads to longer life from the other drive train components. In the long run these type of cleaners/lubes that remain dry after application have saved me gobs of beer and bacon money.

Literally, food for thought. 🥓🍺

Edited April 22, 2019 by Ridenfool

[AntonioGG]

4 minutes ago, Ridenfool said:

I used 3-in-! as a chain lube when I was a kid riding a Schwinn Typhoon, back in the 1960's.

Over the years employing various spray lubes for "convenience" and always thought I was getting away with something until I finally realized that chain life could be improved by using a lube that wouldn't attract and hold the grit the tire slings on it.

Now I listen to the chain by moving a long section back and forth sideways. If I hear it making grinding noises I'll take two or three minutes and do the Rock&Roll wash and rinse cycle until the noise goes away.

Once I realized how "chain stretch" was actually the internal pins and rollers wearing down because of accumulated grit inside (rather than the plates stretching), it made perfect sense to do everything possible to prevent that deterioration. With a good nickel-plated chain I have gotten incredibly long life from the chain, and, this leads to longer life from the other drive train components. In the long run these type of cleaners/lubes that remain dry after application have saved me gobs of beer and bacon money.

Literally, food for thought. 🥓🍺

^^^^^This ^^^^^

Note that Ridenfool's home trail is Rocky Hill which is hell on drivetrains.  I've had a drivetrain wear out in 24 hours because I used a lube incorrectly (Chain-L without the proper steps).  That's cassette, chainring, and chain that had to be replaced.  I shoot to get 1200-1500 miles out of a chain.  I'll replace between 50% and 75% of life so as to save my cassette and chainring longer.

Most other trails are pretty benign as far as chain life.

[Ridenfool]

From Rock-n-Roll lube website:

" The formulation goes deep down into the chain and traps any dirt. Then, with the energy of the chain freewheeling backwards, the dirt and grit floats to the surface so you can wipe it all off, leaving a new and clean application of lube inside the chain, where it’s needed. The lube down inside the chain creates a protective membrane to seal out dirt and moisture from the moving parts of the chain. As well as holding in place the best lube on the planet, for longer chain life, super smooth shifting and pedaling. "

Because you can actually hear the difference by checking for it as you clean the chain this description from the manufacturer is pretty easy to corroborate.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Ridenfool

[taco_junkie]

How easy are ultrasonic cleaners? Just dump stuff in and walk away for 30 minutes or is it more involved? Because 90% of the time I think about a proper degreasing I think to myself it can go one or two more rides. But I do love shiny clean parts.

I've used tri-flow but found it kind of tacky. I still keep some around for use on non-chain stuff. White Lightning Epic Ride was my go to for a bit. Seemed to work good on both road and dirt and was nice and light. Just needed to be applied fairly often. Now I've been trying something different each time a bottle runs out. Looks like I need to give Rock n Roll a try next.

[RedRider3141]

1 minute ago, taco_junkie said:

How easy are ultrasonic cleaners? Just dump stuff in and walk away for 30 minutes or is it more involved? Because 90% of the time I think about a proper degreasing I think to myself it can go one or two more rides. But I do love shiny clean parts.

I've never used them for bike parts but for everything I've used yup. Just need an appropriate soap/degreaser/cleanser/essential oil/fluid for your purpose... I love M-Pro7 or just dishsoap. 

[taco_junkie]

4 minutes ago, RedRider3141 said:

I love M-Pro7

Oh shoot... I just realized that's a whole other use I could get out of this thing 😉

[AntonioGG]

The ultrasonic cleaner with heater I got takes maybe 10 minutes for warm-up of the liquid and 10 minutes of running and the chains come out new.  I use Zep Orange Degreaser from Home Depot.  I rinse it with warm water and blow excess water with the compressor.  

[mack_turtle]

3 hours ago, taco_junkie said:

I fear I may have stripped and waxed a bit early in the season. I ran out of the wet stuff and have been putting off needed attention to the undercarriage. I could have gone shopping for more lube but I'm inherently lazy and I'm dodging bike stores like Neo in the Matrix after spending all my damn money in them. Anyway, after more than a few rides since the last proper clean the grime and cake was building up terribly. It was time. But what to do about lubrication? I decided to roll the dice and while the wife took the kids to a park or something I waxed my chain.

Appreciate the fact that it is not clear until this point that this thread is about bicycle chain maintenance and not... something about goats or something.

[AntonioGG]

Just now, mack_turtle said:

Appreciate the fact that it is not clear until this point that this thread is about bicycle chain maintenance and not... something about goats or something.

Finally someone said something!

[Ridenfool]

Wait, this isn't about goats?

I thought we were just speaking in euphemisms about getting all the kinks out of our chains. 

Edited April 22, 2019 by Ridenfool

[mack_turtle]

The grime and cake was building up terribly on my goat.

[spicewookie]

26 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

Appreciate the fact that it is not clear until this point that this thread is about bicycle chain maintenance and not... something about goats or something.

I was having trouble following along.  I had been formulating a reply about Nair vs. wax, but checked back here before posting.  Thanks!

[rockshins]

1 hour ago, larlev said:

Something about that Tri-flow smell......puts me in a happy place. 😁

All I've ever used. 

Love that smell too, just smells like a bike shop, used to only use it, now only in the wetter months.  Rock and Roll is great stuff as well.  Using Muc Off Dry Lube as they gave me a tester when I bought the brake covers and really liking it, seems like a better version of the White Lightning dry waxy stuff.