Chinertown
Other Resources => Maintenance, Mechanics, & Tools => Topic started by: jonathanf2 on February 12, 2025, 02:08:01 PM
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I'm curious what everyone is using for immersive wax? I'm thinking of doing my own blend. I've read paraffin wax and PFTE powder should do the trick. I've read some people were fine with paraffin wax by itself, but re-waxing a bit earlier. Any other tips or suggestions? Thanks!
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I'm using paraffin wax and PTFE powder, a local eBay seller had a listing for the combo. I'm happy with it and will keep on using it, as I got 1 kg of wax! ZFC suggests that paraffin wax works quite well, though it's not quite as good as the best commercial waxes.
I've been re-waxing every 300 km, though I've been wondering if I could push that further, especially since I don't ride in the rain. There's no noise or squeak by the time I reach 300 km.
But stripping the factory grease off new chains is a faff, so if I was starting again today, I'd be very tempted by the Silca strip chip.
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Waxing a chain isn't a big deal since I have a small crockpot to melt the wax and I just hang the chains to dry outside. I have a small ultrasonic cleaner that fits a bike chain perfectly, so degreasing isn't much of an issue either.
Same I don't ride in the rain either and if I do get my chain wet, I can always swap it out for another pre-waxed chain.
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I just use plain paraffin now, might add a little mso2 occasionally. I've stopped using ptfe because its a forever chemical and toxic.
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I just use plain paraffin now, might add a little mso2 occasionally. I've stopped using ptfe because its a forever chemical and toxic.
I'm thinking of just going plain paraffin as well. I read it's a good idea to wear a mask when melting. The ptfe becomes airborne when heated and you can breath it in.
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I'm thinking of just going plain paraffin as well. I read it's a good idea to wear a mask when melting. The ptfe becomes airborne when heated and you can breath it in.
Yeah, and if you're rolling your own its a very fine powder.
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I was initially put off by the price of commercial blends but after a lot of reading on Zero Friction Cycling and the likes settled on Silca. And now I have I can see the cost is insignificant - yes the bag cost £35ish but only needed half to fill my Crockpot and what's in there has waxed a lot of chains (at least 20 waxings across all my bikes). Whilst there is now only just enough to cover a chain I still have the other half of the bag to top up from.
Major appeal for Silca for me is the matching drip wax - which is great for top ups when you are away from home or just don't have time.
IMO the savings from making your own blend aren't worth it given the fact that once you have the bag and filled a Crockpot with it you likely won't need to spend anything further for years.
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I am using paraffin wax and 1.6µm PTFE as additive
Moving forward I am planing to move to 4µm graphite powder as additive
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As of now I am using a plain paraffin wax + I bought tungsten disulfide (WS2) powder from AliExpress. Using a small wax heater I bought also from Ali for like 10 bucks. Only downside is that WS2 powder is leaving black marks anywhere it touches. Definitely would only recommend using it outside, have used it indoors and it's not that clean as you can imagine. Prior to that I was using straight paraffin without any additives, that was with my old bike. Haven't yet tried any branded wax stuff, but want to give Silca a try this year. Seems like the one package could last you at least half a year, maybe more. Let's see if it is any better than my DIY stuff.
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I am using paraffin wax and 1.6µm PTFE as additive
Moving forward I am planing to move to 4µm graphite powder as additive
Yeah, I've added this: https://www.amazon.com/Molybdenum-Disulfide-Micron-Powder-Ounces/dp/B00ICXS2OS/ref=asc_df_B00ICXS2OS?
It doesn't take much. It does discolor the wax but doesn't leave any add'l residue anywhere.
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I am using paraffin wax and 1.6µm PTFE as additive
Moving forward I am planing to move to 4µm graphite powder as additive
I was thinking of graphite as well, but I read it could possibly act as an abrasive.
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Paraffin wax, PTFE and Molybdenum Disulfide. tiny crockpot. works great. I just shake my chains up in a jar of mineral spirits then let them dry before dunking.
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KMC now sells pre waxed chains so no more cosmoline to degrease.
[https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/kmc-x12-ti-n-pre-waxed-chain-12-speed-321064.html]
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I used old Christmas candle (Yankee Candle red...yes...) with Aliexpress PTFE powder.
I'm waiting for calcium stearate in order to clean the wax impurities.
After +400km everything is running smoothly on the road bike, so yesterday I waxed the gravel chain
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I used old Christmas candle (Yankee Candle red...yes...) with Aliexpress PTFE powder.
I assume your chain smells nice lol
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Plain paraffin on all my chains (MTB, gravel, road, commuter, indoor) with squirt drip in between waxes. Very happy with it.
I got 8500km on my chain on my indoor trainer before replacing it with 0.75% wear.
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Plain paraffin on all my chains (MTB, gravel, road, commuter, indoor) with squirt drip in between waxes. Very happy with it.
I got 8500km on my chain on my indoor trainer before replacing it with 0.75% wear.
I notice the squirt tend to attract road grime so I prefer to avoid using and to rewax every 500km.
How about you?
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I notice the squirt tend to attract road grime ...
Yea, that was my observation as well. Now I only use Squirt I have left for my indoor trainer bike. Plan to try out that Silca Super Duper Secret stuff, let's see how that works. So far I've been rewaxing with my DIY wax mix every now and then and it was enough for me.
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I used old Christmas candle (Yankee Candle red...yes...) with Aliexpress PTFE powder.
I'm waiting for calcium stearate in order to clean the wax impurities.
After +400km everything is running smoothly on the road bike, so yesterday I waxed the gravel chain
Nice! I bet you'll have a good smelling bike as well! ;D
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Red Apple Wreath, This is a Fruity fragrance.A happy holiday homecoming with the festive aroma of sweet apples, cinnamon, walnuts and maple. Top notes: Golden Apples, Cinnamon Leaf, Clove. Middle notes: Apple Peel, Cracked Walnuts, Brown Sugar. Base notes: Amber, Melted Butter, Maple Syrup, Vanilla. Top note is the initial impression of the fragrance, middle note is the main body of the scent and base is its final impression.
Yesterday night I was tuning the rear mech and spinning the wheel chain I can smell the candy apple scent...
Once dry, the color of wax was white and not red
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Red Apple Wreath, This is a Fruity fragrance.A happy holiday homecoming with the festive aroma of sweet apples, cinnamon, walnuts and maple. Top notes: Golden Apples, Cinnamon Leaf, Clove. Middle notes: Apple Peel, Cracked Walnuts, Brown Sugar. Base notes: Amber, Melted Butter, Maple Syrup, Vanilla. Top note is the initial impression of the fragrance, middle note is the main body of the scent and base is its final impression.
Yesterday night I was tuning the rear mech and spinning the wheel chain I can smell the candy apple scent...
Once dry, the color of wax was white and not red
I can imagine using an indoor trainer and you hit some real peak output power/speed and REALLY start smelling the candy appple smell: "Oh yeah, baby, getting ON IT NOW!!!"
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Somewhat interesting update on paraffin wax for bikes:
I've been waxing my bike chains for years. Many, by now.
Last year, i started using the fanciest paraffin wax i could source, from a professional seller. Very low oil content, i think pretty much lab grade, whatever that really means. I have now ridden thousands of km with the stuff.
I get virtually no wax residue in the cassette, chainrings, pulleys.
In the past, with wax pellets i bought on amazon / supermarkets that were marketed as multi purpose paraffin wax (i assume mostly bought to make candles), i had instances where i had to remove wax residue between cogs, because it was causing mis-shifts. And the pulleys needed degunking regularly (mostly big flakes rather than outright gunk). It wasnt bad, i assumed it was normal, because it's wax after all.
But i've realized that this is entirely gone.
Now, does that mean my chain / drivetrain last longer? No idea. I have to test chain wear (i'm only on chain #2 on my LT268), but it's not like i'm on chain #6, and as a chain lasts for thousands of km, i really dont keep track over time of how long chains last in any scientific way.
But i thought i'd share here that paraffin waxes DO differ. Without additives, whether that makes a difference to lifespan, idk. But my drivetrain is always clean AF, it's really just black dust / incredibly thin black flakes that come off my drivetrain. It's so, so nice not to deal with oily and gunky drivetrains. My rotors are now way nastier than my drivetrain, funny enough. Because if i rub my rotor with my calf, i get a black mark. W the chain, virtually nothing.
what kind of paraffin did you buy? Or any specific keywords I need to use to looks for the "lab-grade" paraffin? When I initially switched to wax, I tried using paraffin and candles with and without ptfe but it never felt right. the chain was quite noisy and the wax didn't bind to the chain very well so it was just grinding of the chain very quickly. I switched to silca since then and it worked fantastic but I'm tempted to give pure paraffin another go simply because I don't really like that silca is black and it's making my drivetrain look dirty.
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I have a slow cooker full of wax that I use when waxing. Once I started running low on the good stuff, I just threw in an additional bar of paraffin wax. I'm not really concerned about wax gunk. Unlike chain grease, boiling hot water just melts the wax away. Also I'd rather just use plain paraffin and wax more often. Not sure I want to be exposed to "forever" chemicals just to have a smoother drivetrain! :o
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You’ll need a fully refined Paraffin wax. Oil content lower than 0.5%. https://www.petronaftco.com/semi-vs-fully-refined-paraffin-wax/ (https://www.petronaftco.com/semi-vs-fully-refined-paraffin-wax/)
You can get it in Europe here. https://dwoil.de/en/shop/paraffin-waxes/paraffin-wax-52-54-c-solidification-point-as-granules-fully-refined/ (https://dwoil.de/en/shop/paraffin-waxes/paraffin-wax-52-54-c-solidification-point-as-granules-fully-refined/)
From 1kg and up. Shipping is expensive though. I’m ordering some.
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Not sure I want to be exposed to "forever" chemicals just to have a smoother drivetrain! :o
Funny how they're called "forever chemicals" but they don't stay on that damn chain forever, huh! I guess I'll pass them on to my grandchildren's children through my dna, but I have to re-lube my drivetrain after only 100mi or so
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Funny how they're called "forever chemicals" but they don't stay on that damn chain forever, huh! I guess I'll pass them on to my grandchildren's children through my dna, but I have to re-lube my drivetrain after only 100mi or so
I don't even wax for the supposed performance gains. My main thing is having a clean bike and the possibility of longer lasting components. Even when my chains get a bit gunk'ed from wax, I can either wipe it down with a dry cloth or throw it in the ultrasonic cleaner. Cassettes I can just pour boiling water and it's clean.
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Cassettes I can just pour boiling water and it's clean.
This is exactly my reasoning, as well. I can't stand touching my chain and getting a big, ol' nasty black grease stain. Or having the same on my leg should I brush against it. Actually, the wax I use is pretty dark so the flakes of wax that fall on my white frame tend to actually look pretty messy. BUT they come off super easy with some hot water from a kettle, which I pour over the cassette and and chainstays.
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This is exactly my reasoning, as well. I can't stand touching my chain and getting a big, ol' nasty black grease stain. Or having the same on my leg should I brush against it. Actually, the wax I use is pretty dark so the flakes of wax that fall on my white frame tend to actually look pretty messy. BUT they come off super easy with some hot water from a kettle, which I pour over the cassette and and chainstays.
This one time I met a guy on the road with a snapped chain and his hands were covered in black chain grease. I was thinking had he just switched to immersive waxing he would have avoided the mess. Maybe not even snap his chain! Seeing that, I'm never going back to drip lube! ;D
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A mzon Germany have a 1kg bag for 10eur and free delivery, which claims to be "Burns clean – thanks to the very low oil content of only 0.3%"
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I forgot to add that IK ea claim that some types of their tea lights are also low oil and even contain stearic acid which is the most important component of sikla's special sauce for removing factory grease
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I've used few like squirt, effetto mariposa flower power, ceramic speed ufo, dynamic slick wax and bike 7 pro wax is the best one in my experience. Chain last super long, wax life is long, easy to apply and very clean. It's so good I can't justify going hot wax and putting extra work.
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I've used few like squirt, effetto mariposa flower power, ceramic speed ufo, dynamic slick wax and bike 7 pro wax is the best one in my experience. Chain last super long, wax life is long, easy to apply and very clean. It's so good I can't justify going hot wax and putting extra work.
I used red black diamond, silca hot melt and drip wax and all hace been good and dry nonsticky.
I started a new wax por with dynamic wander wax but the texture feels different to all others, al paraffin waxes are powdery, dusty and dry, dynamic wax feels a bit sticky to the touch and the residue is not as "airborne" as the other waxes.
Does tour dynamic wax feel dry to the touch?
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I used red black diamond, silca hot melt and drip wax and all hace been good and dry nonsticky.
I started a new wax por with dynamic wander wax but the texture feels different to all others, al paraffin waxes are powdery, dusty and dry, dynamic wax feels a bit sticky to the touch and the residue is not as "airborne" as the other waxes.
Does tour dynamic wax feel dry to the touch?
I use dynamic slick wax so the one in the bottle. I thinks its a little more sticky then bike7 but not as much as squirt.
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I've been experimenting with a wax blend for a bit. Tried a super low oil content wax with some hard lubricants mixed in. Overall it's ok but the main problem I have is that the wax is just too brittle and it's flaking off the chain. I tried mixing in some microcrystalline wax (around 10% of total wax volume) and it improved it somewhat but still not that great.
Looking for tips.
Thanks
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For all those interested. Watch this. Simple and to the point with all the data to back it up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhxFJ8Zq9Mg&t=1s&ab_channel=ozcycle
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I've used few like squirt, effetto mariposa flower power, ceramic speed ufo, dynamic slick wax and bike 7 pro wax is the best one in my experience. Chain last super long, wax life is long, easy to apply and very clean. It's so good I can't justify going hot wax and putting extra work.
In my case I went from Squirt to Effeto Mariposa, very happy as it creates less particles when riding indoors and lasts longer than Squirt.
Not considering going hot wax for now.
BR Chris
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This one time I met a guy on the road with a snapped chain and his hands were covered in black chain grease. I was thinking had he just switched to immersive waxing he would have avoided the mess. Maybe not even snap his chain! Seeing that, I'm never going back to drip lube! ;D
Have to comment on this, I've only had broken chains when I use lubes (hello MucOff), at least one broken chain per year. Since 2020 I switched to waxing and have never broke a chain.
I settled on the combination of Silca Wax immersion mix and their liquefied wax. Running my bike with 2-3 chains in rotation is the easiest way to live with immersive wax: you used 2 chains, install 3rd and immerse the used ones, repeat in 1-2 months. Liquefied wax used in cases when solid wax fall off due to road conditions, laziness or traveling. I am not super happy with it as it is very watery and it basically drip off the chain. But it does not attract dirt at all, so I consider this as a trade off.
I don't think it is worth the hassle to make home-made mix as the price of Silca's mix is negligible in its lifespan (I have the same package for 2 years and I still have enough to immerse 2 chains simultaneously).
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I used squirt, silca hot melt and drip wax, wonder wax and these last 2 months Rex black diamond wax.
1000 km treatment longevity for dry summer months with Rex black diamons is a game changer compared to everything I used before.
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I realized that despite posting in this thread I never mentioned which wax I've been using.
I started out using Runaway Bike's chain wax because it seemed okay and was about 30% cheaper than Silca. They have this thing called a Hot Tub which seems to be some kind of microwaveable container to melt the wax. I didn't bother with that as it seemed a little sketchy and just got their bag of wax and a cheap $15 mini crock pot from walmart. It's been pretty good for the last couple thousand miles between all my bikes. I get at least 100-200mi between waxes without any issues. I'm not crazy about how dark it is, though. It's very dark gray, almost black. My primary bike is pristine white and the flakes are very noticeable on my chainstay and bb. If it's cool out, I can brush or puff them off by hand and it's no big deal. But if it's warm or the sun hits them, they'll just get smeared on.
My biggest issue has been corrosion, maybe because I live in an area with very high heat and humidity? It seems like when I hit the "end" of my time/range I think "I need to probably wax again soon" and then the next time I go to ride I see that all my chain rollers look corroded and I can literally feel the rollers crunching. If I swap chains and put the "used" chain up, when I go to wax them all again a few weeks later, that chain looks dang near RUSTY. My KMC "gray" chain seems to handle this the worst, compared to both my KMC "silver" chain, and my Shimano Ultegra 10sp chain. Regardless, after a quick clean with some hot water and a re-wax, everything rolls super smooth again for at least 100mi or more without any issues. My first time waiting too long with that KMC "gray" chain was so bad I had to reach out to KMC because I was worried something was wrong.
Unfortunately, that single bag of wax has lasted forever for me, ha ha. I'll probably buy a different wax next time to see if I can get something less dark and maybe see how different brands handle corrosion/humidity.
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I used squirt, silca hot melt and drip wax, wonder wax and these last 2 months Rex black diamond wax.
1000 km treatment longevity for dry summer months with Rex black diamons is a game changer compared to everything I used before.
How long between hot waxes were needed in your climate? I use silica hot wax and reapply every 350km. Also use squirt every 120 km or so. I wished I had my big bottle of squirt finished, because it becomes gunky.
If Red gets about 3 times the mileage, it might jusitfy the premium too.
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I've skipped all the additives and simply melted an unscented, paraffin candle in a metal dish floating in water. The flaking is unbelievable.
I have used Squirt in the past but was never happy with it. It would turn into a black flakey mess which became a pain come vacuuming/mopping.
I ride 90% indoors on my trainer so my lounge room is copping the brunt of the mess. Ultimately, I'm still happy with the immersion waxing.
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Related... I'm now using this melter, which I find much better than the rice cooker I tried before
It's a little more expensive
A bigger capacity
It has a stable temperature(two preset 65ºC or 75ºC), and never gets too hot
It takes a little more time to melt fully
https://aliexpress.com/item/1005007724099998.html
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Don't laugh. I have been using the following for about 10 years now.
For many years before I retired from my day job, my wife used to pack a few "BabyBell" cheese rounds in my lunch. For some reason I would save the wax covering and over time created a big wax ball. For some other unknown reason, I never threw my big red waxed ball away.
Then one day, I was reading about home-brew wax formulations for chains. I decided to melt some of the wax and see how it worked on a bicycle chain. I was actually amazed at its penetration into the chain and how it formed a softer perhaps gooey film all over the chain. I liked it. It didn't flake off, but over time, has a tendency to transfer on to the front chain ring/s and derailleur pulleys and a bit on the cassette cogs.
Unfortunately, it lasted about 500 mile on the chain before I had to take off the chain and immerse it again.
Then I read that people were dissolving their wax in Coleman gas, AKA White Gas / Naptha.
I decided to take some of my Baby Bell wax and put it in a container with the white gas. Over time, I added more and more wax, unit it became saturated in the fuel. Then I transferred my brew to empty 4oz and 8oz purchased wax lube bottles.
I tried it on one of my chains where the immersed wax was wearing off. Fantastic! The wax fuel blend refreshed the chain with a new layer of wax.
Over the years, I tried adding Teflon and others of the magic additives people have written about on different cycling forums. Additives didn't appear to help much.
In the past few years as I have been riding on more bike camping trips, I carry an 8 oz bottle. I discovered that if I squirt a bit of my brew onto fire stating materials, it really helps get a camp fire going.
Fantastic to have a dual purpose item on a long trip.
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...Then I read that people were dissolving their wax in Coleman gas, AKA White Gas / Naptha.
I decided to take some of my Baby Bell wax and put it in a container with the white gas. Over time, I added more and more wax, unit it became saturated in the fuel. Then I transferred my brew to empty 4oz and 8oz purchased wax lube bottles...
I thought Coleman gas was used to clean anything that the wax touches.
But you used it to make your drip bottle on the go? By pouring fresh paraffin in until saturation?...
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I thought Coleman gas was used to clean anything that the wax touches.
But you used it to make your drip bottle on the go? By pouring fresh paraffin in until saturation?...
Make my brain hurt...
My understanding is: Most waxes are non-polar organic compounds that are a stable compound. Therefore you need to dissolve them with non-polar solvents.
- Naphtha: Appears to be the best solvent! Its evaporation rate appears to be about the best for letting the wax, flow into the chain links, and flow across the chain.
- Gasoline (Too Toxic of additives added but is a good alternative and the least expensive.)
- Acetone (Evaporates too fast and doesn't provide enough time for the dissolved wax to flow/penetrate into the chain links.
- Mineral spirits (paint thinner): Dissolves wax, but its evaporation rate as just a little bit to slow, and using mineral spirits often make the wax more sticky
- Turpentine: Evaporates too slowly.
- Acetone: Works, but evaporates too fast
- Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol):Unless you use 100% alcohol, the water added to the alcohol keeps the wax from completely dissolving.
- d-Limonene: A bio-based solvent. I haven't tried this, perhaps it could be an option
- Toluene or Xylene: These work, but I don't like how toxic they are to our nervous system. XXX
Out of all of these more readily available solvents, White gas/Naptha has the best solvent properties to suspend the wax in a solution, and its evaporation rate is the best for melting existing wax on a chain, while adding new wax to the chain. (You can use gasoline, but it is more toxic..)
Yes, I pour my brew into drip bottles that I have saved over the years, before I started making my own brew.
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Related... I'm now using this melter, which I find much better than the rice cooker I tried before
It's a little more expensive
A bigger capacity
It has a stable temperature(two preset 65ºC or 75ºC), and never gets too hot
It takes a little more time to melt fully
https://aliexpress.com/item/1005007724099998.html
3L... you probably have a lot of wax and a lot of chains. Or very hairy.
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I've started adding graphite into my paraffin wax mix. I don't feel the need to mess with PTFE. It's just easier to swap chains and re-wax. I have a slow cooker dedicated for the process, so it's become streamlined for me. Also KMC wax-ready chains make it even easier. Just size-to-length, wax and it's ready.
Also from all the snapped chains I've seen while on the road, it's always with bikes using regular grease. My gravel bikes tend to get waxed a bit more often since they usually get hosed down, my road bikes don't need waxing as often since they tend to stay dry.
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I have a remaining batch of candle waxcomposed of 80% paraffin wax + 20% stearin, oil content max 0,5%, do you think I could use this for the chain waxing?
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I'm a sucker, so I just bought Silca everything. Stripper, wax, dripon, heating pot. It has worked brilliantly.
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3L... you probably have a lot of wax and a lot of chains. Or very hairy.
6 bikes at home (not all mine!), with 3 chains each, doing them in batches 8)
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6 bikes at home (not all mine!), with 3 chains each, doing them in batches 8)
At that point, just keep them sealed in a big cooled wax pot. When it's time to swap, warm up the pot to extract a new chain and deposit an old one.
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Yesterday I clean my waxed chain with
-100degree water bath to remove the initial wax
-dishwasher liquid soap (if it works on greasy pan...) and it worked perfectly
-final degrease with alcaline solution (chromed wheels cleaner)
Chain was new in 2minutes...
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At that point, just keep them sealed in a big cooled wax pot. When it's time to swap, warm up the pot to extract a new chain and deposit an old one.
I see :D ... but that won't work...
I usually remember about 5 minutes before a ride I need to replace my chain.
And I use an old rice cooker with boiling water to clean my chains before waxing them
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I have a container that is filled with all my used solvents. (Mineral spirits, Acetone, Iso-P Alcohol, perhaps some white/Naptha gas, Gasoline, and lacquer thinner. Quite the blend of stinky stuff. (On occasion when all the heavy crap in the blend settles, I will pour the used solvent through an old microfiber cloth to keep it somewhat filtered)
I pour some of this saved solvent crap into a SST bowl, add the chain, sluice it around a few times, and then let the chain soak for a while. Then I remove the chain, and link and take it to a sink where I spray it with a higher percentage mix of "Awsome" cleaner, then put it in almost boiling water. After the chain is clean, I blow it off with compressed air. Then it is dipped in my pan filled with my melted 'Baby Bell" wax.
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Writing about wax. I know that you "roady clean freak" riders with have a fit, but I am attaching a couple of chain-porn-pics showing my gravel bike chain before adding liquified wax diluted with Coleman fuel. I am amazed how quickly my off-road bike chains pick up dirt/dust and grit. I plan on cleaning the bike after tomorrows longer ride. This time of year, the gravel roads I ride are very dusty and dry, and have been beating the heck out of me and the bikes.
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I've started adding graphite into my paraffin wax mix. I don't feel the need to mess with PTFE. It's just easier to swap chains and re-wax. I have a slow cooker dedicated for the process, so it's become streamlined for me. Also KMC wax-ready chains make it even easier. Just size-to-length, wax and it's ready.
Also from all the snapped chains I've seen while on the road, it's always with bikes using regular grease. My gravel bikes tend to get waxed a bit more often since they usually get hosed down, my road bikes don't need waxing as often since they tend to stay dry.
Share a link to those chains? I have never seen "wax ready" chains. Pre-waxed yes but not stripped of all grease etc.
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Share a link to those chains? I have never seen "wax ready" chains. Pre-waxed yes but not stripped of all grease etc.
Just do a search for KMC wax chains. They're ready out-the-box for the immersive wax process. No need to do a degrease step on the chain.
Though I find the KMC chains much easier to degrease. SRAM seems to gunk their chains in a sticky grease residue. I had to do several ultrasonic passes to clean an Eagle 12 speed chain.
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Just do a search for KMC wax chains. They're ready out-the-box for the immersive wax process. No need to do a degrease step on the chain.
Though I find the KMC chains much easier to degrease. SRAM seems to gunk their chains in a sticky grease residue. I had to do several ultrasonic passes to clean an Eagle 12 speed chain.
Tried. I got nothing on Ali.
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Tried. I got nothing on Ali.
This is the non-Ali link where I bought mine.
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/kmc-x12-ti-n-pre-waxed-chain-12-speed-321064.html (https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/kmc-x12-ti-n-pre-waxed-chain-12-speed-321064.html)
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This is the non-Ali link where I bought mine.
https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/kmc-x12-ti-n-pre-waxed-chain-12-speed-321064.html (https://www.merlincycles.com/en-us/kmc-x12-ti-n-pre-waxed-chain-12-speed-321064.html)
Yes. Pre-waxed not wax ready (stripped). You can also get the same from Amazon sellers.
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Tried. I got nothing on Ali.
I don't think they sell KMC chains on AliEx. I bought my chains from US Amazon?
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I believe that there an not many pre-waxed chains for sale. Over time, most waxes are hydrophobic. Wax does not provide good long term protection when a chain is stored. Perhaps if the waxed chain is stored in moisture impermeable packaging it would not let the wax absorb moisture and the chain rust.
I think that on a secondary level, chain manufacturers manufacture their chains in bulk and it is most cost effective to immerse them in a lubricant that protects the chain from rusting after the chain is manufactured. Bulk chain might be stored for long periods of time before they are made to length and packaged for sale. Nothing worse to a chain manufacturer than trying to sell chains with rust on them.
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I believe that there an not many pre-waxed chains for sale. Over time, most waxes are hydrophobic. Wax does not provide good long term protection when a chain is stored. Perhaps if the waxed chain is stored in moisture impermeable packaging it would not let the wax absorb moisture and the chain rust.
I think that on a secondary level, chain manufacturers manufacture their chains in bulk and it is most cost effective to immerse them in a lubricant that protects the chain from rusting after the chain is manufactured. Bulk chain might be stored for long periods of time before they are made to length and packaged for sale. Nothing worse to a chain manufacturer than trying to sell chains with rust on them.
The "waxed" KMC chains aren't fully pre-waxed, just degreased ready for the waxing process. They're not great running straight out of the box. I still have to dip the chain before running it on the bike.
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Since the KMC X12 Titanium Nitride coating creates a tough protective barrier, it is a lot less susceptible to corrosion during storage. The Ti-N coating is more for the bling than functional. Since it appear that they coat the rollers as well, this is why they can wax rather than oil the chain.
I have KMC X12s on 5 of my rides. I have been pleased with them, From my perspective, chains are a consumable wear item. I replace the chain every year on 3 of the bikes I ride the most, and perhaps every 2 years on the other 2 bikes. I do have a chain checker, and I find I replace before they indicate they should be replaced. I believe that this helps reduce the wear on the cassette and front chain ring/s.
One other reason some riders swap and run 2 different chains per bike is that this helps with more even wear of the cassette cogs and front ring. (I am too lazy to keep track of this.) Perhaps if I am able to purchase a lot of chains at a really good price, I could purchase 2x more chains and start the chain swap practice. At $44 retail, and $71.5 retail for the silver chain and Ti Gold, I would have to spend $440 to & $710 every other year.
I last paid about $25 each for the regular KMC X12 chains. Very soon, I am going to swap in a couple of "ZTTO 12s rainbow SLR chains" I purchased for $16 each after coins and coupons back in February. (Don't have a clue how these will work.)
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I'm currently traveling right now and borrowed a bike I built for a family member. I previously had degreased and waxed the chain on the bike. It needed a re-wax so I found a small slow cooker in the garage and a big candle. I cut off chunks from the candle, melted it in the slow cooker and used it on the chain. Surprisingly the candle wax works great and better than using any sort of drip chain grease! ;D
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Since the KMC X12 Titanium Nitride coating creates a tough protective barrier, it is a lot less susceptible to corrosion during storage. The Ti-N coating is more for the bling than functional. Since it appear that they coat the rollers as well, this is why they can wax rather than oil the chain.
I have KMC X12s on 5 of my rides. I have been pleased with them, From my perspective, chains are a consumable wear item. I replace the chain every year on 3 of the bikes I ride the most, and perhaps every 2 years on the other 2 bikes. I do have a chain checker, and I find I replace before they indicate they should be replaced. I believe that this helps reduce the wear on the cassette and front chain ring/s.
One other reason some riders swap and run 2 different chains per bike is that this helps with more even wear of the cassette cogs and front ring. (I am too lazy to keep track of this.) Perhaps if I am able to purchase a lot of chains at a really good price, I could purchase 2x more chains and start the chain swap practice. At $44 retail, and $71.5 retail for the silver chain and Ti Gold, I would have to spend $440 to & $710 every other year.
I last paid about $25 each for the regular KMC X12 chains. Very soon, I am going to swap in a couple of "ZTTO 12s rainbow SLR chains" I purchased for $16 each after coins and coupons back in February. (Don't have a clue how these will work.)
I'm not sure how the end of de minimus will affect the delivered price, but my link at Merlin still shows the god KMC X12 TinN pre-waxed chain at under 40 USD, and they claim free shipping to the US at $337ish.