I wanted to share my experience with waxing my bike chains.

I was resistant to waxing my chains because it seems that a lot of people felt it was “too much work”.

But having to constantly clean black shit off my chains after every ride, then spend time degreasing and re-lubing, I figured I’d try waxing when I got my gravel bike.

Now, thousands of KM later and having converted all three bikes to waxed, there’s no way I’d go back. The time saved could be measured in hours per month.

First, the biggest complaint is chain prep. Yeah, regardless if you’re waxing or not, you’ll need to prep a new chain by removing the factory grease. With waxed, you do this once, and no more worrying about degreasing ever again. Make like easy and get Silca’s chain stripper, and it’s a 10 minute, one-step process.

Ongoing chain maintenance couldn’t be easier. After every ride, give the chain a quick wipe (or not). My chain stays clean, even after a 200 km ride.

And if you ride in wet or dirty conditions? Guess what, you’re in for a LOT of work if you lube your chain. With waxed, keep a second (or third) chain ready to go, and you just swap it out (10 seconds of effort). Take the dirty chain, give it a wipe if it’s only been wet, or pour boiled water onto it if you want to “reset” the chain to bare metal. Then drop it into the waxing pot for a re-wax. You don’t have to stand at the pot, so there’s no real time commitment here. I’ve spent more time completely dirtying large microfiber cloths trying to get my chain “clean” when lubed (hint: it’s never clean if you use a wet lube, not without solvents and an ultrasonic cleaner).

For actual immersion wax, I do it every 1000 km (sooner than you need to), and use a drip wax every 200 - 250 km to keep things fresh.

Honestly, wax is easier, cleaner, and takes less time to maintain vs wet lube.

The only downsides? The initial cost to get started. But this is offset by not having to replace chains or other components prematurely. You actually save money in the long-term when using waxed chains.

Some might argue that “you can’t run waxed chains in muddy or constantly rainy conditions”. Well, at the same time, your wet lube isn’t really helping matters in those situations, either. Waxed is still better, and you can swap chains much faster than you can clean the grinding paste from a wet lubed chain.

Who would I not recommend waxed chains to? Someone who rarely uses their bike. Drip lube will be “good enough” in those cases. But anyone else would benefit from waxing their chain.

  • @[email protected]
    16•1 month ago

    Counter-point: Here’s how I lube my chain.

    Whenever the squeaking annoys me too much, I apply some lube.
    Done.

    • @[email protected]OP
      2•1 month ago

      Be sure that you’re checking your chain for wear… and your cassette… and chainrings. That approach might work well for some, but squeaking is already a sign that wear has been occuring.

      • @[email protected]English
        8•1 month ago

        I don’t see why anyone would need to go thru all that when we’re talking about parts that will need to be replaced at some anyway point no matter how good care you take of them.

        For me, my bike is to be used and abused. Yeah maybe my chain and cassette wears faster than with a proper maintenance but I also just keep riding way past that untill it effectively becomes unuseable. My chain is already stretched to the point I’m supposed to replace it and there’s several teeth missing on my rear cassette but I notice no difference in performance. The shifting is going to be more or less shit either way because a new derailleur stays straight on my use for about 3 days. I’ve already mastered the trail-side derailleur adjustment by grabbing it with bare hands and bending it straight(er)

        • @[email protected]OP
          2•1 month ago

          I don’t see why anyone would need to go thru all that when we’re talking about parts that will need to be replaced at some anyway point no matter how good care you take of them.

          Plenty of reasons, even when you acknowledge that parts will eventually need to be replaced:

          • Convenience.
          • Quieter ride.
          • Cleaner.
          • No solvents when you need to really clean the chain.
          • Saves a LOT of money, especially when some newer cassettes are $300+, chains up to $100, etc. But even in my older bike, where the components are cheap, I’d rather not be spending money sooner and more often.
          • As with the above point, components last significantly longer, and work better for longer (i.e. better shifting, no chain skipping, etc.).
          • If you count watts, waxing will save them.
          • Because you aren’t replacing components as often, this has environmental benefits, too.

          I’m not a casual rider, so I want my bikes to run smoothly and with as little effort to maintain as possible. For me, waxing has been a blessing.