Drip Wax: A LOVE/HATE Relationship

[@ericnichols941]

Randonneur here. I’ve gone back and forth with immersion wax, drip wax, and oil-based products. Most of my rides involve mixed surfaces and often encounter water and mud. Where I live, the roads are salted in winter. I’ll use wax for everyday rides in the spring, summer, and fall. I switch to oil lubricants in salt season and for multi-day brevets, or for any brevet where significant rain is forecasted. Wax does not protect the drivetrain like oil, and rust will quickly develop in wet or salty conditions. After immersion waxing and after drip wax dries, the wax starts to flake off the rollers and side plates, leaving bare metal. Unlike oil, wax does not spread due to surface tension so these bare spots remain bare indefinitely.

[@trundle_bliss]

+1 - Drip wax user here on Brevet's and normal riding. If it rains heavily, it comes off and rusts - especially so in the salt. I use drip wax for as long as possible, because a silent drivetrain is a complete joy. In winter I use wet oil lube with regular ultrasonic cleaning to stop it getting too gunked up on cassette, chain and chainrings.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Sounds like a spare oil chain might be a good idea for our monsoon season and winter here, thanks.

[@ericnichols941]

Timely new video from ZFC entitled “Are wax lubricants any good in the wet?”: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHeQn4eQjd55pNEsi=q601tozvfCE8vCng He suggests a process for relubing with drip wax “for the next day” but for randonneurs and ultra racers “the next day” could be after an hour of precious sleep.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

@@ericnichols941 ​ Yeah, general strategies not working in the context of randonneuring was a big reason I made this channel. It should be noted that Silca has recommended up to 48 hours of drying time for best performance of their drip wax in some wet conditions. I'll check out if the Tru-tension Chris Williams mentioned below can dry as quickly as they claim for a good lube to carry along. I'm curious at what point a belt drive Rohloff makes sense? Probably a wetter climate than mine, but surely those in the UK or pacific northwest US may gain more from enclosed lubrication than they lose from the inefficiency of planetary gears with how poorly chain lubes perform in constant rain.

[@ian_pedalz]

@@overbikedrandonneuringthe exact reason I’ve switched my bikepacking bike over to a pinion with gates belt system. So efficient in mud, sand, snow, it’s incredible really. That and my dog goes on the back in a basket so not having and chains or rings to snag her on was a nice touch lol.

[@percival3830]

Rode Lands End to John O'Groats this summer, 1,000 miles from southernmost to northernmost tip of the UK. My pal Chris went with his hot waxed chain, I went with lube. His chain stayed clean (and efficient) to the touch, mine was black after day one, and stayed that way no matter what I did in the way of cloth wiping and hosepipe water. I eschew all degreasers since hearing of them stripping the 'good' grease in jockey wheels etc. So now I sluish down with my water bottle after a ride, a few times in winter if necessary, and clean and dry the bike with a microfibre cloth that then goes into the laundry. The chain gets a quick towel dry with a non-oily rag. Once a month or so the chain gets boiling water and then a quick (no soaking!) white spirit bath, before a good rinse in water, towel dry and another hot waxing. The result is my bike transmission stays clean. The "Brazilian" look perhaps.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Did your friend's chain get top-ups with drip wax along the way? Did it squeak or grind by the end? I'm curious how this will go. For my bikes that will stay on oil, a better maintenance system would be useful.

[@percival3830]

No top-ups along the way, and a bit of grinding after 1,000 miles of course, but still rideable he felt. Myself, I am keen to try Squirt, a liquid wax. I shall keep you posted.@@overbikedrandonneuring

[@ian_pedalz]

Used immersive wax’s and drip wax’s for long distance cycling and found immersive waxing to messy in the summer, 90-100 degree Fahrenheit days I got a lot of wax build up on pulley wheels and chainring\cogs. When it rains, I found the wax to wear off within 30 minutes of heavy rain. In the winter 30degrees and below the chain is absurdly loud because the wax is brittle from the cold . Also paraffin wax, is a petroleum based product, if ever heated beyond it’s recommended temperature it’s oxidizes rather quickly which reduces and alters the wax’s lubricating properties. For me, riding long distances and above 8000km minimum a year, oil like silca synergistic has been a dream compared to wax(easy to clean and degrease). A lot of my friends who wax generally don’t do brevets or cycle long distances but are more so weekend warriors. Also sram flat top chains absolutely hate chain wax. They’re much louder and I know sound doesn’t mean it’s actually less efficient but listening to it for 10 hours on the saddle is enough to send a man to the Loonie bin. Excited to see what you think tho, I also like trying and experimenting with new cycling gear , so I’m curious to see what a fellow rando rider thinks! Safe riding:)

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Most of the content out there targets weekend warriors but doesn't apply to randonneurs, which is one reason I made this channel. We have hot weather here, so I'll get to check for buildup over the summer. Same goes for winter brittleness. I had some silca oil on order, but it was destroyed in delivery, so I decided to take a chance on immersive wax. Grindy chain noise, whether or not it is a manifestation of problematic friction, is a real mental obstacle, especially on long rides. Not only is it annoying, but if you perceive it to be robbing you of power, it is a bit demotivating. If immersive wax fails to satisfy next year, it will be back to oils.

[@mikemartin77]

Once you start immersive waxing... It will change your life. Immersive combined with drip top ups are perfect.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

I'm really hoping it works out for brevets. My first ride with M Speedwax was last week. It dries harder than drip wax and is much cleaner to touch.

[@wazzup105]

yet! ... drip is the path to the dark side.. especially if you get a creaking chain after 200K.. just buy a cheap wax immersion pot. I was told chains last longer immersed in wax compared to drip.. Use the drip to reapply between rides or before you take a nap on a long ride. I know what I want for Christmas :-) Lucky for me I use a dirt cheap 8 speed setup, so the cost of a new chain and the occasional cassette is negligible.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

When scripting this video, I was ready to move back to oil. The delivery company destroyed my Silca order around the time I washed my wife's oily mess of a bike. That reminder prompted me to give immersion wax a try instead. The first waxing suggests it will be great for regular riding, but I'll report back after some brevets next season to see if it can go the distance too.

[@yilai6307]

Thank you for your video ❤, I am choosing a lube for my city commute bike, I do short milage rides ,usually 2-3 kilo, 10 kilo max and want to keep my drivetrain clean, this drip wax seems like a perfect solution

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Oily pant legs are the worst! Curious which drip wax is the 'cleanest'. They will need some extra TLC after rain, but that's better than trashing some nice trousers.

[@chriswilliams2025]

Useful thanks. I've using immersion wax for long gravel rides for a couple of years. For topping up on multiday rides have been testing drip wax lubes. The quick drying (10 minutes) tru-tension all weather is promising for midday topups. I quickly work it through the gears and it greatly improves shifting, range is moderate, but its clean works well with immersion waxing. Have also been using silca drip wax for the overnight generous top ups and occasionally mid ride application when warm and sunny, it still improves shifting ok even though doesnt get time to dry properly.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Great tip! I'll look into importing some tru-tension

[@chriswilliams2025]

Have also used Finishline 'ceramic wax' drip lube for a few years and as a convenient top up for multiday rides. It's solvent based and dries quickly. It works well as a top up to immersion wax, improves shifting, chain stays very clean and does not cause issues with subsequent immersion waxing. The caveats are it does not reduce chain wear for gravel riding like immersion wax and its flammable so can't be carried on planes.

[@vietle8157]

For Squirt you only need to wipe off the old chain before reapplying the drip

[@dawn_rider]

The ' Bartoline Clean Spirit ' shown at 1:21 is chemically completely different to white sprit / mineral turpentine . It's meant to clean off paint , not paraffin wax. It's probably an idea to see if / how long a small solid lump of wax will dissolve in a jar. Temperature is also a large factor. It took about 4 hours to dissolve about 1 gram of paraffin wax at 20°C in 50 grams of white spirit. Using white spirit >60°C , the wax is liquid and dissolves with gentle shaking in less than a minute. You can control the heat using the Ultrasonic. If it does work and the chemicals in the ' clean sprit ' which include Sodium Hydroxide do nothing to any chain coatings ( I think Nickel and Iron will be ok , but KMC EPT coatings etc ?? ) then being water soluble should make it easier to get the residue out of a chain. I tried this with White spirit on a chain and a thin gel residue was still present. Rinsing with alcohol did eventually get rid of it. Note that ZFC would use Ceramic speed UFO drivetrain cleaner for this job and not ' Clean spirit' .

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Thanks for that! I did 24 hour baths with the clean spirits but it left residue which several baths of alcohol somewhat cleaned up. In the end, I figured the wax could just absorb whatever was left anyway. I'll switch to white spirits for the next chain prep, as the specialized chain stripping products are not readily available where I live.

[@dawn_rider]

@@overbikedrandonneuring It's best to clean outdoors with white spirit, especially if you heat it in the ultrasonic. It will dissolve in body fat. Although It's much safer than many chemicals, you don't want to be inhaling it on a regular basis. If you have any propan-2-ol , also known as isopropanol that would be better as a finishing agent than methylated sprits ( methanol / ethanol mixture ). Isopropanol is used for degreasing electronics and the 99.9% grade is readily available. It is more expensive than methylated spirits. Be careful if trying to heat it in the ultrasonic due to the vapour / fire / autoignition risk. ZFC's 2 pot system is probably the best long term solution as it removes the toxicity and fire issues but you have to be truly committed to wax and have space for the equipment.

[@SilveryK-v8q]

I was thinking of using drip wax for randonneuring, but I didn't know how to handle the exact issue you are mentionning. For a low-sleep strategy on a 600, I don't see any other way anyway. I think I'm going to stick to really high-end lubricant (-> Silca).

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Yeah, even considering drip wax should require a high sleep strategy. Oil is probably your best bet. I'll report back if immersion waxing works out.

[@MrBillboeing]

In my opinion hot wax for the first 3-400km then Squirt for the rest of the ride. On rainy days wax won’t last 150km. Dry the chain and apply Squirt. Squirt is cheap and good. Hot wax I’ll do 1x a month, in between degrease the chain quickly with a cloth and ideally apply Squirt the evening before. My chains last around 10k. On longer trips is good to have a second as spare.

[@reid3737]

I've been getting more miles than you with Smoove. I strip the chain really meticulously like Zero Friction Cycling suggests on the initial setup and just wipe after every ride. Honestly I've never had my chain go squeaky or start to make noise. I will usually re-apply before then based on how the rollers feel but its not very often at all. Once every 500 miles maybe? I'm only doing one day events though so it doesnt really matter too much for me.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

That's great mileage! A riding buddy of mine used Smoove and gave up on it, but I am unsure of his chain prep. If immersive waxing fails to satisfy, I will likely try immersive Smoove with normal top-ups next. Thanks for sharing.

[@Gieszkanne]

What is an "Immersive application" for a drip wax like smoove?

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

Basically soaking a clean chain in a jar of emulsive drip wax, shaking it around, letting it drip-dry a bit, then wiping it off. It has been reported that some emulsion waxes like Smoove/Squirt/Grax have initial penetration issues. ZFC Describes the process on page 13, and mentions it as an option in a few reviews of emulsion waxes: zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/How-to-apply-Wax-or-Wet-Drip-lubricants-v2.pdf

[@Gieszkanne]

@@overbikedrandonneuring Ok thanks for your answer but I dont see why this method should help with the penetration issues. First I question if ithere really is a valid proof of these issue? But anyhow. The problem would be that the wax particals are to big or the drip isnt liquid enough. So obviously by heating up wax it become totally fluid and solve this problem. With drip wax you also have only a small amount like 100-120ml what isnt much to soak a chain in it. The much better solution would be to apply the drip wax just as usual. Let it dry and then go over the chain with a heat gun. With a heat gun (not hair dryer) it only takes a few seconds and the wax become liquid. For the whole chain this take only 1-2 Minutes.

[@overbikedrandonneuring]

@@Gieszkanne For sure, warming the wax and the chain is mentioned in the ZFC PDF I linked too as an advanced application technique. I would suppose a full immersion ensures penetration just by sheer volume of wax used, but it sounds like the biggest pain. I've been quite happy with immersive hot melt since I published this video. I think I'll just be sending a fresh chain in drop bags for events long enough to need a rewax. A recumbent chain wax application lasts about twice as long, so it can handle pretty big event.

[@you43584036]

Great vid’s. Now into the rabbit hole. I can clean and oil lube six chains on bike in the time it takes for all the wax drama (and I don’t carry a slow cooker on bike tours). And each time you dunk a chain it is $6 for the new quick link. My “oiled”chain runs silent. As my mechanic says, wax works most of the time, oil all of the time. Just make sure to use quality products. Look forward to your next deep dive.

[@TheWoogeroo]

No one has ever usefully cleaned a chain on the bike.

[@percival3830]

I have re-used my quick link scores if not hundreds of times, after every wash, which in winter is almost daily therefore.

[@ian_pedalz]

Exactly! Takes me about 5 minutes to pull my chain, throw it in a jar with acetone, shake, take out, wipe, in a jar with mineral spirits, wipe, put on bike, fresh lube… I always run a few chains as well. What lube do you like? I’m using Silca synergistic and it’s been so easy to use in comparison to other lubes.