Hot Waxing A Bike Chain With Event Gear's Simplyfast Wax

[@JimLangley1]

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[@Bikeops2021]

Good vid Jim. Looks like I didn't do too bad with my first chain waxing. The product I used was Enigma Ultimate Chain Wax. The wax had to be melted to 110' C (230' F) swishing the chain around as you did, then switch off the heat & wait until the wax temp drops to around 60'C (140' F) As I said before, installing the chain again on the bike was difficult at first. Once on I manually made sure all the links were working correctly & took it for a quick spin, the shifting was a lot smoother & gear changing is a lot quieter.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks Graham and good work on your chain waxing. I looked Enigma up and found it here for anyone interested www.selectcyclingproducts.com/ Sounds like it did a nice job of improving your drivetrain. Appreciate you sharing Graham, thank you!

[@laneromel5667]

I use varsol with my first bath, put in an ultrasonic cleaner for 2 hour. I was never able to get the chain clean enough without an ultrasonic cleaner. I use a second bath of varsol, in an ultrasonic cleaner for about an hour. Then 2 baths of alcohol in an ultrasonic cleaner. I then place in an oven on keep warm for 45 minutes to boil off the alcohol. I then soak the chains in wax mixed with molybdenum disulphide for an hour. On chains already waxed I just wash the chain with water. Place in the oven for 45 minutes to boil off the water. For me $15 of wax and molybdenum disulphide gives me a lifetimes supply @ 2000 miles per month. I use an instant pot (got used for $10), when done waxing I just hang the chain over the pot until wax is solidified.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to explain how you clean and wax your chains Lane, really appreciate it! 🙏

[@SunLam]

I first learnt about hot wax from youtube and thought it was a new thing, but apparently been around forever. I never heard about it as a teen, but we didn't have youtube either back then. I purchased a bag of Silca hot wax last year, but have not tried it yet. I was thinking of using it on a new chain due the trouble cleaning the old one. Looking forward to your video on the Silca hot wax system.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and commenting Sun. There are lots of different ways to clean chains. For the video I wanted to try the "jar method." But I could have used a pan and brush which is similar to using a proper shop parts cleaner. Also a more toxic degreaser would have helped but I decided to use the solvents I had on hand which were citrus-based. It's going to be fun not having to clean the chain at all with Silca's method 😊

[@paulstuart9465]

Hi Jim. Just done a new connex chain today. I used the method tested by Steven of Oz cycle. Using a grease converter within the wax and PTFE mix. So no need to pre strip the original grease. It's so easy now and quick. Only 18 minutes in the pot.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks a lot for watching and sharing how it went for you Paul. Did you use Silca's hot waxer machine and Strip Chips? If so it sounds like it worked as promised. I'm looking forward to giving that a go as soon as I can and I'll do a video on it when I do. Not having to clean or strip the chain is a game-changer, that's the worst part of the job. Thanks Paul!!

[@indoorkangaroo3431]

Great video Jim. Love the coffee filter tip for quickly cleaning degreaser. It’s great you’re sharing what you’ve learned. I was also surprised that chain waxing is an old school technique. Would love to hear a bit more about what people thought back then. I’ve adopted waxing after reading from Zero Friction Cycking’s website which has a great written guide. Some of my top tips are: -Check if your local bike shop will strip chains for you, this is the hardest part and degreasers are a bit harsh to work with. Then you can do the waxing at home. -Get a decent mask, gloves and degreaser with mineral turps (Aus) or mineral spirits (USA). It really makes short work of grease on the chain and can be reused over and over. -Don’t forget to clean the chain ring and cassette as well, it’s harder than the chain to clean but will keep the freshly waxed chain much cleaner -Wear a mask or wax outdoors, the waxes do put out fumes that aren’t great for breathing -Use the chain ring to free up the links of a freshly waxed chain, you can easily pull the chain over the chain ring on both sides of the chain and it will run smooth through the rear derailleur immediately -Resist the urge to adjust your shifting in the first 5 kilometers (3ish miles). Any excess wax can temporarily alter shifting but it’ll run fine once the chain is broken in -it’s worth getting a few chains so you can wax them all at once. The range I ride on a chain is 200km (124ish miles) to 300km (186ish miles) in dry weather and I rewax earlier if I get caught in the rain. I’m switching to using a two pot system for easier cleaning of used wax chains, this will save the step of cleaning it with boiling water. Otherwise I’ve run waxed chains on one bike without issue. I still have bikes with oiled chains but will likely swap all to wax. Using degreaser and dealing with dirty greasy chains or pants or legs is something that the effort of waxing really makes worthwhile.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and sharing all your excellent tips, indoor - that'll definitely help anyone who wants to try this out. Regarding how long hot waxing has been going on, I am pretty sure that when I was a technical editor at Bicycling Magazine (1988 - 1999) that readers - and we had millions back then - and many that had been subscribing to the magazine since the 1960s, were dedicated hot-waxers. So I believe it goes back over 50 maybe even 60 years. But, if I remember correctly the wax that people were using was paraffin that you would buy at the hardware store. So it wasn't the high tech stuff that's out there now. The issue some people had including for me was that when it rained it washed off the wax. I actually almost mentioned in the video that things like turpentine and even gasoline clean chains more quickly but thought better of it - safety first. But I have definitely used those things in the past. Also, I actually cleaned the cassette making this video but forgot to hit the record button on the camera - stupid mistake that sometimes happens when it's only you doing everything. I thought it was running but nope. If you look closely though you will see that it's quite dirty at the start and shiny clean at the end. I sure appreciate you taking the time to share all these great tips. Thanks very much 🙏

[@indoorkangaroo3431]

@@JimLangley1awesome to hear how it was used back in the day. Appreciate the video as always and it’s very cool to bike talk with people all over the world.

[@JimLangley1]

@@indoorkangaroo3431 great talking to you too indoor!!

[@aarons1073]

You should break the wax bonds before installing on the bike and it'll go on so much easier. You can either do it individually or by running it over something round like a PVC pipe.

[@JimLangley1]

@@aarons1073 thanks for watching and recommending breaking the links free Aaron. It wasn’t that difficult putting the chain on and from the first pedal stroke it pedaled fine too. But I appreciate you sharing your tip. Thanks.

[@scottcampbell2929]

I use a wire coat hanger with the hook through the last link. I swish it around in the wax until I can't see any more bubbles coming out of the rollers. Then I hang the chain on a hook over some newspaper and let it drip on the newspaper. Once the chain is cool enough the wax will harden. The chain is so stiff it will remain straight even while being held horizontal. Thanks for the lesson.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks a lot for watching and sharing your tips Scott, appreciate it! I'll give them a try the next time and see if I can get an even thicker coating on the chain, thank you!🙏

[@scottcampbell2929]

It has been years since I last waxed any chains. I used paraffin, the type used in canning fruits and vegetables. I recall getting about a 1000 -2000 miles between applications. I would wait until the chain started to squeak. That's when I knew it was time to reapply. Are you still riding everyday?

[@JimLangley1]

@@scottcampbell2929 it's the same for me Scott. I think I last hot waxed a chain in the 80s actually. I have been using drip wax lubes instead since. They keep getting better. Squirt, which Thomas Prehn told me about works well for me. I remember that I only did that hot waxing one time because just like you said, it didn't last very long before it started squeaking. Also, if I got stuck in a downpour the wax would get washed off. So I went back to wet lubes at that time. I've used a lot of ProGold and recently NixFrixshun www.nixfrixshun.com/ which has worked well too. Thanks for asking about my riding streak. It actually ended at 10,269 days. I wrote a funny story about it back when it happened if you're interested (don't feel obligated to read it) www.roadbikerider.com/langley-streak-bites-the-dust/ Thanks and have a great weekend!

[@Scott-ph2yk]

An interesting process to prep a chain. I like the idea of a dry lube that doesn't pick up a lot of dirt. The prep time and the mess are a bit of a turn off. Those are my take aways from chain waxing. Thanks for sharing. I am a long time (since '88) user of Eezox, which is a gun cleaner/lube. Eezox will clean your chain, lube it, and if you take time to wipe it dry, dirt pick is minimal. Chain life is good if you keep things clean. Remember, chains are cheap, chainrings are not. Clean and measure your chains frequently. Replace as needed, and buy your chains 2 at a time. 1 on the bike, 1 on the shelf for next time. No waiting, no excuses. Farfagnugen!!! (VW humor) Ride safe.😊

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks a lot for your tips on Eezox and the best ways to take care of your chains to keep from wearing out more expensive drivetrain components Scott, great stuff. Now if only chains would go back to the prices they used to be at right? Farfagnugen to you and Westfalia too! - I've been driving the Westy a lot lately due to a big backyard project. It's amazing what workhorses they are. Thanks for the great comments.

[@chestertownelectric6290]

I find that simply dropping the dirty chain in an ultrasonic cleaner tank for a few minutes gets it perfectly clean with no labor necessary. Does the waxed chain’s stiffness make the bike harder to pedal?

[@andrewc662]

No, the stiffness goes away after a couple minutes. Then you have a perfectly lubed smooth chain.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and mentioning ultrasonic cleaners, chestertownelectric, that's a great way to clean parts if you have one and the prices on them have come down. Regarding the waxed chain, it's only stiff for a little pedaling, then the chain feels really smooth and easy to pedal. Thanks again!

[@batbawls]

Jim, do those quick link pliers from Shimano work with the new 12sp chains?

[@JimLangley1]

@@batbawls thanks for watching and the question. I don’t know until I can try it on my 12 speed chain that I just got. I’m thinking since it’s an older tool it might not unless you grind the jaws thinner. But I’m away for a few weeks so I can’t check until I get home. Maybe someone else will see this and answer in the meantime.

[@JimLangley1]

@@batbawls I checked now on a 12-sp chain and the tool works fine. Just wanted to let you know.

[@VITAKENNY]

I was wondering if I can do the same with bearings?

[@indoorkangaroo3431]

Wax will be a bit too hard. Kinda like how some bearings only take oil as grease is too thick for them.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and the interesting question Gui. I agree with the other reply here from indoor. Grease is more liquid than wax and the lube needs to protect the bearings and also the races they're running on. I'm not sure how you would get it where it needs to go in some modern sealed cartridge bearings either.

[@VITAKENNY]

@@JimLangley1 I just have 1 piece crank cruiser. Dirt always get into the bearing, damage ball bearing casing. If I drop the ball bearing and ball bearing casing into the melted wax like you shown. Will it do the same job as ball besring grease?

[@JimLangley1]

@@VITAKENNY those Ashtabula style/Schwinn style 1-piece cranks are so easy and fast to take apart and regrease and take apart that you could sure try it if you wanted to Gui. But, the thing is that these special chain waxes are pretty expensive - the one in the video is $35. You could buy paraffin blocks at a hardware store to test the concept at a low cost if you wanted. I am a little surprised that the dirt is getting into your bottom bracket so easily though. By any chance is the washer that goes between the cone and locknut missing on your crank? That acts as a seal too on most designs to help keep dirt out. Also if the washer is missing the crank might be loosening up and if you ride it loose the water and dirt is much more likely to get in. It has to be adjusted so there is no play when you push and pull sideways on the crank. Another old trick you might try is to take an old bicycle inner tube that you flatted and cut it to make 2 sleeves. Then you should be able to pull the sleeves over the frame and crank so that the ends of the tube overlap and seal off the bottom bracket to help keep dirt out. You'll have to experiment a bit but I think you can get it to work. Also, what type of grease are you using? You don't want thin grease that can run out of the bottom bracket. You want thicker grease like white lithium. That will form a seal around the edge of the moving parts and that'll help keep out dirt. Hope something here helps you solve the problem. On my bikes with 1-piece cranks and on the ones I work on, usually you only need to take them apart and regrease once a year and only if you ride a lot. One more thing, if you clean your bike, never spray water from the side at the crank. That'll definitely push any dirt past the grease and into the bearings.

[@duroxkilo]

hi kenny, unfortunately wax or other dry/solid lubricants do not work for regular bearings. (there might be an exception for needle bearings that don't travel a full rotation, such as in a swing arm, handlebars, etc). your best bet is to find a grease that's resistive to water and find ways to keep the bearing clean. the less contaminants make it inside a bearing, the longer it will last. in theory, a perfectly sealed bearing lasts forever as there is no mental-to-metal contact, meaning no wear (hdd bearings last decades at 7200RPM non-stop because there are no contaminants). if sealing/protecting is not possible, the best way to ensure longevity is to clean the bearings and replace the grease as often as possible assuring the minimum time contaminants have a change of wearing out the balls and races of the bearing. -------------------------------- if interested in a detailed 'explanation' read along... the reason wax works for chains is because the way the moving parts move in relation to each other: there is no sliding only rolling until the chain sees a decent amount of wear (for example the roller do not rotate around the pins when the chain is in motion). then things start to slide or rub against each other -tests have shown that once that starts to happen, the wear accelerates (the first 50% of chain wear happens way slower than the following 50%). on a chain w/ minor wear, the components move relative to each other like a wheel moves relative to the ground: it rolls over it. once a chain presents a degree of wear, the components become less and less round and their movements relative to each other become a combination or rolling And sliding. that would look like a wheel that lacks enough traction on an slippery road: it still rolls but it spins somewhat faster... the extra spinning means surfaces slide against each other and the friction is much greater compared to just rolling (why a tire suffers extreme wear when doing burnouts compared to just rolling on the ground). w/ this analogy in mind, imagine the role of the wax or any other dry lubricant: as long as the wheel just rolls on the ground, wax acts as a cushion making the ride smoother because it fills in the surface imperfections and in essence the wheel doesn't touch the ground (so minimal metal to metal contact inside a chain). if the wheel starts spinning w/o advancing, or it locks up while advancing, that cushion gets torn/displaced and it doesn't have the ability to move back into place like greases and oils can. next time the wheel travels over that torn segment it makes contact w/ the ground, that would be metal to metal contact and that's when wear occurs. a grease has the ability to move around reaching the places where it's needed, a wax doesn't have that ability. compared to a chain, a bearing even when new, sees some 'sliding action' when it starts moving and after that things start rolling. but since the sliding clears/[ushes away the wax or other dry lubes, that segment remains unprotected and it quickly grows, covering the entire travel path of the ball bearings, essentially leaving the bearing running dry. ps: although there are other lubricants w/ far better friction coefficients than wax, wax works so well on bike chains because way less abrasive contaminants make it inside the chain. in part it's because wax attract dirt like oils do and in part because it acts as a seal blocking contaminants from entering the chain -in a way it clogs up the gaps between chain parts... so although it's not 'as slippery' as a grease, it keeps things way cleaner inside so less abrasives can wear out the components. same principle as a clean bearing. chains that are kept clean last a very long time such as inside engines or industrial machinery where chains run inside chain covers and don't get contaminated. on bikes, the fact that chains get contaminated results in way shorter lifespans. (motorcycles use two kinds of chains: open and sealed. sealed ones last longer because there are small gaskets sealing the pins so that fewer contaminants reach inside the chain. they come lubed from factory and the grease stays inside. when cleaning and lubing, only the outer plate are affected where the wear is minimal w/ chains so the main purpose is minimizing corrosion... the disadvantage of sealed chains is the extra friction created by the seals, the chains are less efficient. so for racing, open chains are used: nosier, shorter lifespan but more efficient. all bicycle chains are the open kind)

[@GraydonTranquilla]

PTFE might be good to add despite concerns that it might be a mild health hazard if consumed!😮

[@JimLangley1]

Yes you might be right Graydon. My guess is that Sampson was determined to make the greenest wax possible because they make versions for cycling and skiing - where the wax is in direct contact with the ground, but I'll try to ask them about that and see if I can learn more. Thanks for watching and the great question.

[@cup_and_cone]

I ordered a bunch of various micron sizes of PTFE... Results were underwhelming with PTFE, as I only get about 100 miles before the chain is squeaky. The best results I got were with molybdenum disulfide (Dow-Corning Molykote Z powder is what I use). It's really expensive, but you don't need much added to your wax. The moly really works into the pores of the metal and creates a film that doesn't abrade away like the wax. You won't have the clean appearance of just wax as moly turns it black, but performance is far superior... About twice that of just wax/PTFE mix. I believe some premade wax blend kits use graphite or tungsten as a cheaper alternative to moly, but I haven't tried either.

[@JimLangley1]

@@cup_and_cone thanks a lot for sharing your technique and results cup_and_cone, appreciate it very much! 🙏I haven't looked into all the hot wax "kits" out there but I know there are quite a few now with different ingredients. I went with Sampson because they've produced a lot of nice bicycle components over the years and they provided their new Simplyfast wax, which they're pretty excited about. It's nice to learn about what you've tried and how it performs, thank you!

[@kidsafe]

Might want to address that chainstay heel rub. Looks like you’ve worn through 4 carbon plies, exposing a 5th.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and the great comment kidsafe, made me laugh - you've got good👀! I had a piece of protective tape over that, I'll check and see if I wore though it or it fell off. Thanks for pointing it out so that I can cover it again. I'm not too worried about the wear. It's pretty easy to fix cracks in carbon as I showed in this vid kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5eseomDg92imdk and if I can remember to keep it covered up it shouldn't wear much more. I'll put on thicker stuff this time, the Shelter tape that Cantitoe Road sells: amzn.to/4fqwCwH Thanks for pointing it out!

[@ZeEingozuBa]

35$ that Wax product, and a new chain costs 10$ in aliexpress or Temu. Not very intelligent for me.

[@JimLangley1]

@@ZeEingozuBa thanks for watching and commenting.

[@gary7vn]

Given the fact that you take the chain off and put it in degreaser I don't see the point of wiping it down first.

[@JimLangley1]

Thanks for watching and for asking that question Gary, apologies for not explaining better in the video. The steps I followed were the steps that the wax maker recommended I follow, first wipe clean on the bike and then soak and clean in solvent. I agree with you that I could have taken it off. I also could have cleaned it in a solvent tank, ultrasonic cleaner (if I had one) etc. but I chose to use the jar method because it's one way that's often recommended and the filtering of the solvent lets you keep using the solvent if you want to keep cleaning it. Hope this explains. Thanks again.

[@indoorkangaroo3431]

@@JimLangley1one benefit will be that your degreaser stays cleaner. If you reuse degreaser it makes it easier when you decant batches of degreaser and have less crap in the jar.

[@JimLangley1]

@@indoorkangaroo3431 great point indoor, thank you!

[@bikeomatic8005]

Perhaps an overnight soak would do the trick on the chain. Otherwise for myself too much fuss. Might try it one day though.

[@JimLangley1]

Soaking the chain overnight is an excellent idea bikeo, I bet that would've got it cleaner. Ultrasonic cleaners are supposed to be the way to go for super cleaning and they're getting more affordable. Thanks for watching and the great idea.

[@bikeomatic8005]

@@JimLangley1sounds like maybe a pro tour team mechanics would use an ultrasonic cleaners, but I would guess they don’t do it during the tours at least from what I’ve seen on the videos, I was riding a cargo bike for few years mostly school/shopping trips pretty much daily and don’t think I needed to replace the chain during this time (or maybe once when I had a big service done), other than that just a good clean with park tool chain cleaning machine and a brush, with good amount of rinsing, and cloth drying (if cloth is clean the chain is also clean) followed by ceramic wax (if I can remember correctly) and no issues. What’s the chain link tool youre using in the video?

[@JimLangley1]

@@bikeomatic8005 from what I've heard on some of the sites like Silca's and Zero Friction Cycling, etc. the pros are sometimes using pre-waxed chains. Companies do the hot waxing and sell the chains ready to go on the bikes. That's what Sampson thinks will be the most common place his Simplyfast wax is used. Using pre-waxed provides the best wax application (they super clean the chains first) so the riders get the most efficient drivetrain (the main reason the pros and just serious amateurs too are starting to use them) while also enjoying the longest lube life. They're getting the cost of the pre-waxed chains down too so it's starting to make sense to just buy one ready to go - at least if you're super competitive 🤣 Even for me it might make sense on a bike like my time trial bike. It doesn't get ridden that much so that one chain could work for quite a while. The tool I'm using in the video is Shimano's TL-CN10 amzn.to/3XqwVlI I was using 1 tool to remove, a different tool to install (you don't really need the tool to install but I had one so I used it). The Shimano tool does both and I like the clever design. It is a little pricey but I use it all the time and my Shimano tools have always held up great so I don't think I'll ever need to replace it. Thanks for asking.

[@bikeomatic8005]

@@JimLangley1 Thanks for the link for the tool, definitely will add this one to my collection. I would be interested in how do you prep the already used waxed chain for application of the new wax (how do u remove old wax and clean the chain for fresh wax).

[@JimLangley1]

@@bikeomatic8005 that's a great question. I think that you would just keep waxing it without cleaning it since any solvents could prevent the new wax from adhering. If you wanted to try a completely different wax and didn't want to mix old with new, then I believe you would rinse the chain in boiling water to melt and remove the old wax and clean the chain. Silca has a nice page on how to maintain hot waxed chains here: silca.cc/blogs/silca/how-to-maintain-a-waxed-chain