Bike Chain Lube

The reason many people have to "Re-wax" after riding in the rain is
because they simply dip the chain in the melted wax. IOW, the wax was
simply deposited on the outside of the chain, rather than soaking in
between the links where it need to be.

Try heating the wax to at least 150 F when it will be fully liquid, and
soaking it for a few minutes to allow time fir it to penetrate INSIDE
the links. Then hang it, wiping off the excess from the outside before
it cools and solidifies. You'll find this way will yield much better
rain tolerance and overall performance from the wax.

How to clean and properly wax your chain at the same time:
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner/tech3.html

- -

"May you have the winds at your back,
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

Frank K, How do you keep the torch from igniting the wax?

- -

"May you have the winds at your back,
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

Chris Zacho "The Wheelman" wrote:
Frank K, How do you keep the torch from igniting the wax?

I don't do anything special. I've never had a problem with that.

The torch flame is quite low - perhaps 1" long out of its nozzle. I
just try to warm the chain up enough for the wax to flow. The chain
gets hot to the touch, but not extremely hot.

- Frank Krygowski

On Sun, 02 Oct 2005 14:41:36 GMT, Bob wrote:

I like the wax idea but I have to admit that chain wear is not really
an issue - chains are cheap and easy to find. But, how does wax vs.
oil work out when we consider the wear on alloy chainwheels? Has
anyone measured this ? A vintage chainwheel has a lot more value to me
than a chain. I can see some of the same arguments (i.e. less dirt =
less wear on the chainwheels) but has there been any non-subjective
evaluation this?

Dirt's the only factor there, since lubricating the teeth is impossible.

Jasper

On Sat, 1 Oct 2005 19:42:54 -0400, (Chris Zacho
"The Wheelman") wrote:

[---]

How to clean and properly wax your chain at the same time:
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner/tech3.html

Interesting article, but as I suppose the wax is re-used several times
("A pound of wax will run you about $1.50 and that should last you
about a year"), how do you keep "all the embedded dirt, grime, old
lube and worn particles of metal" which are flushed out of the chain
from contaminating the wax?

Or have I misunderstood, and is the wax used "one-shot" and then
discarded?

On Sun, 02 Oct 2005 23:51:00 GMT, Bob wrote:
On Sun, 02 Oct 2005 20:51:46 GMT, Jasper Janssen
wrote:

Dirt's the only factor there, since lubricating the teeth is impossible.

Don't you think that the presence of lubricant on the inner chain
plates has an effect on the chainwheels? Most of the "worn out"
chainwheels I've seen have side wear problems. The rollers don't
really seem to wear the teeth in the drive plane. So, I would think
the presence of a lubricant would reduce steel to alloy friction and
therefore reduce side wear.

Hmm. I dunno. Most side wear is from non-straight chainline in derailer
systems, and I wonder if the pressure on those facets is small enough to
tolerate lubrication at those points.

Jasper

oh puheese lube the gears. run the chain backwards and hold the bottle
upside down with the nipple going ticvktivcktick on tooth tops. zzzzick
done. so when the chain hits that CR or cog first off after cleaning
there's a skim board effect tween chain and gear surface. squish..
by the way-temps are falling and that valvo racing 50 wait synthetic at
$3/Qt iza lookin good!

In article ,
says...


What's the preferred lube- I was previously using a silicone spray
which I liked but then switched to ProLink because I thought it might
do a better job. Unfortunately the ProLink is a dirt magnet much like
WD 40. Thanks...

Motor oil works well. Drip a drop on each link and let it soak. Then wipe
down the outside of the chain.
------------------
Alex

In article ,
says...


I use paraffin (Candle wax to those of you on the other side of the
pond). It takes a bit more on the user's part to get it inside the
links, but I think that is balanced out by the fact that it cleans the
old lube out of the chain at the same time, instead of having to clean
it as a separate operation.

I use to do that. One summer I kept getting caught in the rain, and that made
me stop using wax. A waxed chain will squeek after being wet for a short time.
So I had to re-wax after every wet ride. Otherwise, it works surprising well.
----------------------
Alex