Am I being dumb for throwing away easy watts by not waxing my chain?

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robeambro
Posts: 1829
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:21 pm

by robeambro

JaeOne3345 wrote:
Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:48 pm
I could never see myself going back to normal drip lubricants.

The only "hassle" I used to complain about with the waxing process was stripping the factory grease, but UFO clean makes that extremely easy, especially if you are in a place like California where you don't have access to some of substances commonly recommended to strip chains.
Could you add some detail on this, i.e. what process do you follow? Do you use it only for prepping chains or also to wipe the chain after a wet/dirty ride?

Lakal
Posts: 192
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2020 12:20 pm

by Lakal

robeambro wrote:
Tue Jan 24, 2023 8:19 pm
JaeOne3345 wrote:
Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:48 pm
I could never see myself going back to normal drip lubricants.

The only "hassle" I used to complain about with the waxing process was stripping the factory grease, but UFO clean makes that extremely easy, especially if you are in a place like California where you don't have access to some of substances commonly recommended to strip chains.
Could you add some detail on this, i.e. what process do you follow? Do you use it only for prepping chains or also to wipe the chain after a wet/dirty ride?

I am just following this "guide" from ZFC: https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-c ... ise-v2.pdf

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JaeOne3345
Posts: 142
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:27 am

by JaeOne3345

robeambro wrote:
Tue Jan 24, 2023 8:19 pm
Could you add some detail on this, i.e. what process do you follow? Do you use it only for prepping chains or also to wipe the chain after a wet/dirty ride?
I use UFO Clean for the initial stripping of the factory lube/grease. Ceramic Speed and the ZFC guide say 100ml can be reused for 5 chains. I've pushed it a tad further. I keep my used UFO Clean in a glass mason jar and let the factory grease/contaminants settle to the bottom over a few days. Then I can suck the top ("good") layer out and get a few more uses out of it. Seems to work just fine on a brand new chain. YMMV. If concerned, just use 100ml for 5 chains.

You do not need to use UFO Clean between waxing/dirty/wet rides. That is way too overkill.

BdaGhisallo
Posts: 3261
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 1:38 pm

by BdaGhisallo

JaeOne3345 wrote:
Tue Jan 24, 2023 9:11 pm
robeambro wrote:
Tue Jan 24, 2023 8:19 pm
Could you add some detail on this, i.e. what process do you follow? Do you use it only for prepping chains or also to wipe the chain after a wet/dirty ride?
I use UFO Clean for the initial stripping of the factory lube/grease. ZFC guide says 100ml can be reused for 5 chains. I've pushed it a tad further. I keep my used UFO Clean in a glass mason jar and let the factory grease/contaminants settle to the bottom over a few days. Then I can suck the top ("good") layer out and get a few more uses out of it. Seems to work just fine on a brand new chain. YMMV. If concerned, just use 100ml for 5 chains.

You do not need to use UFO Clean between waxing/dirty/wet rides. That is way too overkill.
Is UFO Clean that much better than mineral spirits and denatured alcohol to justify hunting some down?

JaeOne3345
Posts: 142
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 5:27 am

by JaeOne3345

Mineral spirits and denatured alcohol definitely works, if you have access to it. Not everyone does due to regional politics.

I still have a can of Naphtha that I got from a buddy who works in aerospace years ago, but the UFO clean is just easier to deal with. It works fast. In 5-10 mins and a rinse of hot water, you have a chain that is ready to wax. It's overpriced like everything Ceramic Speed makes, but that particular product is worth it to me.

But back to the OP, just do it. I jokingly make fun of my friends who bring me their bikes with nasty lube, and make fun of them even more when they have to handle nasty chains on the side of the road. Never going back to that. Once the system is running it is EASY.

jlok
Posts: 2400
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:30 am

by jlok

JaeOne3345 wrote:
Tue Jan 24, 2023 6:48 pm
I could never see myself going back to normal drip lubricants.

The only "hassle" I used to complain about with the waxing process was stripping the factory grease, but UFO clean makes that extremely easy, especially if you are in a place like California where you don't have access to some of substances commonly recommended to strip chains. I no longer have to deal with using/finding mineral spirits, naphtha, etc or doing countless passes through citrus degreaser. So now with UFO clean, that headache is gone. Stripping a chain takes no time.

I've messed with MSW quite a bit, but I just stick to simple Gulf Wax now. I don't think anything else is necessary. Cheap. Works.

If you are waxing 11 speed chains, the Wipperman link is a no brainer. Makes the whole process that much easier. I can't wait until I can use them on my 12 speed bike.

I don't get the hassle/"religious"/time consumption complaints. I spend far less time cleaning my bike/drive train since I don't have that nasty mess from drip lube everywhere. Hot water/dish soap and the cassette looks brand new in 2 minutes. Cleaning brushes don't get all nasty. I'm not wasting a bunch of rags/shop towels/paper towels/brushes like I used to with normal lube. I hate when friends bring their bikes to me for service and I have to deal with their nasty drivetrains.

Now and then I might dip the chains in boiling water to get rid of contaminated wax beore they get dipped into wax again, but I don't do that too often. How hard is it to dip 3-4 chains all at the same time once a month?

Drivetrain component lifespan is the other obvious benefit.

Yeah, I could never see myself going back. Not ever. People tend to over complicate the whole process, which of course would make it annoying. Keep it simple.
Exactly this. The over complication is where money is made tho.
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PaulJ
Posts: 43
Joined: Wed May 30, 2018 1:42 pm

by PaulJ

Alternative theory, if the OP is looking for minimum drivetrain losses, what about staying as you are (rock 'n' roll and micro fibre) but with a seperate chain only used for racing, which get's a full degrease and re-lube after use. That to me doesn't sound like too much hassle, assuming you aren't racing multiple times a week, and watts should theoretically be optimised. To my knowledge (I could be wrong here, I haven't done a whole lot of research) the advantage of waxing is cleanliness over a prolonged period, which is where the performance advantage creeps in over time. A 'good' thin drip lube, such as rock 'n' roll, should perform as well if not better than a waxed chain where a fresh application / clean drivetrain is concerned.

Xabi
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:55 pm

by Xabi

PaulJ wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 3:14 pm
Alternative theory, if the OP is looking for minimum drivetrain losses, what about staying as you are (rock 'n' roll and micro fibre) but with a seperate chain only used for racing, which get's a full degrease and re-lube after use. That to me doesn't sound like too much hassle, assuming you aren't racing multiple times a week, and watts should theoretically be optimised. To my knowledge (I could be wrong here, I haven't done a whole lot of research) the advantage of waxing is cleanliness over a prolonged period, which is where the performance advantage creeps in over time. A 'good' thin drip lube, such as rock 'n' roll, should perform as well if not better than a waxed chain where a fresh application / clean drivetrain is concerned.
Isn't rock and roll a pretty bad lube.

Pro riders use wax on velodrome and TT, so probably oil is not superior. Only better for ease of use if you don't mind a dirty chain, cassete and bike

Mocs123
Posts: 826
Joined: Tue May 11, 2021 9:19 pm

by Mocs123

I think RnR Gold tested pretty well in the Friction Facts (???) tests. I still run it on one bike that I'm planning on changing over to wax when the chain wears out. I find it's fairly clean for a traditional lube but doesn't last long. I re-lube every 80 miles with it. On my other bikes with Silca, I've been going 125 miles between re lubes.
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TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12456
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

RnR is probably my favorite non-wax emulsion. It runs clean as long as you wipe it down before the first ride. The main issue is you don’t get very much actual lube for what you pay.

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