Chain Wax

I've decided that I will use a dry lube this summer to stop the dust from clogging my chain so much.
Have been down the LBS and looked at both a Finish Line Dry Lube and a wax made by some other firm.
The bike shop owner said that you need to apply to the wax when the chain is completely clean and
dry, to stop it falling off with dirt (makes sense). My 9spd chain has been replaced fairly
recently, and hasn't been ridden in any bad conditions, so only has cleanish light oil on it.

Whets the best course of action? Fully degreasing the chain and using wax? Or isn't that a good
idea? Whets the difference between a dry lube and a wax?

Anyone got experiences with both?

Cheers

Mark

 

"Mark (UK)" wrote:
>
> Whets the best course of action? Fully degreasing the chain and using wax? Or isn't that a good
> idea? Whets the difference between a dry lube and a wax?
>
> Anyone got experiences with both?
>
> Cheers
>
> Mark

I prefer to remove that cosmoline stuff before lubing with anything, as it seems every speck of grit
you run over sticks to it. I like dry lubes better than wax, as the wax tends to build up on jockey
wheels and other places.

Barry

 

"Mark (UK)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I've decided that I will use a dry lube this summer to stop the dust from clogging my chain so
> much. Have been down the LBS and looked at both a Finish Line Dry Lube and a wax made by some
> other firm. The bike shop
owner
> said that you need to apply to the wax when the chain is completely clean and dry, to stop it
> falling off with dirt (makes sense). My 9spd chain has been replaced fairly recently, and hasn't
> been ridden in any bad
conditions,
> so only has cleanish light oil on it.
>
> Whets the best course of action? Fully degreasing the chain and using wax? Or isn't that a good
> idea? Whets the difference between a dry lube and a wax?
>
> Anyone got experiences with both?
>
> Cheers
>
> Mark
>
>

I remove all the cosmoline and use White Lightening on my chain. This stuff is great. I use
the White Lightening before and AFTER the ride to let it soak in. The lube sheds water and
doesn't muck up.

It works well in the conditions around here (Maryland, USA).

Marty

 

"Mark (UK)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I've decided that I will use a dry lube this summer to stop the dust from clogging my chain so
> much. Have been down the LBS and looked at both a Finish Line Dry Lube and a wax made by some
> other firm. The bike shop
owner
> said that you need to apply to the wax when the chain is completely clean and dry, to stop it
> falling off with dirt (makes sense). My 9spd chain has been replaced fairly recently, and hasn't
> been ridden in any bad
conditions,
> so only has cleanish light oil on it.
>
> Whets the best course of action? Fully degreasing the chain and using wax? Or isn't that a good
> idea? Whets the difference between a dry lube and a wax?
>
> Anyone got experiences with both?
>
> Cheers
>
> Mark

I've used the Finish Line Dry Lube for years and under dry conditions it works great. The chain
would go 3 -5 rides between cleaning and relube and attracted hardly any dirt. In the wet you have
to clean and relube way more often. I can't speak for wax lubricants.

Fredzep

 

On Mon, 12 May 2003 22:25:48 -0400, "Martees" <[email protected]> wrote:

|I remove all the cosmoline and use White Lightening on my chain. This stuff |is great. |I use
the White Lightening before and AFTER the ride to let it soak in. The |lube sheds |water and
doesn't muck up.
|
|It works well in the conditions around here (Maryland, USA).

I don't remove all of the cosmoline and use White Lightning on my chain. this stuff is great. I use
the White Lightening before some rides and never after any rides. The lube sheds some water and
doesn't muck up.

It works well in the conditions around California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Oregon,
British Columbia, Vermont and Arizona.

 

> It works well in the conditions around California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Oregon,
> British Columbia, Vermont and Arizona.

Also Argentina, Brazil, the former Soviet Union, Japan, Honduras, the UAE, Iraq, Denmark, the
Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand (BUT NOT AUSTRALIA!), the Philippines, certain parts of
Malaysia, southern Mexico, Cape Horn, Zimbabwe, and finally, the "Liberating" States of America.

If you use this lube in France, however, they will find you, take your bike away from you, and
deport you to the nearest OPEC country. Your bike will be sent to me. I don't have anything to do
with it though.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

Fredzep wrote:
> "Mark (UK)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>I've decided that I will use a dry lube this summer to stop the dust from clogging my chain so
>>much. Have been down the LBS and looked at both a Finish Line Dry Lube and a wax made by some
>>other firm. The bike shop
>
> owner
>
>>said that you need to apply to the wax when the chain is completely clean and dry, to stop it
>>falling off with dirt (makes sense). My 9spd chain has been replaced fairly recently, and hasn't
>>been ridden in any bad
>
> conditions,
>
>>so only has cleanish light oil on it.
>>
>>Whets the best course of action? Fully degreasing the chain and using wax? Or isn't that a good
>>idea? Whets the difference between a dry lube and a wax?
>>
>>Anyone got experiences with both?
>>
>>Cheers
>>
>>Mark
>
>
>
> I've used the Finish Line Dry Lube for years and under dry conditions it works great. The chain
> would go 3 -5 rides between cleaning and relube and attracted hardly any dirt. In the wet you have
> to clean and relube way more often. I can't speak for wax lubricants.
>
> Fredzep
>
>

Similar experience. I often put finish line red (teflon) as a base layer after cleaning the chiain,
then wipe as much as I can off. Let it sit, then apply finish line silver (their wax lube),
generously -- also wiping as much as I can off. The advantage of finish line is that it's not as
hard as other wax lubes and hangs in there when it gets a little wet.

I don't preclean the chain or soak it in a solvent to remove all the factory lube. I just use one of
the on-bike cleaners with either simple green or some other heavy detergent. The problem with
soaking in solvent is that it gets ALL the lube off and it's difficult to get the new lube back into
the depths of the chain where it's really needed.

David

 

"Mark \(UK\)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I've decided that I will use a dry lube this summer to stop the dust from clogging my chain so
> much. Have been down the LBS and looked at both a Finish Line Dry Lube and a wax made by some
> other firm. The bike shop owner said that you need to apply to the wax when the chain is
> completely clean and dry, to stop it falling off with dirt (makes sense). My 9spd chain has been
> replaced fairly recently, and hasn't been ridden in any bad conditions, so only has cleanish light
> oil on it.
>
> Whets the best course of action? Fully degreasing the chain and using wax? Or isn't that a good
> idea? Whets the difference between a dry lube and a wax?
>
> Anyone got experiences with both?
>
> Cheers
>
> Mark

I've been using Pedro's Ice Wax which is basically the same thing as White Lightning for a couple of
years and its great for me in New England unless I'm riding when its below freezing (not often).

When my chain is new I remove the cosmoline crap from the chain with a degreaser. Then I put the
chain in a freezer bag and squirt a bunch of wax in. I zip the bag closed and work the wax into the
chain through the bag for a minute. Next I take the chain out of the bag and hang it on end to let
it drip dry overnight or all day. I run a rag over the chain quick to take off the excess wax and
then install it.

After that I try to remember to wipe down the chain real quick after every ride and drip some more
wax onto the chain and run it through the gears. I don't always remember though. ends up being more
like every other or every third ride.

My drivetrain always looks shiny and new since I've been doing this and its pretty simple to do. I
never have a problem with dust or anything else sticking to the chain.

[email protected]

 

"P e t e F a g e r l i n" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 12 May 2003 22:25:48 -0400, "Martees" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> |I remove all the cosmoline and use White Lightening on my chain. This
stuff
> |is great. |I use the White Lightening before and AFTER the ride to let it soak in.
The
> |lube sheds |water and doesn't muck up.
> |
> |It works well in the conditions around here (Maryland, USA).
>
> I don't remove all of the cosmoline and use White Lightning on my chain. this stuff is great. I
> use the White Lightening before some rides and never after any rides. The lube sheds some water
> and doesn't muck up.
>
> It works well in the conditions around California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Oregon,
> British Columbia, Vermont and Arizona.
>
I would have to second the vote on White Lightning, it comes highly recommended by the local bike
shops. I switched from TriFlow lubricant last year to this stuff. It seems to require less cleaning
of the chain, my pulleys don't get mucked up, in general everything is cleaner. I have not used it
much in very wet conditions, so I have no knowledge on how effective it would be there, but it is
very good in dry conditions.
--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado (remove .nospam. if replying)