What are the best practices for drivetrain treatments in rainy conditions? I tried immersion wax (Silca) last winter on my rain bike (Seattle rain season can be a long as November to April) but found the chain would be screaching halfway through a ride and worn after only a few rides. As a result i used Silca ebike lube the rest of the winter with the resulting gunk of old wet lubes. I’m open to better solutions this winter. Thanks. I ride a mix of gravel and pavement on my rain bike.
1 Like
I’m in the tropics, so not too sure what rain/snow is like, where you are. As in, do the roads get salted, etc when it snows?
That caveat out of the way, I’ve had great luck with Rex’s Black Diamond immersion wax. I regularly ride through rain, storms, etc and most recently made the effort of recording my rides in between successive waxes. I can categorically say that I’ve clocked 750kms on one waxing, without drip wax top ups or any other additions/modifications. 150 of those kms were in heavy, soaked to the skin, downpours.
5 Likes
That’s remarkable. I’ll try this product.
1 Like
I should also add that I’m using Rex’s Black Diamond in the 11+1 combination, which is what you’ll get in the standard packaging. Other combos (4+1) tend to favour drier conditions, but since I’m in the tropics… 
1 Like
Silca Synergetic for me here in the UK. Use it for Gravel all yesr and road in winter. Road summer I use wax.
Just no longevity with wax here offroad and wet winters in my experience. Can’t tolerate noisy drivetrains. Need to clean the bike frequently anyway, so adding drivetrain no hardship.
[Edited for spelling].
What really kills wax in wet is the road grit acting like sandpaper. Fenders will help any lube last longer. I have used NixFrixShun in the past, which is supposed to be very similar to Silca’s wet lube. A relatively thick lube that would stick around through quite a bit of wet weather, but would attract grime. Once I started wiping the chain regularly with IPA on a rag between lube applications it ran a lot cleaner.
That cleaning regimen is bordering on the hassle of wax, but would probably be worth it in very wet environments.
Use Wipperman connex link and re-wax after every ride. According to Adam from ZFC, wax in the wet is better than any lube.
Did you mean immersion waxing the chain to start, followed by drip waxing after every ride thereafter? Immersion waxing after every ride would be quite painful, imo. 
Not at all, if you use wipperman connex link it is very easy to remove the chain, and just put it on the wax, wait for it to melt, remove it and leave it to dry. You can also use 2-3 chains in rotation if you do not want to do it everytime.
I do not like drip waxing, it seems to me that I always put too much wax on the chain and around the chain, and this stuff is pretty expensive.
1 Like
Waxing after every ride is probably what’s keeping me from going all in on waxing.
It seems ok if it’s a decent long ride - but after a commute or two that seems like a lot of work for not much gain.
That’s got to be a really looong commute, for the latest run of immersion waves from Rex, Ceramicspeed, etc.
I run Rex Black Diamond I’m 11+1 blend, for my do everything bike and I struggle to keep the chain waxed on a schedule. Cuteness are, if further when it was waxed, before the chain starts getting fussy…
The wet is really really wet though and if it’s windy the bikes can get a dousing on the ferry too.
A few years ago I was using Molten speed wax for the TT bike, but it seems as if my waxes are out of date. So it might be time to look at it again if the new waxes are a lot better in the wet.
Not going to fight you on wet levels 
but in the tropics it does get a little damp. Like “wash that bike before it enters the house wet/dirty”,
I’ve also managed to get 750kms out of one waxing, with 150kms of chilly old torrential downpour during on overseas ride in Japan with Rex Black Diamond. This explodes the nights the bike was left out in the rain overnight, when there weren’t any facilities available to store the bike indoors.
I often quote this, since it was the one time I actually made the effort to record mileages, but otherwise, in the tropics I regularly go beyond that without issues.
1 Like