What one is that in the picture of of interest?
Itās could be awkward using this quote in a discussion about the best seat post.
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Which is better, Muc Off or White Lightning?
Wax is the only thing that really works in our moon dust trails, particularly mid-summer. So Iāve tried them all.
Iāve settled on Silca hot melt every two months or so and Ceramic Speed UFO in between. I was all Silca for a bit but the UFO lasts significantly longer. Silca was maybe 3-5 hours of riding in the worst dust, UFO closer to 10 hours.
Very interested to try the Rex hot melt.
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I think if you asked Adam Kerin which was best, heād say virtually anything else.
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Rex Black Diamond (I am using the 5+1 combination) for immersion wax. CeramicSpeed UFO Drip All Condition for drip lube, in between immersion wax sessions (when I was using Silca hot wax). I am getting really good mileage from Rex Black Diamond that I have not had to use any drip lube in between waxing sessions on a two-chain rotation.
Now that my winters are in a dry warm area, I use Silca Super Secret hot wax and Silca Super Secret drip year āround. For winter in the PacNW, Silca Synergetic, used sparingly since itās oil-based and will make the drive train very dirty unless you wipe the chain after every ride.
For years I used Boeshield T-9 but when I moved to Wisconsin, the amount of sand off road has had me shift to Silca drip and hot wax. Instead of crunchy, badly shifting chains half way through a ride, at worst I have to rinse off my drivetrain after a ride. For road bikes Iām now on Silca Synergetic but contemplating wax.
I use drip wax and reapply when chain gets noisy. Iāve been cleaning chain before reapplying with white spirits and methylated spirits, but is hot water sufficient?
Giving a waxed chain the white/methylated spirts treatment is overkill. You only need to do that once to remove the factory grease or any existing oil lube. Once youāve waxed a chain, just hot water or even a wipe down with a microfiber towel is sufficient cleaning before reapplying more wax.
It persisted past the 2000s. In 2014, I went to a LBS and asked them to recommend a good chain lube. They reached right for the bottle of White Lightning Epic Ride, and thatās what I bought 
Same! I used the Silca hot melt and then the Silca drip every now and then, but I find the UFO drip wax actually stays on the chain when I apply itā¦ and doesnāt cause a mess on the floor 
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Not seen anyone mention Squirt, itās a decent, cheaper and easier to apply alternative to a proper wax lubricant. I run it on all my bikes across road, cyclocross and XC, thatās also all year round.
I remember the days when it only seemed like Finish Line was available in your LBS. The options are now daunting!
I use squirt and have had good results with the chains staying reasonably clean. It seems to need reapplication after any riding in rain though.
Also used silca hot melt which worked nicely until the bikes did a four hour drive home on top of the car in rain. They had to get topped up fairly swiftly after that.
What are peopleās warning signs to re wax or bust out the drip wax?
MSW with ceramic speed UFO as a top up. Keen to try the Silca endurance chips in my next batch of wax.
Probably easiest is to link to Zero Friction Cycling
Does water alone remove enough contamination? I thought the Zero Friction guide said contamination will stay there until the chain is reset with solvent cleaners.
Great article. Definitely learned a few things.
In the realm of wet lubes, what things define a wet lube as āwetā vs ādryā (other than marketing)?
Dry lubes have a high percentage of carrier fluid that allows them to get in between the rollers then the carrier fluid evaporates. Leaving just the lubricant inside the chain and minimal on the outside. Some dry lubes have such a high percentage of carrier fluid that once it evaporates there is inadequate lubricant left even after the first application to a clean chain. Iāve read recommendations that suggest never using dry lubes because most will run out of useable lubrication very quickly.
Wet lubes are designed to be thicker so they stay on the chain longer in wet conditions. The thickness catches more contaminates however.
Furthermore anything in the lubricant that is not a lubricant i.e. fragrance to make it smell like bubblegum is a waste. It does not lubricate the chain. You are then paying for a smell that reduces the percentage of useable lubricant per drop of lube.
Thatās my understanding. Hope thatās helpful.
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I think that is helpful. The wet makes sense and Suvi noted as much, so I supposed my question was more specifically about the dry āwetā lubes. Thatāll help me do a bit more research in what makes for a good dry lube, but if you have references of good reads on that topic thatād be awesome. I donāt think Iām willing to do what needs to be done to wax a chain (besides, it sounds like itās really only for sunny day rides, and here in the PNW I ride in all kinds of weather) so Iām more inclined to stick with my quick lube options and keeping up on the cleaning.
Apologies I misread your post. Could you send an example of a ādryā wet lube? Sounds like classic marketing trick.
I live in the south west of England and it rains a lot too. I use Squirt (get Smoove if you can). Itās a slack wax so has a small oil content. I didnāt use it for a while on my MTB because of the rain and mud but itās worth it. Just thoroughly clean the chain like you were going to wax it and then apply it like a wet lube. Nothing else needed but so much cleaner for your chain and drivetrain. Not more expensive than wet lube. Not Silca/MSW wax clean but so much better than lube and your drivetrain components will last probably twice as long.