Today’s Geek Warning got me to thinking about my chain lube routine.
As Ronan pointed out, most people who are conscious of the condition of their chain are cleaning it so frequently that the specific lube they choose probably isn’t critical. The chain never gets nasty enough for one decent wax lube to significantly outperform another.
The only area where I wonder about one drip wax being the best is drivetrain noise. I have tried Ceramic Speed, Super Secret, Squirt, Effeto, and a few others - none of them really stayed quiet for me past 100-150k depending on conditions.
I don’t think noise reduction is really a feature of drip wax, generally, but I do like a quiet chain. Drip wax keeps the bike so much cleaner that I would never go back to wet, even though I notice it runs quieter.
So, with drip wax, I will apply the night before any significant ride, and never ride more than 150k per application, to avoid excessive noise. I also towel off any gunky wax buildup from the chain, pulleys, and chainrings prior to reapplying. I live in a temperate climate and ride on damp roads sometimes but never in ongoing rain if I can help it.
If you’re using drip wax, how does this compare to your application interval ? Anybody find a drip wax that can stay quiet for 200k or longer?
I use Squirt and love it. Get well over 200km without noise. Depends on what you clase as noise I spose. Give it a good clean after a few weeks and everything looks like new. I ride in all weather and it works fine.
Generally the drip waxes have a higher oil content than immersion, even Silca SS drip and CS drip, and even fully set up they are softer. This is what helps damp the clattery/rattly drivetrain noise. I think at some point you either have to accept some level of noise, or reapply and clean up gunk more often. Just as long as your drivetrain doesn’t squeak it’s OK in my opinion.
If your goal is ultimate silence a good 5w-30 motor oil is your best bet but the tradeoff is it’s the most horrible lube you can use on an external drivetrain.