I like the way you’re thinking and your points are definitely important. I think my perspective is just a bit longer-term and bigger picture. I can imagine a not-too-distant future where we have 10, 20 or more wiki posts in the Tech > Tech Help category and we can’t feasibly pin them all without making the category unusable.
As much as chain waxing info is helpful for some people, others may be more interested in bedding in disc brakes, bleeding hydraulic brakes, wrapping bar tape, converting to tubeless or a bunch of other potential topics.
In my mind the concern you’ve raised is something to be solved in onboarding for new forum users. When a new user joined we should be able to introduce them to the forum and help them find the things they may be looking for. Something like:
We’ve got a whole swag of useful information on a number of topics already available. Community driven knowledge is captured in wiki posts across a variety of topics such as x, y and z. Head to the wiki page to see what’s available.
In addition it’s just general good forum advice to ensure new users conduct searches before posting.
Presently we have a fairly rudimentary onboarding experience for new users but it’s definitely something I want to focus on and improve in the short-term future.
Before I edit anything, the process for mineral turpentine does not mention using isopropyl alcohol to remove the turpentine residue. My understanding was that this is most definitely required if you use turpentine/mineral spirits. So this entry seems to be wrong.
For the advanced one-step degreasers like CS and Silca, my understanding was that you do not require alcohol at all. And yet the wiki lists alcohol as an optional follow up step for those cleaners?
Isn’t that what the methylated spirits are for? It’s alcohol and is (at least speaking for Ireland) a lot easier to find in shops than IPA is. ZFC uses methylated spirits in their method also. I’m open to correction in case the dyes etc. have a notable effect on the wax.
Two (or more) nations separated by a common language. Methylated spirits = denatured alcohol. Alcohol is “denatured”—made undrinkable—by the addition of methyl alcohol. Regular drinking alcohol is ethyl alcohol.
I’m finally committed to making the shift to a waxed chain (lengthening the drivetrain lifespan convinced me) and am curious as to whether it’s fine just throwing on a waxed chain on a somewhat clean drivetrain that has only seen oil-based lube. Likely overthinking this, but just curious
Yeah, nothing wrong with just wiping down a cleaner drivetrain and running it. Maybe floss the cassette and jockey wheels for extra cleanliness. But there’s no hard requirement to like ultrasonic clean everything like a factory chain. Over time the wax will take over nicely.
That said, overthinking it is a huge part of being a proper chain waxer. So also feel free to agonize over every last molecule of petro lube that could be lurking down in the cassette.
Totally agree. Having spent a good while yesterday cleaning & rewaxing my chain, I took it out at 75C as per Silca’s guidance. Very little wax dripped of it as it cooled & it still took quite a bit of work breaking the wax on each link before refitting to the bike & then pedalling it to get it back to somewhere near normal.
BTW, the worst part of the experience was waiting for the wax in the Silca pot to melt. It took AGES to finally all melt. It was Super Secret + Endurance chip - don’t know if the chip made it take longer??
Overtime you’ll figured out a way to optimize your settings to reduce the overall time required.
I have an instapot and will use the “high” sauté setting to melt my wax. It usually takes 2-3 min to melt 1.5 bags of hot melt. After turning it off and moving the liner to a cooler surface, I’ll speed up the cooling process from 90-100c to 75c by dropping in a cool (fromly waxed chain). All in all, I can probably wax a chain in 10 min.
Yeah, I use a $70-on-Amazon portable induction cooktop, and keep my homebrew wax concoction in a small stainless sauce pan. It melts in less than a minute.
I used a $10 candy thermometer to independently calibrate the “temperature” displayed on the cheap induction cooktop, which I didn’t trust at all. And while the #’s are indeed quite a bit off, I’ve found a pretty consistent correlation and don’t bother with the candy thermometer much anymore.
I can speed up the cooling process by putting the small sauce pan in a bigger pot of cool water. Then take the chain out right as the wax starts to thicken. I feel like a French saucier.
Overall about the same cost as a Silca station, but I find it buys a lot of time and flexibility.
Trying some drip-on wax for the first time. Do folks have suggestions on cleaning the chain before re-application (ideally on-bike, but open to occasional off-bike options).
With a waxed Shimano chain the has an orientation, I.e. the stamping on chains links facing out, does the other orientation matter? For example, if you ran the waxed chain with the same side always on the top and then switched it over to then be on the bottom, would that make any difference?
I run two Dura-Ace chains in rotation and I sometimes, not everytime, I need to microadjust the gears when swapping chains (after they have bedded in)
One can buy temperature controllers that work with cheap slow cookers and will prevent overheating. I’ve been happy with this one but I’m sure there are others that would work.
I doubt you’d need to - I’ve never needed to, for the chains that I’m running in rotation. DAs for the road bikes and Ultegras for the gravel/travel bikes.
I do wonder if the need to bed in alternate chains is more a function of other parts of the drivetrain, (RD alignment, etc) or the chain itself having stretched in one orientation.
As far as I understand it the “other” orientation doesn’t matter. Providing the stamps are facing outward the chain is correctly installed. I don’t pay any attention to how the chain goes on and off the swisher tool so I’m assuming I put it on backwards and forwards at random.
I’ve had two bikes with an alternating chain setup and never had to micro-adjust the gears so that seems a bit odd to me.
I’ve rotated these chains 6 times and like you have no clue how they have come off, go back on but always have the writing on the outside.
It is weird how I have to micro adjust, 1 or 2 clicks, between the two chains (both brand new, purchased at same time) but I know now that is needed and I’ll take that for the clean, silent, low wear drivetrain.
I’ve just added a few more refinements around removing and re-installing chains for immersion waxing. The wiki is looking pretty good now! The glaring omission is any details on how to clean a chain with an ultrasonic cleaner. Does anyone have an experience here to share?
Re: this part of the strip chip instructions: I’ve done two chains following zero friction cycling’s instructions not to add the factory-greased chain until the strip chip is melted in 125C wax (his explanation is that the factory grease shouldn’t be allowed to dissolve in wax that doesn’t have the strip chip in it at the correct temp). That’s worked well for me but I don’t know if it’s actually necessary or not. Does anyone have experience following the wiki directions, and does that work OK as well?
So also feel free to agonize over every last molecule of petro lube that could be lurking down in the cassette.