In all the discussions and opinions on chain waxing, one thing seems to be missing: How to keep a chain running through a Nordic (Danish) winter for training on the road, usually 2-3 hours per ride.
Winters here are usually 2-7 degrees, (VERY) wet and with a lot of grime and salt on the roads.
Whereas I have been waxing my chains for the summer bikes for years, I can’t get it to work with winter (road) training. The combination of grime and salt ALWAYS washes the wax off on a training ride, usually pollutes the chain and calls for re-waxing and possibly cleaning after each ride.
On top of this, my winter bike is maintained and stored in a garage. That means 5-8 degrees at night and a humidity around 80%. A bad environment for a drip-based wax to dry.
I can’t figure out how a wax-based approach could work in these conditions, so I have reverted back to a (good!) oil-based lubricant (Dynamic Ultra). It works on every ride, it takes 3 minutes to degrease the chain and 2 more to re-lubricate it with the chain still on the bike. Bike needs to be washed after each ride anyway, so no hassle to degrease the chain.
I know others are using wax during winter. What am I missing?
Also interested in the answer here. Chicago, USA has qualitatively similar Winter riding conditions — among many reasons I have stuck with oil (Silca Synergetic) year-round.
It seems like your combination of above-freezing temperatures, wet and salted roads, and high humidity is a worst-case scenario for waxing, particularly if you are storing your bike in an unconditioned space. My only suggestion would be to run a single speed bike with full fenders (plus mudflaps) and a chain with some type of rust-preventive coating (e.g., KMC EPT).
That is basically my setup for riding through Minnesota winters. Our winter weather is considerably drier and colder (-9 to -5 average temps and ~70% RH) than yours sounds to be, so our precipitation usually remains solid until the roads dry out. My winter bike almost never comes inside and almost never gets cleaned during the season.
When I do get out on a geared bike (mostly on weekend days above -4), it still has full fenders and mudflaps, and I remove, clean and re-wax the chain after each ride.
I can’t add much in an apple-to-apple comparison but I know with fat biking using Synergetic lube in wax as described by the video below was a game changer for my conditions (below freezing as well as just above in wet sloppy conditions):
The lube/wax stays on the chain FAR better than just wax as well as corrosion prevention greatly improving.
Over 35+years in the Pac NW, I learned a lot about riding wet cold weather. One, a fendered rain bike is a must. It will be hammered, so it’s best assembled with old gear that is fixable and low cost. Wax lubes (hot or not) are just not doable so don’t bother. Silca Synergetic is a great wet weather lube. Sure, crud will stick to the chain. But you should do a post-ride wipe-down of the chain anyhow.
Of the few folks I know who (like me) ride all winter in the cold and rain, none use wax in that type of weather. The waxed chain comes out when the weather improves enough to use the nice bike outside.
Thanks for your replies! It seems I’m not the only one who thinks wax is not the solution during our cold, wet and dark winters!
Some of you are commenting on fenders: I do use fenders (SKS Raceblade Long), and of course that also prevents some road spray on the chain. But far from all.
My commuter bike is racing wheels without gears (just 1 chainwheel and spacers on the cassette), but for road training I prefer gears.
I live on the middle of the Swedish west coast and I’m trying immersion-waxed chains on the winter whip for the first time this season. After five weeks, the impression is still positive. I have a dedicated winter bike (a ’21 Diverge Comp Carbon converted to non–Future Shock with PDW Full Metal mudguards) that minimizes the spray from wet roads hitting the bike and drivetrain.
I’ve used waxed chains on my road and gravel bikes for several seasons, and when I tried the new CeramicSpeed Wax this summer it felt really durable. Although I didn’t like it for the summer bikes because the relatively heavy residue takes some elbow grease to remove from the chainrings, cassette, and pulley wheels, that same durability is great for winter riding.
After wet endurance rides (3h+), I just wipe the chain dry with a cloth when I get back. As an extra precaution, I run KMC EPT chains so that any remaining moisture won’t turn into surface rust. The wax is still there, and even the excess external residue doesn’t seem to wash away. But for summer riding I’ll go back to MSW.
I’m using Silca hot melt wax for my summer bikes, but have already considered the Ceramicspeed (and Dynamic) hot melt options. Now I’m considering the Ceramicspeed version even more.
Ceramicspeed writes “up to 500-750 km in wet or mixed conditions”. In your experience, how long between re-application of the hot-melt wax? If I understand correctly, you are not applying drip-on wax?
I highly recommend you try a set of full fenders. Yes, they are a pain to install. But your BB and feet will thank you, as well as anyone on your wheel.
I will second Bruce’s recommendation, if they’re compatible with your bike. There is a real, qualitative difference between even good clip-on fenders and full-coverage fenders with long mudflaps. If you can swing it, it is worth having a winter training bike compatible with full fenders.
Correct, no drip on wax. I´ll have to do more riding to answer your question. I switched chains due to chainring sizing changes. But definitely 300kms at least. Likely another 100-150km.
On the other hand, taking the chain off every 3-5 rides is…something to consider. On my summer bikes, I generally wax the chain (to be more precise: Put on a freshly waxed chain, as I have 4 chains in rotation) every 1.000-1.500 km. Inbetween waxing chains, I top op with drip wax.
But what you’re describing is definitely better than what i have achieved myself when waxing in winter, so I will consider it next time I change the chain
Great discussion here. It seems like the solution is maybe a hybrid approach with the immersion waxed chain as a base with drip re-lubes and using something like Silca Synergetic on top for those really nasty rides where you know the wax won’t last. At that point maintenance is just the same as a traditional lube. A lot will depend on your personal time and what your workshop situation is and how easily the chain can be deep cleaned. Quick link use aside pulling the chain off a bike is pretty mindless and I just turn the wax pot on when I get home and pick away at the process while I go about my usual evening routine. Adding multiple chains in rotation will make this an even simpler task obviously.
The winter bike is well and truly out here in the UK…
Full mudguards (properly attached with large flaps both front and rear). I’ve been running Silca Super Secret drip for the past few years with no issues. The bike is stored inside though. I had tried Synergetic which was ok but not as good as the drip
I’ve recently started hot waxing and so will try this on the winter bike / chain shortly.
I use Rex Hot Wax on three chains in rotation. On weekends when I ride both Saturday and Sunday, I’ll just apply a bit of UFO All Conditions drip wax if needed (I store my bike in my apartmen). If the chain is wet when I take it off on Sunday, I simply dry it with a hair dryer.
And btw, I am using Connex links. With these links you don’t need a tool to remove the chain, which makes things a lot easier.
Tru-Tension All Weather lube could be an option instead of UFO drip or Silca Super Secret. Tru-Tension dries a lot faster.
I have been considering the Rex wax a lot. Might give it a try!
How long does the wax last in wet/grimy conditions? It seems you can go a full ride without the chain creaking, but need to re-apply before the second ride?
For me, the thing with the chain link is especially when the chain is freshly waxed = stiff and being more difficult to press the chain links together. Whereas I can put in a chain link on an oiled chain in 1 minute, it usually takes me 5+ minutes with a freshly waxed chain. Not impossible, but still a hassle after cleaning the bike, which I usually do right after coming home from the ride. I might check out the Connex links!
Hi Henrik
Yes, it will last for a full ride (have done 5 hours in the rain). And yes, you will have to reapply before the second ride. If the chain seems to be dirty after a very wet ride, I would consider replacing it with another waxed chain.
It takes me under a minute to install a new waxed chain with the Connex links. And when you are used to it, it is actually easier to run the waxed chain through the derailleur when installing it.
Not sure what type of wax it is, It’s almost solid at room temperature. It is a lot softer than the hot wax.
I bought a can out of curiosity. It worked well for a 4 hrs ride in wet muddy conditions, after it was raining. The chain ran silent, while the waxed chain used to become noticeably noisy under similar conditions. It appears to be less “wet” than a wet lube, the cassette stayed mostly clean, the lubricant leaves black spots (contains lot of graphite), but no buildup on pulley wheels for example, also the chain didn’t attract a lot of dirt. I don’t know how much cleaner it is than a wet lube, at least a bit. Certainly it’s not something for dry dust off-road in summer.
The Silca advice is just hilarious, one can add a little bottle of pharmacy priced “oil” to soften the wax, and then in spring, one can throw in another strip chip for $$$, in order to save the expensive bag of hot wax
Seems like a good option for those in wet climates but also loses a chunk of the cleanliness benefit of waxing, at which point I just think I’ll stick with wet lube as I run mostly 105 components which are pretty inexpensive.
