Velo magazine did a big chain lube test in their latest magazine. I was stunned that chain lube would actually make a testable difference in the amount of power it takes to propel a bike. Between the worst and best lube they tested there was almost 4 watts difference. Doesn’t seem like much, but think about it, a 1500 dollar Aero wheelset probably makes around 4 watts difference.
The best, “normal” lube they tested was Rock and Roll Gold. I wrote a review of some of the lubes I’ve used and it has been one of my most popular posts, I have bottle of Rock and Roll Extreme that worked very well. One of the least efficient lubes they tested was Prolink Gold, which I also reviewed and really like on my road bike. There is a reason it stays so clean, it doesn’t do that good of job lubricating.
The Winner of their test was a very old school lube, in fact its not even a lube, its a solid at room temperature, paraffin wax. Paraffin wax was not only the most efficient lube they tested but it also was the cleanest, it actually even got more efficent when they tested the chain dirty.
Ever since reading this I’ve been thinking about waxing my chain and last night I took the plunge. After waxing I rode the bike today on a harsh mountain bike trail for over 2 hours, countless creek crossings and some mud too. The drive train was like a rock, and it felt much smoother, especially after getting soaked. Check out these easy to follow picture by picture directions.
Step One: Strip your chain, gasoline works, but I’m sure there are other less flammable options.
Here’s a lube free chain.
Paraffin Wax can be found in the canning isle. Now its time to get melty, you need something to heat up the Paraffin Wax to around 150 degrees. Be careful this stuff will catch on fire if you get it too hot.
I’ve let the chain soak in the wax for awhile and agitated it.
Once the chain comes out you must let it cool. The hardened wax will make the chain stiff, but once it runs it’ll be smooth.
Can’t argue with these results. After a muddy ride I hosed off my bike, the drivetrain was perfectly clean. It ran super smooth all day long.
Normally a jockey pulley would be jammed up with a mixture of dirt and grease. With a the wax it came out perfectly clean.
So why wouldn’t you wax your chain? Well I’m not sure how long it’ll last. I’m hoping to get another ride out of it, but Velo reports getting as many as 600 miles in the dry and 300 in wet conditions but that was on a road bike. I’m hoping to get a couple of weekend rides on my mountain bike. Waxing the chain takes about an hour, of which you actually only to be present for about 5 minutes of, the rest of the time the chain is soaking or drying or cooling.
For me its not the efficiency that I care about, its not even the cleaner drive train. I’ve found that my chains wear out in a few months mountain biking. The constant grit and sand of our trails are carried into the rollers by the constant oiling of the chain where they act like grinding/polishing compound. Not only do my chains wear out fast, they feel as if they are full of grit the whole time. Maybe chains will last longer when the rollers aren’t packed with grit?
PS If you notice that their are two chains pictured in this article its because I tested the procedure on my Nashbar touring bike’s chain first, before waxing the chain on my mountain bike.
That article got a lot of mileage. I’ve considered waxing but always shied away due to the need to take it off the bike. I just wipe mine down & reapply lube on the bike to save time.
Very informative, now when I get dropped I can blame my chain lube for holding me back.
I use a synthetic oil based chain lube on my road bike, but after oiling I remove as much oil as possible using several rags leaving the thinnest film possible. Seems to help with gunk buildup.
I wonder what Luke is using on his 3000 mile mountain bike race?
LUkes going to use spit and Phlegm, saving weight and money.
I’m pretty sure you could have counted the creek crossings, wax isn’t lube. it’s for candles and hair removal. take a lotta wax to do a gholson. if you get one wet ride out of it, I’d be surprised. been there, done that, didn’t work. now use 30 weight. works.
you are the wind beneath my wings.
Nice post. I loved geeking out on that Velo article. We all have our lube religions, and it was fun
to see what shined and what got debunked. Everyone likes to dis wax and it’s durability, but really
it looks like it just comes down to how lazy one is. As to the wet ride, they dumped a *lot* of water (maybe 8 oz?) directly on the chain. Didn’t phase it. The stuff may flake off soon, but it clearly
sheds wet grime while everything holds dirt like a bulldog.
Just converted my mtb to RRG. Still too lazy too wax.
Thanks.
I’m thinking RRG for me too after waxing the chain. New chain on gravel road bike had rust on it after a a 45 mile wet and gritty ride. I think I’m going to try taking off the chain to regularly clean it and then wax it. I’ll apply RRG after a ride or two so I’m not constantly taking the chain off to wax it.
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Paraffin wax is the same as ski wax. It delivers great friction reduction.
Wondering if there is an easy way to re-apply the wax or you have to boil the chain again.
did a MTB race in sticky mud conditions yesterday, chain held up perfect with the wax applied. hosed the bike down and left it overnight. now the chain shows a lot of rust. So, how to avoid this.
and next concern will it hold during 6 hour event, if not do I just apply my normal lube or??
Those are my findings exactly, I’m certain wax won’t hold up for 6 hours of wet muck, I think would hold up if it was dry.
To avoid rust after a wet ride you could oil the chain. Eventually you’ll have to take it off and strip it again. No easy way to reapply wax, got to take chain off, clean thoroughly, dip in wax. Ended up being too much work for me. I’d just stick with your regular lube.
At our bike club meeting last night, one of the guys demonstrated waxing a chain. The one he used was already black and dirty with lube and road grime. He put the chain, lube, dirt and all, into the melted paraffin and stirred it around for a few minutes. The paraffin cleaned the chain! When he removed it and put it back on the bike, it was sparkling silver. So apparently no need to clean and degrease a chain before waxing it. It’s not that hard to remove and reinstall a chain if you have a quick-release link (SRAM comes with one, Shimano doesn’t); Leonard Zinn says if you have to keep using a chain tool to take apart the link, you may wind up compromising the chain just from messing with the pins. but from what I saw last night, paraffin is worth a try. You can install one of those Wipperman quick-release links on any chain, or have your LBS do it for you.