Waxers - how often do you rewax your MTB chain?

Putoline changed my life

I hate cleaning drivetrains and chains. I was doing it every ride.

Now I just pop the chain off, shake it in a jar of white spirit and then drop it into hot putoline.

I don't bother cleaning the cassette, mech or chainring because they don't meed it.

I ride mountains every week and only need to do it every other month or so, maybe more in the wet winter.

"Putoline changed my life

I hate cleaning drivetrains and chains. I was doing it every ride.

Now I just pop the chain off, shake it in a jar of white spirit and then drop it into hot putoline.

I don’t bother cleaning the cassette, mech or chainring because they don’t meed it.

I ride mountains every week and only need to do it every other month or so, maybe more in the wet winter."

How do you hope with the odor of the white spirit (hyperosmia) since the odorless one is too expensive. I thought people normally boil the chain in the water to get of the dirty wax. Not sure if minerals in the water will leave residue. Fairy certainly accelerates corrosion.

I'm usually shaking off the excess wax from a hot chain and cleaning the surface with acetone but apparently that's not enough to achieve life changing experience.

I thought people normally boil the chain in the water to get of the dirty wax.

??

I am very impressed with Putoline too, after TJ’s evangelism. I don’t do anything to the chain before relawaxing it and it does not seem to be a problem. The “old wax” liquefies and mixes into the bulk of the hot liquid Putoline so I can’t see the need to pre-clean it.

Before first Putolining a brand new chain I do give it a rinse in white spirit, but I am not convinced that does anything worthwhile either.

I think wiping might push the sand in deeper in to the chain

I'm saying ride up and down the road then wipe it before your first ride. Do that a couple of times. Yes, faff, but it should only need doing when you re-wax which should be once for a summer, esp on road.

I thought people normally boil the chain in the water to get of the dirty wax.

I don't clean mine before re-waxing. I just re-dunk.

This chain was de-greased when new, then waxed, ridden, wiped, ridden, wiped again then has done a dozen or so rides since. It's been hosed off twice. The rides were dry and dusty except for the last two which were a bit muddy. It's still smooth and silent, remarkably so in fact.

fwiw I'm finding I get about 5-600k before the chain feels like it might need a rewax.  Although maybe this is just me getting nervous with a chain that looks as dry as the one above but probably works ok.  In any case I just take the chain off, wipe off any obvious crap and then shove it in the pan with the wax.

fwiw I’m finding I get about 5-600k before the chain feels like it might need a rewax. Although maybe this is just me getting nervous with a chain that looks as dry as the one above but probably works ok.

It looks dry but is silent, so it's well lubed on the inside. I go by noise, when I start hearing a bit of chain noise I re-wax.

I’m finding it isn’t lasting as long as I would like. It is a KMC chain with black inner plates.

Chain thoroughly prepared before first wax.

On the zero friction cycling guide it says avoid KMC chains due the coatings preventing proper wax adherence.

Anybody else find this to be the case?

What are your criteria for when it needs a re-wax?

Good question, I’m new to this lark and I’m trying to do it by sound. I don’t record the distances of my rides but I don’t think I got close to 500k in mostly dry conditions.

After every wet ride.

We've had quite a wet few weeks, i've had 5 or 6 gravelly gritty rides where i've got completely drenched.

Bike has been rinsed/wiped down after with hot soapy water then a hose. Chain is still perfectly well waxed and will probably go another 3 or 4 rides. All i do with the chain is spray it with the hose pipe then flick the water off (or just bounce the bike!)

8 speed chain was worn by 0.75% after 1000km only despite frequent dipping in Putoline.

How are you measuring? basic chain tools are *OK* to give a quick look, but once you get to 0.75% on them, it's best to switch to a steel rule and measuring pin centre to pin centre

I’m usually shaking off the excess wax from a hot chain and cleaning the surface with acetone but apparently that’s not enough to achieve life changing experience.

I just hang the chain over the pot, most of the surface wax just runs off, and you get maximum fill inside the rollers. All shaking does is splash hot wax everywhere. Though with the size of putoline cans, that's hardly an issue!

Oh, if you want something a little more flexible/useful for heating wax get an IKEA Tillreda induction hob.

I've got a manky old pot full of wax that i use for chains, and then in the summer i can use the hob outside to supplement the grill. Either sauces or heating hotdogs for the kids and their weird friends who don't like proper BBQ food. It's also gone in the tent when we're camping somewhere with power.

Portable hob

I'd recommend not using an Ikea Tilreda induction hob. Unless they upgraded the electronics since we got ours, you will be in danger over overheating the wax in the least, starting a fire at worst. The power control is on ours is PWM and the frequency is very low, it will make oil smoke even on level 1.

I m rewaxing every few weeks on my daily wet commute.  Using daz wax, slow cooker and cleaning by boiling in water 5 mins.

I do a few bikes at a time as the wax is hot, really impressed with results so far.  Drivetrain looks immaculate.

Q spray of acf50 all round.

I hang my chain up as soon as it comes out of the hot wax and give it a good rub down with an old fluffy towel to get all the excess wax off the outside and it does get rid of a bit from between the plates. What's left between the plates usually comes off on the teeth of various cogs during the first couple of rides where it's easilly wiped off if it bothers you.

I noticed a couple of rust spots on one of the rollers on molgrips photo above. I used to get that on mine and while probably harmless it used to annoy me. I then noticed that after hosing the bike down there would be water held by surface tension across the plates. So putting the bike away like that would naturally leave some water trapped between the rollers and the gear teeth leading to rust spots. Now after hosing I wipe the water off with a cloth and then rotate the chain while flicking it along the non tension length to get the water out of the plates. Hardly ever get rust spots anymore.

"I don’t do anything to the chain before relawaxing it and it does not seem to be a problem. The “old wax” liquefies and mixes into the bulk of the hot liquid Putoline so I can’t see the need to pre-clean it."

Doesn't that contaminate the clean wax making the whole process worthless? I can see using mesh to allow the particles sink down but for that one needs deep fat fryer which is too expensive and big compared to slow cooker.

I just hang the chain over the pot, most of the surface wax just runs off, and you get maximum fill inside the rollers. All shaking does is splash hot wax everywhere. Though with the size of putoline cans, that’s hardly an issue!

I think there is no need for maximum fill since the excess gets squeezed during higher load. The only way to avoid excess is to use as little as possible in a controlled manner since it's impossible to clean everything off with wiping alone.

Using the hot air gun with tiny amount of wax on each roller might be the only way but since 12 speed chains have tight tolerances then the wax not penetrate all the way trough and the rest of it might run down on the table.

Secondary heating with a hot air gun after dipping might another solution. Will see if the excess wax will come out by monitoring stains on paper towel.

Just drop the hot chain onto an old towel from the wire basket, jiggle it about a bit and then hang it up all shiny to cool?

Never ever wash said towel in washing machine.

When using Putoline I used to hang my chain on a big screw above the DFF where I let it cool, then grab it near the top with a micofibre cloth used for just this and let it run through the cloth as I pull down on it. Not as much load as on the bike but the wax is still runny at this point. The jocky wheels still get gunked up, though perhaps not as much.

As for rusting I would only see that if I let the chain sit in the same place after a rinse and more so after winter road rides if it wasn’t thoroughly cleaned. Quick spin of the wheel and up and down the gears before leaving to dry usually solved it. I don’t like it though as I’m assuming there has to be some inside the chain as well.

I’ve been using Molten Speed Wax during the summer and it’s definitely not as long lasting as Putoline but the drivetrain is spotless and your fingers come away clean if you touch it. It’s rubbish in the wet though. Just ordered some GLFWax to see if that’s any better after someone on here said they get 500 miles per waxing on an all weather commuter bike. MSW does about 200 miles in the dry, 1 ride in the wet.

Anyone know what I can pour the old wax into so I can subsequently reuse it? Obv a jar is no good as it doesn’t scoop when solid.

Doesn’t that contaminate the clean wax making the whole process worthless?

The wax itself is just wax, it will mix with the bulk wax with no real problem. There may be some water, but that will quickly boil off. And there may be grit, but that just sinks to the bottom of the £23 Argos chip fryer, and stays there.

So, no there is not a contamination problem.

for that one needs deep fat fryer which is too expensive

I have a 1.5l fat fryer from Argos that was £23, so not really. You can often pick them up free, that's how I got my first one.

I can see using mesh to allow the particles sink down but for that one needs deep fat fryer which is too expensive and big compared to slow cooker.

Even just doing the chain in the tin of putoline on the hob the grit all settles to the bottom and does not contaminate the chain - and there is very little of it anyway.