Mike Cassera
New Member
New bike with new chain: I plan to use White Lightning dry wax on my new S40's chain. Should I degrease it before applying the WL? Thanks in advance.
New Chain
- Thread starter Mike Cassera
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Rolling Along
Active Member
When I started with my new V20c about 16 months ago, I used the new chain with no cleaning for the first 500 miles. After than I cleaned and used White Lightning. I did find the initial cleaning very messy - lots of black from roads. Since then I started using an ultrasonic cleaner. But I generally find I have much less black gunk using the White Lightning especially compared to the new chain.
LarryOz
Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
You should always degrease a chain before waxing it. The wax will not stick the the grease. New chains are shipped with grease on them so they will not rust. The chains supplied with the Cruzbike completes have this "new chain grease" on them. Note: I use Molten Speed wax - I have used the dry wax before - but get much better results when dipping the chain in the hot wax. It is a little more work but you don't have to do it offer. For re-waxing a waxed chain, all you have to do it wipe it off as soon as it starts chirping.
cruzKurt
Guru
What is your recommended process for degreasing? Also seems the cassette, derailleurs and front chain rings should be degreased.
Silca Chainstripper is the easiest way. Otherwise you have to faff around with nasty chemicals. Did that once, Silca Chainstripper is easily worth the price. Or simply get a prewaxed chain instead.
How to use Chainstripper:
PS: Remember to clean the cassette, pulley wheels and sprockets, if you've been using oil before. First round of cleaning using degreaser and a brush, second round using alcohol and cloth. Everything needs to be completely clean of oil.
How to use Chainstripper:
PS: Remember to clean the cassette, pulley wheels and sprockets, if you've been using oil before. First round of cleaning using degreaser and a brush, second round using alcohol and cloth. Everything needs to be completely clean of oil.
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CruzinCambridge
Active Member
White Lightning is the worst product on the market. It's literally three times worse than wet lube. You may as well apply baby powder.
The Silca drip on product is supposed to be good, but pricey, as is their degreaser. You can degrease a chain with paint thinner and rubbing alcohol which is cheap unless you count the cost to the environment. See the Molten Speed Wax site for the method. I've been using MSW and a $25 wax heater I got from Amazon with two chains that I swap every 300 miles and I'm at about 7,000 miles with barely any wear to the drivetrain. If you don't have room for all the kit and time for all the faffing about, the Silca products are expensive but will save you a lot of money in the long run. And your drivetrain will run whisper quiet.
Also, you don't need to degrease your cassette and chainrings... use some degreaser and a cloth to get any road dust and grit off those parts but the lube won't work its way into the pins and plates of the chain which is where the sliding friction happens.
Lubricant Testing - Zero Friction Cycling
zerofrictioncycling.com.au
Rolling Along
Active Member
Without getting into a boring lubricant debate, White Lightning works fine for me (warmer climate of Texas and dry conditions). It goes on wet but dries quickly to a wax. I try to avoid rides in the rain. If I get unlucky and ride in the rain, then after I wipe the chain with a rag and reapply lubricant.
When I do a thorough chain clean (ultrasonic cleaner) I also clean the chain rings, cassette, and jockey wheels of derailleur.
When I do a thorough chain clean (ultrasonic cleaner) I also clean the chain rings, cassette, and jockey wheels of derailleur.
CruzinCambridge
Active Member
There's no such thing as a boring lubricant debate! It's right up there with politics and religion in my book! But we can all agree you need to degrease the chain before you try a wax-based lube.
chicorider
Zen MBB Master
Echoing some of what's been said here...
But first, be wary of anyone who says their way of lubing a chain is the only way that works. There are many methods and options out there, and most of them get the job done at at least at a basic level. Riding conditions and bike maintenance habits can play big roles in choosing the best lube.
I switched to hot wax a few years ago, and I'm a covert. My bikes stay A LOT cleaner, compared to the gunk that wet lubes spread around, and the caked on waxes that can build up over time with dry lubes. I get about 400 miles on my road bikes between waxings (about half that on my gravel and mountain bikes), and the wax mostly flakes off and falls away as those miles unfold. Some small bits of wax will stick to the drivetrain area, but they are easily wiped away when it's time to clean. My chains run a little louder compared to wet lubes. Shifting seems to be about the same, and chain wear has been nil.
All that said, hot waxing does lack in convenience. I have five bikes, and only two of them can share the same chain. Because of different chainstay lengths and cassette speeds, I have three chains for my mtn. bike, three for my gravel bike, three for my V20c, and my S30 and Specialized Aethos share three--a dozen total. Multiple chains cuts down on having to wax as often, but it is an up front expense, and all those chains have to be degreased first (but only once). When I put the last available chain on a bike, I take that as my cue to wax whatever spent chains I have hanging (usually around six of them), refreshing my supply. I'll have about four waxing days per year. It's not hard to do, and you can do it while doing other things at home--bike maintenance, yard work, watching TV, swimming in the pool (if I had a pool), etc. You just have to remember that you have a chain in the cooker that needs flipping, or to be rotated out for another chain. Over the course of an afternoon or evening, it gets done.
Some people say that hot waxing is more work compared to drip lubes. My experience is that it isn't necessarily more work, just different. Drip lubes are great in that you can quickly refresh, wipe off the excess, and go. But eventually you're going to have to really get in there and clean out the gunk and build-up to get your bikes back to shifting and running like new. With hot waxing, you will be doing short stints of chain work more frequently, but those time consuming drip lube-related deep cleans don't really happen anymore. If you like working on your bikes, you probably won't mind the hot wax routine. But if you'd rather pull weeds than do bike maintenance, then hot wax probably won't be great.
But first, be wary of anyone who says their way of lubing a chain is the only way that works. There are many methods and options out there, and most of them get the job done at at least at a basic level. Riding conditions and bike maintenance habits can play big roles in choosing the best lube.
I switched to hot wax a few years ago, and I'm a covert. My bikes stay A LOT cleaner, compared to the gunk that wet lubes spread around, and the caked on waxes that can build up over time with dry lubes. I get about 400 miles on my road bikes between waxings (about half that on my gravel and mountain bikes), and the wax mostly flakes off and falls away as those miles unfold. Some small bits of wax will stick to the drivetrain area, but they are easily wiped away when it's time to clean. My chains run a little louder compared to wet lubes. Shifting seems to be about the same, and chain wear has been nil.
All that said, hot waxing does lack in convenience. I have five bikes, and only two of them can share the same chain. Because of different chainstay lengths and cassette speeds, I have three chains for my mtn. bike, three for my gravel bike, three for my V20c, and my S30 and Specialized Aethos share three--a dozen total. Multiple chains cuts down on having to wax as often, but it is an up front expense, and all those chains have to be degreased first (but only once). When I put the last available chain on a bike, I take that as my cue to wax whatever spent chains I have hanging (usually around six of them), refreshing my supply. I'll have about four waxing days per year. It's not hard to do, and you can do it while doing other things at home--bike maintenance, yard work, watching TV, swimming in the pool (if I had a pool), etc. You just have to remember that you have a chain in the cooker that needs flipping, or to be rotated out for another chain. Over the course of an afternoon or evening, it gets done.
Some people say that hot waxing is more work compared to drip lubes. My experience is that it isn't necessarily more work, just different. Drip lubes are great in that you can quickly refresh, wipe off the excess, and go. But eventually you're going to have to really get in there and clean out the gunk and build-up to get your bikes back to shifting and running like new. With hot waxing, you will be doing short stints of chain work more frequently, but those time consuming drip lube-related deep cleans don't really happen anymore. If you like working on your bikes, you probably won't mind the hot wax routine. But if you'd rather pull weeds than do bike maintenance, then hot wax probably won't be great.
