Waxed Chain Maintenance

If you’re not currently running a waxed chain and are wondering why you should, check out this post (click!) for more information!

So you have a waxed chain, either done by us or yourself – now what do you need to do to keep it looking and running at it’s best? There are a few levels of waxed chain maintenance, from a very quick and simple pre/post ride routine right to fully stripping down the drive chain. In this post we will discuss a few options for caring for a waxed chain. They are as follows, in reverse order of likelihood of keeping the drive chain clean and efficient – so, least work but least effective first! Click on any of the links to jump to the relevant section.

Note: Whatever you do, DO NOT ADD OIL TO THE CHAIN!

Cleaning

Re-lubing

Recommended Products

Other Info

Cleaning

Tip: Put the bike in the small ring and the smallest gear of the cassette that doesn’t rub to minimise the chance of pulling the chain off when doing the following.

Wiping the chain with a clean cloth (every ride if possible)

The most basic waxed chain maintenance is simply to wipe it down with a clean dry microfibre cloth. This will remove some of the surface dirt and excess wax that is being shed from the chain and make it look more shiny, however any contamination deep inside the chain will remain. This is the go to thing to do for a chain, no matter what the lubricant. When in doubt, wipe it down!

Wiping the chain with methylated spirits (as and when needed)

As above, except with the addition of a small amount of methylated spirits on the cloth. This will remove more of the surface dust/dirt from a chain, and any excess wax on the outside of the chain links. Remember that wax/lube is not required on the outside of the chain, and it only increases the likelihood of contamination sticking to the chain (and from there possibly making it’s way inside the chain where it can cause damage).

Please see here for a video of the above prodecure: https://youtu.be/x6ekxJuofds

On the bike chain cleaning (after a wet/dirty ride or if wax builds up on chain )

On bike cleaning can only go so far, but will likely be enough maintenance for a lightly soiled chain that hasn’t been ridden for a long time and/or in heavy rain.

The easiest thing to use is soapy water and a sponge. Using the sponge soaked with soapy water, wrap it around the chain and rotate the pedals whilst holding the chain with the sponge. This will remove a lot of surface dirt. Repeat until the sponge looks clean after rotating the cranks, then using another clean sponge and clean water, rinse the chain through. This will leave the chain wet, which is a no-no, so from here you’ll need to wipe it down as per the above. Once the chain is dry, re-apply lube.

Also ensure to clean the chainrings, cassette and jockey wheels for best results (methylated spirits and a cloth will be ideal for this).

This method will be less effective than the next one, as the wax inside the chain links will likely not be fully cleaned.

On the bike chain cleaning – better (every couple of months or when chain in noticeably dirty/noisy)

The next level of cleaning without taking the chain off the bike is to use UFO Clean, or a similar cleaner formulated to remove both oil and wax. These cleaners require time to work, so the suggested use is as follows: Spray on chain liberally, wait 10-15 minutes for it to soak in/work, then rinse with warm water and a sponge. If the sponge still looks like it’s picking up dirt you can re-apply and rinse again. Once you are satisfied with how clean the chain is, rinse with fresh warm water until the water running off is coming out clear, then dry/re-lube.

Please see here for a video on how to do the above: https://youtu.be/UVFcsEIjGyM

Off the bike chain cleaning – easy (approx every 2-3000km)

The first level of waxed chain maintenance after removing the chain from the bike is to simply soak it in hot/boiling water. Leave it a few minutes for the wax to soften, then swish around (wear gloves!) and run over it a few times with your clean sponge and/or nailbrushes as per previous step. You may want to add a little washing up liquid or bike specific cleaner for the first soak, make sure if you do so there are enough subsequent soakings in plain water to remove any residue from the chain. Throw away water, repeat until everything looks good, then dry chain – either as per above or even with a hair dryer to ensure it’s totally dry inside!

This is the most in-depth cleaning most people will need to do on a semi-regular basis unless either the chain has been ridden in terrible conditions for a prolonged period or any oil based lube has been applied to the chain. Note that this may seem like a lot of work but is probably less than five minutes and will get your chain 99% of the way to clean in most situations. If you were using wet lube, you would take much longer to achieve a less clean chain – plus you would have had to use a fair amount of degreaser etc in order to achieve this!

Off the bike chain cleaning – full (rarely if ever needed)

This step is overkill for most unless you have used wet lube for any reason (you forgot to bring your drip wax on a holiday to top up, someone applied some at a feed station on an event, etc.) or you have ridden your bike in absolutely horrendous conditions for a prolonged period. Note that a. this is how a brand new chain needs to be prepared before waxing (you can’t just put a chain on the bike out of the box as factory lube is totally incompatible with wax) and b. we offer this service if it sounds like too much work!

First, put the chain in a suitable sized container (small tupperware boxes work well) then add white spirit. Shake a few times and white spirit will likely be totally filthy. Pour off dirty white spirit into another container, then repeat until the white spirit stays clear. Remove chain and pat dry with paper towel/kitchen roll, then put into another container. Add methylated spirit to this container, shake and pour off. You will see oil mixed in with the meths. Pour off and repeat this a couple of times until no oil is visible. Wipe chain with clean microfibre cloth or paper towel, then wait for the rest of the meths to evaporate. The chain is now ready for re-waxing. Please see the other info section for what to do with used white spirit/meths.

Re-lubing

Applying drip lube

For best results, apply lube the night before a ride. Some lubes will work with as little as fifteen minutes setting time, but best results are achieved by allowing 8+ hours for the lube to set.

Modern drip wax lubes are amazing, and will do a great job of getting into the chain and lubing where needed. We can improve their chances slightly by warming the lube, however this is not required with most of our recommended lubes. If you want to maximise your chances just in case though (or are using another wax drip lube), simply put your lube bottle in a cup of warm water for a few minutes before using it.

To apply the lube, start by shaking the bottle vigorously! These lubes are a combination of wax and other additives, many of which will sink to the bottom when not in use. You’ll need to get shaking to mix everything up well. From here, put the bike in the smallest (sized) cogs you can get into where the chain will run well – for most this is the small ring at the front and the second or third cog from the hardest gear at the back. Di2 setups will limit you to this gear either way!

Make sure you either have the bike in a stand, or leant in a way that you can turn the pedals and not hit anything, then whilst turning the pedals backwards run a very light stream of lube on the inside of the chain, first on one side of the roller (centre part) and then the other. Next, work the lube into the chain with your fingers whilst backpedalling. Finally, wipe the chain down with a clean cloth if required in manufacturer’s instructions.

Please see the following link for how to reapply lube, in this case UFO Drip: https://youtu.be/hmwmY6SQH0w

Note that Tru Tension Tungsten will need wiping down after application, which isn’t shown in this video.

Immersive waxing

This one is the easiest part of the whole ‘waxed chain maintenance’ guide! Turn slow cooker onto ‘low’, with for wax to melt. Thread chain onto a coat hanger (so you can get it back out of the hot wax easily), stick it in the hot wax, wait a few minutes, swish it around a few times to ensure all air bubbles have been expelled from inside the chain, take it out and give it a wipe with a cloth, done.

The hard part of this stage is having a dedicated slow cooker for your wax. If you are interested in doing this search for ‘1.5l slow cooker’ to get something perfect for the job for under £20.

Recommended Products

The following products are proven good products that will give you all the benefits of a waxed chain with minimal hassle. The recommendations below are a combination of personal experience from years of using many different products, and the amazingly detailed tests provided by Zero Friction Cycling (check out that site for more information that you could ever read about chain lube!). Ok, without further ado, the lists:

Immersive Waxes

Molten Speed Wax

The original gold standard, MSW just works. The best performing lubricant ever tested by Zero Friction Cycling. (buy here)

Silca Hot Melt

More expensive per bag, but longer lasting and cleaner looking (due to not having black molybdenum in it). Another great choice for immersive waxing. (buy here)

Drip Waxes

UFO Drip

A game changing lubricant which is the cleanest drip wax we’ve ever seen, pretty much equal with immersive waxing. Great longevity on a single application and amazing performance in Zero Friction Cycling testing make this our recommended lube for summer use for sure! We previously had questions about the performance in wet conditions, but with the release of UFO Drip Wet Weather, CeramicSpeed may have solved this problem – we will test this over winter and update this page with our thoughts afterwards. (buy here)

Tru Tension Tungsten All Weather

A great value drip lube, very high performing and made in the UK! The only slight down side is that it has issues initially coating a totally un-lubricated chain. I would recommend using this to top up a previously immersive waxed chain, or if using on a cleaned chain using a ‘layering method’ to build up wax levels on the first few rides. When applying TTT, warming it improves performance significantly so is a worthwhile step to take.

This lube is one that we use in winter/bad weather due to it’s great adhesion to the chain. The fact it is harder to wash off is a plus in this way, but does come with the down side of being a slightly dirtier lube – wiping the chain down regularly will help massively with this, however. (buy here)

Silca Super Secret

Amazingly efficient lube, which has no problems getting inside the chain where it needs to be and performs flawlessly. A drip lube that comes genuinely close to matching immersive wax performance. The only down side is it is quite expensive to buy; however it’s many multiples of better performance over any wet lube and even some lesser wax drip lubes means you’ll make the money back with all the chainrings and cassettes you won’t have to buy! (buy here)

Cleaning Products

The following are the best things to use when cleaning the chain on the bike in order to not expose other parts/paint to potentially being damaged/faded. If cleaning the chain off the bike, White Spirit and Meths will provide the best results.

UFO Clean

Many standard cleaners have a hard time removing wax, so if you want to clean a chain on the bike this is your best bet. Specifically formulated to clean chains treated with wax. Expensive, but brilliant performance. (buy here)

Smoove Prep Chain Cleaner

Another cleaner specially made to clean waxed chains, slightly cheaper but you may have to use more. (buy here)

Other Info

What to do after a wet ride

Firstly, don’t leave it wet! Waxed chains do not have any oily coating to protect the exposed parts from oxidation, so will turn orange quickly if left wet. Give it a wipe down on the bike with a clean cloth, or even a cloth with meths on to get as much water off it as possible. The absolute best thing to do would be to take it off, wipe it dry and stick it on a radiator/in the sun to fully dry. Once the chain is as dry as you can get it, you should add some drip on wax lube at this point to both top up the wax and displace any water left in the chain.

Where to get cleaning supplies

The great thing about waxing is that very little cleaning will be required. Water and maybe soap will do the trick 99% of the time. However, to give the chain a quick wipe down on the bike methylated spirit is great and very cheap. It will also be effective on chainrings/jockey wheels and cassettes. To fully clean a chain off the bike, White Spirit and Meths are required. Both are available from any DIY store for very little money.

I have a chain cleaning device, can I use that?

The chain cleaners that roll the chain through a ‘bath’ of water/cleaning agent can absolutely be used on a waxed chain. The only no-no would be to use a dirty one that’s been used on an oily chain, as that would likely add more contamination than it removed. The other down side of these is that they pass the chain multiple times through the same very small amount of water/cleaning agent, which will get dirty quickly in some circumstances. If you compare that to multiple sponge-fulls of fresh water, just running it through a sponge seems a better option. Also, the brushes in these cleaners rotate as the chain passes through them, which is the exact opposite of what you want – you want the brush to be scrubbing, so either staying still or going the opposite way. For this, holding two nailbrushes above and below the chain is quick, easy and cheaper.

Is soapy water the best thing to clean a waxed chain?

If we’re splitting hairs, no. The best thing is one of the specialist cleaners recommended above if cleaning on the bike. Or for even better results, taking the chain off the bike and properly cleaning it. However, as an ‘everyday’ clean it will work acceptably well and allow the chain to remain cleaner and smoother running for longer than not doing anything. Just don’t leave it wet afterwards!

My chain’s all rusty, what’s happened!

Did you read the above about not leaving a chain wet? Assuming so, if you forgot to dry the chain it will have rusted. You can still use the chain, it will just be discoloured and less than perfect. Try to take more care next time! If you didn’t leave the chain wet, you may be in a very strange situation that’s not suitable for a wax lube.

Are there any circumstances not suitable for waxed chains?

Generally, any circumstance not suitable for wax will be a real challenge for any chain lube. The are only a few things that might make it impossible. One is if the bike is parked outside where it will be regularly getting, and staying, wet. The other is if you live very close to the sea and the bike is regularly getting sprayed with salt water! In these circumstances you might be better with the protective film of wet lube. For reference the best tested wet lube by far by ZFC is Silca Super Synergetic.

Seems a lot of work, I normally just wipe my chain and stick some lube on…

Feel free to keep doing that! Just be aware that you are wiping the outer part of your chain ‘clean’, leaving the internal parts coated with a ‘grinding paste’ made up of old chain lube, metal filings and dirt. You will slightly dilute this grinding paste by adding new lube, however the chain will quickly get dirty again. Your chain may have a smooth feel, but expect to get 2-3000km out of it before it’s worn out (a good waxed setup will easily get five times this lifespan). You will also fairly soon need a new cassette and maybe even chainrings.

If you want to literally just periodically wipe the chain and re-apply lube, you may still be better off with a top performing wax based drip lube unless you are regularly leaving the bike wet. You will have some of the benefits of wax, but the chain will be dirtier and not last as long.

Benefits of multiple chains

If you’re thinking similar to our ‘seems a lot of work’ person above, but want to give waxing a go, two or more chains may be the answer! In this situation, if you get caught in a wet ride or your chain is just looking a bit grubby, just pop it off and stick another one on. You can then clean two or three at a time, and have them ready to either immersive wax or re-apply drip lube when fitted to the bike.

You will generally get two or three chains’ worth of use out of one cassette, so it’s also a handy way to spread the wear on the cassette by using it more often with a less worn chain. Look at it this way – if you hadn’t started using wax you’d have probably needed a new chain anyway soon, at least this way you haven’t worn through it and thrown it away already!

What to do with leftover meths/white spirit

These chemicals are fairly harsh and you might think it’s very wasteful to use so much of them. However, you can pour used White Spirit into a spare container and leave it to settle. You can then pour the top ‘clean’ stuff into a container. You can use this for the first few passes of cleaning for future chains. This will leave only a small amount which you can collect and dispose of properly once the container is full.

For the Meths, you can also use the ‘dirty’ stuff as the first pass for cleaning chains of White Spirit. Dispose of the worst contaminated part as per above (or even just leave to evaporate!)