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Don’t fear chain wax – Easy bicycle chain waxing guide
Chain wax ensures a clean, quiet, and highly durable bicycle chain. Whether it's hot wax or drip wax - we'll show you how to properly wax your bike chain.
Still oiling or already waxing?
Imagine a timeline where at the start, someone hears the word "bike chain" for the first time, and at the end, pro cyclists like Tadej Pogačar are winning Tour de France races. Somewhere on this scale, it happens: The realization that chain wax is the superior lubricant. And not just for professional cycling teams, but also for gravel bikes, MTBs, touring bikes, or e-bikes.
But chain wax doesn’t only make pros and casual cyclists faster than with an oiled chain – contrary to rumors, you'll be actually saving a ton of time and money with waxed chains in the long run.
If you're into saving a surprising amount of effort and a hefty chunk of money on wear parts for your bicycle, road bike, gravel bike, mountain bike, or e-bike, this article is just for you.
Two bike chains: One with chain wax on the left and one oiled on the right. Wax is dry, cleaner, and leaves no stains. © bc GmbH
Why lubricate a bike chain?
The only power source on a bike is your muscle strength. It's up to you to decide how much of this precious resource you want to use for propulsion or, due to friction, for grinding down expensively purchased drivetrain parts.
Lubricating the drivetrain on a bike or e-bike, therefore, has two objectives: The more effectively you lubricate the chain, sprockets, and chainrings, the lower the friction and thus the wear on these components. Additionally, you'll be pleased to find that with an optimally lubricated drivetrain, you simply put more power on the road, meaning you're faster. Manufacturers promise savings of between 2 and 10 watts.
- Lubrication reduces friction
- Less friction means more speed
- Less friction means less material wear
- Less material wear saves money on drivetrain components.
In our article how to properly lubricate a bike chain we delve deeper into fundamental questions about chain maintenance.
$4,500 savings over 10,000 km
Back to chain wax: The Australian nerd blogger Adam Kerin has calculated on his website Zerofrictioncycling.com.au, on a test stand for 10,000 ridden kilometers with a Shimano Dura-Ace group, costs for various common chain lubricants plus worn-out components ranging from $256 (with a chain wax) to astronomical $4,830 Aussie dollars (with a chain oil).
And at these numbers, it's clear: We're onto something pretty big here!
Chain wax is significantly superior to oil as a lubricant. © bc GmbH
What is chain wax?
Waxes are solid or semi-solid at room temperature, melt between 50-100° Celsius, and consist of especially long-chain hydrocarbons, typically paraffin, with added additives.
For lubricating bike chains, wax must either be melted by heating, which is referred to as hot wax, or alternatively, tiny wax droplets, usually in water, are emulsified to bring wax into the interior of the chain using this liquid. In this case, we're talking about cold wax or also drip wax.
Compared to oils, chain wax tends to last much longer on (more precisely in) your bicycle's chain due to their consistency. Because of their dry surface, waxes bind little dust and therefore transport significantly fewer abrasive particles into the interior of the chain.
Nice side effect: Waxed drivetrains not only look much cleaner; those familiar, hard-to-remove oily-black spots on hands, calves, or pant legs are a thing of the past with chain wax. The lifespan of a waxed chain is easily several times that of an oiled chain. Additionally, waxes are less problematic in the environment than oils.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| less wear | initial extra effort in degreasing |
| less dirt | prone to rust |
| more power for propulsion | drying time for drip wax |
| longer maintenance intervals | Effort for hot wax in wax bath |
| reduced costs for drivetrain parts | |
| less environmental impact |
Hot wax or drip wax - the differences
Hot waxes are undeniably the elite class among lubricants for bicycle chains. A bit more complicated due to the application in the hot wax bath but unmatched in terms of their lubricating properties.
Drip wax, or cold wax, on the other hand, combines most of the advantages of chain wax with a simplified application: Cold waxes like Squirt, Silca Super Secret Chain Lube, Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower Wax or the plant-based wax from Toniq are liquid wax-in-water emulsions at room temperature, so they can simply be dripped onto a chain. After applying drip wax, however, you'll have to wait until the carrier, usually water, has evaporated, leaving a wax film in the chain rollers for lubrication. Another aspect: Drip wax already lasts significantly longer on your chain than oils, but the longest maintenance intervals are offered by hot wax.
Chain degreasing – quick and simple
Most* new bike chains come oiled. This is mainly to prevent corrosion during storage and transport. No matter what lubricant you choose: You'll want to get rid of this factory oil on a new chain first. Especially before using chain wax, because wax sticks really well to clean steel but doesn't bond or work effectively on oil or oily surfaces. So, the first and only time you need to thoroughly degrease your chain is crucial for a happy, long-lasting, and fast bike chain.
Thorough degreasing of a new chain is essential preparation for applying chain wax. © bc GmbH
There are various bicycle drive train cleaners available, all designed to remove dirt, oil, and wax as completely as possible from chains, pulleys and cogs. You can also use a variety of nonpolar solvents, such as gasoline, alcohol, mineral spirits, or thinner from the hardware store. There are plenty of recipes and many experts out there. Besides handling these aggressive and generally flammable substances carefully and responsibly, meticulousness and elbow grease are important – after all, you need to get the chain perfectly clean, right down to the last roller.
If you buy a ready-to-use drive train cleaner, you're in luck: They come with precise instructions for their use. The Silca Chain Stripper, for instance, is specifically optimized for subsequent wax application.
As long as the drivetrain cleaner appears cloudy or dirty, the chain is not yet clean. © bc GmbH
Shaking and swirling in old screw-top jars or retired water bottles as well as using ultrasonic cleaning devices have proven effective for using alcohol & Co. In general, you need to repeat the process until the solvent or cleaner stays clear, without any coloration or cloudiness. Solvent residues that you don't want to save and reuse should be considered contaminated with oil and disposed of in an eco-friendly manner.
Once you've finished degreasing your chain, you can simply hang it up to dry or, if you're in a hurry, gently heat it with a hair dryer until all the solvent has evaporated from its interior (Ensure good ventilation!). Once that's done, it's time for wax.
Applying cold wax
Applying cold wax is indeed quite straightforward: Mount the clean chain on an equally clean drivetrain and lovingly apply cold wax drop by drop onto the inside of the chain links from the well-shaken bottle.
You'll want to shift to the large outer chain ring at the front and one of the large inner sprockets at the back, as the high angle helps work the chain links more thoroughly, allowing the wax-in-water emulsion to penetrate more easily into the interior.
Drip wax can be easily applied link by link to your degreased (or waxed) mounted bike chain. © bc GmbH
Once all the chain links are properly treated, pedal a few revolutions backwards, wipe off any excess wax from the outside, and let it dry for a while. After another treatment, your new chain is now cold-waxed and ready for action. Important with drop wax is to allow enough time for the contained water to dry before you start riding. Ideally, you'd do the waxing the evening before a ride.
Applying hot wax
Hot wax is considered something like the end boss for rookies in the wax-game, but fear not – because actually, its application is quite simple:
Hot waxes, as the name suggests, become liquid at temperatures around 75°C (167°F) and are then ready for use. Using hot wax means threading the chain onto a thick wire (like an old spoke) and dipping it into warmed up liquified wax. So, you'll need a pot, possibly in a double boiler, where you warm up a sufficient amount of chain wax and then submerge the chain into it.
The minimalist solution for hot-waxing your bike chain is the Silca bag in a water bath. © bc GmbH
Manufacturer Silca ships its Secret Chain Blend Hot Wax in a resealable plastic bag that you can simply warm up in a pot of hot water or a kettle. Special electric wax heaters like the Silca Ultimate Chain Waxing System make your wax bath even easier with digital temperature control and a drip stand.
The convenient solution for hot-waxing is an electric wax warmer. © bc GmbH
Step 1: Bathe the chain in wax
Step 2: Breaking in the chain
Step 3: Installation
Step 4: Touch up
If you regularly hot-wax your chain, it's a good idea to stock up on a few chain links or - if you're not using a flat top chain - switch to the genius, tool-free Connex Links by Wippermann. These last as long as your chain, no matter how often you open them.
Maintaining a waxed bicycle chain
Even a waxed chain needs maintenance, though significantly less and a bit different from oiled chains. Depending on the manufacturer, maintenance intervals for waxed chains in dry conditions are around 200-400 kilometers, then a short refresh with cold wax suffices. Silca not only offers hot wax but also a drip wax called Super Secret Chain Lube, allowing you to easily refresh your hot-waxed chain in between.
In general, mixing products from different manufacturers, hot wax from manufacturer A, refreshing with cold wax from manufacturer B, should also work seamlessly. There are also chain waxes for different purposes: waxes for wet or cold weather or Dynamic's Watts Up, a chain wax specifically designed for use on a roller trainer.
After 1,000 to 2,000 km, depending on wax manufacturer and riding conditions, a hot waxed chain should be externally cleaned of dirt and then go into the hot wax bath another time. A prior degreasing/dewaxing is not necessary again. The intervals shorten accordingly in wet or dirty conditions.
It’s especially important to thoroughly dry a waxed chain with a microfiber cloth after each ride through wet or rainy conditions: Wax is a superior lubricant but only moderately suitable as rust protection.
Life hack 1: * Buy pre-waxed chains
With a factory-waxed chain, like the additionally high-polished and supposedly extra fast Ceramicspeed Ufo Chains, you save the annoying degreasing part and can start riding right away
Life hack 2: hot waxing without degreasing
Wait, what? With its Strip Chips, Silca offers an additive that enables hot waxing without prior degreasing: After adding a piece of Silca Strip Chip, the oil present on a brand-new chain is bound and solidified through a physical process called oleogelation. According to the manufacturer, this makes the annoying degreasing of a new chain for hot wax preparation completely unnecessary.
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Chain Wax FAQ
Can I combine chain oil with wax?
You shouldn't mix oil and chain wax: If you apply chain wax to an already oiled bicycle chain, it creates a sticky mass that does not adhere to the chain - but everywhere else. In an extreme emergency, you could oil a previously waxed chain, but then you're in for another degreasing session asap.
How often should I wax my bicycle chain?
Wax lasts longer on the chain than oil, and hot wax lasts longer than drop wax. Depending on your riding conditions, you’ll need to re-wax every 200–400 kilometers ridden. Occasionally check your chain: If it rattles or even starts squeaking, it needs new wax. Particularly handy are the small 15-ml bottles of cold wax you can get from Squirt or Toniq and easily carry in your jersey pocket or hip pack.
Are there environmentally friendly alternatives to chain oil?
Yes. Chain wax is less problematic for the environment than oil. However, it should be noted that paraffin, the main component of most chain wax products, is made from mineral oil and, due to its properties ("par affin", roughly translated from Latin, means "not interested"), decomposes very slowly in the environment.
What are the disadvantages of chain wax?
While chain wax is a superior lubricant, it is not a good rust protector. For constant riding in wet conditions or for a city or pub bike left out in the rain, oil may therefore be the better solution.
Is chain wax suitable for all types of bicycles?
Yes. If there's a chain on your bike, chain wax is the best lubricant. The only exception is bicycle chains that are frequently or for extended periods exposed to wetness.
Does chain wax work on mountain bikes?
Of course. Chain wax is also a superior lubricant on MTB, E-MTB, or gravel bikes, significantly extending the life of your drivetrain components.
When should I use chain oil instead of wax?
Chain oil is actually only better than wax in very wet conditions, as it can better protect your bicycle chain from rust.
How do I clean my chain before waxing?
A new bicycle chain needs to be meticulously degreased before applying chain wax. The only exception is the use of Silca Strip Chips in the hot wax. This additive can convert oil so you can start waxing without prior degreasing.
If your chain was already waxed, it's sufficient to clean it of dirt, such as by thorough brushing. A repeated degreasing is not necessary anymore.
Can I buy pre-waxed chains?
Yes. More and more manufacturers offer factory-waxed bicycle chains. This saves you the degreasing, so you can start riding right away.
Can I reuse hot wax?
You can let hot wax cool down after use and reuse it until there's not enough left for dipping a chain or the wax doesn't seem clean enough to you. In general, you should avoid introducing sand, dust, or dirt into your wax bath as much as possible.
What mistakes should I avoid when using chain wax?
Apply cold wax sparingly, wipe off excess wax from the outside of the chain: It cannot contribute to lubrication there and thus doesn't get into the environment.
Let your chain lie in the hot wax for at least 10 minutes, so it becomes sufficiently warm and wax can penetrate into the chain rollers. Then move it gently to get rid of any air bubbles.
A chain that you've freshly treated with hot wax will be covered in wax crumbs on the outside after it's been broken in. You should carefully brush these off so you don't spread them on the floor or worse: in nature.
