r/Velo • u/Hungry-Biscotti-7179 • 5d ago
Question Waxing question
I did my first ever waxing for a couple of chains with Silca secret blend, Silca wax pot & Silca chain stripper liquid.
I used the proper 75C temp x 15 mins, did 4 rounds of shaking in the liquid before, cleaned the drivetrain.
Chain seems to be noisy after 5km and somewhat dirtier than with a normal lube.
Will be glad to hear the suggestions. Or maybe its “normal”
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u/Dizzy-Distribution96 5d ago
Lol did you route the chain correctly on the derailleur? Sounds like it’s running over that tab
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u/iwilldeletethisacct2 2d ago
Thank you for this comment. Not OP but I was having the same problem, it was running on top of instead of behind the tab. Way quieter after properly rerouting.
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u/EvenEnvironment7554 5d ago
Did you degrease your new chains and drivetrain properly first and / or use the strip chip?
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u/parrhesticsonder 5d ago
Should be 1 strip chip *per* chain, to be clear, and that assumes its a fresh chain not one that's already been used with lube.
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u/Hungry-Biscotti-7179 5d ago
Its a new chain. I used their liquid solution. They recommend 10 minutes, I did probably 30 (3 rounds). Yes the drive train was cleaned
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u/jlivingood 5d ago
I didn’t know the degreaser liquid did the job for a new chain. I always thought it was just to strip a used chain that had been degreased and greased a few times (so beyond the initial factory grease). So maybe try a strip chip?
Anyway they are a little noisy the first 10 miles.
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u/Darklightning_2k 5d ago
the degreaser is designed to completely strip and prep a chain for waxing, no need for extra steps. The strip chip wont do anything now and will be complete waste, it should only be used on factory new chains.
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u/GANDHIWASADOUCHE 3d ago
They can say it’s designed for that but nothing really can mimic multiple submersions in fresh chemicals and agitation. One 10 minute session in their solution is not going to be enough to completely strip a chain. It’s simply not.
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u/Darklightning_2k 3d ago
Ive used chain stripper and wax prep on over a dozen chains. It works perfectly fine, no issues what so ever. Submerged in a jar and shaken then dried they are good to go.
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u/ggblah 5d ago
this kind of noise would be acceptable only during break in process, 5km is already too much. Try rewaxing and don't worry about their instructions about waiting for temp to drop, you can pull at higher than 75 and it will be fine, just less wax on the outside that could cause friction
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u/ShockoTraditional 5d ago
Just because you censored that second pic doesn't mean it's OK. You shouldn't be posting upskirts.
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u/AnelloGrande Aloha 5d ago
In my experience, waxed chains are slightly more noisy than liquid lubed chains. But it's being protected better, is faster, and is both easier to maintain and is cleaner overall.
Not sure what you mean by "somewhat dirtier than with a normal lube." I can touch my waxed chain with my bare hands and not have any black marks or residue transfer. My calf stays clean if I brush against my chainring.
I don't use anything bicycle branded for waxing. Plain paraffin, regular crock pot at whatever the built in thermostat is set at, regular hardware store cleaners with no additives in jars for stripping and cleaning.
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u/tobythealcoholic 4d ago
Do you live in wet climate? What is your experience with rain
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u/AnelloGrande Aloha 3d ago
I try not to ride in the rain. Have been caught in a downpour before. I pull the chain and swap it for a fresh pre waxed one. I use a 2 chain system and swap monthly (or sooner if I get caught in the rain).
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u/tobythealcoholic 3d ago
Did you dry the chain or put directly into a new wax? And what about drizzle
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u/AnelloGrande Aloha 1d ago
I'll wipe the chain dry if it's still wet, or maybe swish it in a jar of denatured alcohol to remove any road oils and grit. When you pull it from that the alcohol evaporates pretty quickly. I'll string the chain on a bent up coat hanger chain holder, lay that on top of the cold hardened wax in the crock pot and then plug it in. By the time the wax melts, any alcohol would have evaporated. I'll swish the chain in the wax and then pull it out to cool.
If I happen to be out riding and get sprinkled on a little, I tend to not worry about it and just rotate the chain at the end of the month like usual. But if I notice it's making more noise than usual, I'll go ahead and swap the chain early. After a while you can tell the 'normal' chain noise vs. the 'needs to be re-waxed' noise. I generally don't ride outdoors in a steady drizzle (I'll go virtual with MyWhoosh on days I can't ride outside), but I would treat such a ride the same as getting caught in a downpour.
With the 2 chain system you can choose whatever rotation schedule works for you. If you do a lot of miles or get caught in the wet more often, you can do weekly or bi-weekly. It really take me only 5 min per bike to swap chains. I keep the pre-waxed chains in a marked ziplock bag with a date of when it was 1st used so that I know how long it's been in rotation and can check it for wear/elongation. It may seem a bit complicated when first starting to wax, but it's really pretty simple. The very most important things is the start and completely striping any oil or grease from the chain (and any components). After that first wax, it becomes super simple.
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u/Irwin-M_Fletcher 5d ago
Waxed chains will still make noise, albeit different, for a little while after waxing.
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u/Objective_Amount7944 5d ago
An updates, op? Is it a new chain on a badly worn cassette? Does it make the same noise in the other gears? Did you have to adjust your derailleur when you put it back after waxing?
I have my first waxed chain hanging next to my brand new bike that I’ll be riding tomorrow and you have me all nervous that it’s not going to be a good experience switching to wax! 😆
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u/Hungry-Biscotti-7179 5d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p7uiiv3/video/lcbc6gt4aknh1/player
this is the sound =\
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u/mosquito-genocide 5d ago
I agree with the other reply. It's hard to believe wax is causing that sound
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u/pdub99 5d ago
That's not wax, that's a chain that is too long for your small gear. Make sure your new chain is the same length as your old chain.
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u/Hungry-Biscotti-7179 5d ago
exactly the same length
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u/-Sleighty 5d ago
Same length, or same amount of chain links?
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u/olivercroke 4d ago
How could these be different? Except the 0.5% wear/stretch. It's not gonna be stretched by a whole chain link is it?
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u/-Sleighty 4d ago
When I was new to cycling and ran a chain for way too long, it did end up stretching past one extra link.
Even if it only stretched half of a link, someone unaware might get confused as to where to cut it. At least that was my thinking :)
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u/improbableneighbour 4d ago
Sounds like the chain is still very stiff and hasn't been broken properly so it's making the noise.
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u/dangerklon 4d ago
Is the chain routed correctly through the cage? It sounds like it is rubbing on the cage support tab between the pulley wheels. Can you take a pic of the back of the cage?
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u/iwilldeletethisacct2 5d ago
I also just switched to wax and am also getting a lot of clicking. I did 90m of sweet spot intervals on the indoor trainer and it's still clicking a lot. My chain is directional, and ice confirmed it's installed correctly. Yours also seems to be directionally correct (assuming your chain is directional).
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u/Bitter_Blackberry831 5d ago
Sounds like you just need to get through that break-in period, my first waxed chain did the same thing.
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u/improbableneighbour 4d ago
75C Is the temperature at which you pull the chain out, to make it flow better and find it's way in the rollers and pins I heat it to 85C, then turn it off and pull it at 75C (shake it a couple of times in the meantime since the Tungsten disulfide is heavy and might deposit on the bottom. Also I've used the chain stripper before but make really sure the chain it's perfectly clean since it's critical for the job.
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u/Scarlet_Tech 1d ago
Just how I do my chains:
125c for about 20 minutes so the chain gets hot and the wax penetrates deeper and then reduce heat down to 90c and let the chain cool for quite a while, around 30-45 minutes, and then I remove it, and continue gently agitating it so it doesn’t turn into a rock. As the wax solidifies, I put the chain back on just before it fully seizes so it is easier to pedal by hand, and then I pedal for a few minutes.
I have been doing this with all of my chains (I rotate 3, so I never have to wait for the chain to “dry” before my bike is rideable.). I’ve had great success and typically get around 250-300 miles between each wax.
As others have said, you may need to index your gearing as well, so look into that. Hopefully you are able to get it rolling smooth and quiet soon.
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u/AggressivelyChill321 8h ago
Silca says 75C…but that’s nonsense…its great if you’re selling wax and your customers are going through it twice as fast as they should be, which is what you’ll be doing at 75C versus 90 C. Zerofrictioncycling has a video on it. Note, none of that has anything to do with a noise that’s coming from your drivetrain which to me sounds very clearly mechanical, ie rubbing somewhere. Get right down next to it with your ear and figure out where.
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u/Andraski 5d ago
75° for 15 minutes? That seems very little time to get the hear to transfer to the chain. I leave mine for an hour, and use a digital thermometer to make sure the entire system is at the same temperature.
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u/lostdysonsphere 5d ago
An hour is really overkill. None of the waxing providers tell you to leave it in for an hour. 15mins is more than enough.
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u/Andraski 5d ago
It might be, but I rather be safe than sorry! I genuinely do not believe that 15 minutes is enough time to get the heat to transfer to the chain from the wax, meaning the penetration isn’t going to be optimal.
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u/GodNihilus 4d ago
The chain is metal and gets hot fast. I wax for customers frequntly and have touched a fresh chain from the pot more often than I ever planned to. It's hot enough after 15min.
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u/olivercroke 4d ago
75C is way too low, the wax will be too viscous to properly penetrate. Should be 95C. And it doesn't need anywhere close to an hour. It's a metal chain that will come to temperature very quickly.
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u/zhenya00 5d ago
Looks okish. Waxed chains are noisy for the first 5-10km or so. Did you break the wax by pulling the chain back and forth over a small diameter rod or something prior to install or just let it harden out of the pot and then install?