There is some debate going on here among riders where I work about wax or lube being better for a chain for a road bike. I know that wax clings better at high speed and lube tends to fling off. But lube gets into the tight areas of the linkages better and wax cant for it being thicker.

Im going to clean my chain soon but I just wanna know from they guys and gals here what do you think is better for a road bike, chain wax or chain lube? If you can tell me, what brand please?

PS: I have always been using wax and it works great but the dirt tends to cling to it a lot and it makes a lot of grime on the bike.

Thanks

 

Duke, I've always lubed.

Never tried wax. Don't most new bikes come with wax from the factory though?

I just have to accept that the lube will get my white rims dirty.

Simple green and a toothbrush always get them clean again though

 

I'm using Castrol chain wax but it stills fly around everywhere!! I almost give up cleaning my rim.

 

I feel your pain Dinez [&o]

 

Thanks guys, yeah i would like to use lube as it gets into the small spaces of the linkages and o-rings, but that stuff flies everywhere!! Damn, its a bitch getting al the wax off now gonna need about 2 cans of chain cleaner.

Will WD-40 work on wax?

 

I wouldn't use the WD-40 on the chain, I heard it can affect the o-rings in the chain. Or it can take out all the lube from the chain itself.

 

Ok cool, thanks for the heads up.

 

You should never use WD-40 on high speed chains like ours. It does drive out the lube and does not provide any protection after a few miles. Kerosene is also a very big no no when it comes to cleaning the chain. Chain wax is really where its at I think, you just have to take the bike out and get the chain good and warm before applying. This way when you apply the wax the chain will actually pull it into the seals when it melts. Its also easier to wipe off the excess when it is warm like this. ALso, a little tip for cleaning rims really quickly is to get the Armor All cleaning wipes. I use one of those wipes per wheel and they cut through the wax and lube very easily and will not hard paint. Looks nice and wet and clean afterwards. Just .2 cents frommy wallet. Have a good one.

 

Not to be a stick in the mud but I did some research a while back after hearing from a buddy of mine who used to race about the problems associated with WD40. What I found is that contrary to popular belief WD-40 can be quite destructive to O and X ring chains. Once it penetrates into the sealed area of the chain, it dissolves the petroleum out of the grease, leaving the clay binders and other non lubricating additives that stabilize high speed lubes. It is a super penetrant and chain wax and lube will not penetrate these areas as effectively after you clean with WD40. Even if they do, they will be degraded by the soluables in the remaining WD40. What's left in the bearing is essentially dirt that cakes up, causing acceleraed wear. Without the petroleum, rust will also be an issue because WD40 can not maintain stability at the speed, friction, and heat levels that our chains see and will soon evaporate and turn to nothing. Essentially WD40 is like syntheitc oils in car engines, once you use it you can't go back because regualr oils will not be able to adhere to the metals in your engine. Wd40 may work well at cleaning, but its what you can't see that causes the problems. I know it forces out moisture, but really moisture will never penetrate the O or X rings because there is petroleum there and also they are sealed rings. I know this is an age old debate but WD40 was inventied in the 40s as a circuit board cleaner, and it was never meant for high speed lubrication. You may never see a failure associated with its use and so what if it shaves a few thousand miles off your chains life, its just good to have the info to make a decision. Again, I mean no offense in my disagreeing with you, just throwing out what I know. Enjoy the rest of the season.