Does Your Chain Wax Temperature Matter? - SILCA
Chain waxing has been a growing trend, and if you ask us here at SILCA, it is really the right answer to chain lubrication. We have seen for quite some time that for absolute optimal performance of the chain lubricant, it is important to pull the chain from the wax as close to the melt point as possible. It is a pretty simple theory that the faster the melted wax cools, the more wax is in the chain. The more wax means more lubricant, which means longer-lasting performance.
While this is a fairly straightforward theory and has been anecdotally confirmed by our pro riders , employees, and customers, we wanted to see exactly how big of an impact this makes. SILCA has always been looking for ways to improve your ride by making a big deal out of the little things. Attaining the ideal chain wax temperature certainly qualifies as making a big deal of the little things. Before dialing in the right wax temperature, it’s important to start with proper chain stripper wax prep, and our full collection can help ensure your chain is perfectly cleaned and ready for hot-waxing.
The Chain Waxing Process
To test our theory, we started with a completely stripped 11s Ultegra Chain. We weighed this chain to get a baseline of how heavy the chain with no grease at all would weigh. Then we would wax that chain in our SILCA Chain Waxing System at 75°C and hang it. Once it dried completely, we added it to the scale to see how much wax was retained in the chain. This tells us exactly how much wax was left in the chain.
Testing Different Temperatures
We tested three different temperatures. The first was our ideal temperature of 75°C. We pick this temperature as it is slightly above the melt point of the wax, which should leave as much wax in the chain as possible. The second was 95°C, as we have seen some popular recommendations to pull the chain at 95°C. The third is 125°C, as that is where we typically recommend using our StripChip before dropping to 75°C to pull the chain. We wanted to quantify how much less wax might be in the chain if you skip the drop to 75°C step and just pull it at 125°C.
Waxing Chains at 75°C
Our recommendation is going to be our baseline for the test. When we let the wax sit at 75c for about 30 minutes to make sure that all the temperatures had settled and the PID-controlled pot would have the entire pot at 75°C. We dipped the chain and allowed it to sit for about 5 minutes. This is enough time to allow the metal to get to the same temperature and stop any flash drying on the outside of the chain. You need the wax deep inside the links, and heating the metal is key.
We pulled the chain and let it cool. When it was ok to do so, we weighed the chain to develop a baseline. That chain weighed in at 287.5g, which showed a 4.2g weight increase. 4.2g would be set as the baseline amount of wax left at our recommended temperature.
Waxing Chains at 95°C
As we were waiting for the waxed chain to cool from the first test, we raised the temperature to 95°C on the pot and let the heater bring the wax up to 95°C and settle there. After recording the weight from the first test, the same chain went straight back into the pot for another 5 minutes. This ensures that all the wax from the previous test is melted and will reset the chain to zero.
We repeated the pulling, hanging, and cooling process. It came time to weigh the chain, and the 283.2g chain grew to 287g. That is 0.5g or 12% less wax that was left in the chain.
Waxing Chains at 125°C
Now you get the process. If you were to use StripChip and pull the chain directly at 125°C, how big of an impact would that be? That chain weighed just 286.2g, or 1.3g less than or 75°C chain. That is about 30% less wax retained in the chain.
Conclusion
The temperature you pull your chain out of the hot wax certainly matters for how much wax is left in the chain. This test tells us that there is more wax left at lower temperatures and is absolutely larger than the margin of error here. What this simple test tells us is, how does that impact performance? Does a 12% reduction in wax mean a 12% reduction in longevity? Is it 5%, 20% or does it matter at all? It will likely have an impact, but as with almost all tests, we leave with more questions than when we started. Keep an eye on this topic for more testing to come in the future.
I agree with previous comments. From a mechanical engineering standpoint, penetration of the links definitely outweighs pure adhesion. More adhesion also results in a generally messier drive train where wax gets stuck on chainrings and in the cassette, not benefitting any reduction of wear. Therefore, pulling the chain at high temperature, letting excess wax drip off and wiping the outside surfaces of the chain off has yielded the best results.
Your article confirms common sense but that then triggers another related question: Should we be hanging a hot waxed chain at all vs laying it flat to solidify? If less hotter wax with lower viscosity is remaining in a hung chain then surely the links with the least wax are those at the top with the most ‘stretching’ weight on them. Laying the chain down will cause pooling on the bottom side but should not squeeze out the wax from the pins – right?
This is really interesting but I wonder if there is a best of both worlds here where you hit and stay at 125 and then lower to 75 like with your strip chip but do it always? Would the hotter thinner wax penetrate better and when cooling to 75 allow additional layering?
How much of the weight difference was wax IN the chain vs wax ON the chain?
This is really interesting. The other question I have is whether the extra weight of wax on the chain that was pulled at the lower temps is within the links at all. Maybe it has just set more quickly as it’s been left to cool and dry, and all that extra weight is now just sat externally, ready to come off (mostly) when chain is bent ready to go on the bike, and then during the first X km of riding. It would be interesting to have a repeat weight measurement after each of these steps too. Might give a better indication of the amount of wax retained in the links.
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