Maintaining a bicycle chain is crucial for optimal performance, longevity, and cost savings. A well-lubricated chain reduces friction, ensures smooth shifting, and protects against corrosion, extending the lifespan of expensive drivetrain components like cassettes and chainrings. Among the various chain lubrication methods, waxing has emerged as a popular option, offering efficiency gains and reduced chain wear. This article delves into the world of bike chain wax, providing reviews of top products and a comprehensive guide to waxing your chain for peak performance.
Think of the chain as the heart of your bike’s drivetrain. If it’s gunked up with contaminants, it’s not able to function efficiently, and performance suffers. Waxing a chain ensures each metal surface of a chain such as the link plates, rollers, bushings and pins are covered in a layer of hard wax. This means there is minimal or no metal-to-metal contact and abrasion which is what wears chains out, accelerated by contamination such as dirt and dust.
Wax-based lubricants offer a user-friendly alternative to traditional wax immersion, providing efficiency gains and reduced chain wear. Wax not only protects against corrosion but it reduces friction to help keep that chain moving freely which can enhance efficiency and reduce the wear on your drivetrain.
Compared to some of the worst drip lubricants out there, immersive chain waxing presents a huge improvement in performance. As such, you're going to be giving your drivetrain and chain a far better fighting chance with waxing, saving watts and extending chain life.
Choosing a bike chain lube can be a minefield, with numerous options and no hard-and-fast rule as to which lubricants work best in specific conditions. Despite the seemingly endless differences, chain lube can be categorized into just two simple types: wet and dry. However, wax-based lubes have gained prominence, bridging the gap between the two.
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Wet Lubes: These oil-based lubricants are designed for wet conditions, offering water resistance and durability. They are suitable for all weather conditions, but they really come to the fore when riding in autumn and winter, as they are water-resistant, so they won’t get washed off while riding through puddles or in a rainstorm. Most wet lubes will provide efficient lubrication for over 100 miles of riding with one application. If you ride in the winter months, a wet lube will resist salt corrosion and are also really good at reducing drivetrain noise. However, the sticky nature of wet oil can attract dirt, which, if left to build up, can act as a grinding paste to wear out components rapidly. It also oxidises and if left to build up, ends up as thick black gunk. Using wet lube properly requires regular degreasing and cleaning of your drivetrain.
Dry Lubes: These wax-based lubricants are designed for dry, dusty, and hot conditions. In dry, spring and summer conditions, you want to use a lighter lubricant, usually a wax-based ‘dry’ lube. Dry lubes are much cleaner to use and attract less dirt build-up, even with repeated applications. This makes them much better in dry or dusty conditions, especially off-road or on gravel. However, even a light rain shower will wash dry lube off the chain, and it is less durable; an 80-mile ride in dry conditions can drastically reduce lubrication.
Wax-Based Lubes: Also known as wax drip, wax-based lubes offer a user-friendly alternative to waxing a chain using wax immersion (and the top-level cleaning that is required to wax a chain effectively), that still offers some of the efficiency gains and reduced chain wear of wax. Most wax-based drip-on lubes claim to be good for all conditions and are preferred by many high-performance, high-mileage riders for their ability to reduce the rate of wear on the drivetrain and their often long application intervals.
Here's a look at some of the best bike chain waxes on the market, considering factors like longevity, performance, and ease of use:
Developed to be used in the Absa Cape Epic MTB stage race that runs in South Africa, a race that is notoriously hard on drivetrain and suspension components, Smoove proved to be so long-lasting that it was dripped onto the chains of the majority of the top ten teams the year it was launched. It takes a little bit of chain prep before the first application, but when done correctly the wax-based lube will last for an extraordinary number of miles. During testing, we found that the extra effort required in the application stage paid dividends when it was time to ride. After 150 miles in varied conditions, including some rain, the chain still ran smoothly and was noise-free. As it is a wax-based product, Smoove Lube does require the chain to be nice and clean before application, but if done correctly, then it works brilliantly.
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Fenwicks looks to marry the advantages of wet and dry lubes with its All Condition formulation. It's a bit lighter than many wet lubes, so it soaks into the chain quickly and doesn't become claggy or collect dirt, doesn't wash off in the rain, but is still easy to clean your chain. It's also biodegradable and comes in a bottle made from recycled plastic, so its environmental credentials are first rate too. We tested the lube in a range of weather conditions. We were impressed with how little dirt the lube picked up, even after a gravel ride. Perhaps the best one-bottle option, Fenwicks All Conditions lube performed well whatever the weather.
Finish Line's dry lube is very effective at repelling dirt, making it a good choice for dry and dusty riding. Teflon is used in this dry lube to reduce friction and mechanical wear as it penetrates all the nooks and crannies for complete protection. The downside to Teflon is that it's harmful to the environment, even though it's used here in very small doses. In dry conditions, the lube worked well. Our chain stayed very clean, with the Teflon seeming to work just as well as it does in frying pans. Finish Line says that the 60ml bottle should be good for around 100 miles. Designed for dry and dusty conditions, the Finish Line lube did a great job.
Using a two part formula, Peaty's link lube needs to be shaken before use. Peaty's Linklube is branded as a lubricant that cleans and is designed to dislodge dirt, muck, and grime from your chain links. I couldn't confirm whether this was true, but even after a deep clean, the chain tends to go black and look dirty after use. I have no issues with this, as my chains all run smoothly, quietly, and rarely seem to attract any additional dirt. While Linklube struggles when conditions get extreme, for everything in between it is spot on. The two-part formula keeps chains quiet and smooth, without being sticky and attracting debris.
Muc-Off's wet lube formula contains no harmful acids, CFCs or solvents, as well as being biodegradable. It features the company's integral Extreme Pressure Additives coat for increased efficiency in the drive chain. On test, the lube kept our chain quiet and smooth, although it did attract a bit of dirt and grime. In wet conditions, both real and simulated, the chain remained rust-free. Perfect for winter use or when reapplication might be awkward, Muc-Off's Wet Lube lasted well and prevented noise and rust for extended periods.
Squirt's Chain Lube is a wax and water-based lubricant that is noticeably drier and cleaner than most oil-based options. Ideally, it should be applied to a sparkling clean chain and then left for a while to penetrate fully before use, so no last-minute applications before diving out the door on a Sunday morning. When conditions are reasonably dry then it lasts very well and I have used it without issue on road, gravel and mountain bike drivetrains, but I confess that my chains do get very regularly cleaned. If you prefer to layer on lube after lube without recourse to a brush and cleaner, then perhaps look elsewhere. As it isn't as sticky as oily lubes, dust doesn't get attracted to it which has to help chain and cassette longevity but very wet or gritty conditions can strip it off fairly quickly. Extremely clean, efficient and quiet, Squirt's wax-based lube is fantastic in the right conditions.
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The Silca Secret chain blend uses highly refined paraffin and a high concentration of three specific sizes of nano-scale Tungsten Disulfide to provide its chain protection and coating. It's claimed to be the fastest chain wax coating currently on the market, this finding was published when CeramicSpeed released its UFO drip lubricant and carried out a lubricant dry conditions test over a period of hours monitoring wattage losses. Silca takes a slightly altered approach to wax and advocates the use of its overall 'wax system' for best results. The secret blend waxing system allows for both the secret chain blend hot melt wax and super secret chain drip lubricant to be used in tandem, they share the same formula but the drip lube is contained within a carrier which is water. This allows you to 'top up' your chain in between immersive waxings. This is designed to really maximise the amount of wax in the chain, improving performance and lubrication and keeping it running quietly as waxed chains can sound a little bit louder. Though of course, you can just use the immersive wax on your chain. I melted the wax in a slow cooker but a nice feature of the Silca resealable plastic sous vide pouch means you can also just place the bag with wax and your chain inside into hot water and melt the wax that way, then all you need to do is remove your freshly waxed chain and you are ready to ride. I tend to stick to my slow cooker however (pictures below) and keep the wax out of the kitchen. To get the best results when waxing you need a clean chain, Silca further simplifies the waxing process with its StripChip which saves you from having to remove the factory grease from a new chain, removing a step and speeding up the process.
Our V2 formulation lasts longer than any other hot melt wax in wet and dry contamination, has even lower friction and withstands higher ambient temperatures thanks to a completely redeveloped wax blend. We combined 3 years of customer feedback to create an even better product. It exhibits excellent dirt-protecting capabilities and durability whilst maintaining impressively low friction for a prolonged period of time in dry and mixed conditions. Easy to break in after the chain cools down. Our wax doesn't leave any marks thanks to our proprietary formula. It is the First and only chain wax formula with true graphene powder. Keeps your drivetrain clean. Can be used along with GRAPHENlube ®. It's the quietest hot melt wax you will ever use. It binds really well to my chains and doesn't flake like paraffin. We use a proprietary blend of graphene particles of various sizes, produced by one of the world's best graphene manufacturers located in the UK. Unlike other Hot Melt waxes, GRAPHENwax ® V2 not only exhibits the lowest friction but also lasts longer and is much easier to use. Our wax flakes less than paraffin during the chain movement, meaning you have more wax that protects the drivetrain for longer. It can also withstand those hot days when other wax lubricants simply melt off your chain.
Based in Minnesota, USA, and started producing wax for bicycle chains back in 2013. Mspeedwax now claims its product has been used to win 15 World Championships and six Olympic Gold medals so far, off the record we know plenty of pro riders use the brand's product. Molten Speedwax is comprised of refined paraffin, tungsten disulfide and molybdenum disulfide to help keep your chain running smoothly. Sold by the pound, each kit contains two 'pucks' or cylindrical blocks which will treat at least 24 chains. This will keep your drivetrain spinning smoothly for over 5000 miles or 8000 kilometres comfortably while extending the life of the rest of your drivetrain too. Mspeedwax recommends re-waxing a training chain roughly every 300mi / 480km, or 180mi / 290km for a race chain to help ensure maximum efficiency. Zero Friction recommends re-waxing around every 180 mi / 300km. I'd recommend erring on the side of caution and doing it in shorter intervals. I have used Molten Speed Wax for a few years on my own drivetrain and switched to the updated current formula when it was released. The large 'pucks' take slightly longer to melt down in a slow cooker due to their size, so choose a day to do your initial melt and wax when you are in no rush. Once waxed, MSpeedwax is completely colourless and runs quietly and smoothly.
Finnish company Rex has been making ski wax for around 70 years, but in 2015 launched a bike products range using the knowledge and expertise gained from ski wax manufacturing. A box of Black Diamond wax contains twelve square wax blocks. Eleven white wax blocks are a blend of paraffin waxes whilst the single black wax block is comprised of lubricating additives. The individual wax blocks mean you can tailor your own wax blend, something the other waxes in the guide don't offer. Results showed close to 1500km of (indoor) riding on a single application at 250 watts before lubrication wore and the chain wear rate increased. Rex also claims a single application will last up to 1000km (this depends on riding conditions and style), although re-waxing before this mark is probably a good idea. Like a lot of hot waxes, Rex keeps contaminants at bay and your drivetrain clean which I really like. Like MSW above, the blocks take a little longer to melt down, so choose a day when you aren't in a rush to ride and enjoy the benefits of wax. Rex could be an excellent option if you like the idea of waxing but think you might prefer longer periods before you need to re-wax.
Chain waxing isn't for everyone, as it can be time-consuming and messy. However, the results are a clean chain, proven to last significantly longer than one lubricated by synthetic and oil-based lubes.
The prep before waxing is the most time-consuming part of the process and needs to be carried out correctly. This only needs to be done once, to ensure the chain is completely clean. The factory chain coating or grease needs to be stripped from a new chain as well as the small metal filings from manufacturing that will be in the chain from the packet.
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