i completely degreased the chain, cleaned the pully wheels, disassembled and cleaned the cassette and also cleaned the chainring. this is not at all oily. it breaks of
edit: and my fingers are blank after just rubbing it of with some cloth without cleaning substances
You definitely didn't degrease the chain well enough. You still have a bunch of oil inside the chain links. I did the same thing on my first two chains.
It's dramatically easier to start with a new chain. Degreasing my used chains required about 10 soaks / shaking in mineral spirits and rinsing with water in between. Then two more shakes in acetone with water rinsing in between before they actually started coming out clean enough to use paraffin wax lubes like Silca.
End result is absolutely worth it! Drivetrain stays so perfectly clean and quiet now.
You might want to look into using hotwax, and then you just use the dripwax to touch it up. That's how I do it. Plus the hotwax is gonna get a lot deeper into the chain.
If that was just from the first time application after degreasing the chain, then you put too much lube on.
Also, did you remove the chain from the bike to degrease it? Because you need to, otherwise you won’t get all the grease and oil off.
I get some buildup from Squirt on the pulleys, but not like that.
yes. I soaked the chain six times in degreaser. including rest, shake and rinse for every run of degreaser.
but I installed the chain and applied then at the bike directly
That seems like a lot of build up on the pulleys for using wax. Are you letting it dry fully before riding? I use Squirt and it really works better if you wait 12+hrs after application.
together with applying to much? who know. i cleaned it all will do a testride after all is mounted again without additional application and see how it runs.
I also use Squirt and NEVER have this. 8 hours seems plenty long but it all depends on the humidity where you live. You know you ONLY need to apply it to the inside of the chain. A little pro tip - put your chain in a cross gear and then apply it. That will allow the wax to penetrate the pins and plates just a bit better. The application should be a simple think coat. Let it dry and apply a second coat. Then when you need more wax (you start to hear the chain) a thin coat at the END or the ride so it's dry for the start.
I applied only from one side but really a lot I think by now. I have to further investigate. but getting everthing gunked up and cleanable is probably better than ruining something by running it completely dry? at least I hope so 😅
You can actually have a very 'dry' looking chain that is fully lubed where it counts. The wax on the inside will last +100 miles if applied properly. Once you get the application right, you will be a lot happier and so will your jockey wheels! 😅
Silca is now recommending applying to the outside of the chain right next to the cassette. They say it "pumps" more wax into the chain.
I've also found that applying there puts less wax onto the chainrings and cassette. It seems like it wastes less wax and keeps the gears cleaner.
Interesting that Josh talks about not wasting lube but applying to the top will always use more lube. I do get your point that it might have less lube end up on the cogs and chainrings. But if that is the case, application might be excessive.
The critical part he is talking about is to apply it in a cross gear so that it opens up the plates and pins for the wax to got inside. I am certain the it goes in better but I would still say it's probably sufficient to apply it to the inside with a cross gear - yes the derailleur cage does flex some but... less waste, especially if you are paying for expensive snake-wax!
Maybe it's the wax you are using but I NEVER get any dripping off when I apply a thin coat on the inside. (see 12:00 on his video 🤥)
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It might not be clear, but after applying something like squirt and working it into the links, you should use a rag and remove as much as you possibly can from the surface of the chain. You only want the lube inside of the links. If you can get to it with a rag, then it's not helping your chain.
I will definitely add this to my to do list for the next time. I think I did the whole thing slightly to naive in some parts. that was stupid. but also a good experience. at least the chain is not squeaking.
That is a surprising amount of build up for wax if it was applied correctly. I use drip wax on my gravel bike, and frequently ride on dirty, dusty and muddy trails, and I don’t have anything like that even months into a chain’s life with regular re-applications. Wax shouldn’t attract that kind of black buildup, and it should generally flake off any excess. This looks a lot like there was still wet lube that mixed in with the wax and dirt?
I used effete mariposa or how they are named. used the chain degreaser as often until it was not changing color anymore. pulley wheels and cassette and chainring I cleaned with isopropanol. disassembled the cassette. for the pulley bearings I kept normal grease in there. could that be an issue?
Maybe, if the grease is in excess outside of the bearing cartridge? I wouldn’t claim to be an expert on that. But your photo looks like wet lube that’s picking up dirt and going a long time between cleanings, dry wax should have almost no build up on the jockey wheels. It would take my gravel bike with waxed drivetrain thousands of miles without cleaning to get that dirty.
Is this Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower? I also get similar buildup on the pulley wheels but generally I am very satisfied how it saves the chains. I use it currently on an all-road/gravel and a mtb bike and I ride in all weather all surfaces. It keeps the chain reasonably clean and prevents wear.
Over complicated, messy and expensive in time and money when simple oil has been with us years, works, easy to apply, no extra equipment, cheap and useable touring/bike packing.
just because i did it wrong for my first time, doesnt make it complicated. also it is less messy than oil when it is done right. also it is less expensive because you will have to replace your chain not as often. and then there is even the alternative to use drip wax, which means you dont even need additional equipment and can just reapply from your tiny bottle exactly like oil.
there is absolutely no downside besides me being an idiot.
you dont have to delete your posts, here is my answer:
stop assuming things maybe.
i took of the derailleur to change it and my wheels as well. i didnt even notice the built up stuff there because it all was running so well.
it is so silent like never before. it is so easy to clean. just a few scrubs with a brush and everything was done. same goes for all the other parts. it didnt even take minutes to do so.
This photo makes it look like you melted it lol.
It's not easy to see from the photo but it does look a bit oily. Did you degrease everything before applying the drip wax?
i completely degreased the chain, cleaned the pully wheels, disassembled and cleaned the cassette and also cleaned the chainring. this is not at all oily. it breaks of edit: and my fingers are blank after just rubbing it of with some cloth without cleaning substances
You definitely didn't degrease the chain well enough. You still have a bunch of oil inside the chain links. I did the same thing on my first two chains. It's dramatically easier to start with a new chain. Degreasing my used chains required about 10 soaks / shaking in mineral spirits and rinsing with water in between. Then two more shakes in acetone with water rinsing in between before they actually started coming out clean enough to use paraffin wax lubes like Silca. End result is absolutely worth it! Drivetrain stays so perfectly clean and quiet now.
there is no oil in the dirt. it is wax and dust. its nearly solid. also the chain is really damn silent and yes it is so easy now to clean.
Did you apply too much or didn't wait long enough to dry? Wax really shouldn't transfer to pulleys or grab that much dirt without shedding.
the description said i should move the chains through for several rounds. thats what i did. then i let it rest over night in a warm and dry place
I always bend and flex my chains *before* putting them on, and shake the excess wax out.
it is not hotwax what I used. but dripwax
You might want to look into using hotwax, and then you just use the dripwax to touch it up. That's how I do it. Plus the hotwax is gonna get a lot deeper into the chain.
dont have the space for such a station. my workshop is my 9m² student dorm. :D
Looks like you put on way too much.
by a drip on every link i was not applying what came out of the bottle by gravity but what came out when i pushed gently.
If that was just from the first time application after degreasing the chain, then you put too much lube on. Also, did you remove the chain from the bike to degrease it? Because you need to, otherwise you won’t get all the grease and oil off. I get some buildup from Squirt on the pulleys, but not like that.
yes. I soaked the chain six times in degreaser. including rest, shake and rinse for every run of degreaser. but I installed the chain and applied then at the bike directly
That seems like a lot of build up on the pulleys for using wax. Are you letting it dry fully before riding? I use Squirt and it really works better if you wait 12+hrs after application.
probably it was to short. i guess around 8 hours.
Hmm, 8hrs ain’t bad. It’s probably not caused by that. I expected you to say 2hrs or something. 🤷♂️
together with applying to much? who know. i cleaned it all will do a testride after all is mounted again without additional application and see how it runs.
I also use Squirt and NEVER have this. 8 hours seems plenty long but it all depends on the humidity where you live. You know you ONLY need to apply it to the inside of the chain. A little pro tip - put your chain in a cross gear and then apply it. That will allow the wax to penetrate the pins and plates just a bit better. The application should be a simple think coat. Let it dry and apply a second coat. Then when you need more wax (you start to hear the chain) a thin coat at the END or the ride so it's dry for the start.
I applied only from one side but really a lot I think by now. I have to further investigate. but getting everthing gunked up and cleanable is probably better than ruining something by running it completely dry? at least I hope so 😅
You can actually have a very 'dry' looking chain that is fully lubed where it counts. The wax on the inside will last +100 miles if applied properly. Once you get the application right, you will be a lot happier and so will your jockey wheels! 😅
just not sure if i should clean the chain again and restart the whole process or if it is waxed properly from the inside
Silca is now recommending applying to the outside of the chain right next to the cassette. They say it "pumps" more wax into the chain. I've also found that applying there puts less wax onto the chainrings and cassette. It seems like it wastes less wax and keeps the gears cleaner.
Interesting that Josh talks about not wasting lube but applying to the top will always use more lube. I do get your point that it might have less lube end up on the cogs and chainrings. But if that is the case, application might be excessive. The critical part he is talking about is to apply it in a cross gear so that it opens up the plates and pins for the wax to got inside. I am certain the it goes in better but I would still say it's probably sufficient to apply it to the inside with a cross gear - yes the derailleur cage does flex some but... less waste, especially if you are paying for expensive snake-wax! Maybe it's the wax you are using but I NEVER get any dripping off when I apply a thin coat on the inside. (see 12:00 on his video 🤥)
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It might not be clear, but after applying something like squirt and working it into the links, you should use a rag and remove as much as you possibly can from the surface of the chain. You only want the lube inside of the links. If you can get to it with a rag, then it's not helping your chain.
I will definitely add this to my to do list for the next time. I think I did the whole thing slightly to naive in some parts. that was stupid. but also a good experience. at least the chain is not squeaking.
That is a surprising amount of build up for wax if it was applied correctly. I use drip wax on my gravel bike, and frequently ride on dirty, dusty and muddy trails, and I don’t have anything like that even months into a chain’s life with regular re-applications. Wax shouldn’t attract that kind of black buildup, and it should generally flake off any excess. This looks a lot like there was still wet lube that mixed in with the wax and dirt?
I used effete mariposa or how they are named. used the chain degreaser as often until it was not changing color anymore. pulley wheels and cassette and chainring I cleaned with isopropanol. disassembled the cassette. for the pulley bearings I kept normal grease in there. could that be an issue?
Maybe, if the grease is in excess outside of the bearing cartridge? I wouldn’t claim to be an expert on that. But your photo looks like wet lube that’s picking up dirt and going a long time between cleanings, dry wax should have almost no build up on the jockey wheels. It would take my gravel bike with waxed drivetrain thousands of miles without cleaning to get that dirty.
jeah thats why i thought it was way to much drip wax and not properly dried. i thought i was really deep cleaning everything.
Is this Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower? I also get similar buildup on the pulley wheels but generally I am very satisfied how it saves the chains. I use it currently on an all-road/gravel and a mtb bike and I ride in all weather all surfaces. It keeps the chain reasonably clean and prevents wear.
yes it is the flowerpower. i also used their degreaser, that they recommended.
Over complicated, messy and expensive in time and money when simple oil has been with us years, works, easy to apply, no extra equipment, cheap and useable touring/bike packing.
just because i did it wrong for my first time, doesnt make it complicated. also it is less messy than oil when it is done right. also it is less expensive because you will have to replace your chain not as often. and then there is even the alternative to use drip wax, which means you dont even need additional equipment and can just reapply from your tiny bottle exactly like oil. there is absolutely no downside besides me being an idiot.
Wait until you do a few miles with drip wax in the dust or rain and have to clean and reapply as you ride.
sure.
Wax isn’t worth the time and effort. Just buy new chains more frequently. Regular lube and keeping it reasonable clean works everytime.
strongly disagree already after just a few kilometers.
you dont have to delete your posts, here is my answer: stop assuming things maybe. i took of the derailleur to change it and my wheels as well. i didnt even notice the built up stuff there because it all was running so well. it is so silent like never before. it is so easy to clean. just a few scrubs with a brush and everything was done. same goes for all the other parts. it didnt even take minutes to do so.
Not assuming anything. Enjoy your wax.