# Waxed chain - 1200 km tour



## flyingsqrl (Jan 23, 2011)

I have waxed my chains for awhile. Usually get 300-350 km on the gravel bike and 200-250 km on the mtb before re-waxing. Longest tour l've ridden is 200 km. Now I'm planning a 1200 km tour on the gravel bike that will pass through several towns (no cities). The tour starts at my front door. I estimate it will take 10 days; not going for a FKT. Wondering what to do about the chain, I came up with these options. Some options require packing a swisher tool and/or master link pliers. My spares kit includes master links and a short length of chain.

Pack a small bag of wax. Knock on someone's door and ask if I can borrow their slow cooker for an hour. ;-)
Find bike shops along the way that have the means to wax chains. I've never been in a shop that waxed chains, except the one I worked at in the late 70's-early 80's.
Pack extra waxed chains to swap out. I'd need 3.
Mail waxed chains and maybe some other goodies to post offices along the route, marked hold for pickup by the crazy cyclist. Similar to what thru-hikers do.
Get the spouse or a friend to drive out and meet me along the route with waxed chains and other goodies. Treat them to lunch and go on my way.
Pack a small bottle of chain lube. I bought a small bottle of Wolftooth WT-1, and I hope it will do the job.
Any other options?


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

Among many other reasons, this is why I don't bother with waxing chains.

#6 is the only reasonable option.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

#6 with squirt or smoove, both are compatible with waxed chains.


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## JackOfDiamonds (Apr 17, 2020)

3 or 6. But you forgot option 7: F it and just ride. Buy a new chain when you get back if you need to. You've already spend more mental energy on this than I would have.

Why don't your chains last longer before they need waxing? What exactly happens to them? Total protonic reversal? Do they start to squeak or something?


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## tfinator (Apr 30, 2009)

Get a bottle of Squirt and be done with it. 

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk


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## Stahr_Nut (Nov 7, 2006)

tfinator said:


> Get a bottle of Squirt and be done with it.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk


Yep, this. No brainer as far as I'm concerned.


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## mpowers (Mar 9, 2015)

I wax and then use Squirt once they start to become noisy. Squirting again when ever a top off is needed. I would still carry a waxed chain with me for a long trips incase of a break or the other is just not worth the time to clean.


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## VFR800Essex (Jun 18, 2021)

I wax my MTB chains and add graphite power to the wax, works a dream. The only thing thats let the effort down is the quick link I added after waxing the chain.


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## trulede (Sep 12, 2018)

I like option 4. All the other options are too easy, especially 6. Number 5 is interesting, but seems like the easy way out.

Option 3 is also good, since then you have spare chains.


Personally, I would get a small solid fuel cooker, and wax along the way.


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## GMUGNIER (Dec 5, 2006)

Why not carry a small torch (for lighting fires) or use you portable stove jet fuel burner to re-heat the chain itself? Wax does indeed get misplaced and move - but for the most part it is still there - re-heat the chain while the bike is inversed and you are cranking - roll on? I get over 1500 miles out of my chain per waxing - sometimes more - sometimes less - it is a wear item. What wax are you using? (Btw - adding graphite to the hot wax is an excellent idea)


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## KThaxton (Jun 4, 2009)

Another vote for option 6. Pot waxing (to me anyway) seems like a PITA to do at home on a regular basis....and beyond a PITA on a tour.


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## watermonkey (Jun 21, 2011)

I've been waxing chains for several years, for numerous reasons its a viable thing for me to do. Regardless of methods or conditions, there's always a need to "top off" a waxed chain. By accident, I came across this stuff Dri Lube Bike Lubricant with Syncolon® (PTFE) - 55904 while searching for a conduit lube to use for snaking a particularly long and delicate wire to a gauging station. I don't know what this stuff is, but it works great. I realized while on our last camping trip that I haven't switched out chains yet this season for the entire family. Apparently it plays really well with our waxed chains. I can't see any reason why I wouldn't buy this stuff again and again, and its cheap.


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## GMUGNIER (Dec 5, 2006)

There is a specialty grease made by Ultra Safety Systems, its called Ultra Tef-Gel - it is very heavy and viscous and is a proprietary PTFE gel in the form of a heavy grease suspension, its used primarily in the Marine industry - but it works great in any application - I wonder if adding some of this to the wax would help make the waxing last longer. (BTW - I have no affiliation with any of the products that i have discussed)


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## Taroroot (Nov 6, 2013)

Word of caution with ptfe and flourine powders and the like. Avoid ingesting so take care of getting it on hands and breathing particles.


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## GMUGNIER (Dec 5, 2006)

Taroroot said:


> Word of caution with ptfe and flourine powders and the like. Avoid ingesting so take care of getting it on hands and breathing particles.


As long as it doesn't get hotter than 450F there are no issue's - Chain wax melts at boiling temp - that ought to be good enough to get a nice mix.


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## davidream (May 25, 2017)

Hy!
You can use a new chain and put regular chain lube, just for this event.
After that, keep the chain just for these ocasions, and back to the wax ones


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

Chain-L lube and a rag. Nothing has worked better in more conditions for me--and I've tried damn near everything. The stuff is magic. That said, people have ridden insanely long rides using everything from lip balm to nanotech-space-shuttle-bubble-bath.


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## Clyde Ride (Jun 7, 2019)

flyingsqrl said:


> I have waxed my chains for awhile. Usually get 300-350 km on the gravel bike and 200-250 km on the mtb before re-waxing. Longest tour l've ridden is 200 km. Now I'm planning a 1200 km tour on the gravel bike that will pass through several towns (no cities). The tour starts at my front door. I estimate it will take 10 days; not going for a FKT. Wondering what to do about the chain, I came up with these options. Some options require packing a swisher tool and/or master link pliers. My spares kit includes master links and a short length of chain.
> 
> Pack a small bag of wax. Knock on someone's door and ask if I can borrow their slow cooker for an hour. ;-)
> Find bike shops along the way that have the means to wax chains. I've never been in a shop that waxed chains, except the one I worked at in the late 70's-early 80's.
> ...


What did you end up doing?


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