I tried waxing once. Didn't like it. Stuck to shaving ever since.

Outstanding video review shane, I am gathering this test went better than that other product i remember you trialling some years ago!!! But what a great wrap up of what waxed life is like. The only part i would still contend with is re wax not suitable for wet - my strong belief is still there is no easier way to reset contamination post wet ride than simply re waxing a chain. Wet riding (especially offroad wet riding) brings a lot of contamination in, and the job to flush that out if running drip lube / wet lube - its a faff to solvent clean a chain (and more cost) vs a re wax. Correct one cannot leave a waxed chain post wet ride for a day or it will start to oxidise, all one has to do when get home though is just pop the chain into pot and turn pot on. From zfc perspective the harsher the conditions one tends to ride in, the ever more suitable waxed life is. Ie those riding offroad gain so much more benefit / wear reduction vs those riding on road where there is much less contamination - the solid wax and flush clean each re wax really make the biggest difference the higher the exposure to abrasive contamination. Wet riding has water bring a lot of contamination deep into the chain, and it will be there on the next rides in the sun unless one removes it. So for non waxers to try to maintain a low friction, low wear chain - it is absolutely a lot more work and cost to do so vs just re waxing. So all one has to do is take into account you cant leave it post wet rides - thats it - the actual performance during wet ride and post re wax after wet ride will still be unmatched vs non waxed life.

The longest part of the hot melt process is waiting for the wax to melt. I run 2 chains in rotation, when the 1st gets noisy, I swap in the 2nd (YBN quick links), and only when the 2nd gets noisy do I rewax both. So far I have 25,000 km over 2 chains, and still not approaching the wear limits.

I’d just like to say the cycling world is better with you and that hot waxing chains is a game changer

What I like about a waxed chain is how smooth and quiet it runs.

Just the pure cleanliness of the waxed setup is the killer for me. Whenever I'm changing wheels or putting a dropped chain back without getting mess all over my hands is a win. Yeah, it's a bit of a faff every now and then, but not the end of the world. I did find I had to clean some buildup out of my cassette once (it was causing shifting issues), just something to watch if you don't wipe the chain as well as you should!

Been using Squirt lube for the past 5 years or so. Currently at over 15000km on my chain and still going, got to love it. Everyone impressed on how my drive chain looks clean. "Here you go, you've licked your cassette again"😜 Good video has always 👌

Been waxing for a few years. I enjoy the process but it does take extra time. Mostly I enjoy the cleanliness of the drivetrain, extended time between cleanings and of course long chain life.

Nice video, Mate! 👏👏👏 I've been using a Silca Hot Wax every 1000km with Silca Super Secret Drip Wax every 300 km protocol for the past 7000 km on my recent chain. No measurable wear. 🙌 I go on cycling vacations at least twice a year. These are on oceanside locations. I never ride on the sand, out anything close to that. 😱 But very fine sand is in the air even quite a distance from the ocean. (100's of meters) Previously, when using wet or dry lubes, fine sand would stick to, and contaminate, my chain. I have hypothesized that the reason for this is that a bike moving through the air picks up a static charge and this charge attracts the very fine sand particles to the sticky chain, even with "dry" lubes. Since changing to wax this problem has disappeared. The sand doesn't stick to the waxed chain and any debris on the chain is easily brushed off the chain at the end of my rides with a ordinary paint brush. Anyway, just one man's experience.

This is among the more helpful reviews of chain waxing I've found - and probably the most relevant in practical terms🔧

I’ve been hot waxing my chains for a decade, well before the current resurgence of interest in waxing. A couple of pointers: For top-ups, Squirt is way cheaper than Silca’s stuff. Apply a tiny amount to a chain that’s been prewet with WD40 and wipe off excess thoroughly. Motorcycle chain wax sprays are also cheap and excellent for top-ups. My only counterpoint would be wet riding. Because wax does not coat a chain like a wet lube does, waxed chains are a little more susceptible to surface rust, which is more aesthetic than anything else and will abrade off with riding and some maintenance. Not a cause for concern at all for the crowd that’s into this channel :) Nothing will prevent dust/grit/grime from eventually wearing down the rollers, the lifetime will depend on the quality of the hard wax base and the kind of riding conditions you typically encounter. Riding in Ontario winters, I can get about 5k out of a chain, max, which is still 2x - 3x longer than an oiled chain under the same conditions.

Like many others, I decided to give waxing a try because I was sick of the mess - lube on calves, getting it on my hands with every bit of maintenance, etc. To be honest, my expectations were high, and somehow they got exceeded. It's cleaner, quieter, lasts longer, less time consuming to maintain, and cheaper. Really no drawbacks at all - at least in my use case.

When I returned to cycling 3 years ago I came across information about hot dip chain waxing and decided to give it a go. I was never good at keeping my chains oiled or cleaning them completely. I have not regretted hot dip waxing my bike chain. I has been easy and keeping the gears and cassette clean and ready for a ride.

I had been hesitant as I don't have a place to store the factory degrease solvents but when Silca came up with their Chain Stripper product (1oz per new chain), I went for it. A simple 10 minutes process, see their UKposts instructions. I'm not looking back due to the amazing clean riding experience of a waxed chain. I don't know how many times I'd been wiping my bike down and ended up bumping the back of my hand against the drivetrain only to get a blackish greasy smudge. Now with waxing I can use a single baby wipe with no gloves to get that new bike look, in mere minutes. Like others I ended up with a second chain which is used in waxed ready rotation. I use a Connex tool less link to add to the ease of maintenance without worrying about reusing master links. Just another waxing convert here.

Do you measure wear at the quick link? The quick link wears a lot faster than normal links for me and putting in a new quick link doesn't seem to help. I'm now experimenting with replacing the rollers where the quick link joins.

Hi Shane, I've always waxed my chain and love its cleanliness. I'm so glad I did so straight away. Even my local bike store where I get my bike regularly serviced has remarked on the lack of wear of my drivetrain. Many people I ride with have also converted and wouldn't switch back to oil based chain lubes. It really isn't that difficult or problematic and I think its benefits far outweigh any perceived negatives. Glad you & the rest of the Lama herd have had a positive experience also.

I am a full wax convert as of this summer (Silca products of course). For me the formula of 1) Hot Melt, 2) a wipe-off after each ride typically with a gear wipe, then 3) a top-off with drip wax after 200+ km, and then 4) a full Hot Melt rewax somewhere typically above 1000km. Works perfectly, it really is not a burden (work) once you have the system setup. As this is my first season on a full wax setup I cannot testify to the chain longevity, however, I am already beyond the point on my current chain where I would have needed to replace. Thanks for the review/update!!

I'm a wax convert like you Shane. Run all my bikes (road, gravel and MTB) on waxed chains and have done so for the past few years. The resulting lack of wear, cleanliness, quiet function and smoothness far outweigh the slightly more labour intensive maintenance schedule.

You should also mention for those of us in muddy wet climates a second waxed chain ready to go will save so much time and effort and eliminates some of the inconvenience. Quickly swap the chain and dunk the dirty one in boiling water, dry, get around to waxing it when you have the time then that one is ready for a post ride swap.

Amazing video! I still remember watching your original video from the build. It’s crazy how when you look after a drivetrain and don’t have debris that gets caught in between the teeth and rollers how I really doesn’t allow for much wear. Cheaper in the long run. I really rate that droop test too!

Good summary, thanks Shane! I’m several years into hot waxing the chains for all my bikes (mtb, road, gravel, indoor) and have experienced identical results. For all of my use cases, the positives massively outweigh the downsides (time, short lasting in the wet and mess for indoor). Been mixing my own using paraffin and ptfe, but might go down the super secret route next and see how it compares.

I’m coming up to 15,000 MILES on my road chain using their super secret drip

Funny, I didn't want to remove my chain and do a hot wax treatment every 2-3 rides so, at the beginning of the season, I decided on a hybrid method and schedule, which is exactly the same as yours... glad to see it works so well...

Super video. Thanks for taking time to put it together.

Great video as always!

Waxer here, I have 29,000km on an indoor trainer bike with Shimano 105 running gear. One chain, still no measurable wear, MSSpeedwax every 3,000km and Tru tension tungsten All Weather wax lube every 300km . As Lama says, need a drop sheet after the hot wax but no issues otherwise

I’m a waxing convert after watching a UKposts video from another Oz cyclist. 3 years on 3 bikes and approx 15000 miles / 23000km and no new chains, cassettes or chainrings required. Well actually a few new chains as decided to get a spare for each bike - they all need different length chains - gravel bike, endurance road (34 cassette and long cage) and aero road ( short cage mech). By having a spare chain for each it enables re-waxing in batches so saving time. I regularly do 3 chains in one pot. Top stuff.! Keep the good content coming from down under 😊

Hi Lama, great video and this format feels really nice with you in the shop. I've been waxing for 2 years and I would not go back, the cleanliness alone is worth it, and the additonnal faff around a crockpot is as much saved scrubbing a dirty chain breathing degreaser fumes. One excellent resource to look into for wax choices and testing is zero friction cycling, channel hosted by one of your fellow countrymen, could be worth having a chat with him on camera!

Side chain droop test🤔 , genius Shane! Interesting video

Probably the most convincing waxing video I've ever seen. Might have to finally give it a try or might wait until my next chain replacement.

As a high school kid in the 70s I waxed my chain ….at that point in my cycling adventures it took too much time I started doing it again a couple years ago and have experienced what you described in terms of wear. This past July I rode Ragbrai with a properly prepped and crockpot waxed chain , twice in the week I dripped squirt on it the nightBefore the next days effort it ran silently for the whole 500 miles and continues to Considering durability and the environment I don’t think I’ll ever oil a chain again

I started earlier this year using the cyclowax kit. A bit expensive but the time it saves me cleaning the bike and how fast I can wax the chain and get back to cycling was worth it. For me going to waxing was more about reducing the time it takes to clean a bike.

Oh yes! I love my waxed chains :). Same experience as you had with the noise, but things seem to be all good now.

Excellent test

Been waxing my chains for years, I keep 3 chains on rotation, absolutely zero drive train wear on any bike, and I ultra race so do the miles. The cleanliness of the whole system is brilliant, even during a British winter.

I have waxed all of the chains in my fleet, but then tried Silca’s other oil based lubricant (Synergetic). It’s messier but if you wipe down at the end of a ride it’s ok. I have found it does not need to be applied as frequently as wax. The tech in it is the same as their wax ingredient so builds up over time. My experience with it off road was not as good so the mountain bikes are all waxed, but the road bikes gets either.

Less grease and swapping wheelsets feels so understated from other channels, something I've been doing for awhile now and wondering why my different wheelsets keep working together, thanks for comfirming. Rainy UK will rust a chain quickly so need to be mindful of that though.

I'm 20000km on my road bike and 15k like you on my gravel bike. Never changed anything yet. Waxing for life.

Amazing! I am on my first waxed chain. Glad to see that I am making the right choice.

Been chain waxing for a few years now. Like the cleanliness of the chain etc, no more oily hands when changing wheels, fixing flats etc. and also for the extended life of components. Longest part of my process is melting the wax but I wouldn’t go back now I’m hooked on waxed chains.

I just started waxing my bike chains. The prep is a little time consuming, but not that hard to do. I love how clean my cassette and chain stays. I reapply the liquid wax product that I use after each bike cleaning. Let the bike sit over night and I'm ready to go. I still use a silicon lube on my smart trainer.

Thank you mentioning the drying part after a rainy day. Thats a dealbreaker for me.

The way that wax keeps the drivetrain clean is AMAZING.

I ran three chains waxed across Australia last year, switching them out every couple days and then hot waxing them on rest days, never skipped a beat. I love the cleanliness of the setup, and the idea that it'll save on long term maintenance (less cassette changes etc)

I have a separate chain for each chainring size I own, and I haven't had to replace any. I still get a lot of noise from the Molten speed wax, but it's not too severe.

I live in Southern California where riding in the wet is not common, so I feel a single waxing lasts longer than the British based UKpostsrs recommend. My KMC x11sl is going two years strong, casette and chainset are as good as new, and shifts are perfect.

Been riding waxed chains since early in the yr Shane ( April approx ) Reason l went this route were 2fold . Your video 1st that l watched 15 /18 months ago approximately. 2nd reason was l upgraded my SL5 to Ultegra Di2 12 Speed Groupset & also my new SL7 S-WORKS Dura Ace 12speed Di2 an early 65th birthday present 2 myself . Have my set up similar 2 urs . Xcellent. The only difference is l am running 2 chains 4 each bike . Much faster change over . One On , One Off . So hats off 2U 4 ur sprooking 4 a better approach 2 a cleaner drive chain. Xcellent

Been doing it on and off for ages but with ho hum success until I realised the real prep technique. Riding an ebike the original Shimano chain lasted 1100k's with regular cleaning and oil lubing. Switched over to full wax using Molten Speed Wax and my chains have lasted more than 6000k's and still going. I don't measure distance for re waxing but do so diligently after bad weather or dusty dirt roads. I've also been following Adam at ZeroFrictionCycling and Josh from Silca for better understanding. So far I'm sold.

Very impressive. I've converted to waxing as well. I'd keep track of your mileage so as to have a good idea when to re-wax, helps if you use more than one bike (spreadsheet?). I second the indoor trainer area getting messy, after two rides on a freshly waxed chain I still get flakes! At least it's easy to vacuum or get a towel underneath. The inner side wear is probably due to the chain rubbing against the sprockets during shifting, side droop to do with the chainline. Hoping to get many miles from mine now! Thanks for the video..

I'm about to put a new dura ace groupset on the bike and with the advent of Silca's chain stripper negating the need for the whole hassle of cleaning the chain, I've decided to take advantage of a brand new drive train and move to waxing, so it's good to see your experience was a resounding success!

I've been waxing chains for a short while now, but not long enough to see the wear benefits yet. The ease of maintenence after the initial clean of factory grease and the lack of leg tattoos from a greasy chain has been the biggest benefit so far, I'm also using Silca hot wax + super secret for top ups, mainly on mine and my wife's gravel bikes. The chains don't pick up dirt and the ease of dropping a chain in the slow cooker for a total refresh is a revelation compared the faff of cleaning a wet lubed chain. I'm never going back to wet lubes, even our folding commuter bikes are waxed now. I run two chains in rotation, so if i need a fresh chain at short notice, or am on holiday with the bikes, I can pop a fresh chain on in seconds and rewax when convenient.

Thanks!

Best thing I have ever done, my reason for waxing is exactly the same as yours. So much cleaner & much less maintenance & replacing of drivetrain parts. I often wish we knew of & did this back in our racing days regardless of the marginal gains!!! I rotate between 2 & 3 chains depending on the bike. So I always have a prepped chain ready to go. Worse thing is the amount of different types of drivetrains I have these days (10, 11 & 12 spd's across both Shim & SRAM)...

good to hear how waxing works in your situation - bit more marginal with our rainy weather in the UK but I'm also happy with hot waxing my chain - perhaps not as much life as you but very good.

Great Video & amazing results, I ran my last SRAM Red on my road bike for almost 10K miles with 0.5% wear, still shifted great and I was running hand dipped wax at about 200-300 mile intervals. I run the same setup on my gravel that you are running (Red/Eagle mullet) and while I'm

Great review and analysis, I have a new chain running the Silca wax and bought the cheapest slow cooker from KMart for the re-application process. A pair of pliers and a metal coat-hanger makes for a cheap chain hanger so don't bother with the 'chain swizzler' or whatever they sell for $30. I have seen some tiny spots of corrosion appearing in some grooves of the cassette, thanks for the tip on adding the drip wax after the wet rides, it's a step I have been missing! As for the riding experience I have absolutely loved switching to a waxed chain, i enjoy the quietness of a freshly waxed chain, and as others have pointed out it's fantastic to not get filthy hands in the event of a dropped chain.

Love my vaxed chain, so quiet and clean.

I’ve just gone over the 15k mark on my shimano ultegra chain. Mixture of indoor and outdoor riding using tru tension all weather lube (wax based). Smells nice as well 😊

Ive been using the cyclowax kit and im still on the included wipperman chain. I'm up to 10,500 km with the wear at 0.25 according to my birzman tool. I run it in all weathers and on turbo and find ive saved so much time. Cleaning literally takes minuites and no nasty degreasers either.

Loving the new format. Mix in a bit of bike nerd build stuff to augment the trainer/head unit reviews ❤

I tried waxing my chains around 6 years ago, before Silca came out with their SuperSecret Drip Wax. Having to remove the chain and redo the hot wax procedure every 150-200 miles was just a bit too much work. Now that I can first hot wax the chain and then use the drip wax to top it off, I've decided to give it another go. Oh, and I am now retired so I do have a bit of extra time on my hands as well!

I do love the fact that you call your child a "little varmint". lol

We've been using this technique on our road bikes and tandems for about a year. We're about to depart for France with our tandem to do a 1200km ride. It will have freshly hot waxed chains that we will top off every other day with Super Secret. If things get really wet and nasty for more than a day or couple of days, we'll switch to Synergetic oil lube for the remainder of the ride, then clean everything off when we return and re-wax. So far, our experience has been that for tandems (which eat drive chains), this waxing approach is ideal.

Well, waxing chains introduced a new problem for me. I used to try and test different chains, but now I keep buying them and they.. still work like the first day 😞 Other than on the bikes, now I have 3 chains in the open and 2 in packaging that I bought 6 months ago.

Not surprised Shane. I’ve 8:37 done 45.000Kms on 3 hot waxed chains since 2015. I rotate the chains between my road and trainer bikes with one spare. Reapply Zero Friction hot wax every 300km. One set of chainrings and cassette in that time. Good idea to topup with drip wax between hot dips

kind of few years ago, based on oz cycle brother videos I switched on all bikes to wax and I have never regretted - probably the most important for me part is: clean everything and possibility of easy swap of the wheels between bikes

Very nice video. I have the same results with a KMC chain. Around 15000 km with the same chain and no measurable wear. I am keeping it on the bike! I have used only the Silca drip wax so fat.

My experience matches yours. Hot silca wax with top off of the drip lube. Brilliant.

18 months in and waxing seems like such a time and cost saver. I bought 2 pre-waxed chains coz I was too lazy to do the turps and meths routine. I use re-usable YBN quick link in a contrasting colour to make it easier to find. It takes 3 or 4 minutes to take the old chain off, fit the freshly waxed one and toss the old one in the croc pot and turn it on. A few hours or days later I come back and give the chain a good swish around in the melted wax the hang it up over the croc pot to cool. It takes as long to apply drip wax as it does to do a swap and hot wax so I only use drip when away from home. There is virtually no other drivetrain cleaning needed, even after a dusty gravel ride.

All my bikes are wax chains. So easy to maintain every 200km. Cheap too!! Indoors is a tad messy, only downside.

I'd like to see this same test done to different chains, such as Sram GX or other Shimano ones

My road and gravel bike chains are waxed with hot dipped Molten Speedwax. In three years I haven’t had any significant wear on my chains either. My indoor trainer bike however, I switched over to Silca Synergetic oil-based lube. It’s a lot smoother and quieter for longer (like 5-6 months) and while there’s sometimes a bit of oil on the mat, which for my setup is easy to clean up, there’s no wax bits flung all over the place.

rock n roll gold for this guy

CN-HG701 with Silca Hot Melt lasted 7600 km over six months. I only swapped it out for new as I lost my nerve before a long ride and wanted to be sure. Sure it's a bit of faff but so smooth, quiet and clean 👍 When the Silca wax eventually runs out Rex Black Diamond is on the list to try. Supposedly much better in wet weather according to ZFC.

I tried the silca super secret for 8 months on my Shimano equipped 12 speed mtb. that time involved a lot wet ground and puddles. Sadly despite repeated applications my chain ended up with lots of super fine grit in it that would not shed. There was awful grinding noises no matter how well I cleaned and re-waxed the chain. I eventually completely stripped the cassette and chainring of all the waxy gunk and grit which seemed to be embedded in the metal and went back to oil based lube with a new chain. I really wanted it to work and am a bit disappointed. I'm glad it worked for you and reinforces the legendary reputation of SRAM high end chain life

Hi! My last chain(ultegra) had 14000km on the road plus 2700 on the trainer. Muc-off and decathlon degreaser, decathlon oil. Maintenance at 500-600 km. All weather conditions.

Great video and some good tips thank you. I've been chain waxing for just over 2 years now and like swapping to tubeless, I won't go back. Learnt a tip of using ordinary dinner table candles melted down. Took the bike for a 100 km ride yesterday and it was silent. Question: to guard against the minor rusting aftert rainfall, I heard that by adding PTFE powder to the hot pot helps. I tried it but no luck and here in Wales, it rains a lot. Any other tips? Cheers.

Silca user here too Shame. The initial clean is the toughest part, after that it's great. A wipe down and it's clean. Even on a gravel bike that's been in dirt and mud. I probably should improve my ongoing maintenance a little more, but I think it's great.

I swear it's the Eagle chains man, they're incredible - I'm still running the same chain on my 2016 X01 trail bike that was on it when I bought it and it still hasn't hit the 0.5 stretch marker.

I keep track of my miles on each bike/chain with Ride With GPS. I have each of my 3 bikes listed under "Gear" and it tracks the miles for each. I just have to edit each ride specify which bike I rode. Then it tracks the miles for me. I use the Oz wax method after ever 250km. Won't go back to oil.

I've used the same products and just recently changed back to oil. Reason is corrosion. I live in Finland and especially now in late summer and even more so in autumn we have alot of damp weather. Not allways rainy, but damp most of the time. And I have to keep my bikes outside so many mornings they are damp eventhough they are shielded from the rain.

I’ve been waxing chains on all my bikes for 5 years now. Never go back to oil. I live in U.K. so experience a lot of variable weather. I haven’t had any issues with rust. I use KMC chains. Long lasting ware. I use paraffin wax in a slow cooker (hot pot). Just dip it in leave soaking for 20-30 mins to reapply. For me so much easier to maintain and as you say sooo much cleaner. My drive train is always clean. I didn’t know about pre-waxed chains though that’s helpful thanks. Which brands do it? I’ll also take a look.

What is the best method to get rid of factory grease on the new chain before hot melt waxing?

I'm running the same setup - silca immersion every 3 to 4 drip wax application on my SRAM AXS flatop chain. Love the cleanliness and longevity. The only bit I dislike is the need for new powerlock link whenever the chain is taken off for immersion.

Be interesting to hear whether there's been any significant decrease in the amount of wear on your cassette as well as the chain...

Just ordered one of those workbenches and storage units Llama, hope they're good 🙂

Love chain waxing it keeps things clean , quiet and healthy!! I compete and put on the miles!!

Would be curious to see the difference of this type of maintenance routine on chains versus belt drives. Also I mostly mt bike so not sure how wax holds up with heavy dirt contamination. Might convert to wax on my token road bike.

Thanks for the insight. I’ve just switched to waxing and am happy with the results so far - I’m riding SRAM AXS on one bike, which was noisy on the old lube; the only downside is SRAMs single-use flat top quick link and no signs of anyone producing a reusable link that I’m aware of. I’ve waxed two chains so changeover will be painless, rewaxing at leisure. I’ve also switched my bike with a Shimano set up to waxed chains

This is my first waxing session, after several annoying oily years. I am quite happy right now with the little effort which is needed to clean your bike. Anyhow I also have the issue that it gets noisy after like 100km.

I literally have a freshly waxed chain hanging in my basement now that I'm going to install and ride over this evening. I'm really excited, I totally destroyed a chain and cassette once with bad lubrication techniques.

Definitely agree on cleanliness and wear aspects though I use (arguably slightly faster though more wear-prone) Shimano chains I too get around 8k before I see any wear. A couple practices from my experience have helped negate the supposed downsides many attribute to waxing: - I keep at least two chains in rotation so I never have to be without. - I don't worry about trainer mess from the wax or use towels, etc. Vacuuming does a perfect job after my mat gets flecked with wax. Besides, I need to vacuum my cave regularly anyway just to keep dirt, dust and pet hair in check. - After a bike wash I use the air compressor to blow the drivetrain and bike dry. - After a wet ride, before adding more Squirt (it's better than SSCL ime - certainly cheaper!) I rinse the bike and use my air compressor to blow out the water. - On long, wet rides I will carry some extra Squirt and do a good cleaning when I get home. After several hours wet riding on a chain I will swap on the reserve chain and re-wax the "old" one.

I moved to waxing the chains on my road bike around 6 months ago and i'm totally converted, have now also moved to waxing on the MTBs. I find it's only a bit of a faff when it's a new chain, reapplication is quick and easy compared to using oils, the problem I have is that I only use 'submersive' waxing so find i'm removing the chain often, the issue with that is how many times can you re-use the quick link. Currently i re-use the link about 5 or 6 times and I find that i'm going through them really quickly, that's the down side for me. cheers Shane, really good interesting video.

6000km on my ultegra chain so far with no discernible wear using the silica drip lube. I'm a fan

I also use the hot wax from Silca for my KMC chain and I have exactly the same experience. Absolutely now wear after 12k of gravel riding. Ok, it’s some work to do to wax the chain, but it’s done in 10 minutes when you used to the process.

I did the Basajaun, 800km of gravel, with a waxed chain using the Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower. I thought I'd need to reapply mid-race but didn't. It didn't rain but we did go through some muddy areas. At the end of the race, no noise and a smooth chain. Everything was dirty except my chain. I had also tried the Silca wax but wasn't as patient as you and gave up on it quickly as it was too loud (and crazy expensive).

just recently opted to Wax and using Silca, couldn’t be more happier. I got tired of kept washing my bike every after 2-3 long 3hr each ride and the grimes, they don’t get easier to remove. The cleanliness, the smooth & silent drive train and plus noticeable speed I gain. Best decision to do if you are OC on cleanliness of your bike and for $$ saving too!

I was hot waxing using a double boiler on the stove (not the safest) back in the early 1990's and swore by the results. Then kids came coupled with increased job responsibilities and I didn't have the time. I went back to in about 5 years ago and have never been happier. The cost of entry is low and the savings are high. There is a degree of futziness and some mess if riding indoors, but the benefits far far outweigh the downsides.

A word of warning for those of us who use a slow cooker for both cooking and waxing! A chicken balti just aint the same with a chain init

I’m an all in chain waxer, as you stated no real wear and it is clean, no grease marks on your right calf. A few things. 1. I do boil the chain before rewaxing to prevent small road debris from getting into the hot wax in the insta-pot, that could make it’s way into the chain and cause wear. 2. Breaking the chain and cleaning out the links after waxing is tedious and hard on the hands, but it gets the chain up to speed faster and less dried wax everywhere. I do the chain breaking over a garbage can. 3. There can be a build up of wax between first and second cog (11 & 12) that could lift the chain off the cog and cause the chain to slip, so take a dental tool and clean out the wax periodically. Other than those issues I will continue to hot wax my chains. It does make it easier if you have two chains to alternate so your bike is not out of commission.