Chain waxing
Top 3 reasons to use waxed chains on your bicycle
1. Push more power and ride FASTER!
A waxed chain means less friction, so you ride faster with the same energy expended (or use less energy and go the same speed).
2. Extend the lifespan of your expensive drivetrain
Oil on a chain (including the factory lube on a new chain) not only doesn’t lubricate as well as wax, but it also mixes with the dirt and sand it attracts, creating a grinding paste inside your chain that shortens its life as well as the cassette’s life.
3. Never again find grease on your leg or hands
So clean. Chainring tattoos will be a thing of the past, and your hands won’t get covered in grease if you have to deal with a dropped chain.
Why do it?
It’s the cheapest way to gain speed while extending drivetrain life! Lennard Zinn’s Friction Facts chain-lube tests for Velo/VeloNews in 2013 demonstrated that the lowest-friction chain lubricant is paraffin wax soaked into the chain. Its lubricating effectiveness also makes the chain last longer than with any other lube. It won’t pick up dirt and keeps on lubricating, even in mud and sand.
What’s that about saving money?
Tests by ZeroFrictionCycling have shown that 10,000 kilometers of mixed-condition road riding will fry 5-7 chains lubricated with some expensive, high-end drip lubes, killing 5-7 cassettes at the same time, while a waxed chain will not yet be worn halfway to replacement time. Since you will wear out fewer chains and cassettes, and since no solvents are used after the initial cleaning, you will be minimizing your environmental impact while saving money.
Let Zinn Cycles wax your chains
Waxing chains requires special equipment, time, and is a messy process. You can purchase pre-waxed chains from our website for any drivetrain brand and speeds. We also offer chain waxing services for your existing chains. You can bring them into our shop or ship them to us for service. Maintenance is easy. As long as you don’t put any oil on your waxed chain, there’s not much to do. Ideally, you have multiple waxed chains that you can interchange every 300-400 miles (more if riding in the rain) for greatest drivetrain life. Or you can keep it fast and running clean between hot waxes by dripping on water-based wax lubes from Silca, Effetto Mariposa, CeramicSpeed, or Tru-Tension. We can re-wax your chain at any time.
