Park Tool chain lube

[Chargeride]

Boss Hogs gonna get you

 

[smorgasbord]

I use a wet lube followed by a wax based lube which seals in the lube

There is no evidence that this claimed mechanism is true, no chemical/physical theory behind it, and even the company making those particular products does not recommend that procedure.

 

[fooferdoggie]

What is it if you do not mind me asking

SilcaSynerg-E E-Bike Lube is supposed to give you a lot more chain life, but I never found that. But it lasts in the rain and is not super messy.​

 

[DDBB]

The "evidence" is in how long my chains are lasting and actually seeing the wax lube seal the wet lube to the chain. Instead of constantly claiming it won't work, maybe you should try it? The company making Mobil 1 says(or used to say) you can go 10,000mi. between oil changes. Are you going to follow that advice from the maker of that product? Think about it in the most simple terms. You spray a wet lube on the chain, the chain looks and is "wet".. Then you spray a wax based lube on the chain and the chain no longer appears wet and there's almost a shell of wax you can see and feel on the chain. I've been told the two products won't mix.. That's good! I don't want them to mix. Actually, I'm surprised no-one has done this before.

 

[smorgasbord]

Think about it in the most simple terms. You spray a wet lube on the chain, the chain looks and is "wet".. Then you spray a wax based lube on the chain and the chain no longer appears wet and there's almost a shell of wax you can see and feel on the chain.

1) If you really really think you've discovered the "magic" protocol, as you've posted, you should email the ZCF guy (who claims to read emails from readers/viewer), as well as BikeRumor.com, and, ESPECIALLY, email/call Maxima themselves. I'm SURE Maxima would love to be able to recommend that users buy not just one of their products, but buy TWO of them and use them AT THE SAME TIME. That would double their sales! How could they have overlooked this upsell opportunity?

2) There's nothing to indicate that Maxima's wet lube has lower friction than the drip wax. It might, though. And, when you call/email Maxima, you could ask them that. Even so, chain lubing is not mostly about one chemical doing a better job of reducing friction as much as it is that lube staying where it's needed and keeping dirt/water out. Unless you believe Maxima's drip wax when applied properly doesn't get to where it's needed (the chain's pin/bushing/roller interface), there's no reason to use a wet lube first. Do you believe that Maxima's drip wax doesn't get to where it's needed? I'm serious - the ZCF guy commented that Squirt has trouble getting down into the pin/roller interface and so freshly Squirt-lubed chains wear a lot at first, but the Squirt does work its way into the chain as you use it, and once it's there, it does a good job. Again, do you think Maxima's drip wax has this same issue?

3) Let's talk about sealing. For not clean/dry conditions, the lube also needs to keep contamination out and/or have that contamination get squeezed out in use. To do its job of sealing out contamination, the wax needs to bond to the outer surfaces of the chain. The reason wax lube manufacturers tell you to start with a clean, dry chain is adhesion. If the chain is wet, even from a clean wet lube, the wax simply won't adhere well to the chain. Why do you think Maxima's wax is able to stick to a chain that has just been freshly lubed with Maxima's wet lube? There simply is no mechanism for this. I suppose it's possible to wet lube a chain, run it through the drivetain several times to get the lube into the pin/roller/bushing interface, and THEN to completely wipe all outside elements of the chain dry. There are two problems with that: First, wet lubes are designed to stay in place and provide lubrication under rubbing. I can't imagine how much scrubbing you'd have to do on the outside of a chain to get the wet lube off. Remember, you can't use a chemical de-greaser since that would almost certainly get down into the chain's pin/roller/bushing interface and you want to keep the lube there. Second, because the link to link rotation, different areas of the chain are exposed at different positions in the drivetrain. How do you wipe off all exposed areas?

Since you've reported that you almost entirely ride in dry, clean on-pavement conditions, what's happening is that even though the wax doesn't get to seal like it should, there simply aren't many contaminants to seal out. So, you're getting good performance from Maxima's wet lube, which is DESIGNED FOR CLEAN AND DRY CONDITIONS. You're just wasting time and money applying a wax on top that doesn't seal, but doesn't really matter because of where/how you ride.

But, do let us know what Maxima says about your procedure, especially since they've already said the drip wax is better for bike chains than the aerosol spray version (for motorcycles) that you've been using.