PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
I use a "home-brew" - paraffin wax with PTFE powder (environmentally not the best choice, but I'm still using up a bag of powder I bought several years ago).
I run two bikes with waxed chains using this mix, both with 11 speed mechanical Shimano 105 with 11-32 cassettes.
For each bike I have three chains and I swop them out as soon as they get noisy or look grubby - then clean and rewax a few chains at once.
Bike A) which gets used only in good weather on dry roads, has 105 cranks with AB oval chainrings to make it into a 46/30 sub compact and uses KMC X11EL chains
Bike B) which gets used if raining or if roads going to be damp, has an Ultegra triple crankset tansformed into a 44/28 sub-compact by using only inner and middle positions, a chainguard in place of the outer ring, and various spacers to re-optimize the chain line. I run basic YBN chains on this one.
I've chosen to use different brands of chain so as to keep a distinction when rewaxing a batch of chains, as the two bikes need different length chains.
So here is the question I put to the assembled wisdom:
Why do the KMC chains on bike A get noisy in 200km or less, whereas the YBN chains on bike B are still running quietly & smoothly at 500km ?
Anyone else got experience of different brands of chain lasting different intervals despite similar waxing processes ?
Or could it be the alternate stretch and relax on the chain due to the ovals chainrings?
Or am I doing my rewaxing at the wrong phase of the moon?
By the way, if you want to criticize my choice of chainrings, or dispute the use of wax over oil for chains - please don't bother to reply on this thread.
I run two bikes with waxed chains using this mix, both with 11 speed mechanical Shimano 105 with 11-32 cassettes.
For each bike I have three chains and I swop them out as soon as they get noisy or look grubby - then clean and rewax a few chains at once.
Bike A) which gets used only in good weather on dry roads, has 105 cranks with AB oval chainrings to make it into a 46/30 sub compact and uses KMC X11EL chains
Bike B) which gets used if raining or if roads going to be damp, has an Ultegra triple crankset tansformed into a 44/28 sub-compact by using only inner and middle positions, a chainguard in place of the outer ring, and various spacers to re-optimize the chain line. I run basic YBN chains on this one.
I've chosen to use different brands of chain so as to keep a distinction when rewaxing a batch of chains, as the two bikes need different length chains.
So here is the question I put to the assembled wisdom:
Why do the KMC chains on bike A get noisy in 200km or less, whereas the YBN chains on bike B are still running quietly & smoothly at 500km ?
Anyone else got experience of different brands of chain lasting different intervals despite similar waxing processes ?
Or could it be the alternate stretch and relax on the chain due to the ovals chainrings?
Or am I doing my rewaxing at the wrong phase of the moon?
By the way, if you want to criticize my choice of chainrings, or dispute the use of wax over oil for chains - please don't bother to reply on this thread.
