Why do we accept tubeless, but not waxed chains?

[brommieinkorea]

More hyperbole conveniently selected to fit a loaded narrative. My waxing consumables cost about £20 and of that I've probably used less than half by value (half the wax, a fraction of the moly powder which forms the bulk of the cost and isn't a necessity). So let's say £10's worth of consumables over 20k mile's worth of waxing is 0.05p/mile.

Assume a mean oiled chain life of 3k miles and a conservative 4k on wax, at £15/chain you're spending 0.5p/mile with oil and 0.375p with wax so the cost of waxing consumables is repaid by a factor of 2.5 in extended chain life. That's before you factor in the greater service life of other drivetrain components and cost of the oil.

The problem you conveniently cite is one of over-priced, over-marked industry-specific products; which is a cycling-wide issue and not a legitimate criticism of waxing in isolation.

I think maybe he was talking about the time involved in rewaxing a chain vs just replacing it more often.
My experience with waxing is that the UK is the last place I'd use it, it just rains too much.

 

[brommieinkorea]

No question there is more faff if you wax your chain and a bit more if you hot wax it. If you get a bike with a new chain on it'll have factory grease on it so if you just use oil based lube then simply dripping a bit on as and when needed is the simpliest way to go. Can't be easier than that.

However, the faff involved in removing, cleaning and waxing a chain is pretty minimal in the grand scheme of life and my personal view is I quite enjoy a bit of fettling etc so for me it's a pleasureable job not a chore.
Having a clean chain and associated chainrings etc is lovely.

If you get a rear puncture with a waxed chain on bike then the mess in putting in a tube is minimal and usually just wax. The horrendous mess from a dirty oily chain is grim, even if you wear latex gloves.

Anyway, as was said by others, wax or don't it's entirely your choice and no-one thinks better or worse of you whatever you do.

Crap,, I keep forgetting that Brits really like to tinker. Why else would British cars be such crap ?

 

[brommieinkorea]

Here's what the internet says:

"Tubeless car tyres and tubeless bicycle tyres use the same basic concept of holding air without an inner tube, but they are built and installed differently. [1]

Key Similarities

• • No Inner Tube: Neither design uses a separate rubber tube to trap air.
  • The Bead Seal: Both rely on the stiff edge of the tyre (the bead) pressing tightly against the metal wheel rim to form an airtight seal. [1, 2, 3]

Key Differences

• • Liquid Sealant: Tubeless bicycle setups almost always require a liquid latex sealant poured inside to plug microscopic leaks in the porous sidewalls and spoke holes. Tubeless car tyres are thick, heavy, and rubber-lined enough to hold air entirely on their own without any liquid sealant. [1, 2, 3]
  • Rigidity and Installation: Car tyres have thick, rigid steel-belted sidewalls and require heavy-duty mechanical machines to force them onto the metal rim. Bicycle tyres are flexible and light enough to be mounted by hand using basic tools. [1]
  • Rim Complexity: Car wheels are solid, one-piece metal units manufactured to be airtight out of the box. Bicycle wheels have spoke holes drilled through the center channel, meaning the rim bed must be meticulously sealed with special rim tape before it can hold air. [1]"

Changed lots of tyres on trucks(articulated lorry) and only ever use a couple of tyre levers and the special lever, no machines involved, way easier than getting a brand new Schwalbe on or off a bicycle rim.

 

[yello]

Crap,, I keep forgetting that Brits really like to tinker. Why else would British cars be such crap ?

Are there any British cars left? I thought the UK only had assembly plants these days?

 

[brommieinkorea]

Are there any British cars left? I thought the UK only had assembly plants these days?

So little actually made in the first world , the most American car is a Honda (I'm a Yank in case you hadn't noticed).

 

[Binky]

Crap,, I keep forgetting that Brits really like to tinker. Why else would British cars be such crap ?

Slightly ironic you as an American calling British cars crap.

 

[matticus]

(I'm a Yank in case you hadn't noticed).

Aha - if you'd been Japanese I could have understood the "Brit cars are all crap" insult!

 

[brommieinkorea]

Slightly ironic you as an American calling British cars crap.

Just because American cars are/were trash doesn't mean the Brits couldn't keep up.

 

[matticus]

Waxing is definitely for people with far too much time on their hands.

Oh, time wouldn't be a problem ... if I had resisted reading this thread ...

 

[Dadam]

Well given traditional WD40 isn't a lubricant why are you using WD40?
Yes it cleans and drives out moisture but it doesn't lubricate, or claim to.

Oh god not this again! It has to be the internet myth that won't die.

Yes it lubricates
Yes it does in fact claim to.

It's quite thin though so won't last as long as higher viscosity lubes. But it's false to say it's not a lubricant.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Why do we accept tubes, but not WD40 chains?

 

[Dogtrousers]

I waxes, and I wanes, sir,
I ebbs’s and I flows,
Some say it be my brains, sir,
Some says it be my nose.

It isn’t as I’m slow, sir,
(To cut a story long),
It’s just I’d love to know, sir,
Which one of them is wrong.

Mervyn Peake

 

[brommieinkorea]

Why do we accept tubes, but not WD40 chains?

WD40 now makes a bike chain lubricant, specifically for the purpose.

 

[Binky]

WD40 now makes a bike chain lubricant, specifically for the purpose.

Which rather begs the question why would they need to if the original WD-40 is a lubricant. I somewhat suspect if it is it's not a very good one.

 

[Gunk]

Which rather begs the question why would they need to if the original WD-40 is a lubricant. I somewhat suspect if it is it's not a very good one.

WD40 is a solvent and not a lubricant, it attracts dirt, which turns into a sticky paste that ruins the chain. Use a real wet or dry chain lube instead