Molten Speed Wax, 1Lb Bag

Waxing a chain is one of the best things you can do for a bike. Especially if you’re using exotic alloy freewheel/ cassette. You can find out the benefits, instructions, all over the internet. It’s easy. Now for this particular wax. When I first started waxing I used gulf wax. It flaked off pretty fast. So I researched making my own home brew. Gulf wax, lantern oil, bees wax, various graphite powders, etc. etc. it worked great. My home brew batch came to an end and it was time to make more. Having displaced almost all of my various powders, oils, etc, I realized I could buy and restock everything, store it away to make more in 2 years. Or just buy this product that already had everything and was ready to go. I could have gotten a larger quantity making my own, or just buy one and done. Works great, stays put, drivetrain runs clean, silent, and smooth. Make it easy on yourself, buy a little wax melter or crockpot, for $20. Drop a cleaned chain in the wax and see the benefits.

Never going back to petro/wet lubes. This stuff is so quiet, and very clean. I ride in mostly very dry and dusty conditions, it is very easy to wipe down the drivetrain, and rewax every few hundred miles. Molten Speed Wax is a tremendous value, in a non-plastic package (if that's important to you), with the absence of greed. On their website they tell you exactly how to bend up the 'swizzle' tools from wire coat hangers or whatever you have lying around, and use a little crock pot from a thrift store or wherever. They tell you how to clean your new or gently used chains with normal hardware store chemicals too. It is also highly rated for performance in several tests.

20 years ago I used to use Performance brand wax on my bicycle chains. Stuff was easy to apply, although this was before the advent of removable links (that I knew of, anyway), so removing and reinstalling the chain was a bit of a pain, with the pins maybe/maybe not reusable. Just microwaved the glass wax jar, dipped the cleaned chain in for a few minutes (attached to a piece of wire), then remove, cool, and remount. After not cycling on a near daily basis for more than a few years (grad school, marriage, kids, you know the story), I decided to get back into cycling for my commute and fun. Helped me shed some pounds and get out there with my youngest, now that he has the bike bug, too. Anyway, Performance does not appear to make their wax anymore, and my 20 year old tub was getting low, so I was glad to find Molten Speed Wax available. They took care of adding PTFE and molybdenum sulfide to their mix, which saves the mess of preparing it by hand. I followed their, and Amazon's convenient suggestions, ordering a small cook pot (AKA Crock Pot, Elite Platinum MST-205XS Maxi-Matic Mini 1-1/2-Quart Round-Shaped Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel ) at the same time as the wax. Prep is easy with a KMC one use link (I get more than one use out of their links, but caveat emptor) or Wippermann multi use link (pricey). If you go with the KMC brand, I suggest a link tool, Park Tool Master Link Pliers . You will also need a chain break tool, Park Tool USA Professional Chain Tool CT-3, 10-Speed Compatible is recommended. Note that I use this tool on 11-speed chains without issue, but only to remove pins, as the links are the better way to go. I used the Molten wax with the little bit of leftover Performance wax remaining, so it did dilute out the Molten stuff a little, but I am a tightwad. My latest prep was on a one month old Wippermann chain Wipperman Connex 11Sx 11-Speed SS Inner Link , highly recommended if you can deal with the high price. Since this chain is on my commute bike, I am OK with the expense if it outlasts the Shimano chains used before. For cleaning instructions I suggest going to the Molten Wax website for the thorough method. Cleaning your chain is key to a good prep. I tend to clean using a sonicator and Simple Green HD until no more washes are dirty, followed by manual dipping in odorless mineral spirits (the clear kind - which can be reused and filtered when stored in a glass jar). I also suggest making the coat hanger wire tool they suggest, but be sure it is sized to your wax pot. Also, using the remainder of the hanger wire, I suggest crafting a six inch piece with a 45 degree angle bend to the last inch of each end to hold your chain together for the replacement link. This prevents a lot of frustration and resulting swearing. The promise is that the wax will no longer leave your chain dirty. I do not completely agree, as the chain still collects crud from wherever you ride, but it is worlds better than a wet chain lube. Waxing is also recommended for dry environments, which I do not live in (does anyone, other than desert dwellers?), but I still find it superior to wet lubes in my decidedly wet location. In between waxing I do apply some Boeshield T9 to the chain, which goes on wet, but leaves a dry wax residue behind. I recommend chain wax and the Molten brand in particular.

Waxed chains last longer, make less noise, rust less in wet and muck, and keep your drivetrain cleaner and prolong its life. And you don't have to take your chain off to wax it. Take off the lower wheel on your rear derailleur and get your chain free. After cleaning the chain thoroughly, drape the chain over the chainstay (I have a guide I 3D printed), and cycle the entire chain through the wax in the crockpot for 10 minutes the pins and rollers have been immersed. I have since found it easier just to position the crock pot right under the chain on the chainstay (2nd pic showing my mountain bike). You'll get 90% of the chain into the pot - let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then cycle the rest of the chain into the pot for another few minutes so the whole chain gets the treatment. Waxed chains last multiple times longer than oiled chains. You're going to save money, have a better performing chain, and have a cleaner drivetrain. It's a win any way you look at it!

Prepping the chain can take a bit of work, but once it's set up, it's super quick and easy. I highly recommend the Wipperman Connex link; it's a little pricier than some others, but is incredibly convenient. May initially run a little louder than a freshly cleaned and lubes chain, but once excess wax flakes off, it quiets down. Runs and shifts smoothly. Pic is after a 75 mile ride, just wiped off excess wax that flaked off. Not sure how long it'll hold up, but re-waxing is super simple - just pop the chain off, drop in melted wax, stir it about a little, then pull it out, give it a wipe and let cool. There may be a couple extra steps than the usual wipe/relube, but the benefit is zero degreasing necessary, sparkling clean cassette, and a chain that can be handled with bare hands. Since I sometimes transport my bike in the car, the fact that the chain doesn't leave grease marks anywhere is a huge plus. Pick up a cheap crock pot, a reusable link, some mineral spirits, and some denatured alcohol, and you're all set. Once the initial chain cleaning is done, pack away the degreasers, you'll rarely need them. Update: still running the waxed chain. There are some wax flakes to deal with; after mounting the chain, I run it through a cloth, both forwards and backwards and through all the gears - bonus is it's a good opportunity to double check indexing. Running the chain forwards and backwards through the cloth or rag gets most of the excess. I probably re-wax more than strictly necessary, simply because it's so easy. After a few rides, turn the crock pot on before going for a ride. When getting back, it's fully melted; pop off the chain, drop it in. After a mile or two, runs super smooth and silent, and stays super clean. Update: after about 1,500 miles or so, have had few issues, other than one. When travelling, it's not very practical to take the crock pot. I find it's best to re-wax every 200 miles or so, and especially after riding in wet conditions. Also, if you live in a hot area (El Paso), you may receive a wax block instead of granules. Didn't affect the performance, just had to cut it into chunks before melting.

Edit: 5/21/19 - I returned to waxing my chain this spring. I changed my method. A few note: I now have 3 chains that I care for. Adding more chains makes waxing a simpler process since the time dedicated to each chain decreases with an increased number of chains. I also no longer follow the directions exactly as on the package. The wax is melted and all of my chains are submerged into the molten wax solution. I let them stew for 10-30 min while I do other things. Before removing the chains I mix them vigorously, yet carefully to make sure wax penetrates pins and rollers. When I remove each chain I quickly wipe them down with a clean microfiber towel, getting as much surface wax as possible. As the chain is cooling I run the chain freely through the microfiber towel. I have found this to eliminate 99% of wax flakes while still providing excellent lubrication and protection. This is now my go to chain lubrication. Great product. I used a cheap $10 crockpot to melt the wax. Once melted, it was easy to apply and works as advertised on my chain. That said, I no longer use it. To explain, I found I don’t care for solid wax based chain lube. I understand that performance wise they are hard to beat, but they are a mess. Wax flakes get everywhere. They flake of the chain while it is spinning and coat your derailleurs, cassettes, chainrings, frame tubes, everything nearby. To me, the mess is simply not worth the trouble. If I did want to continue using chain wax, I have no doubt I would continue to use this product.

While it has applications for on- and off-road, this product is a must for gravel cyclists and mountain bikers. It's unbelievable that I have been riding around with oil-based lubricants on my chains for ten years when a simple coating of wax would provide an infinitely higher level of protection to my chain. What was most surprising was how clean my chain rings and cassette and stay, now that there is no oil transferred from the chain. There is nothing for sand or dust to stick to and you lose no power or efficiency on the wettest of rides. The cleaning and preparation process is a headache, but absolutely worth it. I recommend throwing away your existing chain and starting from scratch, though. It's a small investment that will save you a lot of time and will reduce the amount of cleaning solution needed to get the job done right.

I am a recent “wax convert”. Previously I meticulously cleaned my chain on the bike….with chain cleaning “machines”, brushes, rags, and assorted cleaners…..all very time consuming. Molten Speed Wax was recommended to me by an experienced, record-winning rider. I purchased an inexpensive slow cooker (Mine is 2 qt but the 1 1/2 qt size would do). I also made the swizzle stick (Simple to do following Molten Speed Wax instructions). I bought mineral spirits and denatured alcohol from Lowe’s. My chain already had a quick link on it. The chain link tool is handy but needle nose pliers also work to open and close link. I was very thorough in initial cleaning. The waxing process is simple. Now, I no longer clean the previously waxed chain but simply put it in the wax. I hang mine on a nail and after cooled pull it over a piece of 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe to break it free. I look forward to the whole process now. Do not get hung up in the details. The instructions and videos are very detailed but (as the instructions say) after doing it once, you hardly have to think about it. Molten Speed Wax folks responded quickly to a couple of emails I sent which is helpful to resolve any initial concerns. Multiple sites demonstrate the effectiveness of MSW. (Most lubes probably exceed what we need) The biggest advantage for me has been the time savings and not having the chainring “tattooed” on my calf.

Was using a home made wax mix and decided to switch over to MSW. The results are the same as my home mix except more convenient. Chain is clean but like any immersion wax method longevity is an issue. You will need to apply every 340-400km.

I’m giving this five stars but I have only been using this product diluted with regular wax and paraffin oil (I wanted to be sure before going in full—as I was just getting into using solid wax). My next applications will be full strength. A sign of how effective wax is: I had a worn chainring that, as soon as I switched to wax, began to slip! Apparently the wet lube would attract enough grit to prevent chain slippage! Inadvertently I proved that this stuff works and stays working even after a few gravel rides (I replaced the chainring). The downside of wax (any wax) is that the crowns of the gears will attract surface rust (since they are going to be dry and don’t get scuffed during riding). Using some paste form wax to top-up between full applications (or Squirt) works great. I’m getting 500+km between applications. Remember to give the product a good stir before dropping your chain in as the mixture will settle in liquid form. Incidentally, I tried putting my hot wax container with chain in an ultrasonic cleaner and it really speeds up the penetration of the wax — you see a whole bunch of air bubbles appear as the air is displaced by the wax (note that the hot wax container is sitting in a water bath, the chain is in the wax, the water and wax are separated). Last one: I painted hot wax on my cassette sprockets. Some of it sloughs off as expected but it provides a rust proofing protective coating in places that there is no friction. After a 72km gravel and mud fest called P2A and a pressure wash after, the wax was still on the chain and the cassette. Amazing tenacity. I don’t think I’m going back to oil-based lubes.

Este producto es genial para aumentar la vida util de una cadena de bicicleta. Con una transmision optimizada para el terreno, hace que las cadenas duren mucho mas. Actualmente una cadena X01 SRAM dura 7000km hasta alcanzar 0.5% de desgaste. Despues de una correcta aplicacion es necesario re-aplicar cada 200-250km. Mantiene la transmision y la bici limpia y sin pegotes de aceite.

Lots of on-line tutorials from the company. Easy to do, and makes a big difference your drive chain.Need to remove your chain from the bike and you’ll need a chain breaker or quick link pliers for whatever type of chain you have.

Bis jetzt alles okay wird aber nach dem Trocken sehr hart so dass man die Lieder erst wieder etwas gängig machen muss bevor man die Kette aufziehen kann