1. Donna on August 23rd, 2008 2:14 pm
   

   I’ve used wax for years as my lubricant. Good old plain paraffin wax. Heated in a “double boiler” No oil to attract dirt, no WD to wear. Cat 2 woman racer 74-77, 82-89, state champion TT in 89, etc etc. Wax on the chain works fine. I’m using some commercial lube now for the mtb chain, too lazy to wax it. You might want to do a demo on how to wax a chain.
2. Simon Nix on August 24th, 2008 7:53 pm
   

   Hi Alex,

   While I haven’t tried it myself, the now defunct Recumbent blog has a great explanation of the waxing process here;

   http://www.recumbentblog.com/2007/11/16/chain-waxing/

   Including a link to the Grant Petersen article on which it is based, here;

   http://www.recumbentblog.com/images/rivendell-1992-wax.pdf

   Hope that helps!
3. hoopla on November 14th, 2008 4:47 am
   

   Ordinary paraffin wax (or any other solid such as graphite) is a poor lubricant for smooth surfaces such as the components of a bicycle chain. [Oil is the most effective but attracts dust]. Parrafin wax is very brittle at normal cycling temperatures, doesn’t adhere well to smooth surfaces and doesn’t protect against corrosion. The waxing process is very tedious and impractical if you ride regularly.

   To clean a chain remove it and place in a screw top coke bottle. Add 1/4 cup of degreaser (kerosene is far more effective than citrus cleaner). Screw the lid on and shake thoroughly. Dispose of the cleaning fluid. Repeat twice more.

   The most effective way to clean any object is to use a very small amount of solvent (degreaser) and rinse 3 or 4 times. Laboratory equipment is always cleaned this way.

   To oil a chain place the freshly cleaned chain in a clean coke bottle. Spray a little WD40 into the bottle. Cap the bottle and shake well. Leave the chain in the bottle with the cap on for 30 minutes to allow complete penetration. Wipe of any excess WD40 with a clean rag and allow to dry.

   WD40 is lubricating oil and corrosion inhibitor dissolved in a volatile solvent. The solvent quickly evaporates leaving a very fine film of oil on all surfaces.

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