Why wax your chain?

All Chain lube is the same?

Exactly what I thought....how much different can one chain lube be from another, can waxing a chain really make a difference.
Like many things in life it depends, the Watt savings for chain waxing gets all the headlines but in reality the vast majourity of riders (even those who race) it probably is one of the last upgrades you think of making but the reality is the Watt saving (typically between 3-5 watts bepending onthe chain and power you output) could be greatly beneficial to the casual cyclist or racers due to the time spent on track or doing the activity. Although you are producing less power per hour (and thus saving less Watts) you will probably spend more time out on the course meaning these savings will compound over time, leading to either a faster or easier ride for the same effort.

As you can see from the image above this chain an cassette have been ridden for just over 200km (125 miles) off-road and there is minimal dust or dirt attracted to either and the chain rollers are polished clean and dry.

All Chain lube is the same?

The real benefit of waxing your chain to the average cyclist (racing or casual) is how clean it remains. This took me a while to get my head around why thats important and how it saves you time and effort, money and wear and tear on the cassette and chainring(s).
The part of the chain you see (the outside) isnt the part that needs lubricating, the energy lost (in Watts) and the wear and tear on the chain comes from the friction caused by the inside of the roller part of your chain and the bush/pin on each link. The lubricant needs to reach inside the chain to coat these surfaces.
Long story short (I will write another blog to explain it better) wet lubricant via capillary action is drawn into the chain and will sit between the roller and pin to allow these two surfaces to rub over each other with less friction (than just metal on metal). The issue is the same capiliary action that draws lube in also carries dirt particles in and increases wear.

When you wax a chain you immerse it into hot wax allowing the wax to coat and fill the voids around the internal roller/bush surface before cooling and setting hard. Then when you ride the bike with the waxed chain this surface becomes polished and because it solid there is no room for dirt and grime to get in.

Yeah but...

Yea but nothing. I will outline and expand on many of the points above in future blogs.
The main benefits of waxing your chain:

• Saving you Watts.
  
• Clean Drive train.
  
• Saves you money via wear and tear on components (chain, cassette and chain rings).
  
• Save you time on cleaning your bike and maintenance.
  

If this short explananation on why waxing your chain is better for you isnt for you then great, carry on with your lube of choice.