Chain Waxing

What about cassette/chainrings, have you had to replace either of those?

I know! Thought that this morning. I’ll measure the chain later with a steel rule to make sure.

Not yet, they look fine and neither were new when I started this chain. That would be the clue that the chain-checker isn’t accurate.

OK, that’s enough fun for now. 0.75 chain checker still not dropping in, but measures 1/16 over on a steel rule. Sheldon says that is time to change chain before sprockets become worn.

let's look at how to do this with a ruler that measures in inches.

• If the link pin is less than 1/16" past the mark, all is well.
  
• If the link pin is 1/16" past the mark, you should replace the chain, but the sprockets are probably undamaged.
  
• If the link pin is 1/8" past the mark, you have left it too long, and the sprockets (at least the favorite ones) will be too badly worn.
  If you replace a chain at the 1/8" point, without replacing the
  sprockets, it may run OK and not skip, but the worn sprockets will
  cause the new chain to wear much faster than it should, until it
  catches up with the wear state of the sprockets.
  
• If the link pin is past the 1/8" mark, a new chain will almost certainly skip on the worn sprockets, especially the smaller ones.
  

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chain-wear.html

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My brain hurts, what's 0.75% compared to 1/16th of an inch?

My checker had .75 and .5 on it I think, not 1.0. Is that an older one?

I've got one of those lever ones too but I can't find either of them so I've just been using a steel rule.

There's also a CC-4 checker which has 3 engagement points: https://www.parktool.com/product/chain-checker-cc-4

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/when-to-replace-a-chain-on-a-bicycle

Yeah, I should get a 0.5 checker as I’m mostly on 11s now. I’m guessing that the 0.5 would be dropping in at this point, so it’s time to change.

I vaguely recall buying a new one. So I probably have one like yours back in Oz for all the 10spd stuff there. I definitely had a flat 0,5 and 0,75 checker here as well as one of those funky blue ones and I can't find either ffs. I just checked my waxed gravel bike chain and it looks pristine, which is odd as it was treated pretty poorly. Waxing probably help not retain grit.

Yeah, I should get a 0.5 checker as I’m mostly on 11s now. I’m guessing that the 0.5 would be dropping in at this point, so it’s time to change.

In addition to the longer Park Tool CC-4 version, Pedro's Chain Checker Plus II is an excellent 3-point chain checker (and portable enough to carry on a long tour). It also works with esoteric 12-speed chains like the SRAM Eagle, which are incorrectly read with traditional 2-point checkers.

Maybe a silly question, but on the topic of chain checkers, I notice that some namely the CC-4 mention what speeds it’s compatible with. Now for a single speed chin would I need a specific checker?

"For two-sprocket or single speed bikes, replace your chain as it reaches the 1 percent wear mark." from Park Tools link above. So you could use one of the older ones that has 1.0 on it

Well I clearly missed that part! Cheers

I have a slightly different method because most of my singlespeeds are beaters and that is to leave everything exactly as it is until all parts are toast, bin, repeat.

Yeah that makes sense, not that I’ve noticed much wear after a year of commuting, though I do try wipe down my chain at least once a week so it stays prey clean.

I have a slightly different method because...

You can use expert opinion rather than idleness as a reason.

The allowable safe chain wear is considered to be in the order of 2% elongation over nominal length.

I've been convinced that it's worth doing for MTB. But I can't be bothered procuring the wax, stove, etc. So I've bought 2 cheapo chains off the internet and I'm taking them to Two Wheels Good in Stoke Newington later this month. I've given them a ring and it's something they can do for you. I can clean the chainring and cassette etc myself.

Will see how it goes. An option worth considering for those without the gubbins/are too lazy.

How is taking chains to a shop easier than doing it yourself?

Even if you don't have an ultrasonic cleaner you can just shake chain in a bottle of degreaser and the waxing is swishing it in a cooker full of wax for a bit. What happens when it gets dirty again? Are you going to take it back to the shop to get re-waxed? That sounds like more hassle and money than the DIY method.

I don't have a crock pot or any of that other stuff, I live in a shared flat with 3 others.

When the chain gets dirty I'll pour a kettle of boiled water over the chain and drip on some wax from a tube. No need to repeat the melting process as I understand it.

https://youtu.be/J19ovxyVVFs

I can't imagine that being as effective as a crockpot. Hot water is going to leave dirt on the chain and the drip rewaxing isn't going to penetrate as well as the cooking (plus you miss the best bit, which is scraping the dirt off the wax puck).

But you are in a shared flat so that's fair enough. My missus just deals with weird shit I do.

The idea is the hot water will wash off the dirty wax on the outside of the chain while leaving the wax that's still clean inside of the rollers etc etc where it is.

Then you reapply more clean wax on top of that once it's cooled a bit.

The external dirt isn't the stuff that's grinding the chain away though. If you never flush out the wax from the the rollers and pins then you're leaving all the tiny metal particles in there that are the cause of the chain wear.

I've never tried hot water cleans on my chains though so don't really know how effective/ineffective it is. £15 crockpot though means I'll likely never bother to find out.

I'll report back in 3-4 months on how it goes!

I've been thinking recently about cleaning the wax I've been using. How easy is it to get the puck out of the pot? I tried halfheartedly one time when it was dry and it wasn't budging. I read a suggestion online about pouring in some water when it's melted. The theory is that the grime settles down in the water and the puck of wax cools on top. Haven't tried yet though. Also, I added a powder of additives to my wax when I started. Is there any risk that I'll be scraping that away too? Maybe I'm over thinking it...

I've been convinced that it's worth doing for MTB.

I've just convinced myself that it isn't worth doing for MTB, at least not til it dries out in spring/summer
A couple of winter rides has absolutely fucked my waxed MTB chain, have gone back to wet lube for now mainly for the corrosion resistance

I pour a couple of mugs worth of boiling water in it while it's still hot and runny. The wax stays on top of the water, the grime settles to the bottom of the wax but above the water. Slide a knife round the edge, the puck comes right out, then you shave the grime off the bottom. Surprising how well it works, but yes you'll lose a small amount of wax and any additives. How much is relative to how big your puck is.

pour a couple of mugs worth of boiling water in it while it's still hot

Exercise caution here, if the wax is over 100°C the water can flash boil and spray the house with scalding molten wax. Of course, it shouldn't be and it won't be if you're using a bain-marie, but it's easy to overheat the wax if you're using direct heat.