I used to roll my eyes at waxing chains, then I watched a guy at the shop in Portland do it

Fiona Carr · 2026-10-16T19:45:04.449787+00:00

For years I told people chain waxing was a waste of time and just told them to wipe the chain and re-lube. Then a mechanic at a shop in Portland showed me his personal bike with 8,000 miles on one chain, and the drivetrain looked almost new. He pulled the chain and measured it right in front of me, and the wear was barely over 0.5 percent. That number stuck with me. I still do drip lube on customer bikes because they won't keep up with the wax routine, but I stopped telling people it does nothing. Anyone here running wax on their own bike long term, and how are you handling wet rides?

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I used to roll my eyes at waxing chains, then I watched a guy at the shop in Portland do it | Bicycle Mechanics - Vivisector