How does paraffin chain wax perform in winter conditions (snow, road salt, -20° C)?

Question

I’m interested I switching to paraffin chain wax or a wax product like Molten Speed Wax. But I’ve got concerns about how it might perform in winter where I live in Calgary, Alberta.

It’s supposed to be good for not picking up grime so I’m presuming it will do well to keep from picking up salt and snow, but I do wonder if it won’t just lock up or flake off when the temperatures get too cold.

Any insight or experience using chain wax in winter climates would be appreciated.

(To be clear, I’m asking about the kind of product you melt in a slow cooker and immerse your chain in after stripping other lubes off with mineral spirits. I’m not asking about wax based dry lubes that you apply to the chain while it’s still on the bike.)

Answer 1

If this is your first go at waxing you might want to hold-off until summer so that you can get the hang of waxing before having to deal with the extra workload caused by poorer riding conditions.

I use waxed chains in wet BC weather, not as sever as Alberta, but winter maintenance is still a challenge compared to summer. Like all lubes, waxing does not last as long in poor weather as it does in good weather. During the winter, when it is really wet and grimy (e.g., 10-20 mm rain per day, and riding on gravel/dirt), I only get 2 days (4 commutes - 100 km) out of a chain before I need to re-wax it. To get around this I have about 4 chains that rotate on the bike with a Wipperman reusable quick link (these quick links are expensive, but are reusable and last forever). I opted for 4 chains as I typically re-wax 3 chains at a time to make it worth the hassle of cleaning the dirt off chains (much easier than an oily chain), melting the wax, re-waxing, and freeing up the links after waxing. I wouldn't recommend doing it for batches smaller than this as you will drive yourself bonkers!

If it is cold and dry the wax lasts much longer than in summer (e.g., 2x longer).

In terms of salt, this is a challenge for any lube. When it's salty I can get some surface rust depending on the chain quality and whether it is wet and salty or dry and salty.

So why bother

Running waxed chains in the winter is more bother than the summer, but maintenance is always higher in the winter. An advantage of waxing is that the chain and drivetrain remains relatively clean, even in disgusting wet conditions. The image below was from one winter commute in the pouring rain. The frame gives you an idea of how much debris has been thrown on the drivetrain (despite full length aluminum fenders with rolled edges), yet the the drivetrain is remarkable clean and can be quickly whipped clean with a damp rag, no solvents or elbow grease.

Answer 2

I posed this question directly to the people at Molten Speed Wax and got this reply:

Our product works great in winter, the key is to put the chain on the bike inside and run it through the gears when the chain is still warm from the pot. The reason is a newly waxed chain is very stiff in super cold temps., but if you pre-break in the chain before going outside it eliminates the problem. This is a tip we give to fat bikers who race in temps.well below zero F.

Concerning salt and sand, that's really tough on any lube. The fix is to have a backup chain or two so if you ride in wet conditions for some time you can quickly change out a chain with a fresh waxed one. Short rides in the wet are no problem but when in doubt re-wax. We ride outside year round and Minnesota is notorious for sand and salt, but wax performs really well.

One last note, don't worry about wax flaking off. Some excess will flake off but all you need is a very thin layer on the chain and that will stay on the chain, particularly on the inside, where all the friction is.

In sum, ride wax year round, no problem.

Obviously they’re promoting their own product so I’ll take their advice with a grain of road salt, but I think I’m convinced to try it and report back.