It was a new chain that I degreased with methylated spirits and acetone. I initially had to use liquid wax, as I was on a road trip, but subsequently have been hot waxing with Silca wax. I have rewaxed multiple times since, and have also tried boiling off the old wax/dirt, but this “gunk” still remains. It does not feel particularly greasy or sticky, I just can’t seem to get it off. Is this normal for what a waxed chain looks like after a few thousand km’s?
EDIT: I should not that this picture was taken direct AFTER boiling, but before re-waxing. So in theory there should be no wax left. That’s why I’m not sure it’s just due to Silca wax having dark additives.
by ProfessionalArmy7571
15 Comments
Silca has additives that make the color darker? I know my home blend has Tungsten and Molybdenum sulfides in them that make the wax dark, and my chains look dark till all the surface non-roller wax has flaked/fallen off in riding.
Looks like a bit of surface rust but hard to tell. If so, you might have stripped off some of the protective coating that chains come with from the factory. As long as it’s not super rusty or worn out I wouldn’t worry about it
seems normal to me. mine looked the same way. performs amazing after being waxed so i dont mind it.
Thats probably corrosion after the de-grease. Most of my chains look like this after I boil off the old wax for a refresh
Mine Looks the Same with Silca wax
Following. Mine looked even worse than that. But worked fine.
That’s how Silca chains look with their additives, and I am assuming others get that look as well. The wax is more of a grey color but it’s still clean.
Looks like it was left in the methylated spirits or acetone too long and that caused some surface pitting. It’s not a big deal.
You should be able to remove surface rust when boiling the chain in water for a few minutes, but don’t quote me on that.
I’ve used Silca in the past, and am using Dynamic Wander Wax right now (my new local shop stocks it), and my chain looks more or less the same with both waxes: kinda clumpy.
Shouldn’t matter – whatever gunk is left on the chain will be replaced when you put in the hot wax and soak and swish.
If you have an older chain with rust or scuffs, it will look like that.
Your wear on your drivetrain comes from pins and rollers. Install it, put a chain checked tool on it, if it’s within tolerance, run it.
It’s best to use new chains but you can degrease old ones. I recently had a bike change over and the chain I had was rusted and old, but I was able to get most rust off and the tolerance for the chain was 0.21 (digital measurement), so it was under 0.6-0.8 where you’d normally change it.
After degreasing/boiling I usually put the chain in a jar with alcohol to get all the moisture out, then air dry it… Usually no to minimum rust.
Looks like flash rusting. Shouldn’t be a big deal. But it will require more upkeep to prevent it from getting worse.
That dark stuff is the Nano-scale tungsten disulfide. That is the lubricant. Normal to look this way.