Graphene Chain Wax

The wax for bicycle chain is a dry or solid lubricant emulsified in water, although we apply it in a wet or liquid form, it is called dry lubricant because it works dry not because it is suitable for dry environment, once the water where the wax is dissolved dries, it adheres to the metal parts of the transmission, reducing friction between the metal parts that slide between them by the wax-wax contact, all without the need for a liquid as in the case of oil.

The lubricating function in this type of wax is provided by its layered structure at the molecular level, the layers slide minimally on top of each other almost effortlessly, so they are able to lubricate dry. If we add an additive to the bicycle chain wax we can multiply its lubricating and mechanical properties, the most common additives applied to bicycle chain wax are Teflon or PTFE, Graphite and the BEST of all, Graphene. The wax has an effect similar to ice, or if you slide two mirrors against each other, as they are smooth surfaces, they slide with little effort, canceling the sawing or sanding effect of metals.

 

Bicycle wax began to be used mainly as a dry lubricant in mtb, since it is very clean, the problem that we find when we lubricate the chain of a mtb with oil and on dusty roads is the dirty paste that forms. This problem does not occur when using chain wax on the mtb, since the whole transmission is dry and the dust does not stick or sticks very little. That is why chain wax is most commonly used on MTB or gravel bikes, although the dry lubricant can also be used on road bikes. Nor will we suffer stains on the frame by splashes of leftover dry lubricant.

Functioning of the bicycle wax on the road

Normally at the beginning of the route the chain can be a little "hard", this is due to the fact that there is too much ceramic lubricant in the bicycle chain. During the first 2-3 kilometers the excess dry lubricant falls off the chain and this is when it lubricates better, as the kilometers go by and gradually the bike chain wax will degrade, lubricating less and less.

The duration of the bicycle chain wax depends a lot on the quality of the lubricating wax, its additives such as PTFE or wax with graphene and the environmental conditions. The most basic and cheapest waxes usually last about 40 km on the chain, higher quality waxes about 80-100 km and wax with graphene can last up to 200-300 km. The duration will depend a lot on humidity, dust, river crossings and puddles. These factors affect the effectiveness of the wax.

 

It could be said that the only problem or disadvantage of wax is its use when wet, when we apply wax to the chain we are putting water with dissolved solid particles, the water dries and the wax remains on the metal as an outer layer. When we cross a river and wet the transmission, the wax is diluted in the water and detaches from the metal. So we run out of dry lubricant in the chain.

It is not advisable to use wax lubricant for chains if we are going to ride in the wet, normally on rainy days there is no dust there is water if we go on the road, and there is mud if it is in the mountains, so we should use oil, as it is water-repellent.

The problem arises when we go out on dry days with dusty roads but we have to cross rivers, if the ride is short a good wax with graphene is ideal, if the ride is long and there are many river crossings perhaps we should take wax with graphene and apply when the noises begin. We can take advantage of a break for breakfast, apply the wax and in 10-15 min starts to be effective, although it is not ideal, or better yet oil as its use is immediate.

There is no perfect lubricant for general use, the one that works wet gets dirty with dust, and the one that works with dust does not resist water well.

Who hasn't experienced that when crossing a river the chain starts squeaking?

If when crossing a river you seem to be chased by crickets, or on rainy days and to a lesser extent on wet days with fog, the same thing happens to you, there are wax models that claim to be for wet, but they are waxes with oil or lubricating liquid, losing the cleaning property. Nowadays the only wax that works in the wet is the wax with graphene, and it is not because of the wax, but when the wax disappears, the graphene remains, which is water-repellent, although it will last much less than in the dry.

 

Follow a few simple steps to maximize the effectiveness of bike chain wax.

Clean the drivetrain

The first thing to do is to clean the drivetrain thoroughly to remove any dirt, oil or dry lubricant that may remain. It is extremely important to clean the sprockets, sheaves, chainrings and chain, that is, the whole transmission, not only the chain, the metal must be bare so that once we apply the wax it will be in contact with the entire surface.

To clean the transmission it is necessary to use a degreaser, there are the so-called biodegradable degreasers that are much less powerful than degreasers derived from petroleum, for the transmission it is better to use a powerful degreaser.

If there are remains of dirt and lubricant they will mix with the new chain wax and in addition to not adhere the wax in the dirty areas will be mixed forming a paste that produces the opposite effect, it is advisable to use a degreaser designed for bicycles that are respectful with the paint and rubbers that are on the bike.

Drying the bicycle transmission

It is important to remove the remains of degreaser or soap from the transmission, so it is necessary to rinse very well with water all the parts and nooks and crannies. We will rotate the transmission with the bike stopped to expel all the water and we will dry it with a cloth, once dry we must make sure that there is no moisture in the chain, sprockets or chainring.

Do not leave the chain unlubricated, as the bare metal can rust, if we have made an outing in a clean and dry environment and we observe that the transmission is clean, we can remove the dirt with a brush and apply wax for bike chains directly, but every 2 or 3 outings will have to clean the transmission in depth.

Applying bike chain wax or lubricant

For the bike chain wax to be 100% effective it must dry, so apply the chain wax at least 4 hours before using the bike. Normally bike chain wax reaches 70% effectiveness with 1 hour drying, and 50% effectiveness if it dries for 15 minutes. It is best to apply the day before the ride and if possible 1 or 2 hours before applying another coat.

How to apply bike chain wax

It is necessary to apply a generous layer of dry lubricant for bicycles on the external and internal face of the links of the chain, at the same time we will make them pass through all the sprockets and chainrings. Let it dry for a few minutes and apply another layer but less abundant, the bike can be used after a few hours.

If the bike is to be stored for a few days or weeks, it is advisable to apply another coat of chain wax before use, as the wax is gradually diluted by the humidity and loses its effectiveness.

 

Graphene wax is currently the most advanced bicycle chain wax with the most advanced additive of the moment, graphene is a material 100% derived from carbon but with a different molecular structure, it is similar to graphite but far exceeds its mechanical properties. It is 300 times harder than steel with a density similar to that of carbon.

It is water-repellent, repels dust and prevents corrosion as it is not affected by oxygen, and has one of the smallest particles known to date. All this means that incorporating graphene into bicycle chain wax improves its lubricating qualities, as the graphene molecule is able to enter the saw-tooth valleys of the metal.

The graphene molecule that is in suspension in the graphene wax fills all the cracks in the metal, however small they may be, leaving a smooth surface and thus avoiding the sandpaper effect that occurs when one metal rubs against another, in addition to leaving the surfaces smooth, by incorporating the graphene in the wax and having such a hard particle. It is as if there is a layer of unbreakable balls between the two moving parts, first we have the wax itself with graphene that separates the moving metals.

The base of the wax with graphene degrades with friction and humidity, once the wax disappears the graphene is left to separate the metal parts as an intermediate layer preventing wear, it is the same principle as the bearings but at the molecular level.