We are proud to offer chain waxing here at Mystic Cycle Centre! Wax is the best lubricant out there in terms of drivetrain efficiency and is also the best way to protect your drivetrain from wear.

Chain Waxing Q + A's

Q: What do I need to do to wax my chain?

A: Bring your bike in! We will strip your chain, deep clean the drivetrain, and wax your chain for you. Chains either need to be brand new and in the packaging or completely stripped to be able to wax the chain. Any oil or residue on the chain will both prevent the wax from properly adhering to the chain and will contaminate the pot of wax. Deep cleaning the drivetrain and stripping the chain is $99.99 and waxing the chain is $29.99. If you’re doing this with a tune up that includes a drivetrain clean, such as the MCC tune up, the cleaning fee is $49.99 as some of the cleaning is completed in the tune up, but there is still more in-depth cleaning required to prep your drivetrain for wax.

Q: What bikes can I use a waxed chain on?

A: Every bike! Chain wax extends the life of every drivetrain and keeps every drivetrain much cleaner than an oil-based lube does. It doesn’t attract dirt and dust, so it works on mountain and gravel bikes just as well as it does on road bikes. Dirty conditions do require more frequent waxings, just like with a traditional oil-based lube.

Q: How long does a waxed chain last?

A: Like with everything on a bike, it depends on the conditions. If it is a mountain bike chain, you may get as little as 150 miles from a waxed chain before it needs to be rewaxed, but you may get as many as 350 or 400 miles before needing to re-wax the chain on a road bike. The wetter and dirtier the conditions, the more often you need to wax your chain.

Q: What is the necessary upkeep?

A: There’s not much upkeep needed between waxings. You can get a bottle of Silca Super Secret Chain Lube to apply between waxings to extend the amount of time between waxings by more than double, but that’s about it. If you don’t want to deal with applying Super Secret Chain Lube between waxings, there’s no upkeep needed. The only big thing is that you can’t apply an oil-based lube on top of the wax. If you do apply an oil-based lube over the wax, your drivetrain needs to be deep cleaned and your chain needs to be stripped again.

Q: What brand of chain wax do you guys use?

A: We use Silca Secret Chain Blend for our chain waxings. Secret Chain Blend contains three different sizes of nano-scale tungsten disulfide particles, which form a slippery, protective layer on the chain, reducing friction.

Q: I don’t care about speed. Why should I wax my chain?

A: Waxed chains help prevent drivetrain wear by reducing friction. Friction is the enemy of longevity in your drivetrain. The wax fills the internal structure of the chain and coats the external surface of the chain. The external coating of wax doesn’t attract dirt and grime, so nothing accumulates on the outside of the chain and cassette. This prevents the grit from wearing down the cassette, chainrings, and chain. The wax inside the chain prevents dirt from entering the internals of the chain. As you ride the bike, the wax will get squeezed out of the inside of the chain, pushing out any dirt and grit that has made its way into the chain. Waxed chains are also very clean. Gone are the days of a chainring tattoo on your calf from accidentally touching your chainring with your leg.

Q: I care about speed. Why should I wax my chain?

A: Waxed chains are the most efficient chains out there by reducing friction in the drivetrain. The reduced friction from the tungsten disulfide particles, as well as from the cleanliness of the chain, reduces the power losses from the drivetrain substantially. Grit in your drivetrain detracts from the overall efficiency of the bike. Waxed chains don’t attract dirt, so the entire drivetrain stays clean and more efficient. Traditional chain lubes can be costing you 5-10 watts compared to wax lubes, depending on the cleanliness of the drivetrain. At 250 watts, that is a 2-4% savings over traditional chain lube.


Q: How long does waxing a chain take?

A: Deep cleaning the drivetrain and stripping the chain takes just under an hour, while waxing the chain takes about 20 minutes. This is something that you will need to drop your bike off for us to do; it’s not something that we can do on the spot.