Review; Wend Chain Wax Kit

I picked up some Wend Chain Wax a couple of weeks ago based on listening on an interview on the SoCal Cycling Podcast, if you haven’t subscribed to the podcast it’s a great show and I highly recommend it. I have had the opportunity to use it now for the last 10 days or so with roughly 300 miles use accumulation I thought it would be a good time to write up some thoughts.

Parafin Wax has been shown to have the least resistance of all lubes on a bicycle chain. But to apply wax to a chain is a time consuming and potentially complex process invlolving stripping your chain, cassette and cranks. This product makes it easy to apply a wax-based lube to the chain.

The very first thing I did before applying the wax was clean my drive train. There is no science to this it’s more a time and patience activity than a technical one. I use a Finish Line Chain Cleaner and Finish Line Citrus degreaser. I have tried several brands and I find this degreaser to be gentle but firm especially when cleaning a dirty cassette. I did remove the cassette from the wheel and stripped it down before reassembling it. Additionally I degreased both derailleurs. Basically I had a blank canvas on which to apply the Wax.

The Wax Kit comes in a neat box. Inside are the instructions, a bottle of liquid wax called Wax Off which is used to clean your chain and get liquid wax into the links of the chain and a stick of hard wax, called Wax On; Wax On is a sophisticated paraffin based Formula that includes proprietary friction reducers as well as proven lubricants such as Zinc and Teflon says Wend’s website.

Wax On is the same format as you have with a deodorant, you twist a barrel at the bottom and this lifts the wax clear of the container. There is a small micro fiber cloth for the application of the liquid wax. Oh and there are stickers…always a good thing. I purchased my kit from Amazon, it was the same price, $30, if I purchased from Wend directly but as I have Amazon Prime I saved on shipping. One thing I will say is that it has a super nice smell, somewhere between bubble gum and gummy bears! Much better than any chain lube I have smelt before.

Application was easy, here is a quick video from Wend showing you how to. The only thing I did differently was not to turn my bike upside down, because, you know, Rule #49!

With the liquid and the hard wax applied all that was left to do was ride. So I did! As mentioned I have put around 300 miles on since first using the Wax. In total I have applied it 3 times. I tended to apply it before my longer rides rather than every 100 miles. Longer rides recently have been in the 65-80 mile range.

Ready to roll…

So how does it perform? Well, actually really well. The obvious and important thing is the reduction in friction between the moving parts. Of course this is all perceived, none of this is scientific and I am unable to quantifiably measure differences. With that said the Wax is quieter, mostly. There is a tipping point when the wax needs to be reapplied and there is a fair amount of chattering from the chain if you go beyond that point. But to be perfectly honest, from my experience, that the same for any lube when it needs to be reapplied.

The most noticeable thing is that your drivetrain stays cleaner longer. While I am not riding in rain soaked gritty roads I do find myself riding on roads that wend (no pun intended) their way through lots of dry, sunbaked farmland and that ensures plenty of dirt and dust in the bike lane from the farm machinery, tractors, trucks and the like being thrown up on the bike. Typical lube would pick up this debris and liberally distribute it around the chain, cassette and chainrings. This results in less wear, longer lasting parts means more money saved and of course a cleaner drivetrain means less resistance and is an energy saver! 

In the pictures below you can see that there is still black chain lube residue on the cassette. I think this from where the chain was not 100% clean to start with. After a bit of research online it seems the best way to clean it is to break the chain and use a sonic cleaner with degreaser and water mix to really get into the crevices of the chain. Next time!                           

After nearly 100 miles of use since the first application.

So in summary it has a big ticks in the main boxes…it reduces friction and it’s quiet! Additional ticks in boxes as follows;

• Keeps you chainset cleaner than traditional lube!
• Based on the three applications so far it one set of Wax will last a long time, I expect it to last a lot longer than a traditional bottle of lube
• It smells nice…ok this is totally a bonus but smelling nice is never a bad thing!

As mentioned the set cost me $30 from Amazon, you can buy it directly from Wend or from a local bike shop that is distributing it.

This Wax Kit was purchased by me. See previous gear reviews in the Tab above. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at quadrathon@gmail.com.

Top Tips for Selling your Bike!

Buying a bike can be a tricky proposition. At face value they all look the same but it’s not until you throw your leg over it you get a feel for it that you can really tell. A 58cm bike of X brand can feel substantially different than a size 58cm or Y brand. There are lots of variables that can effect things; geometry, ride orientation (race vs. endurance), components, weight, the list goes on.

While I am not in the market for a new bike I keep an eye open for a good deal and it was with that open eye that I was able to pick up my gravel bike, a 2013 Lynskey CooperCX, last year. The same bike that I used for Dirty Kanza 200 this June.

So with all that said this post is actually about selling your bike. As a seller you typically want two things to happen;

You sell it for the best price possible and you sell it as quickly as possible.

I recently sold my Tri Bike. The bike in question was a 2011/12 Cannondale Slice Hi Mod5. It’s the same one I used for all my triathlons including Ironman Arizona.

I posted the bike on a couple of Facebook forums, one that is national and that contains all things bikes (bikes (Road, MTB, CX), parts, clothing etc.) for all bikes and the same one I picked up my Lynskey from. The second FB group is more Southern California focused and is all things Triathlon (bikes, wetsuits, etc.). It sold within two weeks to someone who had seen the posting in the latter group and it sold to the first person that came to see it.

This last weekend I went to have a look at a used Trek Emonda SL6. I didn’t buy it as it too small but for a bike that 11 months old is was pretty beaten up. The seller wasn’t doing himself any favors with his approach to selling his bike. Including some pretty poor photos and presenting a dirty bike.

So based on my experience as a buyer and a seller (plus lots of years of being in sales in general and even longer being a Virgo with all their neatnick tendencies) I thought I would list some thoughts and tips on how to get the best price fast!

Before you do anything, clean the bike! I am amazed at how many postings list at best a dusty bike and at worst one that is filthy. Give it a good clean. This would include washing and polishing the frame. Get rid of the spilled drink and the sweat marks, the mud and the dust. Clean the drivetrain. Degrease the chain and if you have the tools and the knowhow strip down the cassette. Relube everything so the drivetrain purrs like a cat and doesn’t rattle like a bag of hammers. Polish any surface. You want the bike to look like it’s been lovingly cared for not used and abused and ignored.

Now you have a clean muse it’s time to get your creative juices flowing…well actually it’s time to write a solid, honest advertisement!

Title; the title is the lure. People scan listings so be clear, accurate and to the point. This is not the place to inject your sense of humor;

“Cannondale Slice; Shimano DA/Ultegra Groupset w/ Stages Power Meter, Training & Racing Wheels” this tells you exactly what is being listed. It also has the added attraction of the Power Meter and multiple wheelsets.

Pitch; this is the first couple of sentences of the post. It’s what get the reader to read on. Why should they read your ad or buy your bike? Some humor, clean and short can be used here.

The Listing; What are you selling? Remind them here. Size, at least 30% of the ads I see omit the size. Just list it up front so people know to read on, if you have included it in the title this is just a reminder for them. I made a point of noting how tall I am too and that there was plenty of adjustability for sizing.

For the ease of reading break up the posting into logical sections with bullet points. Avoid big blocks of text and run on sentences. Keep it short and snappy! Spellcheck it!

Groupset; list each item. Is it a full set or is it a mix? Be specific. Cranks need the length and chain-ring sizes noted. Cassettes need the sizing noted. List all the items; BB, Cranks, Chain, Front and Rear Derailleur, Shifters and Brakes.

Wheelset; got fancy wheels or not got fancy wheels, call them out here. Include what type they are i.e. Clinchers or Tubulars, make a note of the tires and the mileage if you know it.

Cockpit; I specifically called out the upgraded cockpit on the Slice. A 3T carbon fiber aerobar set up was well worth noting.Basically you need to note the Bars and Stem. If you have a special Headset bearings i.e. Chris King call it out here too.

Other items of note/Accessories; this is basically what’s left. Seat Post, Saddle Cages, Pedals, Mounts anything else that you’re including.

Photos; a picture really is worth a 1000 words. It’s well worth spending time on this. Good lighting and situation count for a lot but if you can’t take an arty picture with the bike at the center of the shot at least put the bike against a plain background, a garage door or living room wall are perfect. Take photos of all the key elements of the sale post. These include upgraded components, highlight anything that’s worth calling out, this includes the good and the bad and the ugly. The last thing you want is to surprise a buyer! The photos above were all used in my ad and were taken with an iPhone!

Mileage; if you have kept a track of your mileage here is the place to put it, especially if it varies across different items. Strava is a great resource for this if you have set up your bike and are tracking mileage. If not an educated guess is better than nothing. Wheelsets may have different mileage?!

Any else, had a crash, time to confess! Lovingly looked after by a Pro Mechanic, state your love here! Ridden in the Pro Peloton, here’s the place to note that!

Price; this is the fine line between cash and time. Pricing things realistically makes them sell faster, that said you don’t want to give them away. Do some research, like cars bikes depreciate tremendously once they leave a show room floor. I invested over $6000 in my Tri bike and I sold it with a Power Meter and Race Wheels. I sold it for a third of that investment but it sold and there is no benefit to having it depreciating further! Price it realistically and it will sell. Hanging out for the last $25 usually results in the sale falling through or burning any goodwill that you may have generated with the buyer.

Finally shipping! Obviously selling it to someone in person who comes to see it is best. They can look at it, ride it and look you in the eye. If you’re selling online to someone who lives the other side of the country the best advice I can give you is to get it professionally broken down, wrapped, and packed. Treat it the way you would want to receive it. Use a reputable shipper, FedEx, UPS etc. Insure it. Track it and send all the shipping information to the buyer. Over communication is key. There is nothing worse than having somebody go radio silent on you. If you use PayPal opt to use Goods and Services, there is a small fee <3% but this covers both the buyer and the seller in the case of a dispute or missing or damaged item. Hopefully you won’t need it but it’s nice to have it just in case.

Basically the best rule is to be fully transparent and honest.

So there you have it, not a super exhaustive list of things but in my opinion a good starting point.

Did I miss anything? Yes I probably did so leave a comment below!

Thirty Days of Outside; Days 13 – 20

This week ended up being somewhat of an anomaly. Seven rides over seven days but three of them were what I would call easy fun rides. Basically a 30 – 45 minutes bimble on the Fixie to the local park to slaughter some Pokemon. The remaining four made up the bulk of the mileae with three of them being over 50 miles. So here’s all the details;

Monday; Pokemon hunting with Becca

Tuesday; I was working a funky schedule which meant being online through the night and so I took the afternoon off and took off on my bike. I also managed to bag the thirteenth climb for the Santa Monica Mountains Challenge, that leaves two to go. A nice ride out to the ocean and back.

Wednesday; more Pokemon hunting…they never stood a chance!

Thursday; A quickish out and back loop. Was feeling the effect of being up all night Tuesday and was feeling pretty grumpy. Went for a ride and felt better!

Friday; yup more Pokemon! Level 9 now!

Saturday; as I had a pretty easy second half of the week I rode an extended loop, just over 50 miles, for time. I had managed in the past to squeeze in under 3 hours. This time I rode it really hard for time and shaved 9 minutes off my PR. Needless to say I am happy with that!

Sunday; rode out to Oxnard with Becca, mostly windy 68 mile ride mostly flat, lots of pedaling!

Just under 14:30s on the bike and a little over 215 miles. That’s five out of the last six weeks on or very close to the 200 weekly miles. I have 10 more days of riding outside to wrap up the 30 days challenge. One observation is that while I am not sick of riding my bike I am sick of the local roads. 25-35 mile rides are not long enough to get me out into the mountains proper and as a result I am stuck riding the same routes. I am looking at Strava to see if there are any more options from heading a different direction.