Wax on new Shimano chain?

Capt.Ramjet
Capt.Ramjet Posts: 32
edited September 2014 in Workshop
Hi,
I've recently put a Shimano DuraAce 9000 groupset on a new bike build. The chain comes pre-lubed from the factory with what seems to be wax. Does anyone know what kind of lube this is? Is it wax or paraffin or something else? I like that it stays very clean after riding. If it is good stuff I'd like to keep using it.

Thanks for the advice....
'14 Supersix Evo HM
'13 Defy 0

Comments

  • team47b
    team47b Posts: 6,425
    Chains are lubed during construction so it is better not to remove this as it gets to parts you cannot reach.

    Question... if a DA chain is PTFE coated how would you get anything to stick to it? Does this coating wear off or does it last the chains lifetime?
    my isetta is a 300cc bike
  • Capt.Ramjet
    Capt.Ramjet Posts: 32
    Not planning on removing it. I'm just curious what it is and how to apply more of it in future.
    '14 Supersix Evo HM
    '13 Defy 0
  • keezx
    keezx Posts: 1,322
    The problem is not the stuff itself, but the cicumstances under which it is applied.
    You wil not be able to clean the chain 100% and apply your lube then (probably hot) without lots of effort & time.
  • team47b
    team47b Posts: 6,425
    Capt.Ramjet wrote:
    I'm just curious what it is and how to apply more of it in future.

    It is Cosmoline, usually used on rifles :shock:

    Chemically, cosmoline is a homogeneous mixture of oily and waxy long-chain, non-polar hydrocarbons :D

    It's used as a rust preventative.
    my isetta is a 300cc bike
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    The stickiness also makes it shift slowly. Many race teams (and me) degrease new chains because of this.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • patrickf
    patrickf Posts: 536
    maddog 2 wrote:
    The stickiness also makes it shift slowly. Many race teams (and me) degrease new chains because of this.
    +1

    I thought I'd leave on the "best grease a chain can get" (according to some) and the chain totally seized up in places through the sticky stuff - an absolute bugger to get off the rest of the drivetrain! That was a super sticky KMC chain.
  • DKay
    DKay Posts: 1,652
    maddog 2 wrote:
    The stickiness also makes it shift slowly. Many race teams (and me) degrease new chains because of this.

    In contrast, I'd heard that the lubrication that comes on the chain from the factory is the best possible stuff for it and anything else you apply to it from then is inferior. My own personal experience tends to agree with this. I do give the outside plates a quick wipe with WD40 though before installing.

    I can't see how a lube can be so sticky that it affects the speed of your shifting?
    N
    N+1

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