Wax or chain oil? Wet lube, dry lube, Squirt and hot wax compared
Hot wax wins on lifespan, dirt and friction, but it does mean re-waxing on time. Wet lube stays on longest in the rain, but holds on to a lot of dirt. Dry lube attracts less dirt, but washes off sooner. Drip wax like Squirt keeps the chain clean and runs freely, but doesn't last as long as hot wax. If you ride a lot of kilometres and want a clean drivetrain, hot wax is usually the best choice.
The four options
Wet lube is thick and sticky. It stays put well, even when it rains. But that's exactly why it also picks up every bit of sand and grit that comes along.
Dry lube is thin and comes in a solvent that evaporates. It leaves a thin film behind that attracts less dirt, but also wears off sooner.
Drip wax, such as Squirt, is wax in a bottle. Squirt is a mix of wax and water that you drip onto a clean, degreased and dry chain. The water evaporates and leaves a layer of wax behind. Squirt advises letting the chain dry completely before you ride, ideally the day before in wet weather.
Hot wax is applied molten to a fully degreased chain. The wax soaks into the chain and hardens as it cools. The outside stays dry. You do need to re-wax regularly: around every 500 km. If you do it yourself, it easily takes 2 hours or more.
Side by side
| Score (1 = poor, 5 = excellent) | Wet lube | Dry lube | Drip wax | Hot wax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low chain wear | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Clean chain (little dirt) | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Low friction | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Stays on in the rain | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Ease of maintenance | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Clean hands | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Total (out of 30) | 13 | 17 | 21 | 26 |
The scores are our assessment based on the tests by Zero Friction Cycling and Friction Facts. "Ease of maintenance" takes into account how often you have to do something and how long it takes: oil is quick to apply, hot wax needs redoing around every 500 km, and doing that yourself easily takes 2 hours or more.
Lifespan: where wax wins most clearly
Chain wear is mainly caused by sand that mixes with the lubricant and grinds away between the pins. Oil holds that sand in exactly the wrong place. Wax is dry, so far less sand sticks to it.
In Zero Friction Cycling's long-term tests, a chain on hot wax wears several times more slowly than on a regular oil. That holds with dirt and water added too: in their wet, dirty test, a waxed chain wore much less than the wet lubes they tested.
There is one condition: the gain only applies as long as there's wax in the chain. Once the wax has worn off and you keep riding, the chain wears faster than it would with oil.
Friction: a smaller difference than often claimed
In the well-known Friction Facts tests from 2013, measured at 250 watts, paraffin wax was the fastest lubricant. On a clean chain, the gap between the best and the worst lubrication was about 3 watts. Once the chain got dirty, most oils lost around 2 watts more, while wax barely changed. So the real difference lies mainly in what happens after a few dirty rides.
For a time triallist, every watt counts. For a touring cyclist, it's a nice bonus, but not a reason in itself.
Rain and mud
Wet lube stays on the chain longest in the rain. That doesn't mean it protects the chain better: it carries all the sand from the road into the chain.
Wax doesn't dissolve in water, but the sand that comes with the water does wear the wax away faster. So after a wet ride you'll need a new treatment sooner. Our rule of thumb is that you get 40 to 50 per cent less distance in wet weather. You can read more about this in How many kilometres does a waxed chain last in the rain?
For very long, muddy rides where you can't swap chains along the way, even Silca recommends a wet lube. Afterwards, though, the chain has to be fully degreased again before you re-wax it.
Dry lube: rarely the best choice
Dry lube picks up less dirt than wet lube, but more than drip wax or hot wax. In the rain it's gone quickly. For dusty summer rides it works fine. Beyond that, you're usually better off choosing wax, or wet lube if you ride in the rain a lot.
Drip wax like Squirt: wax without a workshop
Squirt is one of the best-known drip waxes. The big advantage: you don't need a pot or an ultrasonic cleaner. A 120 ml bottle costs around €10 to €14.
Squirt scores well on friction. In the Friction Facts tests it was the fastest drip lube, with 4.7 watts of loss at 250 watts. Hot wax ran slightly faster still in those same tests.
The difference is mainly in how long it lasts. Squirt itself quotes 50 to 480 km per application, depending on conditions. In their test, Zero Friction Cycling (ZFC) found that the chain on Squirt stayed clean for a long time in dry weather. In wet and dirty conditions it clearly wore faster than with hot wax. Over time, ZFC also saw a black, sticky residue that is hard to clean off.
You can also combine drip wax with hot wax. According to ZFC, you can use Squirt as a top-up on a waxed chain: wipe off the excess and let it dry properly. After a few top-ups, it's best to have the chain cleaned and re-waxed.
Switching from oil to wax
New chains come with factory grease, and a used chain is full of old oil. All of that has to come out before the wax can bond. A rag won't do it: you need a degreasing bath and ultrasonic cleaning. Your cassette and chainrings also need to be free of oil. The step-by-step plan is in Switching from chain oil to wax.
Don't want to buy your own kit? Then order a waxed chain or have your current chain waxed.
What suits you?
- Time triallists and racing: our Speed wax. It saves up to 7 watts compared with oil.
- Training and everyday riding: our Standard wax. The best balance between speed and range.
- Touring, gravel and long distances: our Endurance wax. It lasts up to 1,000 km.
- Wax, but maintained yourself without a workshop: drip wax like Squirt. Or combine the two: hot wax as a base and Squirt to top up in between.
- Lots of rain and no appetite for maintenance: wet lube. Do expect a dirtier drivetrain.
- City bike with low mileage: wet lube, with the occasional drop.