- The easiest way to give your bike chain a full melted-paraffin wax lube. Remove the chain from your bike, place it in the HOT TUB, and heat the entire container in a water-bath on your stove-top.
- No need to mix your own paraffin with ptfe powder and molybdenum disulfide. We’ve done it for you!
- Professional bike technicians have known for years that nothing lubricates and repels dirt better than paraffin… not to mention much cleaner than oil and grease products. It’s always been a messy involved process until the Runaway Bike HOT TUB. Add speed to your ride with molten paraffin wax.
- Normal road and trail dirt does not stick to a chain treated with the HOT TUB. Your chain is left clean to the touch (that’s right, no more chain-grease tattoos!). Advanced additives extend lubrication while providing additional protection against moisture, rust, and corrosion.
- *** NOTE: Be sure to watch the entire boiling process closely. Don’t let all of the water in your water bath completely boil away while the lubricants are melting. This can result in the tub itself melting into the pot.
Joe –
I got a new KMC DLC chain and Dura Ace cassette so I’d thought I would give wax a try. I have heard good things about using paraffin wax, but didn’t want to deal with the hassle. This is very easy to use and ready to go, just add some heat. I cleaned my new chain of it’s factory grease using mineral spirits and denatured alcohol (not sure if this is necessary), followed the directions on the side of the tub, and installed the freshly waxed chain on my bike. 200 miles later I have to say it’s running smoothly, and my bling-y KMC chain and Dura Ace cassette is still clean to the touch. Al in all took about 30 minutes. I’m pretty sold on this so far and I’m curious to see the long term results.
Update – 11 months and about 3000 miles I have been using this wax. I really like it. I have been reapplying it every 500-600 miles, without using anything in between. It has held up well. I don’t really ride in the rain, so it’s mostly dry conditions. Reapplication is easy since the chain is pretty clean, so I just throw the chain back in the tub, heat up for 20 minutes and then back on the bike. I just ordered a new tub, since after 5-6 soakings, the wax is getting low. Blue KMC chain still looks sharp too, and the DA cassette is still clean.
Update – 2.5 years later. I’ve jumped around to trying out other wax type lubes (Wend, Smoove, Maxima, etc.), mostly out of curiosity, and I keep coming back to this product. Hands down works the best, lasts the longest and is relatively easy to use. I’m not jumping around any more, the hot tub is the best.
Joe –
Bernard ong –
I like the tidy aspect of not using oil on the chain.
This keeps the drive train from becoming totally black and gritty. It’s made the old chain quiet and smooth. You don’t get much in the container for $25 but it should do for three or so chains.
I ordered the bulk pack of wax for $47 delivered as for some reason it’s $20 CAD more off the .ca site so I’m set for a while.
Make sure you really melt the product before using it or you’ll end up with too much on the chain and you’ll waste it.
Expensive compared to using solvent and 3 in 1 but the environment you know.
Seems all things bicycle are super pricey now making it an exclusive hobby.
Recommended.
Bernard ong –
JL Brown –
I originally waxed with paraffin. Super clean, but didn’t last. This stuff lasts. The additives matter. This package is probably good for up to 20 chains. More than that, I’d probably just make the stuff myself from bulk ingredients using the SpeedWax formula.
Here’s a shopping list for waxing:
Elite Gourmet MST-250XS 1.5qt slow cooker
Bayite BTC211 temperature controller
2L heated Ultrasonic cleaner (CREWORKS or equivalent)
Zep Citrus Degreaser HD 1-gallon
Isopropyl alcohol 32 oz
Magnetic telescoping grabber
Microfiber cloth
Here’s how to wax:
1. Plug the cooker into the controller and set the controller to 200F. Set the cooker to High, pour in the wax, and nestle the probe near the bottom
2. Wet the microfiber with the alcohol or the degreaser and clean the outer layer of factory grease from the chain
3. Fill the ultrasonic cleaner with diluted degreaser, let it heat, and then run two full cycles (5 minutes each) with the chain
4. Fill an old water bottle with alcohol, drop the chain in, and shake. Remove the chain with the grabber and let it air dry.
5. Drop the chain in the wax (melted or not, it’ll get there), leave for a half-hour. Come back and swish it around.
6. Remove the chain (use the magnetic grabber to find the quick-link, the wax is opaque. Wear nitrile gloves and use pliers or a hook for the chain) and hang on a hook or coat hanger. Expect wax splatter.
7. Wait ten minutes to let it cool, run it over something thin to get the links moving, and put it on the bike. Run the chain for a minute or two on the stand.
If there’s excessive wax buildup on the chain or the sprockets, clean it off. That’s it. Sounds like a lot, but you’ll never need to clean your drivetrain (or your drive-side leg). When you start to hear the chain, take it off the bike and rinse in hot water to clean it, then do the process above, skipping steps 2-4. It’s a doddle.
JL Brown –
D. Alexander –
I’ve put on 150 miles, give or take, since waxing my KMC 12-speed mountain bike chain. Before, I’d lube before every single ride, but I haven’t had to even think about my chain in all those miles. It’s smooth and quiet, more so than it has ever been and it is completely clean after plowing through dust, dirt, water and mud. My now, my regular lube would have turned into an abrasive paste. I’m never going back. Even if I had to re-wax every other month, it’d still be worthwhile. No more chainring tattoos!
The marketplace for chain wax is crowded. I’ve used drop-on chain wax, but never an immersion wax. I chose Runaway Bike Hot Tub Paraffin Wax because it came in a container that I can melt the wax in, it had all the right ingredients for a good chain lube. The product description and reviews are comparable with many other products, but ultimately that they are a small business was what led me to give them a go. The process of converting from my old lube to wax lube was intensive, requiring my entire drivetrain to be spotless and oil free, but it had to be done and was overdue anyway. If you are thinking about going to wax, get it clear first or don’t bother. Once cleaned, the process of “cooking” the chain in the wax was super easy. Pro Tip: Lay out aluminum foil to rest your chain when you pull it out of the hot wax.
D. Alexander –
Joe –
I was using another companies wax because it was the top rated product on the market, but their tubeless sealant ate my rim tape and caused some damage to my expensive tires. Their response was “yeah, that happens sometimes, we are aware”. So, time to look for alternatives.
This stuff is really good!! Melts quick using the double boiler method and coats well. The tub and instructions make this really friendly and approachable for first timers and the wax curious. I’m getting roughly 200 dry road miles and 175 dry gravel miles before I need to reapply. When that happens I use Squirt, which gets me another 150 to 200 miles. And I can do that 2 or 3 times before stripping the chain and hot waxing again.
I’ve also been caught in some downpours and the wax has held up better than I expected. Not much lubrication left when I got home but the chain stayed really clean.
I’ll be sticking with this product.
Joe –
Guntars Silders –
Easy to use
Guntars Silders –
keith lumapas –
First class product at a fair price.
keith lumapas –
Synonymous –
Looks like a quality product
Synonymous –
Scott –
I “Super secretly” don’t want to give this product a good review only because, I fear that they’d jack up the price if people start buying more of them (See what I did there? :P). I only say this because, the quality of the product itself is really way too good for it’s price. I’ve placed this on my bike and, the break in period was really short compared to other wax products and that’s considering a 12 speed drive chain which, for some reason, breaks in the most longest. It went quiet after 3 km or so. The application is extremely easy, soak your chain in a degreaser, strip away all that oil, and throw your chain in the container, and place the container in a boiling pot of water until the wax melts. Take it off the pot of water and let it cool until you see film on the top layer, remove your chain with a tool of some sort, because that puppy will be hot and hang to dry. Of course, please do be careful if you’re handling hot stuff. I however, used a sacrificial crock pot to avoid the boiling in the water method all together. Your result is a stiff waxed coated chain after hanging it to dry but, once you install it back on your bike and ride it, the extra wax just falls off and what remains is a smooth grease free drive chain. Say goodbye to chain tattoo’s on your leg or, greasy hands. For it’s dirt cheep price, I highly recommend this little company’s exceptional product. I sincerely hope you guys keep doing what you do, and thank you for creating such a wonderful budget friendly product! Keep up the great work, team!
Scott –