The hardest part about waxing your chain? Cleaning it first. Waxed chains are faster, cleaner, and easier to maintain than anything with oil-based lubes, but getting that factory grease or well-used chain lube completely off takes effort.
If that’s too much effort, Kogel’s new Gain Chains are degreased and pre-waxed for you. And they say they’re good for 3% efficiency gains, whether you’re riding outside or on the trainer.
The Gain Chains were developed with NeXT eSports team, which competes in online cycling races. They say professional e-sports teams have to double verify their data, measuring power with both crank- or pedal-based power meters and their smart trainers.
During testing, they found that comparing watts in both places with a waxed chain yielded an improvement of 3% compared to a chain using an oil-based lube. Even better, they say that benefit scaled with power output, remaining a consistent 3% improvement even in an all-out sprint, which could mean 10-15 watts or more!
The Gain Chain starts out at a normal chain, then Kogel uses a multi-step degreasing process, including ultrasonic cleaning to get all of the grease out from between the pins and rollers. After that, it’s soaked in chain wax, brushed, and re-packaged for easy installation. They come in four models:
- SRAM AXS Force Flattop
- SRAM AXS RED Flattop
- Shimano 12-speed Ultegra/XT (fits all Shimano road and MTB 12-speed drivetrains)
- KMC X12 for Shimano/SRAM Eagle/Campagnolo 12-speed drivetrains
What about wax flakes on my floor?
OK, but what about wax shedding onto the floor beneath your trainer? Yep, it’ll happen, but Kogel brushes the excess off before shipping. The photo above shows a brushed chain on the left, and one fresh out of its wax bath on the right. If the gains are worth the paint, you’ll probably still wanna put a rag down under the chain, or periodically sweep away any shavings.
Not only are they more efficient, they’ll stay cleaner for longer, reducing overall maintenance and prolonging chain life, particularly for indoor-only use. MSRP ranges from $149.99 to $174.99.
