Finnish-made Rex Black Diamond wax lube already claimed to be the “fastest ever” a few years ago, but now Rex have figured out how to go even more ultra-low friction and ultra-low wear with their customizable Hot Wax chain lubrication treatment. Sure, hot waxing a chain was already much more complicated than simply dripping on some chain lube, but the result is lower drivetrain friction, a cleaner-running chain, and the ability to more accurately optimize lubrication for your type of riding.
Rex Black Diamond Hot Wax chain treatment
The Rex brand is still more closely linked to parent company Redox’s solid ski waxes – the core driver behind developing their original Black Diamond wax-based chain lube – so it makes sense for them to go for a hot-applied solid wax, too. Rex says that as they see more cyclists willing to put in the extra effort of a heated solid wax application, they knew they could deliver a higher level of performance than what was already on the market.
Why Hot Wax over Lube?
Hot-applied solid wax tends to last much longer, reducing drivetrain friction in most cycling applications much longer than conventional chain lubes. Plus, it doesn’t attract dirt & grime that grinds away at your chain, it doesn’t get you greasy, and tends to be pretty resistant to wet riding. A solid waxed chain is cleaned simply with warm water and a quick wipe-down. All those pros start to outweigh the major con of it being a pain in the butt to deep clean a chain and properly met wax into it… at least for performance-focused cyclists willing to put in the extra work upfront.
Now, with independent test data from the Australian Zero Friction Cycling lab showing that it can double the usability between re-waxings compared to market leaders Molten Speed Wax & Silca Hot Melt, it may be even easier to commit to the additional waxing prep.
What’s new? How long does Hot Wax last?
Rex’s solution is a 2-part Hot Wax, with 11 more conventional white paraffin wax blocks as a base and then 1 block of black wax with concentrated additives to improve the performance of your chain’s lubrication. Essentially the black block is like a solid version of their low-friction Black Diamond wax-based lube and the white blocks are the carrier that binds it to your chain.
Melt all 11 white blocks and the 1 black block for an all-conditions lubrication solution that is ultra-long lasting for clean & dry road riding – up to 1100km between retreatments. Or for even higher durability, melt 4 white blocks to 1 black block to create a race-optimized wax that delivers performance up to 1400km before retreatment. Rex suggests that you can then use the extra white blocks as part of a “cleaning and pre-treatment” of your chain to help keep the chain’s wax cleaner, longer.
Interestingly, it looks like Zero Friction Cycling’s tests show Rex Black Diamond Hot Wax’s major performance gains are mostly limited to dry roads. But also on dry & dusty gravel, cyclocross, and mountain biking it can outperform the competition. And when it starts to get properly wet and muddy, Rex Wax can still mostly hold its own with the best solid chain waxes out there.
Rex Black Diamond Hot Wax – Pricing & availability
Rex produces their new Black Diamond Hot Wax treatment for bicycle chains in-house in Hartola, Finland. The new Hot Wax is becoming available now, retailing for 56€ including the 11+1 (480g in total) blocks of special wax. Rex says that with one package, you can “wax the chain several dozen times”.
Find it now in specialist brick-and-mortar bike shops around the world, and via select online retailers, plus Rex is actively working on expanding its bike retailer distribution.
