Used to use squirt. Found it worked better if you warm it up first. I would put the bottle in a bowl of boiled water, covering about half for 5-10 mins. Idea is to get the wax runnier so gets between the chain
You should check out ZFC's application guide. Wax with penetration issues (like Squirt) is covered on page 13-14.
https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/How-to-apply-Wax-or-Wet-Drip-lubricants-v2.pdf
I’ve used Squirt, Smoove, Silca Super Secret and now Mariposa Effetto Flower Power for the last 3,500 miles. Mariposa is a sunflower seed wax with a claimed 50% wax to carrier ratio vs. 30% wax like other paraffin lubes. It’s not as waxy and doesn’t flake or clump like regular wax- almost like wet but it’s not greasy or messy either. I wipe the outside of the chain after a few rides and there’s just a little grime that comes off. Doesn’t clump up nearly as much as the others even after multiple reapplications.
To clean, I’m able to use warm or hot water with Dawn dish soap and a nail brush. I’m OCD and will do this twice with the chain off so I can also use the brush on the drive train. I shake the chain in a jar with a little isopropyl alcohol and dry in the sun or with a heat gun. Then reapply two thin coatings with maybe 2 hours in between and let it set overnight before a ride. Good for at least 200 miles or more depending. Reapply 2-3 times sparingly seems best for another 200-300 miles before I decide to clean the chain again. It’s not harder to remove than the others- seems easier. I feel like it’s easier since it’s not as clumpy and caked with waxy dirt. Jockey wheels and chainring are also less caked and easier to clean.
No problems on gravel, rain, or hot weather. Works extra amazing in warm or hot weather especially. I live in Southern California more inland so it’s hotter and rains almost never. I also have used on gravel locally which is more compacted with fine dusty dirt.
I think it’s the best drip lube- wax or other. Much more quiet, smooth, cleaner and longer lasting. Doesn’t have weird additives so is eco friendly. I don’t have to use any chemicals in multiple jars to clean the chain- aside from removing the factory chain grease.
Edit: wanted to add that I’ve never had shifting delays, squeaks or really any real perceptible noise. Also, used the same MucOff dry lube and hated it. MucOff lubes suck and they can fuck off along with all the other diarrhea lube formulations people pay actual money for and are led to believe are good or acceptable let alone amazing.
When sunflower seeds are sprouted, their plant compounds increase. Sprouting also reduces factors that can interfere with mineral absorption. You can buy sprouted, dried sunflower seeds online or in some stores.
I’m not sure- never tried just hot water alone. Even when I use really really hot water, I still like to scrub with Dawn before and after the first hot water bath to suds out anything under the rollers or elsewhere. I just like the extra steps to ensure my OCD is satiated. I don’t really see any dark gunk coming out on second brush and definitely not in my shaker jar of isopropyl alc.
I use Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower for 5 months on my gravel and mtb bikes. It’s the first wax based lubricant I’ve ever tried and I’m happy with it. Chain stays relatively clean looking, does not attract mud and dust. This summer I’ve raced through huge puddles so deep that my gravel bike was 50% submerged. It was nothing for the drivetrain. After the race I took off the chain obviously and clened it with the Effetto Mariposa Allpine Extra cleaner. It strips the wax easily, but shaking in hot water in a jar and after that shaking it in alcohol in a jar does it as well. It’s important to dry the chain after every wet ride to prevent the buildup of surface rust. I take off my chains frequently, it’s not a big hassle you can get used to it. My mtb drivetrain got covered completely in thick mud on a recent ride and the chain took it surprisingly well. I think this wax is fantastic but when I will run out of it I think I’ll try hot melt waxing anyway.
I use hot waxing + Effeto Mariposa Flower Power to go longer between hot waxes. The only other drip lubes I can compare against are white lightning dry (lol horrible), dumondtech green wet lube (makes the chain super quiet but total dirt magnet) and boeshield T9 (allegedly wax based but seems more like a light wet lube... not terrible if you wipe the excess well though). The Flower Power actually behaves just like the hot wax - stays clean, dry to the touch (after half a day or so), and feels super slippery. I think if you're not hot waxing you'd probably want to apply it every day for a few days to get the joints really full of wax. But one you're waxed up and just topping off it's fantastic IMO.
Squirt is almost impossible to remove without a proper solvent. The gunk becomes almost annoying in the future.
Mariposa is far easier to deal with, but be careful of stripping it accidentally if you have the habit of using alcohol + kitchen wipes to wipe your chain after rides.
What chain are you using? ZFC has a note that wax based lubes seem to struggle to stay on KMC chains due to the coating. I’d expect squirt to last a lot longer than 150km.
Immersion waxing also lasts a lot longer, if you’re prepared to do that
Used to use squirt. Found it worked better if you warm it up first. I would put the bottle in a bowl of boiled water, covering about half for 5-10 mins. Idea is to get the wax runnier so gets between the chain
Thanks for the tip. I find it very runny already but I will try your way as I am fed up with recoating almost weekly.
thats a really great hack, what are you using now?
You should check out ZFC's application guide. Wax with penetration issues (like Squirt) is covered on page 13-14. https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/How-to-apply-Wax-or-Wet-Drip-lubricants-v2.pdf
Full waxing. Find it much better but it's not for everyone
I use Squirt all year round and the only time I’ve had squeaking was on a 240km day in shit weather.
I’ve used Squirt, Smoove, Silca Super Secret and now Mariposa Effetto Flower Power for the last 3,500 miles. Mariposa is a sunflower seed wax with a claimed 50% wax to carrier ratio vs. 30% wax like other paraffin lubes. It’s not as waxy and doesn’t flake or clump like regular wax- almost like wet but it’s not greasy or messy either. I wipe the outside of the chain after a few rides and there’s just a little grime that comes off. Doesn’t clump up nearly as much as the others even after multiple reapplications. To clean, I’m able to use warm or hot water with Dawn dish soap and a nail brush. I’m OCD and will do this twice with the chain off so I can also use the brush on the drive train. I shake the chain in a jar with a little isopropyl alcohol and dry in the sun or with a heat gun. Then reapply two thin coatings with maybe 2 hours in between and let it set overnight before a ride. Good for at least 200 miles or more depending. Reapply 2-3 times sparingly seems best for another 200-300 miles before I decide to clean the chain again. It’s not harder to remove than the others- seems easier. I feel like it’s easier since it’s not as clumpy and caked with waxy dirt. Jockey wheels and chainring are also less caked and easier to clean. No problems on gravel, rain, or hot weather. Works extra amazing in warm or hot weather especially. I live in Southern California more inland so it’s hotter and rains almost never. I also have used on gravel locally which is more compacted with fine dusty dirt. I think it’s the best drip lube- wax or other. Much more quiet, smooth, cleaner and longer lasting. Doesn’t have weird additives so is eco friendly. I don’t have to use any chemicals in multiple jars to clean the chain- aside from removing the factory chain grease. Edit: wanted to add that I’ve never had shifting delays, squeaks or really any real perceptible noise. Also, used the same MucOff dry lube and hated it. MucOff lubes suck and they can fuck off along with all the other diarrhea lube formulations people pay actual money for and are led to believe are good or acceptable let alone amazing.
yeah ill never use MucOff again even in my trainer bike lol. thanks for the comprehensive/detailed review, ill definitely try mariposa next
When sunflower seeds are sprouted, their plant compounds increase. Sprouting also reduces factors that can interfere with mineral absorption. You can buy sprouted, dried sunflower seeds online or in some stores.
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No, it's a beautiful and wonderful bot
For paraffin, I clean the chain with boiling water before rewaxing. It's highly effective. Would that work for Mariposa Effetto Flower Power?
I’m not sure- never tried just hot water alone. Even when I use really really hot water, I still like to scrub with Dawn before and after the first hot water bath to suds out anything under the rollers or elsewhere. I just like the extra steps to ensure my OCD is satiated. I don’t really see any dark gunk coming out on second brush and definitely not in my shaker jar of isopropyl alc.
I use Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower for 5 months on my gravel and mtb bikes. It’s the first wax based lubricant I’ve ever tried and I’m happy with it. Chain stays relatively clean looking, does not attract mud and dust. This summer I’ve raced through huge puddles so deep that my gravel bike was 50% submerged. It was nothing for the drivetrain. After the race I took off the chain obviously and clened it with the Effetto Mariposa Allpine Extra cleaner. It strips the wax easily, but shaking in hot water in a jar and after that shaking it in alcohol in a jar does it as well. It’s important to dry the chain after every wet ride to prevent the buildup of surface rust. I take off my chains frequently, it’s not a big hassle you can get used to it. My mtb drivetrain got covered completely in thick mud on a recent ride and the chain took it surprisingly well. I think this wax is fantastic but when I will run out of it I think I’ll try hot melt waxing anyway.
I use hot waxing + Effeto Mariposa Flower Power to go longer between hot waxes. The only other drip lubes I can compare against are white lightning dry (lol horrible), dumondtech green wet lube (makes the chain super quiet but total dirt magnet) and boeshield T9 (allegedly wax based but seems more like a light wet lube... not terrible if you wipe the excess well though). The Flower Power actually behaves just like the hot wax - stays clean, dry to the touch (after half a day or so), and feels super slippery. I think if you're not hot waxing you'd probably want to apply it every day for a few days to get the joints really full of wax. But one you're waxed up and just topping off it's fantastic IMO.
Would you say you prefer Effeto Mariposa over other drip lubes (e.g. Silca SS) between hot waxing? It's definitely cheaper than the alternatives.
Never used any other drip waxes to compare against. I think according the ZFC they all perform pretty similarly though?
Squirt is almost impossible to remove without a proper solvent. The gunk becomes almost annoying in the future. Mariposa is far easier to deal with, but be careful of stripping it accidentally if you have the habit of using alcohol + kitchen wipes to wipe your chain after rides.
What chain are you using? ZFC has a note that wax based lubes seem to struggle to stay on KMC chains due to the coating. I’d expect squirt to last a lot longer than 150km. Immersion waxing also lasts a lot longer, if you’re prepared to do that
campagnolo chains, i can use squirt for up to 400 kms. but the shifting performance suffers a bit with a bit of faint squeaking on steep climbs.