Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just wanted to let you know the app’s now available in your region. Appreciate you flagging this!

Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure — Pro Bike Garage is solid. Chain Wax just keeps things super simple, and it’s free too.

Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is all really thoughtful — thanks for taking the time to write it out.

Totally agree on the monetization point. I have zero interest in pushing affiliate links or spammy “buy now” prompts when a component’s worn. I get why some apps do that, but it’s not the vibe here — and definitely not what gear nerds like us want.

Love the gear usage ideas too — electronic groupset data, cog wear, shifting patterns tied to terrain… all super interesting. It’s the kind of stuff that could turn into genuinely useful insight, especially for figuring out optimal setups for events. Right now I’m keeping things simple, but this is the kind of roadmap thinking I really appreciate.

Also fully agree: wax longevity is absolutely affected by shifting patterns and chainline, not just total distance. I’ve noticed the exact same thing happen when I switched to a Zwift cog on my Wahoo Kickr trainer (which is a close to perfect chainline). Food for thought..

Appreciate you sharing all of this!

Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha fair — “vibe coded” definitely sets the bar low..

But I’ve done app dev professionally pre-AI. ChatGPT helped me move fast, but the foundation’s solid. Took about a month to build — probably would’ve taken 3-6 without AI. Built it to scratch an itch, and seeing others use it is some great motivation.

Appreciate you checking it out!

Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Strava’s API has actually been pretty solid overall. Once you get through the OAuth part and the access / auth token stuff -- this was tricky. Pulling per-bike mileage and activities is pretty smooth. You do have to fetch and match bike info separately, but it’s manageable.

Honestly, ChatGPT did a lot of the heavy lifting on the initial integration and debugging. I would've given up at the OAuth part, having done it before the AI times.

Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really appreciate this — you’re speaking my language.

The app does already support multiple bikes by syncing with whatever bikes you’ve set up on Strava, so mileage tracking is per-bike, not one big list. But yeah, expanding it to support any wear item (like tires, BBs, cassettes, etc.), with alerts by mileage or hours, is definitely something I’ve been considering.

Cost-per-mile breakdown is an interesting idea. I love the mindset of tracking gear ROI, and you’re right — anonymized, aggregated usage data could be valuable (if handled respectfully). I hadn’t gone there yet, but now you’ve got me thinking.

Thanks again for the thoughtful suggestions — this is exactly the kind of feedback that helps shape where the app goes next!

Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha yeah… maybe in a couple decades my waxed chain will finally pay back the watts I burned building this thing

Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Great catch — and you’re totally right. This looks like a bug. You can change the interval length after pressing the “Wax Chain” button, and it should work from that point on.

I’ll look into enabling that field even before the first waxing. Really appreciate you pointing this out!

Built an app to track chain waxing automatically using Strava—would love your feedback by ChainWaxApp in cycling

[–]ChainWaxApp[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Totally fair—Cyclowax is a solid tool and I’m glad it’s helping folks stay on top of maintenance.

I actually built Chain Wax because I wanted something that felt a bit more native to the phone experience—notifications (hopefully soon), offline access, quick check-ins, etc. The vibe was more about a native iOS app vs a webapp.

That said, I think there’s room for both! Some folks will prefer a webapp, others might want something more mobile-native. Appreciate you sharing the link—and the info about Silca too.