Top 5 Waxed Chain Maintenance Tips
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- Опубликовано: 15 июн 2023
- Following up on the Chain Stripper FAQs, we are answering some other important questions that you have about Chain Maintenance. We answer these questions and more:
1. Post Ride after chain wipe down...what is the best option
2. How to re-apply Super Secret to the chain
3. Using a Kettle to clean the chain
Amazon Products:
Kettle: amzn.to/3NuhWBR
Instapot: amzn.to/3cbxKVJ
SILCA Products:
Microfiber Towels: silca.cc/collections/chain-lu...
Biodegreaser: silca.cc/collections/chain-lu...
Gear Wipes: silca.cc/collections/chain-lu...
Super Secret Chain Coating: silca.cc/collections/chain-lu...
Hot Wax X: silca.cc/collections/chain-lu...
Secret Chain Blend (hot melt wax): silca.cc/collections/chain-lu...
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▬▬▬▬ ABOUT SILCA ▬▬▬▬
Founded in Milan in 1917 and now based in Indianapolis, SILCA is renowned for its passion for cycling. Led by cycling industry leader, Josh Poertner, the brand has expanded from the iconic SuperPista pump to a full range of high-end cycling tools and gear, collaborating with UCI World Tour teams to enhance cycling performance. SILCA combines tradition with innovation, inspiring cyclists to enjoy both riding and maintenance.
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I always learn something new. Been dripping Super Secret at a less-than-ideal spot all this time. Thanks for this!
Whenever checking a chain for wear, it should be before re waxing in hot wax.
Every time we do hot wax immersion, the gaps in the rollers are filled up with the wax and hence we tend to get a false reading as little to no wear.
After 300-400 km of riding when the wax wears off, that is when one should measure the chain wear. Just my personal experience.
I guess you should always measure under the same condition (I would always measure the perfectly clean chain)
simply measure at the end of a ride after a quick wipe of the chain.
Thanks so much for all these videos!
Thanks, Simple concise, excellent information.
Cheers
More good details! Glad to know it appears the three bikes I switched to Super Secret should be easy to maintain long term without removing the chain again.
Thank you again, for your excellent advice. I'm going to go ahead and change over to waxing for BOTH of my bikes' chains.
Thankyou for building up a set of reference videos. Makes me very inclined to switch to your product/methods.
Always good to remember!
Thank goodness for the option to increase playback speed. Skipping ahead risks skipping info. Video was full of good info!
FWIW, I was able to get 3300 miles out of my XTR drive train using Silca wax in the PNW over the last 3 years. Rode in all conditions but lots of mud thrown in there too. Thanks for the tip to articulate the chain.
Thank you for answering these questions. One thing further, previously you said to wipe down the chain with a little denatured alcohol and here you use a degreaser. I am hot waxing 'Secret blend) with drip top ups. Dry clean riding.
The best products and the best advise! What more could we want?? I did learn something...the best placement for the drip-on wax for a top off treatment!! It was also nice to have confirmed that using the gear wipes was a good choice for the chain wipe-down.
What a great video!
Hi Josh, thank you for these fantastic videos, I always learn something new. I have been using wax on my chain for a four years now and love it. Last few winters have been very cold here in Victoria BC. Any tips on how to use wax in the winter? Please and thanks.
Keep up the good work🙏🙏
Very helpful. Thanks
For refreshing a chain I’ve been throwing it in the sonic cleaner with some diluted Shooters Choice then rinsing in hot water and air drying, before doing a new hot dip.
Great videos, I'm new in this world and I'm amazed at how much knowledge i gain with each one of them.
I got 2 Qs: how to know what kind of pot is best suitable for waxing? As you say that too quick heating could damage the wax but i don't want to keep a slow cooker on for ages and in Spanish I'm not sure what terms i should be looking for 😂
And 2: if i ride for around 8 months in dry conditions and the rest of the year in mixed conditions (no rain but some parts of the roads dry and others wet, but no puddles), what's the best solution? Waxed chain for the dry season and wet lube the rest or wax all year rewaxing more frequently?
Thank you very much.
After 2 years of using a slow cooker, I finally broke down and ordered an Instant Pot. I do multiple chains at a sitting, and this should substantially reduce time requirements.
GREAT TIPS! Will GEAR WIPES also help clean matte finish frames, after DUSTY gravel rides?
bro this wax shit is legit had to spend some time and money for the set up but god damn its worth it
Never thought of cross chaining to open up the chain a bit…brilliant! It sounds like your position is that the Secret drip is equivalent to the emersion method. Is this correct. I personally use both hot wax and drip, and always remove the chain to clean with boiling hot water. Thanks for the FAQ video!
I get over 15,000 miles on my chains, using one of the original brands of drip wax. Not so great if you ride in the rain often. You'll have to do a thorough wipe down, and re-apply, if that happens.
All of the cassettes on my race wheels show no wear. Even the 16 year old cassette I use on my clincher training wheel, runs smooth, without skipping on a new chain. That cassette must have at least 60,000 miles on it, since 70% of my miles are done on it. I don't believe that I've used oil on a chain since 1990.
Hey, great product. I was wondering Best procedure for reapplying/cleaning when using super secret chain lube only after a wet ride? Many thanks
Another great video, but there is one thing which still confuses me and that is when to apply new wax and I understand it's difficult question to answer. I live in perfect sunny climate, never ride in the rain and I have used Secret hot wax and topping up with Secret drip wax. How do I know when to reapply drip wax and when it's time to do another full immersive hot wax procedure? What signs to look/hear for or should I just use a fixed milage schedule?
Biggest question I am constantly asking myself!!!
We recommend every 250-300km between waxings whether hot melt of SuperSecret Drip.. I hot wax and then top off with SuperSecret every 250-300km and then reset the chain and re-hot wax at 1000km or so. If just using SuperSecret, I'd recommend a full reset every 1000km
Great new tipps. Thanks for that!
Would you mind to create a new video, with a ultrasonic cleaner, where you clean a used or brand new chain initially, and then use the ultrasonic cleaner to wax the chain, intead of using any kind of cooking pot? I think you mentioned it in one of the other videos, that using the ultrasonic waves for hot waxing would be the best ever method for hot waxing. Or did I misunderstood this, or did I missed a video like that?
For the instant pot boiling bin, what do you do with the wax and water? Boil off the water and scrape off the wax?
Thanks
Great video! I always learn something from these videos. Would you recommend purchasing multiple chains and rotate through them, or using one and applying the liquid wax every 100 - 150 miles and then re waxing every 1000 miles or so?
Either method works great, really up to the time and $ investment you want to make up front, and how often you want to fire up the crockpot!
That's not an induction heater but all the other info was great! Thanks for the tips!
Is it ok to heat the wax on the saute seating? I thought to higher temperature could damage the wax? Im all suprised to hear you can put the wet chain straight in the wax? That qould save a lot of time but does that also work if using a slow cooker?
Hey Silca, I do appreciate the products and general knowledge shared with the industry. It's really nice that you are trying your best to give advice and help navigate the dark arts of chain cleaning / lubrication. However, I have 2 small things...
First, If you say " We Tried " or " We Tested " this or that please back it up with data. Anyone can say anything online and in this day in age of miss-information or " advise" given as " fact" it would help with credibility like Zerofrictioncycling. There's so many snake oil salesman online and I hold you to a higher standard.
Second, Applying any lube in " big-big" or adding decent tension to your chain and lubing is, in my opinion, not efficient. Here's why. When you add tension to your chain it is pulling your pins /rivets tighter against your rollers, and your rollers tighter against your bushings. This does open up a slightly bigger gap on one side but also closes the gap, as it tighter, on the other side because of the tension. The problem is that you just closed the gap, with tension, that needs the lube the most as it is the tension side and more likely to cause wear through force. Ideally you want lube encircling the pin, roller, and bushing evenly on all sides contributing to a floating effect of any metal on metal parts encased in lube. So, this is why we don't tension immersion wax chains, but also, why small-small or least tension would lubricate better than big-big. Any thoughts?
Keep up the good work and pushing the industry to be better and better.
If you watch across all videos and read our blog, there is a ton of data and test results. Also quite a lot of our business is doing testing and development for others including ProTour teams and the data generated is theirs, but as part of our agreement with them, we can make any directional results public after 2 years, so on some things you will have to just trust us, but I think historically we've been proven to be right significantly more than wrong and in doing so have bent the industry in our direction.
As for big-big, you are missing a significant element in your thought experiment which is that for metal on metal contact at these forces, the metal can be considered rigid, and any contact at any tension will be the same as contact at 2 or 3 or 4x that tension. So the theoretical contact of the sideplate bushing on the inner pin is a line, where the pin of smaller diameter touches the bushing in one line of contact which articulates as the chain articulates. This line contact remains the same whether the load is 10N or 100N.. it only changes when there is enough tension in the chain to begin deforming the metal.
What does change this line of contact is when the chain has to articulate laterally from one angle to another and for a brief second the side plate bushings angle against the pin and the line contact becomes a point of contact.. this is exactly when we want the lube to penetrate the chain as suddenly the inner bushing is completely exposed as the link does a little parallelogram sort of thing.
I'll make a video on it.. Thanks
Thank you so much for all your advices. I cannot appreciate this enough.
What I´am wondering is, how do you maintain a chain after long distance events where you've startet with a hot waxed chain, and added some oil-based lube after a few hundred km into the event? Degreasing, boiling in water or both before hot waxing again?
Logically I think it should be hot water bath first to wash off the wax, followed by degreasing to wash off the lubricant residue from lube.
Hey, on rainy holidays hot waxing and even drip waxing often isn't an option, so if the chain stargs to make noise i shift to e synergie in such cases, but what is the best way to reset such a chain to go back to hot waxing?
As always, great video and info. I began doing my chains with the Secret Lube drip, but haven’t attempted a hot wax yet. I recently traded in my 30+ year REI Novara XR on a new Trek Allant+7 e-bike (I’m getting too old to do the hilly terrain here in the NE U.S. where I live., and have encountered a conundrum common to e-bikes. Back pedaling doesn’t move the chain because of the Bosch mid-drive motor.
Is there any special reason, other than being able to move the chain with the rear wheel gun the ground, that every thing I see says to pedal backwards when lubing or cleaning the chain?
Use a cord or something to connect you chainring to your crank. Now you can backpedal.
do you have spare liners for your wax melter that you sell?
2 liners, one pot.
Nice!
I ended up with excess wax on the sides of my chain. How do I remove that without removing the wax from where it needs to be?
I’ve been really enjoying my SILCA hot waxed chain. But I am curious how many times I can reuse the wax? I suspect over time the composition of the wax is changing due to: tungsten disulfide extracting into chain, lower boiling hydrocarbons evaporating during every heat-cool cycle, dust accruing, etc. thanks for considering this question!
No, just keep using it until there isn't enough to cover the chain, and then buy more.. the wax is very durable in regards to contaminates and reheating. OR, if you are VERY wealthy.. please buy a new bag of wax for each chain, that works for us also, and also give away bags of wax to all your friends.. that is also good (for us!). All joking aside, you should get ~10,000km+ per chain from a bag of wax with 30-40 reheatings/applications per bag of wax.
How long will hot wax last if im riding exclusively on the indoor trainer?
I always thought you lubed the inside of the chain and not the outside or top. I run SRAM flat top chains
Thanks for the great videos! What about chain maintenance DURING one of those long mountain or gravel bike races? My chains have the hot wax as a base and super secret as the weekly, but during races will get embarrassing loud about 3 to 4 hours in with dry dusty conditions. Thanks for any tips!!
We recommend topping off with Synergetic if it starts getting loud. Also look at HotWaxX, it has ~4x the single application longevity of SecretBlend in dry/dusty conditions.
@@SILCAVelo Interesting, I would have thought adding an oil based lube onto a waxed wouldn't be a good idea. If you do take this approach I suppose you may need to do a full refresh / clean/rewax of the chain afterwards?
One thing that never gets discussed is If you take the chain off to do the boiling water clean then reapplying Super Secret. I understand that if we're doing full wax immersion, the water will boil off, but what about if you're NOT using full immersion. What's the best way to dry the chain before reapplying Super Secret? Acetone? How dry does the chain have to be before reapplying Super Secret?
Acetone will work, or you can blow with compressed air. If time isn't an issue just set it in the sun for an hour. It doesn't have to be totally dry, but needs to at least be externally dried as it will mix with water which will just leave you with less wax in the chain and longer drying times.
@@SILCAVelo Use a hair dryer, really effective after a towel wipe first. Three mins maybe.
I starting using a toaster oven with extra pan. Do the boiling/cleaning then throw (what I hope is a clean chain 🤣) in oven mode that goes to 180. Leave there for 20min and forget about it. By the time I remember it's cool to the touch and so far has felt clean and ready for waxing.
I tried boiling the chains but it complicated the whole process and didn’t seem to do that much to remove old/dirty wax, so instead I’ve just been dropping the dirty chains in the wax. Then after I’ve done several chains I’d let the gunk settle to the bottom of the wax, pour off the clean wax and discard the gunk at the bottom.
Am I also discarding the tungsten disulfide in the Silca wax? The wax seems to adhere well and the chains show no measurable wear.
Dont throw the your silca wax bottom thingy and yes you are discarding tungsten..... As its settle down at the bottom
Is there a need to hot wax a chain before applying super secret chain lube? Or what are the consequences if not?
So….. Why don’t you use the “gear wipes “, that are in front of you, on the chain? Thx
Are baby wipes or Tub O’ Towels an option? Much cheaper
Nevermind the chain, how do you guys keep your speedplay pedals so clean? I thought you were supposed to lube them with dry lube and mine look worse than any of my oiled chains at this point.
In the chainstripper video u said that an ultrasonic cleaner is great for waxing, wich one u prefer beetwen ultrasonic cleaner and crockpot ?
Can we use an ultrasonic cleaner for boiling water cleaning ?
What brand of ultrasonic cleaner u recommend ?
Ive seen Vevor but seems that the tank cannot be replace.
Thanks ❤️
None of the ultrasonic cleaners have replaceable tanks, so you will have to dedicate it to either cleaning or wax. Ultrasonic waxing is the best way to do it, the ultrasonic waves really keep the wax mixed very well and guarantees full distribution of the additives in the wax. The Ultrasound also allows for very precise temperature control, so I've converted our waxing all to ultrasonic and are just using Chain Stripper for all of the cleaning and prep.
After pouring boiling water over the chain, how dry should it be before reapplying SS drip? Thanks! 8:33
Hi there, highly considering switching my road and gravel bikes to waxxed chain using the dripping technique. But while I'm it, I was also wondering about my mountain bike. what would be the pros and cons of it ? I guess more application and shortenen reset schedule which considering the cost of that lubricant may cancel the advantages? What are your thoughts on MTB chain lubrication?
Wax will save you even more money on your MTB drivetrain as the reduction in wear is even more significant than on road. You will need to wax somewhat more frequently than road, probably every 3-4 hours of riding. Adam at ZeroFrictionCycling talks about MTB use at length in some of his blog posts and videos if you want to check them out.
I notice you recommend throwing a wet chain straight into wax. Molten Speed Wax and Zero Friction Cycling appear to strongly disagree with this and say you need to throughly dry the chain before doing this, since the water will get trapped underneath the wax which floats over any water. This is the advice I’ve followed but it’s one of the most frustrating and time consuming parts of waxing! Intuitively I would agree with your thinking that the water just evaporates off but would love to know if you’ve done any testing on this? The wax is a slightly lower temp than the boiling point of water which may also complicate matters.
If putting the wet chain in you need to let it in there longer, but trust me, the water comes out.. you can see it boiling off in the pot for the first 5-10 minutes depending on how wet it is. If you're worried about it, put the instant pot or crock pot on high which will run it as 100-110C and then let it cool a bit before pulling the chain.
Hey Josh, I always spray off my bike before bringing it in the garage for wipe microfibre wipe down / relube when necessary. I do wonder sometimes if I should wipe off with microfibre first before water potentially gums anything up/drives dirt into the chain. Probably just paranoid but what say you about order of operations?
you should remove the chain before spraying the bike off
I did a hot water bath clean in prep for a re-waxing and allowed the chain to air dry for about an hour before going into the hot wax. Maybe the wax was a little hotter than it should be, but the tiny bit of water trapped in the rollers boiled. . . . EXPLOSIVELY!! Wax everywhere :( If you're going from water to melted wax, be sure to have a cover over the pot.
@silcavelo, I have an ultrasonic cleaner and wondering if there is a benefit to placing the instant pot inner pot into the ultrasonic to allow for better wax penetration into the chain? Do the ultrasonic waves penetrate the stainless steel inner pot?
Also, if you place the ultrasonic+inner pot into low-earth-orbit, the vacuum will remove any entrained air from between the pins/bushings and improve the wax fill.
Where can I watch the second part of the Rule of 105 Video ?
I would love to see a video where you show a series of bikes and what lubrication is recommended and why. These bikes may not be high performance bikes where marginal gains are not the main goal. The goal may be good enough for the amount of effort required. Here are some bike types I have run into.
Vintage bike
BMX bikes
Beach cruiser
Recumbent
Cargo
Tricycle
Tandem
Bike Touring
commuter bike with partial chain guard
commuter bike with fully enclosed chain guard
ebike with a hub drive motor
ebike with a mid drive motor
Kids bikes
Neighbor kid's bike that is so rusted your are amazed the kid can ride the bike
Maybe I let the wax cool too long, but when I first mount the chain it throws a lot of wax particles. Really shows up on my white and yellow bikes...and on the floor.... Beside that, I like it. My big questions are: How do you know it's time to quit using the wax; and how do you prolong its usefulness?
Struggled to install a hot waxed quick link. Had to use a non waxed one and then added the liquid wax to it.
We do not recommend waxing the link, it really makes it hard to assemble. The wax on the outside of the inner links and inside the rollers will leave it fully waxed after assembly.
Would be great to have a video on how to clean wax residue off the drive train 😬
Boiling water works great, or just scrape it off, no solvent needed.
Quick question. When I use the drip wax there will be quite a bit on the surface once it dries. The trick I use is to do a quick pass with my heat gun until the wax just flashes from solid to liquid. My theory is that this helps the wax further penetrate into the rollers. Is this a good or bad idea?
Just be careful as slightly too hot and it will run out.. testing by ZeroFriction and ourselves has shown that this isn't necessary, but if you want to do it and don't overheat, it also isn't harmful either.
What setting works best for melting the wax in the instant pot?
My favorite InstantPots are the 8 function ones that have 'Sous Vide' as an option. This allows you to set the exact temperature you want, and we recommend 80C/175F. For the simpler ones, just use 'slow cook' and you will be fine.
I bought your micro fiber towels and your degreaser. My question is how do I get the towels clean after getting all that black wax stuff from the chain on them? I suppose I should do a separate wash cycle for them in my washing machine. But is there a specific detergent that can get them clean? Use your degreaser in the wash cycle? How much? Thanks.
I've been using super secret on my cyclo cross bike with great results. However, I've been struggling to stay on top of stopping surface rust appearing after particularly wet races. Any tips?
Get a stainless steel chain
Thank you. Does it matter much if I am switching between drip waxes? Say Squirt and Super Secret? I haven't done full emersion waxing yet, but at that point how fixed should someone be on a single brand? Assuming two high quality brands not switching between candle wax and Super Secret.
Squirt is a totally different thing altogether, it's what's known as slack wax which is the stage of refinement before the paraffin wax is separated from the paraffin oil.. the high oil content makes it sticky and attracts dirt, but also will prevent an emulsion type product like SuperSecret, Effetto Mariposa, or CeramicSpeed from adhering to the chain. For best results, I'd recommend using it as a system regardless of brand you choose.
@@SILCAVelo Great thanks for the info. That will save me some headaches with trial and error.
A simple and very didactical video. Thanks, Josh… although the biggest takeaway was “English, microfiber! Do you speak it?!!” 😂😂😂
What?
🙂
@@adam__smithSamuel L. Jackson reference. MF.
Brett reference. It was him constantly asking "What?" that prompted "English, microfiber! Do you speak it?"
@@adam__smith hahah so sorry, my friend. Completely missed that one 😅
@@RicardoRocha-lg1xo No worries at all.
Hi thanks for the videos one thing I found that pulling the chain close to or just before harding I found the chain clogged with wax and fitting the was very difficult and stiff and the rollers and cassette was skipping at first on the stand. Is this normal or Should I be pulling it while it runs off easily ?
My first ride with a waxed chain is it's very quiet. I do mainly, 50% gravel dusty roads and 50% sealed. So how long between re melts 500 or 1000km.
Thanks again. Dayle 👍
You definitely want to get it before it starts to harden and clump on the outside, so maybe pull it a few degrees higher! You'll likely get 300-500km in dry/dusty, but the chain will let you know when it's time to rewax as it will get start to get a bit louder.
I've been using Super Secret drip wax for two months now and was disappointed last weekend to see that the chain had become slightly worn (0.25) already. The chain was prepared well but I suspect that I didn't apply it often enough - once a week, or every 120 to 150km. By then the the chain sounded a bit dry and didn't shift so smoothly. I now reapply twice a week, which may be overkill, but it feels a lot more lubricated and smoother.
Sound reasonable?
In other videos they say that you should apply 2-3 layers and then every 250 - 300 kms reapply the product. Finally you can do a restart around 1000 to 1200 kms.
This is all fine for road riding but what about after riding off-road in very dry and dusty or occasionally wet and muddy conditions? After just one ride the chain is covered in dust and starts to sound dry and squeaky. After wiping down the chain with a microfiber cloth and some Isopropyl alcohol I still feel the need to wash and rinse the chain with water to reduce contamination before re-lubing.
I have the same issue.
After a damp ride, what are your cleaning recommendations?
I would either wipe it down with MF cloth and reapply drip wax OR pull it and throw it in the hot melt.
wait wait wait, am I mistaking in thinking I've seen on previous videos that it was important to dry them after cleaning before you hot wax them? And here you just basically shake them of and put them in the wax still a bit wet?
After putting the super secret drip wax on the chain and running it through my fingers I see a bunch of excess was on the sides of the chain. Should I run the chain through another microfiber towel or gear wipe again to get the excess off?
Hi, should I wipe my waxed chain in between 2 waxings (from time to time, to get the surplus bits of wax off the chain) or only immediately before the next waxing? In other words, will any wiping require a new waxing? (Am I removing the wax coating by wiping the chain?)
Wiping won't remove the wax, ideally you just use a micro-fiber towel and lightly wipe to remove surface dust and dirt.. you don't have to wipe it in between waxings, but it won't hurt anything.
When applying drip wax directly to the chain I end up getting some on the pulley wheels and cassette. I assume that will come off during a ride or should I brush it off to avoid it collecting gunk?
I just leave it on, it makes things quieter and will eventually flake off. It dries pretty hard and not very sticky so it doesn't attract or hold much in the way of dirt.
Any special tips for a chain ridden only indoors, during winter on a trainer? Obviously rain, puddles, mud, dirt, temp extremes, etc., aren't factors, so the maintenance routine is going to be much simpler and rewaxing needs to be done less often. But clearly some maintenance and rewaxing is needed, so I'm wondering what it is.
You can easily maintain your indoor chain using SuperSecret Drip every 250-300km, just be sure to wipe all excess off of the chain after each application to reduce shedding of wax onto the floor and also will prevent wax buildup on pulleys. You might also want to look at SynergE it's an oil based lubricant for E-Bikes and indoor use, it holds the all-time single application record in ZFC testing, and shows zero wear with high corrosion resistance in the indoor environment. It is also thicker than traditional wet lube to prevent dripping and flinging under hard indoor efforts.
Do you have to let the wax cool a bit before pulling the chain out of the wax, or can you pull it straight out? I see some people say let it cool so the wax can set inside the chain and not run out. Whereas I watched a video from Fiction Facts and he just pulls it straight out to let it cool.
It works either way.. it has been shown that if you pull it very hot, you do have more of the wax run out which can reduce application longevity.. we like the instantpot with SousVide setting that allows you to pick the exact temperature to wax, so we set them to 80C (175F) which is just above the melt point of the wax and seems to strike a nice balance of leaving the chain loaded with wax but not overly caked with it on the outside.
@@SILCAVelo The prior videos to suggest waiting for it to cool, so good to know that we don't as that really adds a lot of time and mess. I would also add that the pre-waxed one that I got did have a lot of wax on the outside so understanding how much should be there is helpful.
Another question: if we use super secret drip and wet the chain with water to clean it (or it gets wet on a ride) how do you recommend drying it to prevent rusting?
Hi Josh, do you have a recommendation for a removable link for Shimano Ultegra 10sp chains and how many uses will I get from a link? Thanks.
I use the Shimano links and find you can easily get 5-6 uses from them before they begin to feel soft when removing them. I know Shimano says 'single use' but we have thousands of customers using them multiple times without any reported issues.
Thanks I stopped boiling but I'll start back
Does the drip lube wax evaporate in warm climates? I have the 12oz tub and i feel like it's been decreasing. Should i store it in the fridge?
No, if the lid is tight it will not evaporate. However, if it gets below freezing it will congeal, so definitely no fridge!
1. Is it recommended to « cassette prep » with the chain stripper product if you were using oil lube?
2. Is there any maintenance to the cassette with the hot wax ? I used to degrease the cassette once in a while.
1. You can still strip the chain if using wet lube but you don't have to as the wet lube will eventually wash out the factory grease.. the key is to wipe the chain after every ride to remove surface contamination.
2. No once you're on wax you'll notice that the cassette and rings just never get dirty.. you might get a little wax stuck to them here and there but it will be dry and clean to the touch.
I meant if I was using lube prior switching to wax. Should I prep the cassette as well as the chain?
After you apply SS drip to the chain and it drys, do you wipe excess off before riding? My chain is very dirty after 1 ride.
Yes, you should wipe all lubricants off of the exterior of the chain, including SuperSecret. SuperSecret also dries to a dark gray due to the high TungstenDisulfide content, so it tends to look dirty even when it isn't.
At 05:16 it looks like it is being drizzled on rather than one drop per roller?
Honestly it works both ways.. one drop per roller is sort of the standard lingo and I generally try to achieve it and then I'll run the chain for another round and just drizzle, even if you just keep the tip there bumping on the rollers it helps the lube wick down into the chain better. The key is that you just don't want to use too much, I see some brands recommending 'coating' the chain top and bottom and all of this nonsense and that's just wasting lube and making a mess. The lube on the outside of the chain isn't doing anything for speed or longevity of anything, so the key is to just get as much as possible inside the chain and no more.
Do you need to wipe down your chain after every ride? Also, do you need to wipe down your chain after applying Super Secret (after letting it sit 12-24hrs)?
In an ideal world, you would wipe the chain after every ride, but at the least, you should wipe it before applying more lubricant. You do not need to wipe it after the SuperSecret dries, any excess will just flake off over time.
If I read between the lines, it sounds like you don’t need to worry about doing a full ultrasonic degrease / clean on a previously waxed chain before you re-apply hot wax. I’m guessing this is overkill to clean a waxed chain. Is this correct?
Correct, just boil it in water or pour boiling water on it and the heat and water will carry out the old so you can apply the new..
Can you use Silca Brake + Drivetrain Cleaner instead of Bio Degreaser? What is the difference between the two products?
BioDegreaser is more of a general purpose cleaner degreaser which you can also soak parts in. Brake and Drivetrain cleaner is highly concentrated and targeted to clean the drivetrain and brakes specifically by spray applying on the bicycle. It has 5 minute contact limit, turns red when it reaches clean metal and needs to be rinsed quickly. You cannot soak parts in it. Hope that helps.
Can you apply SILCA Super Secret straight after cleaning the chain with Gear Wipes or MF towel with degreaser? Thanks
Yes
I’m having a hard time with this chain wax thing. I’ve worked at my shop for over 30 years, I’ve picked up a few loyal customers in that time. Many of them like the older components for various reasons, and the modern bike world has completely forgotten about tandem riders. Many of the good parts (chains, cassettes) are no longer available, so it makes sense to make what they have last. I wasn’t going to suggest the hassle of cleaning and waxing a chain to a few hundred people without trying it myself. So I invested in Silca - melt wax, drip wax, aero socks… I know lots of people who say they ride in all conditions, but I don’t see it. It’s been raining a lot as of late, and East Boston isn’t known for clean streets. My waxed chain not only gets dirty, it’s also rusting badly. I’m one squeaky commute away from giving up and calling waxed chains the modern day snake oil, but I wanted to hear what you have to say.
With a waxed drvetrain you need to be wiping and reapplying after every rain ride. Same is true for oil based, but nobody does it as the oil hides the chain wear and prevents rust. As we say in the videos, wax actually lasts longer than oil, but the oil hides its breakdown and wax exposes it. For wet commuting you best bet is just cheap chains and cassettes and a good oil like Synergetic.
@@SILCAVelo well, test #1 was a dismal (and expensive) failure, but I learned something. Wax only really works as a solid lubricant. Drip wax is intended to dry before use, thus the recommendation to wait 4 hours before riding. It’s rare that I get out the door with a bike and matching shoes, so waiting for drip lube to dry isn’t in the cards. The thing is, hot wax works incredibly well, so I’m looking for a method of applying in on the bike. My thinking is that capillary action works with heat (like sweating pipes or building a lugged frame - remember those?) so the key is to heat the chain. Time to pull out the heat gun and UV hear lamps and see what I can come up with…
@@SILCAVelo Thanks for clarifying this.
I take my chain out of the hot wax and straight into a bowl of ice water to lock in the wax. Give it a try
I would like to ask after boiling the chain with hot water to clear the dirt, do I need to re-wax the chain?
Yes, the boiling will 're-set' it to a clean/dry condition, so then just put in your hot was or lubricate with drip wax.
I live in a very wet area and found my chain to have some rust only two rides after applying the hot wax. How do I prevent this from happening?
You will want to wipe the chain dry with microfiber cloth and apply a little SuperSecret after any wet ride to prevent rust spots.
It’s mentioned to use a microfiber cloth with Silca’s bio-degeaser to wipe over the surface of the chain every 3 to 4 rides to remove excess dirt and grease. Each time I do this, will I need to reapply Super Secret to my chain? I read in one of the comments that someone was having noise after cleaning with the degreaser. Curious if I will be ok not reapplying Super Secret after every 4 rides once wiping down?
There is a notable noise damping effect to having a bit of wax residue and even dust on the outside of the chain, so wiping it will make things a bit noisier. You can make it silent again with a light coating of SuperSecret, but just be careful not to overdo it such that things get gunked up over time.. excess wax can and will build up, so just be sure to remove that as you see it.
Would you recommend Bio-degreaser being the best product to perform routine maintenance wipe downs (not for stripping) for the chain, or would you advise a better product from Silca to accomplish this?
I have been using the instant pot heating setting of “slow cook less” to heat the wax to about 77 degrees C. What setting do you use/recommend? Can one go too hot and damage the wax?
From what I have read - Yes. "It's very important not to let the wax boil. Paraffin vapor is flammable" and "If it's literally smoking, then you are risking fire, and probably degrading the wax."
That's what I thought too, but in the video he talked about boiling off the water from the chain in the wax which is very confusing
Hi, just to make sure I understand for super secret on dry conditions clean the chain with a lint free cloth every 250-300km and re-apply.
And then at 1000km do a full reset?
What would be the process after rain or wet floor? Clean with Lint free cloth and re-apply as soon as possible?
Thanks.
For best performance you should really reset the chain after every rainy ride regardless of lube. That's not always possible so your next best would be to wipe well with microfiber and then re-lube with SuperSecret.
@@SILCAVelo that makes sense. Would definitely do as you mention.
Thank you!
If you're going to pour the boiling water on the chainring as you did, to reset the chain, is it okay if you are using the Sram AXS Spider power meter? Would the boiling water cause an issue with the power meter? Thanks for the info!
If you're worried I would just pour it over some other part of the chain. It works fine to pour it over the lower span of the chain, you just need more water that way as so much of it just pours straight through whereas the chainring helps guide excess water onto other parts of the chain.
@@SILCAVelo is pouring over the cassette causing any damage to the hub? it makes sense to pour there as that would also clean the cassette...
Does the hot wax have to be 212 degrees Fahrenheit to boil the the left over water out if the chain? That seems to warm for the wax, right?
It doesn't, that small amount of water comes out quickly at 175-185F. The wax can easily handle 212F and some slow cookers will run at that temperature, but it's no big deal. The wax won't damage until well north of 300F.
@@SILCAVelo 10-4 Thanks!
If I wash my bike and/or apply hot water to my waxed chain, can I apply SS drip lube straight away or do I need to wait until the chain has dried?
Dryer is better, but you will still get decent results if you apply to the wet chain, just be sure to allow it to dry fully overnight as it will extend the drying time. Bouncing the bike will knock a lot of water out of the chain, and if you have access to an air compressor, you can blow the water out very effectively.
one thing I never see is how to correctly clean microfibre cloths? how to retain their properties while not having grease in your washing machine?
I probably end up washing mine quarterly, I use the Tide in the white bottle with no fragrances or colors plus a scoop of oxi clean, on warm with soak and 2 extra rinses. Then, I use this cadence as the reminder to run one of those washing machine cleaning products afterwards to clean and sanitize the machine. The OxiClean tablet things work great for this.
@@SILCAVelo awesome, will give that a try!
Thank you for that reply, very useful.
You recommend cross-chaining for application of super secret, any advise for SS/fixed bikes?
Apply in the house or use hairdryer if temperatures are below 70ish.
It'll work great without the cross chaining you just might need to run your fingers over the rollers to help spread the wax toward the roller gaps a bit better. You can also use finger pressure to side-load the chain a bit right before the cog. I've had it on track bikes with hot waxed chains where the SuperSecret wants to just sit in a bead on top of the roller, and if you just push the side of the chain with your finger to open it up, it instantly sort of wets down into the chain, very satisfying!
How do you like the 3T as a commuter?
It's great, but I did just buy a Canyon e-bike as I really need some fenders and racks as I'm tired of wearing a backpack.. but if I only had one bike the 3T or something similar from Open or the like would be it!
If you clean a waxed chain with a bio degreaser applied on a microfiber towel, does that necessarily mean that it is also time to rewax the chain?
Most true biodegreasers (like the SILCA one) will not affect wax in a negative way, so you should be fine. Beware any degreaser 'bio' or not that is aerosol, most of these use some pretty nasty propellants that can harm wax, so if you've used aerosol on the chain, I'd clean it and rewax it.
Any tips for thoroughly cleaning a cassette/chain rings/jockey wheels on a bike with a previously-oiled, greasy/dirty drivetrain prior to installing a new waxed chain? It has no wax already on so I could potentially use a more heavy duty degreaser than chain stripper as I don’t need the advantage of it not attacking the wax, or is it the best sort for that as well?
Any other good techniques?
Chain stripper or SILCA brake and drivetrain will work well for this, just spray on, let soak 5 minutes, scrub with a tooth brush or automotive wheel cleaning brush and rinse. Both of those products are thick enough that they will not penetrate bearing seals or freehub mechanisms.
If you're only using hot wax and not topping off with Super Secret, how frequently should you typically be rewaxing(assuming you're not riding in bad conditions/weather)?
You can expect 250-300km between hot waxings with SecretBlend and 800-900km with HotWax X for good weather or dusty riding. We recommend re-waxing after every rain ride.
@@SILCAVelo how much km you could expect with a waxed chain which runs in a capsule and is 3 times longer? Or in simple how often need the wax to be toped up in a Velomobile?