Great info. I spent 14 winters car free in Northern Minnesota. Sand and salt starts with the 1st snowfall usually in late October. It stays on the roads until late April. I developed a routine of bringing the bike back inside daily. Put it in the work stand and doing a full wash. I used a pump spray bottle with warm water. After years of this I had a custom bike built that was impervious to these conditions. Custom stainless steel frame. Gates belt drive and a Rohloff IGH hub for the drivetrain. It laughed at winter conditions. I could ride it all winter and not have to clean it until Spring.
I tried the Synergetic + Secret hot melt wax this winter. After 1.5 weeks of commuting, the chain had rusted solid. (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.) I don’t have time to clean and re-wax my commuter bike chain every day, so I’ll go back to oil for winter riding, and just replace the chain more often. It has worked for ten years and will continue to work. Fully converted to wax for three-season riding though!
Fenders, fenders, fenders! Seriously, ive wrapped my rear wheel 270⁰ and the front 220⁰, and its a gamechanger, dont even have to clean the chain much anymore.
Fenders with long mud flaps keeps my drivetrain pretty clean. Also my shoes are much cleaner and drier as I commute in my regular clothes when it's cold.
All this corrosion from the ice melt. I'm staying inside on Zwift......... Hang on, sweat is corrosive...... Arrrrrggggggghhhhhh. I'll just drink beer and get fat all winter. Wake me up when it gets warm.
Great video as always Josh, thank you! Where I am at (Omaha, NE) they have been using brine pre-treatment on the roads to help with keeping the roads clear vs. relying only on the post-event treatments. For those that are in areas that do this, it is not any better for your bike or components as most of the brine treatments are essentially a sodium chloride mixture.
If you're transporting you bike with your car, I've noticed the worst place for the bike is behind the car on a hitch rack. That area gets absolutely blasted with sand and salt. The roof is a much better place to be if you can't put your bike inside the vehicle.
Good common sense video. I'm from Toronto, I ride quite a lot through the winter, this city has a lot of salt on the roads. The key is to clean your bike, flush out all the crap that gets in there and make sure everything is lubed up. Clean the moving parts and don't forget your bottom bracket. I keep my bikes inside. I do not ride my carbon bike in the winter, my steel and aluminium yes. Sorry to say but I would not buy any Silca products because I don't want to take out a bank loan, what I use for years keeps me going crap free.
Add full fenders if you can and honestly it might be worth downgrading your entire drivetrain for the winter just so you don't have to fully decrease and decontaminate your summer components
I live in the rust belt. Car mechanics say garaged cars do worse than the ones left outside with all the melting, freezing. So if you bring your bike in, clean it. I coat every bearing, nut and bolt with marine grease. After I clean the bike, I put WD40 anywhere that moves EXCEPT if there's a bearing or the chain lol. Put a little WD40 on the spoke nipples. I guess Triflow would be fine but it gets washed off so fast and WD40 just smells better ha! A couple times a winter, spray whatever magic juice you can find (WD40, frame saver, T-9, Fluid Film) down the bottle cage holes and into any hole hole you can find if you have a metal bike. Anything helps. You could just wipe your entire bike with WD40 every time you wash it and you will be 100x better off than nothing. Put a car wax on your bike too if you like it to look nice I guess. Sending your very expensive bike through a muddy ride is no worse than riding in the winter so keep riding the good bikes all year.
What about riding on roads that have dried salt on them? Is the salt powder doing anything worth noting? Not riding through like an inch of powder just the residual stuff that is sorta like dust.
Cleanup almost has to be incorporated into the ride in winter. I've not had any noticeable problems, but I also tend to at least clean drivetrain components and oil cables after most rides
Have you ( Silca ) tested how de-icing agents affect single application longevity ? Salt crystals likely will be pressed into the wax and may not be removed with warm water. Before either immersive or drip waxing a chain, I would always clean with boiling water then dry. There will always be cases where people put chains straight into the wax pot or just re-apply drip wax !
For bikes on the indoor trainer with aluminum bars, would it help to ceramic wax the bars before wrapping them? Would love to prevent the corrosion that ate up the last set.
I love your wax, on my road bike I am at 6000k per chain, no measurable wear, but here in Montreal, roads are horribly contaminated with all sorts of crap. I get wax is a better lubricant, but from what I understand, you still want to wash the impurities off the chain and lubricate again every time you have a dirty ride. Have you ever tested wax vs synergetic or other oil based lubes in a situation where you wash your chain every ride(every day in Montreal) and lubricate again? Assuming wax is better, what would be the quantitative disadvantage of using oil lube in a situation like this? Thanks!
Hi Josh, Can I ask if it’s worth stripping the grease from a headset bearing and hot melt waxing the headset? Maybe adding synergetic to make it softer? I’m surprised you haven’t found an alternative.
No, bearings behave very differently from chains and need either grease or an oil.. but wax will just lock them up! Stay tuned to this channel for some updates on some stuff we're doing for Visma..
Silca’s drivetrain cleaner is amazing, but my cassette has started to rust after use. How can I prevent this? Would something like Muc-Off’s Bike Protect work well with a waxed chain to prevent rust on components?
I've been washing my bike with your bike shampoo every time after each ride and rewaxing with the drip lube as well. I've been afraid of overdoing the washing because I've already had to replace a brand new freehub with less than 200kms on it. Maybe it was a cheap component or bad luck? We have had a ton of snow on our side and I have been a little over excited going out riding my bike regardless of the weather. I ride mostly trails but obviously need to take some roads to get to the trails. Am I doing it right or wrong or too much? What else can I do? Thanks for the informative video!
I have a Carbon Fatboy........9 years and still doing strong. Only have done crank bearings and chains. Rinse off after major salty rides and wipe waxed chain after rides
Has anyone seen an objective study on fenders regarding effectiveness vs. coverage? I saw the one on GCN that addressed the rider but nothing about protecting the bike itself.
I've used a cordless heat gun (using DeWalt rechargeable battery) and you can see the drip wax liquefy as you rotate the chain slowly through the heat.
There is so much salt on the roads. When it dries you see the dust in the air when cars drive by. I wonder if this is even OK to breathe in this salt-laden air. I'm not concerned with the salt itself, more so with any additives that might be in it.
Super solid choice for rinsing the cogs and chain in slushy weather instead of watching your whole life pass you by , cleaning your bike to Indulge your OCD tendencies. Might want to keep some old newspaper around to protect hubs and rims from overspray seeing as the solvent will attack grease as well. Replaces water in all the tight crevices keeping rust at bay. Good enough corrosion inhibitor that Bell helicopter since Nam has suggested spraying down the internals of tail booms to keep them from falling off in maritime environments. Wintertime? Daily commuting? Want to avoid maintenance after long dreary days at work? WD40 is a champ, don’t let the bike snobs tell you otherwise.
Great info. I spent 14 winters car free in Northern Minnesota. Sand and salt starts with the 1st snowfall usually in late October. It stays on the roads until late April. I developed a routine of bringing the bike back inside daily. Put it in the work stand and doing a full wash. I used a pump spray bottle with warm water. After years of this I had a custom bike built that was impervious to these conditions. Custom stainless steel frame. Gates belt drive and a Rohloff IGH hub for the drivetrain. It laughed at winter conditions. I could ride it all winter and not have to clean it until Spring.
I tried the Synergetic + Secret hot melt wax this winter. After 1.5 weeks of commuting, the chain had rusted solid. (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.) I don’t have time to clean and re-wax my commuter bike chain every day, so I’ll go back to oil for winter riding, and just replace the chain more often. It has worked for ten years and will continue to work. Fully converted to wax for three-season riding though!
Fenders, fenders, fenders! Seriously, ive wrapped my rear wheel 270⁰ and the front 220⁰, and its a gamechanger, dont even have to clean the chain much anymore.
Fenders with long mud flaps keeps my drivetrain pretty clean. Also my shoes are much cleaner and drier as I commute in my regular clothes when it's cold.
All this corrosion from the ice melt. I'm staying inside on Zwift......... Hang on, sweat is corrosive...... Arrrrrggggggghhhhhh. I'll just drink beer and get fat all winter. Wake me up when it gets warm.
Best option so far. :)
Great video as always Josh, thank you! Where I am at (Omaha, NE) they have been using brine pre-treatment on the roads to help with keeping the roads clear vs. relying only on the post-event treatments. For those that are in areas that do this, it is not any better for your bike or components as most of the brine treatments are essentially a sodium chloride mixture.
please do video overview of that 4-bottle box of degreasers etc. and how you recommend to use them, and their purpose
I use several Silca products and all are excellent. I plane to try that ceramic wash on my car.
Love that you said "shit"😉I appreciate your nerding out info, some of us like to go deep. Cool shirt, I want that in a jersy👍
If you're transporting you bike with your car, I've noticed the worst place for the bike is behind the car on a hitch rack. That area gets absolutely blasted with sand and salt. The roof is a much better place to be if you can't put your bike inside the vehicle.
Good common sense video. I'm from Toronto, I ride quite a lot through the winter, this city has a lot of salt on the roads. The key is to clean your bike, flush out all the crap that gets in there and make sure everything is lubed up. Clean the moving parts and don't forget your bottom bracket. I keep my bikes inside. I do not ride my carbon bike in the winter, my steel and aluminium yes. Sorry to say but I would not buy any Silca products because I don't want to take out a bank loan, what I use for years keeps me going crap free.
Add full fenders if you can and honestly it might be worth downgrading your entire drivetrain for the winter just so you don't have to fully decrease and decontaminate your summer components
I live in the rust belt. Car mechanics say garaged cars do worse than the ones left outside with all the melting, freezing. So if you bring your bike in, clean it. I coat every bearing, nut and bolt with marine grease. After I clean the bike, I put WD40 anywhere that moves EXCEPT if there's a bearing or the chain lol. Put a little WD40 on the spoke nipples. I guess Triflow would be fine but it gets washed off so fast and WD40 just smells better ha! A couple times a winter, spray whatever magic juice you can find (WD40, frame saver, T-9, Fluid Film) down the bottle cage holes and into any hole hole you can find if you have a metal bike. Anything helps. You could just wipe your entire bike with WD40 every time you wash it and you will be 100x better off than nothing. Put a car wax on your bike too if you like it to look nice I guess. Sending your very expensive bike through a muddy ride is no worse than riding in the winter so keep riding the good bikes all year.
what if its out, but there my bike tires have a ton of dried salt from the road? any danger to my aluminum frame/components?
thanks
What about riding on roads that have dried salt on them? Is the salt powder doing anything worth noting? Not riding through like an inch of powder just the residual stuff that is sorta like dust.
Cleanup almost has to be incorporated into the ride in winter. I've not had any noticeable problems, but I also tend to at least clean drivetrain components and oil cables after most rides
Have you ( Silca ) tested how de-icing agents affect single application longevity ? Salt crystals likely will be pressed into the wax and may not be removed with warm water. Before either immersive or drip waxing a chain, I would always clean with boiling water then dry. There will always be cases where people put chains straight into the wax pot or just re-apply drip wax !
For bikes on the indoor trainer with aluminum bars, would it help to ceramic wax the bars before wrapping them? Would love to prevent the corrosion that ate up the last set.
I love your wax, on my road bike I am at 6000k per chain, no measurable wear, but here in Montreal, roads are horribly contaminated with all sorts of crap. I get wax is a better lubricant, but from what I understand, you still want to wash the impurities off the chain and lubricate again every time you have a dirty ride. Have you ever tested wax vs synergetic or other oil based lubes in a situation where you wash your chain every ride(every day in Montreal) and lubricate again? Assuming wax is better, what would be the quantitative disadvantage of using oil lube in a situation like this? Thanks!
Hi Josh, Can I ask if it’s worth stripping the grease from a headset bearing and hot melt waxing the headset? Maybe adding synergetic to make it softer? I’m surprised you haven’t found an alternative.
No, bearings behave very differently from chains and need either grease or an oil.. but wax will just lock them up! Stay tuned to this channel for some updates on some stuff we're doing for Visma..
Silca’s drivetrain cleaner is amazing, but my cassette has started to rust after use. How can I prevent this? Would something like Muc-Off’s Bike Protect work well with a waxed chain to prevent rust on components?
We're in the Zwift era , roads in Winters are bike free nowadays
I've been washing my bike with your bike shampoo every time after each ride and rewaxing with the drip lube as well. I've been afraid of overdoing the washing because I've already had to replace a brand new freehub with less than 200kms on it. Maybe it was a cheap component or bad luck? We have had a ton of snow on our side and I have been a little over excited going out riding my bike regardless of the weather. I ride mostly trails but obviously need to take some roads to get to the trails. Am I doing it right or wrong or too much? What else can I do? Thanks for the informative video!
Seeing how much shit is on my bike after each ride outside I can't imagine not washing it!
Is this another advantage of carbon ?
I have a Carbon Fatboy........9 years and still doing strong. Only have done crank bearings and chains. Rinse off after major salty rides and wipe waxed chain after rides
Especially carbon wheels.
Has anyone seen an objective study on fenders regarding effectiveness vs. coverage? I saw the one on GCN that addressed the rider but nothing about protecting the bike itself.
Drip wax freezes before getting into rollers. Any suggestions?
drip at home, give it at least 3h to dry
@@natus99It’s freezing at home too. My bike doesn’t see above freezing temperatures until mid march. Still want to avoid oil lubing
I've used a cordless heat gun (using DeWalt rechargeable battery) and you can see the drip wax liquefy as you rotate the chain slowly through the heat.
Squirt has a low temperature drip wax, seems to not freeze while the chain is somewhere in the region of -5*C
There is so much salt on the roads. When it dries you see the dust in the air when cars drive by. I wonder if this is even OK to breathe in this salt-laden air. I'm not concerned with the salt itself, more so with any additives that might be in it.
I just spray my entire bike with WD-40 every ride, it’s perfect.
Super solid choice for rinsing the cogs and chain in slushy weather instead of watching your whole life pass you by , cleaning your bike to Indulge your OCD tendencies. Might want to keep some old newspaper around to protect hubs and rims from overspray seeing as the solvent will attack grease as well. Replaces water in all the tight crevices keeping rust at bay. Good enough corrosion inhibitor that Bell helicopter since Nam has suggested spraying down the internals of tail booms to keep them from falling off in maritime environments. Wintertime? Daily commuting? Want to avoid maintenance after long dreary days at work? WD40 is a champ, don’t let the bike snobs tell you otherwise.