I lift a puck of solid wax from my Silca pot once it's cooled by turning a wood screw a little way in. A 250g/½bag puck will fit back in a Secret Blend bag. The puck can be etched with the recipe using the wood screw. No Han Solo sadly but easier than pouring to a mould.
I ride all winter, my 3 main bikes are a fat bike, creek crossings, deep snow, and some mud. My mountain bike sees a lot of mud. My gravel bike sees slush, rain, and cold weather. I was super stoked to see this hack of adding the synergetic oil. I’ve done it, and looking forward to testing it. With that said, I’m really bummed out how much the wax stinks, and off gasses now with the synergetic lube. To the point I can’t perform the waxing indoors anymore. Unless the performance in these extreme conditions is increased significantly, I won’t do this anymore once this batch is used up.
To be honest, I'm possibly a patissier. I am interested in the workings, but might only minorly deviate from the prescribed recipe. I was tempted to try maybe a 1/6th bottle of synergetic, but luckily this video made it more clear that it's really for extreme conditions we might only have for one week. Another new thing I learned is that the noise is not necessarily a state to avoid at all cost, it's just the beginning of the wax breaking down. Until now I was more thinking along the lines "If I hear noise, I am too late". I also thought that any rust after a wet ride (if not immediately put in new wax) is a really bad sign. I can relax a bit now! Rust on a chain that is say less than half of the dry kms in, will probably not have come from the inner areas, as that should still have wax on it. Best to avoid, but not the end of the world I think now.
love it, one think I do nowadays from advice from Zero Friction. I purchased a second Silca pod. I use one with clean wax for me new chains and strip chip if I get an new chain, the other pod I use when the chain is used and could have soem dirt on, aldo I clean them first in hot water. After 10 minutes in the 'dirty´ pod and drip out, I put the chain 10 minutes more in the clean pod before I let it drip out to put it back on my bike.
Great, now I want to have a tauntaun-shaped block of wax for the winter and a sarlacc-shaped block for the summer. Maybe a Luke-shaped block for the lukewarm days :)
just came to say I'm here to understand the ingredients and the techniques. I only just wax my chain but I like knowing and learning and if it happens to help in the future great.
I went camping in the middle of a heatwave (zero rain). The bike was left outside overnight and there was a bit of dew in the morning. Many links of the chain seized up due to rust formation - to the point that the bike could barely be ridden (and it got worse the more the bike was ridden). It is not hard to think of many superior alternatives to wax if you do not live in a desert - a waxed chain lubricated with oil being one example.
What are the pros/cons of the endurance chip in below freezing weather? I don't ride when it's wet or raining, but I do commute to work routinely in under freezing temperatures, all road riding. Thanks!
Yes. This is the way to go for the longest-lasting drivetrain. The good thing with our products is you can formulate for what you need/what your riding conditions are like!
Using the silca wax system and think it’s fantastic. What volume of wax is deposited per melt cycle and how often does one replenish wax in the bowl. When an endurance chip is used, how many melt cycles does it last? In this video Josh mentions there are many melt stations in the company and he drops the chain in wax every 300 km. Do you recommend hot water bath then wax cycle? Please also distinguish between road, gravel, and mountain distances when providing recommended distances. Keep the videos coming, they are great! Also a curated faq that is searchable would be great as there are many ‘generations’ of faq out there. The AI bot does not appear ready for prime time. I received advice that customer service countered.
Have a look at the very in-depth FAQs on the zero friction cycling website. Typical numbers are re-wax every 300km, and swap out the wax in your pot after 30-50 re-waxes. Rinsing the chain first with hot water is only necessary if there is a lot of dirt on the chain, and you want to avoid getting that into your pot.
TBH the same could apply to winter MTB. I could make a case for needing to wash my MTB after every ride in the winter months, not unlike my CX bike during cross season. I think the fundamental question regardless of discipline is: if you have to wash/reapply after every ride, what is the best lubricant? I currently do Synergetic for this, but am slowly coming around to wax, only thing holding me back is the rust question if I can’t wash the bike right away after the ride.
I have many questions but for now I will start with just one. I don't know if this has been commented on before. Why is there no mention of the double boiler method for melting wax? To me, this (the double boiler) seems to be the easiest, cheapest and therefore most accessible method. Also, with a double boiler, the temperature can never reach the value at which the wax can be damaged.
Can you give us a direct link to the tests of Smoove versus Silca indicating 20% wear versus 2 %? This video was a lot to take in. Maybe you should set up a table with all those options or maybe even a flowchart?
For a very long, maybe wet ride where I’ve started with a hot waxed chain and then had to top up with synergetic is it ok to just wipe off the chain and hot wax rather than having to properly clean it with chain stripper before re waxing? Sounds like it would be, which would be fantastic.
You're contaminating your wax if you apply an oil based lube to it. It will then attract more dust/dirt until it is fully stripped and re-waxed. I suppose if you re-wax again right away after giving it a decent clean, then the Synergetic will mix in with the wax in the pot similar to Josh's suggestion for extreme winter conditions. But prior to that re-heating, the wax and oil on your chain are separate and the oil can create a grinding paste if it gets dirty.
You should point out that the "surface rust" is on the outside off the chain, not inside the rollers and simply comes right off when you give the chain a 3 second rinse in boiling water.
Hi Josh. I'm definitely a convert to wax -- people who say it's a lot of extra bother don't seem to factor in the amount of time they spend cleaning the drivetrain. On my winter bike, with hub gears and waxed chain, I don't need to clean the drivetrain from one month (several hundred miles) to the next. One question, and one suggested answer: To clean the factory grease off a new chain, is it acceptable to clean it first with mineral spirits and then use your chain cleaner? I think this should be equally effective and make the cleaner last a lot longer (sorry about the profits... 😁). Also, does the chain need to be thoroughly dried before it goes into the molten wax? To prevent rust, I moisten a microfibre cloth with some turpentine and run the chain through it. This dissolves a trace of wax and leaves a thin film over the chain. This only takes a minute or two and can be done as often as seems necessary for your riding.
I enjoy your videos, Josh! Maybe someone commented about this already, but I couldn't find a mention of this in the comments I looked through. In your videos, I see you applying Super Secret from the bottle and it just seems to soak into the chain. My experience has been it just puddles up into a drop and it just sits there. If I rub it in with my finger, it seems like it then penetrates. I'm starting with a clean and dry chain that has previously been hot waxed. As an experiment, I tried using a heat gun to preheat the chain prior to applying SS and that seems to help, but it's more screwing around. Thoughts?
You need to shake it really good, and it should bead up on the top of the chain like in our videos and then soak in when the chain articulates.. if it's really just running off, you either need to shake it more, or the chain is already sufficiently coated and sealed and there just isn't anywhere for it to go. Sometimes the wax can separate a bit from getting too hot or cold, and you can drop a 1/4" nut or ball bearing or something in the bottle and shake it to help better agitate and mix it.
Hi question about ebikes or numbers from your table also include ebikes is high torque? I plan to do endurance now. can you release a video about ebiks? And one more thing, maybe a funny question Have you thought about a tire product that will make them have better grip during the rain 😊 Sorry for the English I tried😂
Hello i'm a chef, not used your product still but i'm planning to do so and i want to understand what best fits my bike based on my needs and so... thank you very very much for your videos thay are super duper useful.
great video as usual. I wanted to ask something: how many uses can you get from a typicl quick chain link, like Connex and so on? (I don't mean the official ones, which seem pretty limited)
After a wet ride I blow off the excess water with an air blower (plug in air duster) then wipe down the chain with an IPA wet microfibre. This helps to get rid of the water.
Chef here! My gravel bikes are unfortunately doomed to stay outside in the cold and wet all year (with a salting machine just giving them a bit of salt in the winter months). What do you recommend to do to keep the chains in top shape?
I am feeling like a chemist now. How would it fare to combine a bit of Synergetic with an Endurance chip? Is there any benefit given the gain from endurance chip are minimal in wet/humid conditions. Context is winter riding around or below freezing where the roads tend to be wet and salted.
How should I rotate my 'fleet' of waxed chains across multiple bikes, wax drip top-up vs rewax/links. Now waiting for my 17 BF Shimano DA 11spd chains to arrive (, 3 r hollow pins + extra connectors). Break-in 'rides'/clean/trim-to-length/wax/bag/label for usage, all to do in one efficient process. My Ultrasonic cleaner already holds 3 bags of SC wax, so will I add my 2x Speed chips for my premo chains (inc a Silca diamond slurry DA) for my race/best bike, then add my 2x Endurance chips before waxing my training & endurance bike chains? Will 2>4 chips make the total blend measurably better? This blend will never see a strip-chip, nor see a used chain that wasn't fully washed with boiling H2O.
I had to bail on using Synerg-E on my trainer. Tungsten disulfide-infused oil got all over the mat, chainstays, cassette, trainer, etc. Synergetic has been tolerable.
Can you show a practical, full chain lifetime, how-to for keeping a waxed chain clean in different environments? Dry, hot, wet, cold, dry and hot, dry and cold, wet and hot, wet and cold, salty. I'm thinking application, cleaning, and maintenance for all.
I ride a recumbent trike. Mostly warm to hot and dry. I mainly want a clean chain. I present at Rehab Hospitals helping people with disabilities see a safe way for them to get out and exercise. While presenting we have nurses and orderlies helping patient in and out of the trikes. It never fails they rub the chain and basically destroy an outfit. Will waxing help prevent that?
You can touch a immersive Silca wax chain without getting messy, You degrease the chain first then it never sees oil again. You may get dust and dirt on the chain, but the chain will not be oily. I think some drip wax can be slightly messy,
I touch my waxed chain and nothing appears on my fingers. If youre pedaling and the chain rubs against clothes it can transfer some wax, but for stationary applications it’s basically super clean.
Yes, the formulation is changed for the wax in the pot. Adding more Secret Chain Blend Wax or either of the chips (endurance or speed - wax additives) customizes the wax for your riding and conditions.
Chain gets noisier earlier when MTBing over rough ground. I can only think that the violent chain slapping shakes the wax off and out of the chain. I'm re-waxing around every 100km. Can still see wax inside the rollers, going to see what the higher summer temperatures do over christmas. Can you talk about stainless steel connex chains, It's what i am using. They seem to work fine. However i am unable to find Stainless steel connex quick links. Even the ones that come with the chain are just steel.
Big fail on my part, been using waxed chain(s) on my trainer, getting flakes on the ground/floor was my least concern, getting flakes on the trainer had me cleaning the trainer completely shortly after waxing so as to not have the flakes damage the trainer (this was especially true after applying the Super Secret drip between waxings). Now I guess I should consider switching to Super G for my trainer rides.
I think you have mentioned waxing in ultrasonic cleaners. German brand Optimize offers a special ultrasonic wax cooker and claims that using an ultrasonic cleaner wouldn't work and even be dangerous. What do you think about solid state cooker VS bag of wax hanging inside the sonicator water bath (I won't fill my whole sonicator with wax! 😆) VS special ultrasonic cooker? For now I do have the cleaner and no cooker, yet.
All of those methods work more or less equally well. We've tested ultrasonic waxing, waxing in a vacuum, and other methods to see if there are any differences and there really aren't.. the biggest performance change comes from removing the chain at the right temperature as pulling it when too hot allows too much wax to drip out resulting in reduced application longevity.
I would love to see some test data on real off-road mountain biking conditions. Like serious mountain bike trail riding in the Pacific Northwest or anywhere really muddy and wet with this product. I just purchased the whole wax stripping system including the melting pot. It's winter so I'll know soon but I would love to see some hardcore data on longevity for trail riding. I plan on topping off my hot wax chain with some wax drip post wet/muddy rides. Lets see how it performs and holds...
Less than a day later, if anyone's wondering, I actually found extremely good data on Zero Friction Cycling's web page. Under Silca Secret Chain Hot Melt Wax, ZFC had a 35-page extremely in-depth report on just how superior this stuff is and how well it should work for mountain bikers. Zero Friction Cycling also gave multiple options for dealing with wet nasty conditions. It actually does not seem very hard at all! And it's exactly what Josh has been saying. Personally, I think post any really muddy nasty wet ride I'm going to stick with a thorough washing followed by shaking the bike to remove excess water or my air compressor. Then a top off with the Silca Super Secret Drip Wax. Eventually I'll get a spare chain as recommended by Josh and highly recommended by Zero Friction Cycling's 35-page report. The data easily backs up how extremely superior a hot wax melting system is. And it smashes any wet lube out of the park by light years! And this is for all bikers, not just Roadies. I installed The Sram Eagle Axis T-type Transmission on my e-bike a year ago and I wish I would have known about hot waxing back then. Better late than never. I just got a new chain for it about a 100 miles ago and all of my Silca wax, stripper, and Melting Pot are on the way. Black Friday deals are looking awesome on amazon! I've been sharing the ZFC 35-page report with a lot of my mountain biker friends 🔥💯🤟🍻
@BradRussellisAwesome just search Zero Friction Cycling. Once you go to their web page there's a whole list of products they've tested. I simply scroll down until I found Silca Secret Chain Hot Melt Wax. I can try and leave a link here but I'm not sure if they work on UA-cam comments?
Speaking of waxing on indoor trainer, do you have any estimate of how many hours a single application of hot melt can last for, if we assume average power output between 200 to 250w?
You mentioned to re-wax after a wet ride and it take 10-15 min only. Don’t you than carry loads of dirt into the wax? Actually, when I re-wax I go through extensive cleaning: 10 min in 75 Celsius ultrasonic with cleaning liquid, than rinsing in wash fuel, than rinsing in alcohol, than rinsing in acetone. Once that is dried of I hot wax it… maybe I’m overdoing it? How do you clean a new and how a used chain?
The best method for a large amount of chain is to coil it up in a wire basket and use a large crock pot or ultrasonic cleaner big enough to hold it all.. not simple or cheap, but will save a ton of time and mess and also give you the best results! A 15L ultrasonic is probably about the right size.
I lift a puck of solid wax from my Silca pot once it's cooled by turning a wood screw a little way in. A 250g/½bag puck will fit back in a Secret Blend bag. The puck can be etched with the recipe using the wood screw. No Han Solo sadly but easier than pouring to a mould.
I ride all winter, my 3 main bikes are a fat bike, creek crossings, deep snow, and some mud. My mountain bike sees a lot of mud. My gravel bike sees slush, rain, and cold weather. I was super stoked to see this hack of adding the synergetic oil. I’ve done it, and looking forward to testing it. With that said, I’m really bummed out how much the wax stinks, and off gasses now with the synergetic lube. To the point I can’t perform the waxing indoors anymore. Unless the performance in these extreme conditions is increased significantly, I won’t do this anymore once this batch is used up.
love the chef vs baker vs pastry chef analogy
The brioche of bike waxing
Truuee, and I'm a proud baker 😅😂
To be honest, I'm possibly a patissier. I am interested in the workings, but might only minorly deviate from the prescribed recipe. I was tempted to try maybe a 1/6th bottle of synergetic, but luckily this video made it more clear that it's really for extreme conditions we might only have for one week. Another new thing I learned is that the noise is not necessarily a state to avoid at all cost, it's just the beginning of the wax breaking down. Until now I was more thinking along the lines "If I hear noise, I am too late". I also thought that any rust after a wet ride (if not immediately put in new wax) is a really bad sign. I can relax a bit now! Rust on a chain that is say less than half of the dry kms in, will probably not have come from the inner areas, as that should still have wax on it. Best to avoid, but not the end of the world I think now.
Bike nerds rule.
Silca rocks!
Go Josh go!
love it, one think I do nowadays from advice from Zero Friction. I purchased a second Silca pod. I use one with clean wax for me new chains and strip chip if I get an new chain, the other pod I use when the chain is used and could have soem dirt on, aldo I clean them first in hot water. After 10 minutes in the 'dirty´ pod and drip out, I put the chain 10 minutes more in the clean pod before I let it drip out to put it back on my bike.
Great, now I want to have a tauntaun-shaped block of wax for the winter and a sarlacc-shaped block for the summer. Maybe a Luke-shaped block for the lukewarm days :)
Keep up the great work Josh! Don’t let the NERDS get you down!
Excellent Q&A, Many queries sorted.
just came to say I'm here to understand the ingredients and the techniques. I only just wax my chain but I like knowing and learning and if it happens to help in the future great.
Loved the comment about the 4 types of people who watch these videos. lmao. I think I'm a lazy chef or a good baker? Thanks again Josh.
I went camping in the middle of a heatwave (zero rain). The bike was left outside overnight and there was a bit of dew in the morning. Many links of the chain seized up due to rust formation - to the point that the bike could barely be ridden (and it got worse the more the bike was ridden). It is not hard to think of many superior alternatives to wax if you do not live in a desert - a waxed chain lubricated with oil being one example.
What are the pros/cons of the endurance chip in below freezing weather? I don't ride when it's wet or raining, but I do commute to work routinely in under freezing temperatures, all road riding. Thanks!
PID control system description with plots. ❤
Would you recommend endurance chip to a recreational rider who doesn't do big events but just wants the wax applications to last as long as possible?
Yes. This is the way to go for the longest-lasting drivetrain. The good thing with our products is you can formulate for what you need/what your riding conditions are like!
Thanks for this video! This has been the most concise answering of a lot of the same questions i've had. Perfect!
Using the silca wax system and think it’s fantastic. What volume of wax is deposited per melt cycle and how often does one replenish wax in the bowl. When an endurance chip is used, how many melt cycles does it last? In this video Josh mentions there are many melt stations in the company and he drops the chain in wax every 300 km. Do you recommend hot water bath then wax cycle? Please also distinguish between road, gravel, and mountain distances when providing recommended distances. Keep the videos coming, they are great! Also a curated faq that is searchable would be great as there are many ‘generations’ of faq out there. The AI bot does not appear ready for prime time. I received advice that customer service countered.
Have a look at the very in-depth FAQs on the zero friction cycling website. Typical numbers are re-wax every 300km, and swap out the wax in your pot after 30-50 re-waxes. Rinsing the chain first with hot water is only necessary if there is a lot of dirt on the chain, and you want to avoid getting that into your pot.
Thank you chef! 11:14 ❤
I’m yet to hear a fully dedicated video about cyclocross and how to deal with the constant washing required.
love to hear that to, gravel biking in the Netherlands in wintertime is like cyclocrossing for hours :)
TBH the same could apply to winter MTB. I could make a case for needing to wash my MTB after every ride in the winter months, not unlike my CX bike during cross season.
I think the fundamental question regardless of discipline is: if you have to wash/reapply after every ride, what is the best lubricant? I currently do Synergetic for this, but am slowly coming around to wax, only thing holding me back is the rust question if I can’t wash the bike right away after the ride.
@@clarks888 add 1/3rd of a bottle of sinergetic to the wax blend.
Seconded.
I have many questions but for now I will start with just one. I don't know if this has been commented on before. Why is there no mention of the double boiler method for melting wax? To me, this (the double boiler) seems to be the easiest, cheapest and therefore most accessible method. Also, with a double boiler, the temperature can never reach the value at which the wax can be damaged.
Can you give us a direct link to the tests of Smoove versus Silca indicating 20% wear versus 2 %?
This video was a lot to take in. Maybe you should set up a table with all those options or maybe even a flowchart?
zerofrictioncycling.com.au/lubetesting/
Here's a video we did on how to interpret and understand the test:
ua-cam.com/video/KNEFd-Fl_tc/v-deo.html
For a very long, maybe wet ride where I’ve started with a hot waxed chain and then had to top up with synergetic is it ok to just wipe off the chain and hot wax rather than having to properly clean it with chain stripper before re waxing? Sounds like it would be, which would be fantastic.
Yes, this works! Of course, if you can rinse it with water before, you will keep contaminates out of your wax even better!
You're contaminating your wax if you apply an oil based lube to it. It will then attract more dust/dirt until it is fully stripped and re-waxed. I suppose if you re-wax again right away after giving it a decent clean, then the Synergetic will mix in with the wax in the pot similar to Josh's suggestion for extreme winter conditions. But prior to that re-heating, the wax and oil on your chain are separate and the oil can create a grinding paste if it gets dirty.
You should point out that the "surface rust" is on the outside off the chain, not inside the rollers and simply comes right off when you give the chain a 3 second rinse in boiling water.
hey, there are silicon inserts for wax pots witch will allow to remove the wax and simply keep the silicon cup while heating the wax!
Haha, this is great! And yes, I love to cook, but suck at baking 😂
Hi Josh. I'm definitely a convert to wax -- people who say it's a lot of extra bother don't seem to factor in the amount of time they spend cleaning the drivetrain. On my winter bike, with hub gears and waxed chain, I don't need to clean the drivetrain from one month (several hundred miles) to the next.
One question, and one suggested answer:
To clean the factory grease off a new chain, is it acceptable to clean it first with mineral spirits and then use your chain cleaner? I think this should be equally effective and make the cleaner last a lot longer (sorry about the profits... 😁). Also, does the chain need to be thoroughly dried before it goes into the molten wax?
To prevent rust, I moisten a microfibre cloth with some turpentine and run the chain through it. This dissolves a trace of wax and leaves a thin film over the chain. This only takes a minute or two and can be done as often as seems necessary for your riding.
I enjoy your videos, Josh! Maybe someone commented about this already, but I couldn't find a mention of this in the comments I looked through. In your videos, I see you applying Super Secret from the bottle and it just seems to soak into the chain. My experience has been it just puddles up into a drop and it just sits there. If I rub it in with my finger, it seems like it then penetrates. I'm starting with a clean and dry chain that has previously been hot waxed. As an experiment, I tried using a heat gun to preheat the chain prior to applying SS and that seems to help, but it's more screwing around. Thoughts?
You need to shake it really good, and it should bead up on the top of the chain like in our videos and then soak in when the chain articulates.. if it's really just running off, you either need to shake it more, or the chain is already sufficiently coated and sealed and there just isn't anywhere for it to go.
Sometimes the wax can separate a bit from getting too hot or cold, and you can drop a 1/4" nut or ball bearing or something in the bottle and shake it to help better agitate and mix it.
Hi question about ebikes or numbers from your table also include ebikes is high torque? I plan to do endurance now. can you release a video about ebiks? And one more thing, maybe a funny question Have you thought about a tire product that will make them have better grip during the rain 😊 Sorry for the English I tried😂
Thanks for the info. I moved to super secret a couple of years ago and am not going back.
Hello i'm a chef, not used your product still but i'm planning to do so and i want to understand what best fits my bike based on my needs and so... thank you very very much for your videos thay are super duper useful.
great video as usual. I wanted to ask something: how many uses can you get from a typicl quick chain link, like Connex and so on? (I don't mean the official ones, which seem pretty limited)
After a wet ride I blow off the excess water with an air blower (plug in air duster) then wipe down the chain with an IPA wet microfibre. This helps to get rid of the water.
Chef here! My gravel bikes are unfortunately doomed to stay outside in the cold and wet all year (with a salting machine just giving them a bit of salt in the winter months). What do you recommend to do to keep the chains in top shape?
I am feeling like a chemist now. How would it fare to combine a bit of Synergetic with an Endurance chip? Is there any benefit given the gain from endurance chip are minimal in wet/humid conditions. Context is winter riding around or below freezing where the roads tend to be wet and salted.
how many times can i use the wax before i need to replace it.
How should I rotate my 'fleet' of waxed chains across multiple bikes, wax drip top-up vs rewax/links.
Now waiting for my 17 BF Shimano DA 11spd chains to arrive (, 3 r hollow pins + extra connectors). Break-in 'rides'/clean/trim-to-length/wax/bag/label for usage, all to do in one efficient process.
My Ultrasonic cleaner already holds 3 bags of SC wax, so will I add my 2x Speed chips for my premo chains (inc a Silca diamond slurry DA) for my race/best bike, then add my 2x Endurance chips before waxing my training & endurance bike chains? Will 2>4 chips make the total blend measurably better?
This blend will never see a strip-chip, nor see a used chain that wasn't fully washed with boiling H2O.
Enjoy learning the science of it all but I just use Super Secret drip on wax.
I'm assuming standard hot melt is fine at 32f if on road and dry?
I had to bail on using Synerg-E on my trainer. Tungsten disulfide-infused oil got all over the mat, chainstays, cassette, trainer, etc. Synergetic has been tolerable.
Can you show a practical, full chain lifetime, how-to for keeping a waxed chain clean in different environments? Dry, hot, wet, cold, dry and hot, dry and cold, wet and hot, wet and cold, salty.
I'm thinking application, cleaning, and maintenance for all.
I ride a recumbent trike. Mostly warm to hot and dry. I mainly want a clean chain. I present at Rehab Hospitals helping people with disabilities see a safe way for them to get out and exercise. While presenting we have nurses and orderlies helping patient in and out of the trikes. It never fails they rub the chain and basically destroy an outfit. Will waxing help prevent that?
You can touch a immersive Silca wax chain without getting messy, You degrease the chain first then it never sees oil again. You may get dust and dirt on the chain, but the chain will not be oily. I think some drip wax can be slightly messy,
You may get a small dark mark depending on the blend, although from my experience it’ll simply rub away (to almost all extent)
I touch my waxed chain and nothing appears on my fingers. If youre pedaling and the chain rubs against clothes it can transfer some wax, but for stationary applications it’s basically super clean.
Will you have to add one endurance chip or speed chip per wax or will the benefits stay in the pot for the next time you wax?
Yes, the formulation is changed for the wax in the pot. Adding more Secret Chain Blend Wax or either of the chips (endurance or speed - wax additives) customizes the wax for your riding and conditions.
@SILCAVelo good to hear, one chip everytime you wax would have gotten pretty expensive
For chain longevity, does Shimano's "Siltec" become meaningless when waxing?
Chain gets noisier earlier when MTBing over rough ground. I can only think that the violent chain slapping shakes the wax off and out of the chain. I'm re-waxing around every 100km. Can still see wax inside the rollers, going to see what the higher summer temperatures do over christmas.
Can you talk about stainless steel connex chains, It's what i am using. They seem to work fine. However i am unable to find Stainless steel connex quick links. Even the ones that come with the chain are just steel.
what is the recipe for a very hot and humid and or rainy ride using Silca ingredients. I'm thinking something extreme like La Ruta.
Big fail on my part, been using waxed chain(s) on my trainer, getting flakes on the ground/floor was my least concern, getting flakes on the trainer had me cleaning the trainer completely shortly after waxing so as to not have the flakes damage the trainer (this was especially true after applying the Super Secret drip between waxings).
Now I guess I should consider switching to Super G for my trainer rides.
I think you have mentioned waxing in ultrasonic cleaners. German brand Optimize offers a special ultrasonic wax cooker and claims that using an ultrasonic cleaner wouldn't work and even be dangerous. What do you think about solid state cooker VS bag of wax hanging inside the sonicator water bath (I won't fill my whole sonicator with wax! 😆) VS special ultrasonic cooker? For now I do have the cleaner and no cooker, yet.
All of those methods work more or less equally well. We've tested ultrasonic waxing, waxing in a vacuum, and other methods to see if there are any differences and there really aren't.. the biggest performance change comes from removing the chain at the right temperature as pulling it when too hot allows too much wax to drip out resulting in reduced application longevity.
@SILCAVelo Ah okay, thank you!
I would love to see some test data on real off-road mountain biking conditions. Like serious mountain bike trail riding in the Pacific Northwest or anywhere really muddy and wet with this product.
I just purchased the whole wax stripping system including the melting pot. It's winter so I'll know soon but I would love to see some hardcore data on longevity for trail riding.
I plan on topping off my hot wax chain with some wax drip post wet/muddy rides.
Lets see how it performs and holds...
Less than a day later, if anyone's wondering, I actually found extremely good data on Zero Friction Cycling's web page.
Under Silca Secret Chain Hot Melt Wax, ZFC had a 35-page extremely in-depth report on just how superior this stuff is and how well it should work for mountain bikers.
Zero Friction Cycling also gave multiple options for dealing with wet nasty conditions. It actually does not seem very hard at all! And it's exactly what Josh has been saying.
Personally, I think post any really muddy nasty wet ride I'm going to stick with a thorough washing followed by shaking the bike to remove excess water or my air compressor. Then a top off with the Silca Super Secret Drip Wax.
Eventually I'll get a spare chain as recommended by Josh and highly recommended by Zero Friction Cycling's 35-page report.
The data easily backs up how extremely superior a hot wax melting system is. And it smashes any wet lube out of the park by light years! And this is for all bikers, not just Roadies.
I installed The Sram Eagle Axis T-type Transmission on my e-bike a year ago and I wish I would have known about hot waxing back then. Better late than never. I just got a new chain for it about a 100 miles ago and all of my Silca wax, stripper, and Melting Pot are on the way. Black Friday deals are looking awesome on amazon!
I've been sharing the ZFC 35-page report with a lot of my mountain biker friends 🔥💯🤟🍻
@@leoc9074would you mind sharing where on the ZFC site I can find this 35 page report? As in what tab, drop down or title to find it? Thanks!
@BradRussellisAwesome just search Zero Friction Cycling. Once you go to their web page there's a whole list of products they've tested. I simply scroll down until I found Silca Secret Chain Hot Melt Wax.
I can try and leave a link here but I'm not sure if they work on UA-cam comments?
@@BradRussellisAwesome just go to zero friction cycling website. Scroll down and it's test number 19 at the bottom silica hot melt wax
@BradRussellisAwesome search Zero Friction Cycling website. Then scroll down towards the bottom test number 19 is silica hot melt wax.
Amigo gostaria de fazer a emulsao parafinica caseira! Qual o solvente que vc usa junto com a parafina? Sou brasileiro abraços
Speaking of waxing on indoor trainer, do you have any estimate of how many hours a single application of hot melt can last for, if we assume average power output between 200 to 250w?
I have gotten close to 1000 miles before it got a bit noisy.
Synergy has helped a lot indoors and my sweat really destroys the wax fast but not as bad as the dog in the corner as mentioned by Josh.
I actually am a Pastry Chef, by degree and practice
You mentioned to re-wax after a wet ride and it take 10-15 min only. Don’t you than carry loads of dirt into the wax? Actually, when I re-wax I go through extensive cleaning: 10 min in 75 Celsius ultrasonic with cleaning liquid, than rinsing in wash fuel, than rinsing in alcohol, than rinsing in acetone. Once that is dried of I hot wax it… maybe I’m overdoing it? How do you clean a new and how a used chain?
Definitely the baker guy 😅 Tell me what to do, how to do it, and I’ll follow the guidelines.
I wax all my bike chains, but I just acquired a recumbent with about 12 feet of chain. What's the best way to wax that?
The best method for a large amount of chain is to coil it up in a wire basket and use a large crock pot or ultrasonic cleaner big enough to hold it all.. not simple or cheap, but will save a ton of time and mess and also give you the best results! A 15L ultrasonic is probably about the right size.
What we need is a reusable quick link.......
Connex.
Old ice cube trays are free on the curb 25:56
I vote for banana scent, please. ;-)
Bearings tend to be greased/ oiled and covered by seals so I don't think it's fair to equate rusting chains to rusting bearings
Haha thanks mo
lmao mr kipperfish. this video only gets better as it goes
Yep, whale barf is indeed expensive.
Josh backpedals his way out of a tight spot.
I like the chef analogy
Only thing I can complain about is the camera focus. Its on the wall behind. Josh is slightly out of focus.
😴😴😴😴
All of your vids are road bike specific. Tell me about your products relative to Mountain Bikes.
I watch to drown out the intrusive thoughts. Also, buy some wax and a crockpot. It's so clean and easy.
My father was a Master Pastry Chef from Germany. Your Baker/Chef analogy is way off. Stick to talking about wax and candles.
"Do cool shit and don't be an asshole."
Kinda failing at your own tagline there bud.