Silca Chain Lubes - An Average User Experience
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- čas přidán 8. 06. 2024
- #Silca #SuperSecret #Synergetic
When it comes to picking something as simple as a bicycle chain lube, consumers now-a-days are completely overloaded with low friction data, watt-savings, viscosity information and microscopic analysis of chain wear rates. Data, as much as it’s important, has become so overburdening that the non quantifiable user experience of a product or service can sometimes be completely overlooked. When it comes to chain lubes, all I really need to know is: How easy is it to apply? How clean will it keep my chain? How silent will it run? In this video, I take a non-scientific, average user experience approach to try to provide answers to these three basic questions as it relates to Silca’s chain lubes. Check it out!
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Find the full blog post here:
mountain-road.com/blog/silca-...
More info about chain waxing:
mountain-road.com/blog/wax-ch...
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Silca Chain Lube Links:
Super Secret Chain Lube (Amazon): amzn.to/3jSniGL
Super Secret Chain Lube (JensonUSA): bit.ly/2ZoU4pj
Synergetic (Amazon): amzn.to/3u7gNnU
Synergetic (JensonUSA): bit.ly/3diKrkd
Synergetic (Performance Bike): bit.ly/3jRWvua
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Chapter Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro
01:52 Silca Chain Lubes
04:36 Application
06:59 Cleanliness
10:34 Noise Levels
14:46 Wrap Up
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Nice review. I also use both of this silca lubes on my bikes, and I can confirm 100% what you said about it.
Thanks! Good to know that other users can confirm my experiences.
As Josh says; The noise you hear is generally from the side plates. That’s not a good sign as to when you need to top off your lube. I use the Silca wax, then top off with super secret drip wax every 300 miles or so. Little noisy, but again - Side plates. I’ve just relearned what my chain sounds like. Now that sound of dryness doesn’t bother me.
excellent review.
Thank you for a nice video! One question though. I’ve bought a wax based silica lube and it came with a lot of black flakes inside. The seller told me to heat the liquid before use, which came as a surprise- no such info in product description. Did you have yours with same issue or it always had that milky white color?
Glad you found it helpful! My understanding is that there should be some black flakes in the bottle. This is one of the ingredients that Silca claims works really well, i.e. tungsten di-sulfide. If you leave the bottle on a shelve for a few days you'll see all of that sinks to the bottom and will make a black pile in the bottle. It is important to try and get this ingredient mixed into the rest of the bottle. I've always just shaken the bottle very well before use, but the most effective way really is to heat it up.
@@MountainRoadRide thanks a lot! Will place the bottle in hot water- will see what happens)))
Great review for joe rider. I’ve been using super secret for a while and decided to try they Synergetic.
Have you guys just tried cleaning more often and using Dupont Chainsaw lube.
I've been using Silca Super Secret on my gravel bike for a year and a half. I tried waxing but it was too much of a pain. I generally get 100+ miles of gravel on a weekend. Once a week I clean any gunk out of the drivetrain, wipe the chain down, and reapply the Super Secret. This is less cleaning than what I would have with oil based lubes. I do find that after about six months I have to remove the cassette and clean away wax build-up.
I would imagine waxing would be very painful!
So after watching both this video and the waxed chain video I am thinking maybe the best bet is to hot wax the gravel bike chain and use the Synergy on the road bike chain. Theory being that repels dirt and water better as a whole than any liquid lube. Thoughts? Also, have you had any problems getting the liquid Silca wax lube to absorb into the chain links? I find it wants to float like a bubble on my waxed chain (I was using the liquid wax as a "touch-up" method between chain cleanings). Definitely have to use your fingers to sort of mash it into the chain to get it to absorb. I wonder if heating the liquid wax lube a bit before the application would help in the process? Worth a try I guess. Cheers.
Great questions. Always enjoy getting such detailed feedback. I noticed in your other comment that you own an ultrasonic cleaner. I think that’s a massive game changer when it comes to chain cleaning. An ultrasonic cleaner is definitely on my wishlist for the future! Given that you have such a good workflow when it comes to the cleaning process, I’d say that you’ll be better off with just the waxing. You have the benefit of being able to effectively clean the chain quickly with the ultrasonic. This is one reason why I switched from the wax on my gravel bike to the Synergetic. During super muddy rides the wax got dirty to the point where it basically required a complete redo of the hot melt process. Synergetic gets dirty quickly and if you’re used to a clean chain by now, then it will only disappoint. The two chain system that you have going is brilliant! The best combo, in my humble opinion, is a full hot melt wax at first and then touch-ups with the drip-wax (if/when the chain wasn’t subjected to crazy mud/dirt). But yes, I’ve experienced the same “float like a bubble” effect when it comes to Super Secret. It doesn’t always filter into the chain well and really requires that you work it in (roller for roller). I’m gonna experiment with heating it up - I have a feeling that might just help it.
I have found that the secret to super secret (or any wax based lube) is the set time. When SSCL has a full 24 hours to settle in, it gets to where it needs to, which is under the rollers. Another great way to apply SSCL is to buy the tub and drop the entire chain into it. Then pull it out and let it set for up to 24 hours. Finally, using Silca's hot wax and then following up with the occasional drip lube application is a great way to keep your drivetrain in top shape.
I noticed the same thing. It seemed to repel the synergy. Hoping this gets covered in the Silca podcast (marginal gains) Great video!
@@jasonwills6694 oh yeah, we've covered it and I am sure there will be more talk. Zero Friction Cycling also has some great insights on drp lube penetration.
@@michaelhotten752 I remember hearing about the 24+ hour set time. The beading nature was the thing. I might have missed that being covered. Made me question weather i should turn the cranks to drive it into the chain afterwards for a few rotations. Like it might just fling off. Great podcast. Yes everything gets covered. lol
I'm using the Synergetic oil lube on both my gravel and road bike, and have been all winter. The lube does need replacing quite regularly when riding in wet, salty UK winter conditions, but the drive trains stay running quiet. What I've found is once the lube is applied, run the drive train in cross chaining to get the lube into the pins of the rollers, leave to penetrate in for an hour, then wipe the chain with a cloth to remove the excess. So far, on my road bike, I after 2-300 miles and the chain is still clean, running smoothly and lubed adequately. It's also proving to be great at lubing the polls on the free hub.
Sorry to be off topic but does anybody know of a way to log back into an instagram account..?
I was dumb forgot my login password. I would love any tricks you can offer me.
@Kaleb Kaysen Instablaster ;)
@Wade Braden Thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Wade Braden It worked and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D
Thank you so much you really help me out !
@Kaleb Kaysen you are welcome :)
I assume you’ve cleaned both chain off packing lube? Especially with the silca wax based lube it needs a good overnight cleaning with mineral spirits followed with denatured alcohol.
I actually wax my chains, and use super secret to extend the life of my wax chains, especially on long 500 mile tours.
Yes. I detail the process that I used to clean the chain in this video: czcams.com/video/As9C1hZGZ1M/video.html I basically followed the recommendations from OZ Cycle exactly.
Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
The thing is oil based lub atrtrackts dirt and dirt is also a silencer
Is wax ok for gravel or bikepacking in your opinion? Maybe inconvenient?
I used a waxed chain for this gravel bikepacking adventure: czcams.com/video/3Xhjk9HkdSw/video.html It worked fine, but I should have taken more of the Super secret wax with me. By day 4 the chain was super dry from all the dry and dusty roads. Wax makes it a cleaner setup, but yes, there is a bit of extra work to keep it working well on a long bikepacking trip.
just the right video for me as I'm digging arnd for reviews of the products from silca! keep up the good work and hope to see more of your vids man!
Glad that this was helpful! Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.
Starting to think all these wax based lubes are the same. Runs fine for the first 1 or 2 rides then you get the squeaking sound. Whereas oil based lubes run silent but get dirty real quick. There's no perfect solution.
I was using Tru-Tension All Weather Tungsten lube prior to switching over to Silca. With the Tru-Tension lube, also wax-based, I could get almost 300 miles before the drivetrain would get to a point where I felt like I needed to re-apply the lube. With the Silca drip lube, it was more like 50 miles. With the Tru-Tension lube, however, the drivetrain does not look as clean as a chain treated with the Silca lube as the drivetrain seems to attract more grime/dirt.
Yes. And the closer they are to the traditional oil lubes, the more rust protection they confer to the drivetrain. Where the sweet spot (or range?) lies depends on your riding style and conditions as well as personal preference. Cheers and happy cycling!
Wolftooth lube comes with a nice applicator as well but it sucks
Silca secret, is meant to be used as filler on an already waxed chain.
I didn't have good results with the Super Secret. Have used Silca's wax for a long time. Bought the Super Secret to be used as a supplement to the immersion wax. However, I found that the lube literally just runs off the chain when you apply it, making a mess and leaving very little, if any lube, on the chain. You can actually see it bead up and drip off the chain. Very overpriced, and ineffective. Won't use it again. I find Squirt to be a superior product, and a great supplement to immersion waxing.
5:12 looks like you broke the applicator tip on the drip wax bottle.
Good spot! The tip did get slightly dented when I twisted off the cap too forcefully.
Too expensive! Easier, cleaner and less expensive to just wax your chain.
Well, if you can blend WS2 and ZDDP maybe...