The Quickest And Easiest Way To Wax A Chain
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- Chain waxing saves you money and makes your bike faster - and it just got a whole lot easier AND quicker to do! This is thanks to Silca’s StripChip! You can now degrease and wax your chain in just one step. In this video, Ollie shows you how.
Welcome! 0:00
The pro's and con's of using hot-melt wax on your chain 0:23
Silca’s StripChip! 1:10
Heat the wax and melt the StripChip 1:57
Prep your new chain 3:04
Lower the chain into the wax 4:31
Reduce temperature 5:41
Pull the chain out, let it cool and dry 7:11
Break in the chain by loosening the wax off 8:01
Bonus tips! 8:50
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I just started using this exact waxing system (without the strip chip, I use the stripper solvent so my wax is always melted to 75c) a 2 months ago. I have 2 - 3 chains on rotation. So when one starts to sounds loud, I pop it off, pop on a silky smooth ready-waxed one and go.
It also took me 5 minutes of work to re-wax a chain today.
Love it. Always silky smooth when freshly waxed.
I haven't ruined anymore clothes with nasty black stains. In fact, the chains always come off clean, doesn't even mark my hands when I handle them after 300k of riding.
After how many chain removals do you replace its link?
How does that wax last in muddy wet rides? I’d be using it on a gravel bike and my bike gets properly used each ride. By that I mean it’s almost always going through a muddy puddle even in summer! 😅
@@KOL630
I think zero friction cycles made a good video about wet rides. Basically I think he said you're better off cleaning your bike and swapping to a freshly waxed chain. Then using boiling water to get rid of the dirt and old wax from the muddy chain and re-waxing it.
Wax is great at keeping your chain clean in the dry.
No lubricant can keep it clean in the wet or mud.
If I always rode in the wet dirt or mud, I would be investigating belt drives and internal gears like the priority apolo or gemini.
Silca wax chain fanboy here. I have the stripper, the Silca pot stand, a bag of wax and a new chain. Had it all for ages BUT, not used it yet. Why? Well, I use super secret drip on wax on my chain at the moment and its so darn effective at extending the life of my chain I don't need a new chain yet and after +3K Km its still showing almost no sign of wear!
If you keep on top of your re-waxing, 10k+ km is feasible.
The friction facts page states that, although having thinner sideplates, chains designed for more speeds/rear cogs last much longer than chains designed for fewer speeds when compared head to head using wax as lubricant. I have had 8sp chains last longer than 5k km on mtb, so 10k sounds realistic for road with high tier chains. If you clean and wax pre-emptively you're in for a treat m8.
I was surprised at how well the drip on works. I stopped rewaxing all together and just reapply the drip on every other ride.
@@KarlosEPM I will in all probablity put on the new chain ahead of my bikepacking trip in the summer - I'll ride about 2000Km on mixed terrain/surfaces in about three weeks. So I won't want to worry that my chain will wear out part way through (even though it likely will not) - especially as I already have the new chain and kit ready to go!
@@frazergoodwin4945 Sounds epic! Ride safely and enjoy!
This is great! I had already purchased the bag of wax last year but hadn't gotten around to using it yet so this system will make the process much easier.
I was just thinking the same about tasty strip-chip: chocolate covered Kendal mint cake!
oooh, Kendal mint cake, now you're talking!
Chain waxing and chemistry. Ollie's happy place. 🥰
he genuinely walks (slowly) around the office telling everyone the benefits of chain waxing!
I fully appreciate his casually dropping "chelate" to describe the process.
@@gcntechI've gone on a group ride with a waxed chain in use over 250km in damp conditions over the previous 2 weeks and got asked if I just cleaned the drivetrain before heading out. Clubmates jaws dropped when I said "not in the last 2 weeks". With an oil based or dry lube I would have reapplied at least once prior to that ride and it would be starting to look grubby again. Only in very wet and cold conditions would I use a wet lube now. From skeptic to convert.
@@matt_acton-varianha! That's brilliant.
As I understand it the 125-c temperature is only when using the strip chip. After stripping you should rewax at 75-c when using Silca and 90-c when using Molten Speed wax. For 4 years I have been using a cheap crockpot that had little temperature control and required a lot of time to heat the wax. Now, with the Silca pot I can turn it on and walk away knowing it will heat to the desired temperature and hold it at that temperature. Plus, it takes less than a third of the time. If you are serious about waxing, get the Silca pot.
If you already have a waxed chain don't use the degreaser, just use boiling water to clean it.
I just started waxing my chain after the last chain wore out. I used the chain stripper product and a thrift-store crockpot to melt the wax. The wax and chain stripper are great products, but the crockpot is really, really slow. In the end, the results are great
It does take a long time.
Put the cover on when it is warming...it makes a massive difference. Furthermore, if you are actively working near the pot while it is warming, set it for max temp for a few minutes. With the PID controller, it wants to kiss up to the desired temperature no hover around it. So, by making it want to aim higher, it keeps the warmer at max.
You remove the inner part and fill it with hot tap water, towel it dry and put it on you probly saved 4-5 min 😅
@@trepidati0n533 This. Use something thin to keep the handle suspended and put the cover over it. Massive difference.
It was $10 from a resale shop and I just realized that my Sous Vide cooker gets way hotter. I probably should hit the resale shop for a beater pot to cook in 😅
I've only used the wax in the bag method but it's seems effective.
I have two chains and swap when the first gets too dirty. When the second is also too dirty, I then rewax both together as the wax takes quite a long time to melt.
This makes it even more easier! The important thing is that you're waxing you chain 🙌
I've been using an ultra sonic cleaner with simply green to strip the chain and an induction cook top to melt wax in. I've also made my own wax with PTFE powder.
Good on you. Now, do you think it is a good use of time for everybody to go to your level of effort of knowledge?
In the summer I melt the wax using an old satellite dish covered in foil. The wax is melted in an old golden syrup tin. Matt black on the bottom from the gas flame I use in winter.
a concentrated ray of light may actually cause the mentioned "hot spots" in the melting process so be mindful of that, otherwise a really cool idea to use surrounding energy for that! cheers ;)
@@lovemesomedetail Due to some rust on the dish before I covered it the surface is a little uneven leading to a large patch of concentrated light not an intense spot. However I can't hope but wonder if the thing about hot spots is just marketing to get you to buy a fancy device to melt wax.
@@Ed.Ryea, i get the point, and to some degree i do think it’s exactly what you suspect, some kind of marketing. HOWEVER (as mr. paton would say) you can easily produce over a thousand degrees C with a concentrated light beam and that‘ll surely mess that wax up 😂
Big fan of Silca and this system. Good tip from Josh was to fold the chain in thirds then halves until it is as small as possible so it fits in the bath. Also, if you are like me, use something across the pot so that the little black handle doesn't fall in, over and over and over again.
SILCA overlooked that little design area, should’ve incorporated a little hook on the front edge of the pot to hook the black handle over. Can do it with a screwdriver like in the vid but when you’re paying big bucks for what is an essentially a bikini line wax pot you want it to be perfect! 😅
I was worried: 36 days without a video on Silca chain waxing/lubing...
They’re the best snake oil salesmen on the internet
@@harrybbbb How is it snake oil when it is actually better?
@@harrybbbb Now, when they were sponsored by muc°off. That was garbage. Silca is quality.
@@gobgobcachoo you’ve bought into the marketing bullshit. Congratulations.
@@harrybbbb if marketing bullshit means my current chain is 800 miles into it and showing hardly any wear, than I'm ok with it.
This video is sponsored by Silca
No way... But for me is sponsored by candle wax or paraffin wax to be precise.
Stop the presses
Selling 5 gallon buckets of manure like crazy.
And in other news, water is wet, fire is hot and deserts are dry
Yes, but while over-priced, it is super easy to use, and works very well. I am not into sourcing my own 5ml of molybdenum disulfide or whatever they add to the wax, nor the stripping chemicals, which I would probably only use on chains.
At £160 to wax a chain (plus the cost of the chain) it is certainly good value! Plus the time taken - it certainly beats a quick degrease and lube.
Love Silca's wax and waxing system. Each time I hurt my chain I give it a quick clean and dip in Silca's black swirling lubricious concoction. The chain emerges readty for war again, like Baron Harkonnen from his healing bath in Dune.
I tried waxing for the first time recently, on 2 new chains, a KMC I'd had sitting around for several years unused, and a YBN I just bought. I prepped them the more "traditional" way, with several rounds of mineral spirits followed by several rounds of alcohol (91% isopropyl which is what I had), then hung to dry with a heat gun to avoid flash rust. Then I used a mini crockpot to melt the wax and soak the chains in it 10-15 min, then drained and hung the chains until the wax hardened, did the dowel thing to loosen them, then installed and started using the KMC.
As some wax makers and others have claimed, the wax didn't appear to fully take with the KMC, and things got noisy within around 100 miles, on an indoor trainer, no outdoor riding at all. I'm at around 150 miles now so I'll soon switch to the YBN to see if it's quieter. Perhaps I didn't wax properly but it's pretty dummy proof.
I doubt that it's the reason but instead of hanging the waxed chains on a nail or hook as most do, I attached several neodymium magnets to the top of a steel door frame and hung the chains from them, separately. They remained in place the whole time as those magnets are really powerful. But could magnetizing the chains have caused drivetrain issues? The chainrings are alloy but the cogs are steel, and I wonder if they hold onto the chain as if they had tacky grease on them, and perhaps cause excessive rubbing that wears off the wax?
Waxed chains are noisier than wet lubed ones. I use cheapish 8sp KMC chains with success. No idea on the effects of magnetized chains, but I doubt anything serious would come out of it.
@@KarlosEPM Is there any way to reduce the noise while retaining all the advantages of waxed chains? It's kind of annoying.
And, I imagine that a magnetized chain would be more likely to pick up road dirt, part of which is probably fine metal shavings from worn car and even bike brake rotors and such. I'll find out soon when I start riding outdoors again.
@@kovie9162 I have a few chains for each drivetrain setup I use, so I either swap chains or use a drip on wax (silca has one which is water based, I use a ghetto version with paint thinner). The noise is not an indicator for wear or inefficiency, but I agree it's annoying.
Phenomenal Thanks very much
I've found that manipulating the chain, once dry, over the pot is enough to make it flexible enough to remount onto the bike. It is also cleaning and puts excess wax back in the pot for future use.
I've found that if you insert the coupler with like 1/3rd of the chain above after folding it into a 6-8 layer rainbow, it will fit better in the pot, and it keeps the handle up, so no need for a screwdriver to hold it up!
Very interesting video on chain waxing. For those using this method, making it easier, quicker, and less messy are all pluses. About how long can you go before needing to re-wax--what do you look or listen for that tells you it is time for a re-lube?
A promo? Sure, but I own one of these and they are great products. They do need to make a v2 though, the chain coupler or wire always falls into the wax, no matter what I have tired it's happened. Then the coupler unscrews itself from its handle and breaks ;( Still waiting for my replacement, but they really need to make a little holder lower down for when the wire is in the wax. Even with this fault though it's still easily the best waxing system.
Save yourself some frustration and just use a metal piece of coat hanger. Bend it like the BIG DIPPER in the sky and sized according to your pot. Then you can drop and swish your chain a lot easier...
i spoke to silca! that is being improved!
Why don’t KMC and shimano coat and seal chains in protective bag before selling
I just use a zip tie, it's so lightweight that it stays up
@@michaelmechex sure understand how, cable tie where?
If this process is for new chains, can you use old chains that have used traditional lube? I'm assuming strip with petrol then chain cleaner prior to starting. Or is it a no go?
Silca is amazing! I will buy Silca! Silca Silca Silca!
I run my chain over a piece of PVC I have setup in a little jig for this. Works like a champ
ah! nice idea, Ollie likes to wax up the door handles in he workshop! 😂
@@gcntech lol... Yea I had about a foot of 1" PVC that I mounted to wood bracket I built for it and added a 6" section of dowel rod to the back that can be held by my workstand.
What about the other drivetrain components (Cassette, pulley wheels, chainring) if their not new? Is degreasing enough, or do you need a special process?
Just in time for my coffee break! 😊
I have found that at 75C the wax is still very liquid, will the chain retain that liquid wax after you pull it out? I always turn the heater off and wait until skin forms on top of wax, then pull the chain out.
@gcntech : Can you reuse the wax where a StripChip has been melted in ?
ok-I am currently using squirt on my road bike as I couldn’t face the whole waxing thing-looked too time consuming. this looks real actively straight forward. What I am unclear on is how long can i go before rewaxing. I will go bike packing off road for 5 days or so each year and do some cycle touring too. Currently I carry a small pot of lube and an oily rag in a bag and that works for keeping the chain going. If i do the same trip in harsh Scottish conditions with a waxed chain will that last it out without needing some new treatment? Always been my uncertainty though am sure it is answered somewhere obvious…
ive found hot wax lasts a few rain rides, but not loads. When i go bikepacking I start with a hot waxed chain and then once its out, i use drip wax, which i find needs redoing after every rain ride. The nice thing when bike packing is how clean it is comparatively and how easy it is to clean the chain and drive train with a cloth dipped in hot water. Especially important when you have disc brakes and not able to do a full clean often
What happens to the strip chip after? How does it contain the greese for the wax not being contaminated if it melts? Or should I fish it out? Will the greese and it collect into some sort of blob that I can separate? With a bag of 500g ideally I could wax many more chains than just 6, so if I use it with strip chips, is the wax then spent anyway and I’d have to trash the remainder? Or can I still use it to re-wax clean chains?
All of your questions have their answers in videos on the SILCA youtube channel. Briefly, the chip dissolves into the wax and converts ("waxifies") the grease of a new chain (doesn't work on used, oiled chains) into wax. So melt the wax, drop the chip in, dissolve it, then place a new chain inyo the mix, stir, take out and use.
You can use the StripChipped wax for the next waxing. The science is like the oil has short molecules, the wax has long molecules. The StripChip joins the short molecules in some way, so the oily factroy lube will behave like a wax.
At least, if I understand well. I think that Zero Friction Cyling has an explanation in the topic.
@@KarlosEPM Thx for clarifying. I would expect some of the details about wax reusability to be shared in this dedicated video though, because that is intel I'd need for deciding whether the strip chip is worth it.
@@erikmmartens You can reuse the wax with waxed chains indefinitely, until it's all used up. Ollie mentions at the very end: upnto 6 strip chips (and new chains) per 500g of wax. But besides those 6 new chains, any number of already waxed chains can be dunked into that same 500g of wax. The package of (chocolate looking) strip chips comes with 6 pieces, and the bag of wax has 500g of it, so it may be intuitive ornat least suggestive. Hope this helps, ride safely and have fun.
@@KarlosEPM I know he mentioned 6x strip chip use hence me writing it in my original comment. But I didn’t catch him specifically mentioning that after that you can use the wax for any clean chain with no packing grease, unless it was meant to be implied without saying. And if you are unsure because you yet have to fully learn the waxing process (same with any process you are new to), you rather go against following something you personally thought was implied since you might be wrong and then things go wrong.
I use a microwavable plastic takeout food container (rectangular, jus large enough to fit the chain in which I use a piece of bailing wire to arrange the chain in a rectangular shape much like shown here.) Obviously no microwaves are involved in the process but it's just to be sure the plastic can endure boiling water. I do NOT use strip chips, just Silca chain stripper for new chains. (or boiling water to remove wax from previously waxed chains.)
I then put the container in a shallow frying pan with simmering water in it and melt about 60 grams of wax (just enough to completely submerge the chain) I jiggle the chain in there a few minutes, turn off the heat, pull the plastic container out of the wax and just as it starts to skin over, I pull the chain out and hang it to drip over the container.
When the wax in the container hardens, I break it up and put it in a ziplock bag that I store in the bag of pellets (to keep the new wax separated from the "old").
Next time I need to wax a chain I re-melt the chunks and if necessary, I add a bit of new wax pellets to it. (This only uses about 5 grams of wax per chain, which to a guy like me should mean a lifetime of chain waxing for myself, friends and family...)
I've been waxing with a paraffin & PTFE mix for some time now but have just got some Silca hot wax mix. Is there anything I should do to prep my chains before switching over to using the Silca wax, or can I just use it rather than my home brew mix?
Just clean with boiling water and rewax. I’ve also switched to the silica wax away from home brew with PTFE. Like the idea of getting away from the PFAS
Yesterday I saw an order man riding his bike. Squeaking noises all over the place. Shifts cracking. But he had fun and it put everything into much more perspective :)
Guess he was using a waxed chain in the rain. 😁
@@Garfie1d73 Doubt it, but would be quite the joke 🤣
One question GCN: has Silka provided you with chain stand? If so, let them know to put a "rail" of some sort of pulley on top. That way one will also have something to rub waxed chain against.
Thanks Ollie and crew..Isaac ? How many times can you reheat the wax ? I leave it in the heater after .
If you clean the chain before rewaxing, to reduce contamination, you can use the wax till it's almost gone. I clean my chain with boiling water before rewaxing.
indefinately. just dont burn it or put oil/grease in it.
@@johnleonard5936 Thanks John , me too !
The residual is bio degradable? The pot must be cleaned with soap? After a new wax, you degrease and grease the chain after a rain day?
I had been thinking about trying chain waxing for some time,so. When I bought a new chain and cassette I decided to dip a toe in. I got a bottle of the super secret drip wax, thoroughly cleaned the chain and applied it. So far so good it all seemed fine then. Horror I saw on your show the wax does no protect the chain, and it can rust. In fifty plus years of cycling I have never had a rusty chain. How is this an improvement?
No industrial chain lubrication methods use wax. That's all you need to know.
When you use the strip chip and wax to first wax a chain, do you have to dump that combo and use fresh wax pellets for rewaxing?
This is the exact question I am searching for an answer for! Please reply here if you find this answer elsewhere- I will do the same!
I have never done this, so, frankly, I am curious what one does with the wax to keep it, anyway- leave in the melter?
Well, reading even more questions and answers, it seems the consensus is: leave wax in melter, and it's ok to reuse the wax with strip chip again to rewax chains, but add another chip for new.
i love to wax my chain...but the grafit make my chain look dirty on the out side...i love when chain and kassette is shining.. any tips?
Have you asked Josh if the Strip Chip works with Alex‘ genuine Shiumano chain?
It is cheaper the routinely cleaning and lubing and having a new chain every 5-7K (if you are not using the "caviar"-based Silca products)
No need to put any drip wax on the quick links. The rollers that the quick links push through and the inner plates that they sit against, already have wax.
I haven't heard Josh say it's necessary either... though i haven't seen every video he's ever made 😊
I leave the quick links on the chain, so I wax them while I wax the rest of the chain. When it cools down the wax even helps to keep the links in place.
I think Josh literally says something like you don't need it, but if you need it for you own reassurance, put some drip on only the rollers of the quick link.
Put the chain back together before dunking it in wax - surely this solves the quick link dilemma?
I think GCN wanted to completely skip the new Chain Sizing step.
For normal waxing I just use the sachet in a water bath and a wireless oven thermometer to monitor the temperature.
The Crockpot method is perfectly fine.
Just me, or does the whole thing look like a dog bowl with dog treats? Especially 1:56 😂
just don't let the 🐶 near it!
One massive concern I have with this is, what do I do when I am out on a multi-day bike packing trip?
I absolutely won't be carrying this kit. But can I carry a drip on wax lube?
If yes then this 100% would be golden.
Also another aspect of using this is the chain quick link is usually rated for 1 time lock, and some of the other ones can be used multiple times but never infinitely, so you have to keep replacing the quick links every few uses as well.
on the TDS, I took 2 chains. Only ended up needing the one. It didn't get noisy. The issue you have with rewaxing on a long ride, is you need the carrier to evapourate. in humid conditions this would be difficult. if you are sleeping and resting for short periods this would be difficult. Starting with waxed chain and then using Synergetic could be a better option in those situations
@@oliverbridgewood3929 makes sense thank you.
Adam Savage should make a super primitive temerature-controlled solar cooker. It might be as simple as a black pot sitting in a reflective bowl, and a "leaf" connected to a bimetallic "stem" to shade the collector when the temperature rose.
This video should have an AD tag in the thumbnail - Silca wax products are great, but they also sponsor GCN, so while this may not have been a directly paid for ad, it should still have some tag to transparently indicate bias.
im using cyclowax and cant complain
What happens to the chain wax if I ride it somewhere that has 50°C weather?
Maybe it's time for GCN to renew its contents...chain waxing was not so long ago a subject for a video...Alex's video about handlebars was the same as 2 years ago...starts to get redundant
Good video but nothing about how you should clean cassette etc before applying freshly waxed chain ?
True, and a frequent gap in the explanation for this wax lubricant systems. You do have to degrease all of the drivetrain components, and it's the most tedious part of the process. It's set and forget though, and it'll remain pristine for as long as you use wax 😊
we have videos on that!
How many times can you use the quick link.?
@gcntech can Ollie show us how he cleans a dirty chain before re-waxing with Silca?
that was an informative and.. teetering on invaluable heads up !😁
Would you not shorten the chain to the correct length before you start the waxing process? That is assuming you need to shortening it of course.
Does anyone know if the Silca hotpot comes with a recipe book?
I found a long cooker which i have found much easier than a round one, never understood why most squeeze something long into something small and round, also i rotate when drying just for equal movement and coverage
Agreed thats why I stopped eating or drinking most things in this video as I HATE SODIUM + SUGAR cannot stand how many foods have extremely high sodium content and you can literally taste it pretty badly. Like for example few years back was addicted to Energy drinks, and thought eating cold cuts was a shortcut or quick meal like granola bars as well also stopped all of them. Moreover, I also suffer from PCOS so Polysyst disease I guess which im always going to gain a lot more fat if i don't control my fat content and other stuff.
#askgcntech any suggestions to wax an existing chain? I get that this method is only for new chains. Ty.
Can you use the second hand wax on your legs?
if you do try it, let us know how it goes!
I prefer to join up the ends of the chain with the quick-link and put the chain on the suspension gadget 2 links at a time. That way the rollers either end don't get bunged up.
So when you’re done waxing your chain you let the wax harden in the pot and leave it there until next waxing?
Correct
yep! We are thinking of a Karate Kid pun about Wax On - Wax Off here too!
yup... you can reuse the was in the pot for several other applications.
@@bikerdude221 ok so just gotta store it somewhere safe & dry
If I use a strip chip in my batch of wax for a new chain, I guess it's OK to have the same chemicals in my wax when I go to rewax?
How many rides or kms between waxings?
so can you just keep the unused wax in the pot and reheat it next time you need to wax your chain?
yup
👍
Sometimes you could make a video about everything you can add to homemade wax..
What would you add?
@@gcntech Graphene powder, tungsten graffiti powder, PTFE powder, molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) Powder, liquid paraffin oil... and everything else you can find in the fridge 😁
@@gcntech Tungsten Disulphide powder, also there are much cheaper products which convert the factory grease
Is there a point to this on eMTB?
I do 4 chains at a time, with this small thing it would take forever.. big crock pot heat to 120 and sorted dump all in.
That's AMAZING use should try and get silka to sponsor gcn 😂. You spoke to Siri like she was a piece of crap terrible no manners 😟
I would probably pay a bikeshop to do this, im not sure if it already offered as a service.
Considering how often one should wax their chain, you’re going to be visiting the bike shop a lot!
@@danielakerman8241 How many miles would you say?
would be a good service for bike shops, i agree
@@logtothebase2 For me it is every 200km or so. If it is particularity muddy ride, the right away. I keep two chains so it is a "no stress" operation. I swap out the chain then "re-wax" the other chain at my leisure sometime during the week.
@@trepidati0n533 Blimey.Should be a money spinner then.
What exactly is in that “degreaser”?
If I wax my chain will I need a new quick link every time?
Depends on your chain/link manufacturer. I just put a new KMC chain on my Sora-equipped bike, documentation said 2-3 uses of the quick link so long as you can still hear the click when putting it back together. No click = replace.
Alternatively, apply drip on wax on the installed chain. That could save you some cash and time even.
I have tried the StripChip. I would swear that I had better result without it. In both cases I did not remove the factory lube, however, I soaked the chain in the plain wax for like 3 hours.
To know the temperature of the wax, I bought an infrared thermometer. I don't think that it is exact, but when I measure 60 °C, it is time to remove the chain out of the wax.
infa red is interesting. I will use it next time on the bath and see how the values compare
i just ordered a big white chocolate and i have rest today, thanks
Wax heater used by beauty saloons with added stand (and SILCA logo) costs 2-3 times more 🤔
I admit stand is really useful, though, but for price they could program modes to show like ROAD, ENDURANCE, DAD, PRO and like 😊
can you reuse the wax afterwards
of course you can
actually, for $100 US this makes chain wax life a lot easier. I think I might get one (except they're out of stock)
While chain waxing before was EASY, it does require a bit more time/effort investment. Now, it is downright simple. for anybody who bike a 1000+ km per year or is running higher end group sets, it is a no-brainier.
I’ve done it the homebrew way with a crock pot and made the move the the Silca pot. I’m very happy with it. Considerably better temperature control, heats up more quickly and takes up less space! For me worth the convenience charge.
Waxing chain is a good test of ones medical condition. If you struggle threading chain on wire it could mean you have to visit a doctor.
The ONLY reason why I downplay the benefits of waxing my chains is to deny my local competitors the benefits of waxing their chains.
#ask GCN tech, thanks for the video, very handy as I've just made the investment purchasing this kit ( hot pot, wax and strip chips, oh and super secret drip on 🤦), I have a new chain so that's an easy one 👍. However I've two other chains which I've used sparingly out doors ( plenty of running on the turbo mind), these have been used straight out of the packet, which probably wasn't the best idea, my question is do these count as new chains for the purposes of waxing? Or should I be giving them a thorough chemical clean before waxing without a strip chip? Thanks...
It's much easier working on a new chain. I just did a lightly used one and it took lots of repeated jar shaking in white spirit, degreaser and boiling in an old fry pan to strip it. A strip chip won't decontaminate a used chain, see Zero Friction Cycling channel for more, vid titled "Are wax lubricants any good in the wet?" at 47 minutes shows how hard it is to reset a contaminated chain.
Nice ad. Despite my love for Silca: Instead of 30€/$ for 6 chains you could buy some white spirit and acetone and 2 marmelade jars and have the same effect in nearly no time for maybe 5€/$ and all the chains you gonna buy in your life span.
Why would you wax the quicklink at all anyway? The rollers that both pegs of the link thread through are still on the chain. Unless you scrape the entire wax out when threading the quicklink, you probably don’t even have to drip wax it.
Yeah, I’ve stopped doing mine - when I did it I had to then spend a lot of time scraping wax off it to get it to join back together and as th video says the key is wax within the rollers rather than on the outside.
I purchased a slow cooker for $20, some paraffin wax candles from the dollar store for $5, and a small bag of PTFE for $10, and I saved about $200 by not having to purchase all of the Silca stuff 👍
I did exactly this 👍
The entry price of getting into chain waxing is too high for many, once you have made that initial investment it really isn’t bad and will save you money in the long run. I feel that if silca sold a chain waxing starter kit that included everything that somebody would need to switch from an oiled chain to a waxed chain, and sold it for a reduced price compared to buying each item individually, that would see even more people make the jump, and would increase sales in the long run for silca.
There are ways to make it cheaper. That melting pot is an off the shelf depilating wax heater. I found the identical model in beauty salon supplies for 30 euros and I rigged up that stand from stuff I had at home. So with the Strip Chip and Silca wax I was 110 euros all in. That's less than what Silca asks for one waxed chain. If that's still too much, perhaps you could sell a few waxed chains to your mates.
Do you have to use a new Quicklink every time you wax your chain?
If you're not worried about your nuts if the Quick Link failed, then go ahead and save the price of a coffee
The solution to all of this?
Pinion gearbox and Gates belt drive.
Faff!!!
I see several issues in this video and with the Silca melting pot. First off, the chain holder thing looks to be way more trouble than it’s worth. Ollie clearly had a lot of trouble actually getting the whole chain into the wax. Additionally there’s no place to hang the bar on it when the chain is in the wax, so you have to find something to bridge across the top of the pot while the chain is soaking. To me, this negates pretty much any reason to buy the silca pot, as it would still be annoying.
The strip chip seems like it’s basically doing what the 2-in-1 shampoo plus conditioner products do. They work alright, but they’re not as good as shampooing your hair and then conditioning it. The strip chip would be the same, I’d imagine. And it’s not like it’s hard to toss the chain in a $30 jewelry ultrasonic cleaner for a few minutes before waxing.
The claim about the wax being super sensitive to temperature is extremely unlikely to be true. Looking online, the lowest temperature that paraffin wax decomposes at is around 150C, but other pages I’ve found referenced over 200C. I don’t know what the base is of the Silca wax, but the home made stuff usually uses paraffin. If the Silca stuff is more temperature sensitive, I feel it would be a worse product because of it. And it’s not like graphite powder or teflon are bothered in the slightest by anything under 200C. Plus, if the wax is slightly cold and you get a clump on the chain, you don’t need to redo the whole waxing process. You can just heat the chain with a hot air gun or put it in a bowl in a toaster over or something to heat the chain enough that the excess wax melts off.
I also highly doubt there’s any validity to the claim that too high a temperature will prevent the wax from being a good lubricant of the chain. The whole point of lubricating a chain is that the lube gets into the pins of the chain. The pins are quite precise and have very little clearance around them. Capillary forces will hold the wax in the pins, which means it won’t fall out of the chain even if the wax is less viscous. In fact, I would argue that you probably want the highest heat possible (while still being below any temperature that causes decomposition of the wax) because it would reduce the amount of wax left on the outside of the chain, which is doing little to nothing, while still keeping the wax around the pins themselves.
And finally, you shouldn’t need to lube the quick link at all. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the chain lube is meant to lube the pins of the chain. During the waxing process, wax will enter the open holes on either end of the chain. When you push the quick link through those open holes there will still be wax in the holes, which will lubricate the pins of the quick link.
The chain holder works fine, I use a small magnetic hook stuck on the stand to keep it out the wax or just swish it around until it's back up to temp and ready to hang.
Hmmm..... You inferred that you would only use the method you showed for new chains. {scratching head) I,m confused because that is not what Silca says (if I understood their video correctly). They say that you can use the same wax (with Strip Chip) for either new or for re-waxing a chain. The only addition needed is the Strip Chip for NEW chains but the Strip Chip does not harm re-waxing of chains. It is my understanding that the Strip Chip simply converts the production oil used to make the chain into a wax equivalent.
why the hassle of converting from oil to wax if it is so much "better"? Why can't we buy pre-waxed chains?
What do you think of this chain degreasing and waxing solution? ⛓ Let us know your chain maintenance tips in the comments below! 👇
My Dawn dish soap with a jewelry size ultrasonic cleaner will be way cheaper and effective over time.
I strip my chains with leftover gas from the snowblower then I clean it with leftover alcohol for de-icing the snowblower, then I take some parrafin wax I buy anyway for doors & windows hinges, also keeping that patio door track slick... Only thing I buy just for this is the Teflon pellets...
I use this setup. Glad I bought it and it’s been nice to wax 5 brand new chains with little fuss. I hope Silca makes some tweaks to the ring. It falls in the wax no matter what. I’d order a replacement for it if it somehow hooked on the outside of the pot instead of trying to balance it inside of the pot (works about a 10th of the time).
i mean it's nice but i don't have money for it so i just throw my chain into a bucket and put some degreaser there too and wait couple minutes and then after that wash the chain with water.
and then put on wax
Sadly I could never do this because I cannot be trusted not to eat the strip chips
Does Ollie sound like Siri or does Siri sound like Ollie?
🤔 is this a trick question?
I use a digital Jam thermometer - £5
Nice advertisement show…
silca our one of our sponsors. in order for us to make free videos we need sponsors, but we try our best to chose sponsors that are relevant to cyclists rather than nord vpn! Alex and I love the silca stuff and the benefits of waxing.
Fair enough. But if promotion is clearly the main goal of the video at least a mention or “paid promotion” rather than just having them in a list of sponsors at the bottom of the video description would be nice. 👍
what a funny gadget... Seeing how you can't fIt in regular roadie chain I am just guessing my chances with my 4+meter recumbent chain
Paid promotion, obviously. I use this product, but this is off putting.
Silca are openly one of our sponsors. We rely on our sponsors to make videos which people can enjoy for free.
@3:59 jesus christ.. if you close your eyes you sound like Nigel Farage.... 🥶