BTD Demos The New Silca Chain Waxing System and Strip Chip
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- No more crockpots and picking wax out of your chili! Silca makes it easier than ever to achieve longer lasting lubrication for your chain. Follow along with Bertrand and Ben as they set up and demonstrate how effective and simple the new waxing system is.
00:00 Intro
00:53 Unboxing
01:53 Setup
04:14 Threading the chain onto the coupler
06:15 Adding the wax and Strip Chip
08:55 General discussion about waxing
17:51 Submerging the chain
22:39 Lowering the temp
23:18 Pulling and drying the chain
24:13 Prepping for use
Order yours now from BTD
Silca Chain Waxing System www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...
Silca Strip Chip www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...
Silca Secret Chain Blend Hot Melt Wax www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...
Check out all the oils and lubes we have from Silca www.biketiresdirect.com/searc... - Sport
Thanks for the video yall! Just a quick point of clarification! 500gm of wax can handle 6 factory chains and 6 strip chip pieces (one whole package of StripChip). In total, one bag of wax and one StripChip pack will be good for 70-80 total waxings including the 6 strippings. We've seen no degradation in performance at any of these ratios of StripChip to base wax, but also know that there has to be a tipping point. The oleogelation converts the grease to a very long chain fatty acid that's very much like wax, but isn't wax, so we've put that limit there as at some point, performance will suffer.
It was truly our pleasure, and thanks for the detailed reply! We very much appreciate y'all adding some some of the deep-dive scientific specs to the comment section for our viewers 🙏
@@BikeTiresDirect For your next video could you say "oleogelation" as fast as you can for as many times as you can?
So the product is only viable to someone running a complete racing team given that no ordinary bicyclist can use this product more than once a year at best because it is only for use one single time during the lifespan of a chain which is brand new out of the wrapper *_with factory grease..._*
It's like the industry is bored trying to reinvent the wheel when products like these hit the floor. As a bicyclist you will have to use something to strip a chain lots of times during the lifespan of that chain, so you will have to have that/these products at hand so there's no reason why you shouldn't just strip a brand new chain like every other time during its lifespan like a normal sane person do all the time.
Then you need to factor in why would you even try this approach if it doesn't give you any benefits but stripping your wallet... It's got a one time use for the entire lifespan of a chain and this is what you call invention... This is just sad.
@@a8f235 think you need some reading comprehension.
From my understanding of waxing. If you wax it once then you only need hot water to clean the chain - same as waxing but only water. And then rewax it. Now in that case it appears you can use this product again and again. And after let's say 10-12 times you can only put clean wax (without the degreaser bar) and keep on. The benefit of waxing is the clean chain. But you need to have those pots (slow cooker or a dedicated pan with a lit). And you should preferably ride in dry. If you are mountain biking in moist and wet conditions I'm not sure what will happen.
This system looks cool as for waxing you need a pretty good initial clean. If you use a lube you still need an initial clean but not as deep, a once over does the job.
More product reviews should be exactly like this one! Thank you.
Thank you for watching!
I'm going to start reusing quick links because of this advice!!
A bent metal coat hanger works a treat for dipping the chain and swizzling!!!! Looks like the pot is possibly on the small side
I’ve been using the same quick link for over a year. No harm no foul.
definitivly, it works for quite a while
I’m specifically using the gold colored KMC QuickLink for Shimano
nice setup
If you put the chain back on the bike while it's still warm, and run it through the gears, it will reduce the flaking, and you won't have that stiffness to break down.
I'm not certain that this is very good advice - running it through the gears while warm will surely eject some of the wax before it has had the chance to settle between the links
Very nice video
The moment you tossed the instructions was the moment I realized you are perfect unboxing professionals...🙂
If you want to know everything about waxing a chain, it's shown on the oz cycle channel. Proven over several years of testing and tens of thousands of kilometers traveled.
Great video. Can’t believe I somehow watched the whole thing
The no directions start was anxiety inducing as an engineer 😬, but fun video to watch. Maybe someday I’ll get into waxing.
As a chain waxer myself, I can see the utility of this system as making it easier for someone to get started in chain waxing for the first time. The pot seems suspiciously similar to a beauty wax pot with extra features, but the stand is handy. I’m curious about how the factory chain grease is converted to faux wax without contaminating the wax.
After the chain cools down from waxing I pull the chain back and forth around a shovel handle(anything round up to about 2inch dia)and work both sides of the chain...Cheers!!!
I just put the chain back on the bike while it's still warm and shift through all of the gears. This drastically reduces how much wax flakes off the chain.
once the chain is dry, run the chain over a piece of PVC or a dowel rod and it make breaking the links a thousand times easier and faster.
I use wax for multiday rides, but I'm waxing when I set up camp or have longer breaks. It works well, but I have to stick to this regime, otherwise...
not sure about the wax melter. i think i would prefer larger pot so i could wax multiple chains at the same time but the strip chip is very cool. :)
How often do you have to rewax and take the chain off? Seems tedious.
In dry conditions you can expect to get a couple hundred miles per application. It is a tedious process but there are those who swear by it and will never look back!
Just my opinion, but I think it's silly to use a single use quick link multiple times when multi-use quick links are readily available at essentially the same price. Why take the risk however small that may be? Also, the Wipperman Connex Quick Links are by far the best, multi-use quick links. They require no tools to attach or remove from the chain and create a sure fire attachment that simply won't accidentally come apart.
Still no reusable qick links for 12-speed chains I think
@@tellef70 Hi twllef, There is a Wipperman Connex Quick Link for 12-speed chains.
Wipperman looks promising. How much kilometers you have made on one wipperman link? I assume I need only one link for three chain method ?
@@enotracoon9244 Great question. Because of the Connex Quick Link design, you can't use the criteria "did it feel like it snapped securely into place or not?" to decide when to replace the quick link. I have defaulted to replacing the quick link when I replace the chain. This will vary depending on how you lubricate your chains. With waxing, that is going to be many, many thousands of kms. With rotating among three chains, that would be 3("many, many thousands of kms"). I've never tried using one Connex Quick Link that long so I can't say. I do keep my old Connex Quick links and put them in my bike repair bag in case I, or a buddy, needs one. They still look more than functional. One last thing. Everyone has their preference in chains. If you are not married to a particular brand, then I would consider purchasing a Wipperman chain as they are high quality AND come with a Connex Quick Link. This is a more cost effective way to purchase Connex Quick Links and it is what I do. GOOD LUCK!!! 🍀🍀🍀
What is the chain ?
We used a Shimano Ultegra CN-6701 10-Speed Chain for this demo
Why did Silva not make a measure line in the pot for the right amount of wax? I see every review that has the same problem to know or measure the rights amount (the 2 cm amount). Really dumb from Silca ;-)
If Dustin Klein @Everything's Been Done will use it then I will think about it.
Lol I was thinking the same. Great video!
Do you still have to lubricate the cassette and crank?
No, adding oils to your drivetrain would mess things up. You actually need to strip your cassette and chainrings if they have oil residues on them from previously lubed chains.
nope! that's kind of the whole point of waxing the chain, any lubrication other than wax will attract dirt and dust to an otherwise clean system and compromise performance
10:10 is why this wax agnostic isn't jumping in. I'll just keep doing a dry lube as part of the weekly bike wash ritual. Unlike going from tubes to tubeless (less rolling resistance, less flats), the ride quality improvement of going to a waxed chain doesn't look worthwhile.
Wait so you need to use the stripchip with wax? What a waste of wax since you can only use it for about 6 times before having to throw it out.
You don't HAVE to the use the Strip Chip with the wax if you'd rather use traditional methods of degreasing the chain before waxing.
You can buy the same slow cookers and a coat hanger for $35-40. This is just a rebrand with a stand.
Whilst I'm sceptical myself, Im not sure its as simple as that. For it to melt the wax in a claimed 10 mins means there is more going on with the melter. The real test would be how quickly it melts the wax from the 2nd time of using solid block. The chips have a smaller initial surface area and so will melt quickly. My amazon crock pot takes a long time to melt the wax.. Id be interested to try this as it looks good.
Frankly I am unsold on the Silca process. I'll stick with 1) remove quick link and chain, 2) 10 minutes with de-greaser in ultra-sonic cleaner, 3) wipe and let dry overnight, 4) apply my favorite lube, Prolink. I then reapply a squirt or three of Prolink every 100 miles or so.
I suggest you check out Zero Friction Cycling.
Wanna let us borrow your ultra-sonic cleaner? 🤣
As a former ProLink user (for 15 yrs ), I can state with certainty that Silca Waxing is far superior to ProLink. I gravel bike in sandy conditions, and have observed that ProLink attracts sand by the bucket-load (even when scrupulously applied, left overnight, and wiped “clean”), whereas Silca wax is completely clean in sand. Yes, the tungsten disulfide gives the wax a dark color that might look as if it also attracts dirt, but closer examination - and a few back-revs of the cranks with a stiff brush - eliminates all sand that might have fallen on the chain. Full cleaning can be easily done with boiling water. Silca also sell pre-waxed chains that, while admittedly are pricey, eliminate the need for stripper chips and any other prep: just slap the pre-waxed chain on a clean drivetrain. For “maintenance” waxing between rides, Silca sells a drip-on wax (requiring 12-24 hrs cure time before rides, though I have broken that rule several times and gotten “only” 200 miles from such applications, easily remedied by another application of the drip wax. I don’t know anyone who, after starting with a pre-waxed Silca chain, has decided it wasn’t for them. Easiest way to experiment: try a Silca pre-waxed chain for $100 ($50 more than a stock chain), and ride it for 200 miles. If you don’t like the results, strip the chain and use your lube of choice.
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I've been waxing chains for years. White spirit or similar solvent to degrease. Wax melted in a metal bowl over boiling water (bain marie in french). A bent coat hanger to handle the chain.
Ignore the brands, ignore dedicated appliances. Just paraffin wax, a metal bowl and a coat hanger. And white spirit / solvent. Apparently PTFE prefer helps but it's not required.
To clean stuff, boiling water then repeat process (minus solvents, that you only do once)
For sure! We're by no means saying different ways are wrong. The biggest advantage of this system to our two newbies is that they could entirely skip the process of degreasing the chain. For other folks this could potentially lower the bar to entry for giving waxing a shot.
This is correct and proper. Where do they think the grease went?? It's now a contaminated pot and that wax is ruined.
@@chrisswanson9724 we're not scientists but according to Silca the StripChip actually changes the chemical structure of the factory grease to a wax-like substance that, in testing, showed no significant performance difference from a 100% wax solution. We haven't had a chance to to verify any of this on our own, but that's the key piece of tech at work here.
You are re-waxing way too often!
So the product is only viable to someone running a complete racing team given that no ordinary bicyclist can use this product more than once a year at best because it is only for use one single time during the lifespan of a chain which is brand new out of the wrapper with factory grease...
It's like the industry is bored trying to reinvent the wheel when products like these hit the floor. As a bicyclist you will have to use something to strip a chain lots of times during the lifespan of that chain, so you will have to have that/these products at hand so there's no reason why you shouldn't just strip a brand new chain like every other time during its lifespan like a normal sane person do all the time.
Then you need to factor in why would you even try this approach if it doesn't give you any benefits but stripping your wallet... It's got a one time use for the entire lifespan of a chain and this is what they call invention... This is just sad.
It's not single use though, you can rewax a chain multiple times and reuse the pot of wax to do so. See Silca's pinned comment at the top for a more precise explanation of how many waxings and strippings you can expect between a bag of wax and pack of Strip Chip.
marginal gains from waxing is for the pros....neither of these two looks like they could be in the run for that
SILCA has to create something to eliminate that 20 min break in period. I just waxed and I’m not at all keen on it not riding perfectly smooth from the get go. Also, I don’t want all this excess wax on my brand new drive train. The 20-min may be a deal breaker.
Hey, maybe try taking the chain out while the was is still super hot.
That'll drain off most of the excess wax and keep any breaking-in down to an absolute minimum.
TBH: I'd never heard about a break-in period before this. I just waxed an 11-speed chain, reinstalled it on my bike and rode 10km. No issues. Everything worked smoothly.
BTW: I'm sure the SILCA cooker and wax are excellent. I've been using an old rice cooker and regular wax from crushed Ikea tea light candles. It's a super cheap set up and seems to work fine. YMMV.
Cheers
Inform first and grumble later!!!.... The wax binds with the chain as it hardens, resulting in a longer running time with the wax. If you take the wax out of the bath too early, a lot of liquid wax will flow out of the chain.