Chain Wax Frequently Asked Questions From Customer Service
Here at SILCA we have an incredible customer service team and do our best to answer a wide range of really great questions.
In recent years chain lube and chain wax has been a major topic we see time and time again in our inbox. We thought compiling a few of these common how, why, and which questions would be perfect for a blog post.
Chain Wax FAQ
Waxing your chain is an everyday topic around the SILCA office. Just a couple of years ago it was just a thing we did for the pros, but seemingly everybody is jumping on the chain wax bandwagon. We love to see that happening because it really is the best option in our opinion. A few of the most common chain wax questions are here below:
How do I clean my chain for wax?
The best way to clean your chain for wax is by submerging it in Chain Stripper for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse with water. Let it dry and dip it in the wax.
What is the best lube for Mountain Bike?
Secret Chain Blend and Super Secret Chain Lube are perfect for the mountain bike trail. It keeps the dust off your chain. If really muddy conditions are what you are facing, Synergetic is the best option.
Do I need to buy my own Crockpot?
No. Instant Pots and crock pots are great options. There are also some great wax melters on the market that make this very easy. While they are great, our Secret Chain Blend comes in its own Sous Vide bag that allows the wax to be melted just in a pot of hot water.
How Long Do I leave my chain in the wax
Typically only about two minutes is plenty. As you agitate the chain in the wax you will see bubbles come to the surface. When these bubbles stop, this means that the wax has displaced all the water.
How long does SILCA Chain Wax Last
On average we see 250-350 miles per application. In true SILCA fashion the true answer is it depends. Riding conditions can shorten this to just 50 miles in the worst of the worst conditions and great conditions we have seen as many as 500-800 miles from a single applicaiton.
How do I re-lube a waxed chain mid ride?
Synergetic Chain Lube or another high quality oil based lubricant is the go to for mid-ride lubrication. This is because drip wax needs 4 hours to dry before it works as intended. Super Secret is a perfect top up lubricant between rides but because of the dry time requirement it isn't ideal for mid-ride top ups.
Drip Wax
The start of SILCA's chain wax line was the SuperSecret Chain Lube. This was the first wax based lubricant tested by ZeroFrictionCycling to not have penetration issues shown as high wear in block one of the chain lube wear test.
While hot waxing your chain with Secret Chain Blend is certainly the best method in terms of wear, efficiency, and cleanliness, using a drip wax is the perfect way to keep a waxed chain running for a long time without having to take the chain off the bike. it is a perfect addition to a waxed chain or on its own. We will also have a drip wax FAQ article coming in the near future as well. What questions do you have about drip wax? Let us know below.
This is certainly not an exhaustive list but we thought this would be a good start to answer some questions about chain waxing and chain lube in general. If you have any other questions, please reach out to sales@silca.cc or let us know in the comments below.
I’ve done some long (180+ miles) gravel rides with mucky conditions, e.g., poorly drained trails that caked mud everywhere. Despite using freshly waxed chains before each event, I only got about 1,500 miles out of my last chain. What is the best mid-ride care for those type of rides? Wipe the dirt off the chain with a micro-fiber cloth? Wipe and top up with something like synergetic, which will mean extensive post-ride cleaning and degreasing to reset the drivetrain for wax?
I just saw Josh’s video on the StripChip. He mentions that Silca’s Secret Chain Blend degrades if heated to above 150 degrees. To see what temperature my crockpot reached, I turned on my dedicated chain wax crockpot and found the wax to be 330 degrees. Have I ruined my wax? Any chance Josh meant 150 degrees Celsius in the video? Thx
Is there a limit of rewax per bag ? i.e. 10 chains that we need a new bag of hot wax and discard the old, or we keep adding ? Many thanks and i am now a big fan of yours
So I strip my chain, then I wax my chain then I ride for say 400 miles and it’s time to do it again…do I just use drip wax or do I “blog back to the beginning” … and if so how do I get off the old wax before I re-wax it…
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