Ask Josh Anything #17

Hey Josh, Fatty and Hotty. Izzy from Malaysia (probably your first question from Malaysia). I was first introduced to Silca by Chris Langdon and Josh Watts from Echelon Sports in Australia (when I worked there as a Bike Mechanic) and loved the brand. From the products to Silca’s belief and principle. Great podcast, love the science, the facts and figures that you guys brought to the table. As a bike mechanic, I really enjoyed all the talks about chain longevity, efficiency and maintenance (especially the episode with Adam Kerin). Openned a new understanding of how drivetrain works rather than just a passed down tradition and ‘how to do things’ from an old school cleaning and lubrication.

I have TWO Questions

Question 1:

In the episode with Adam Kerin, Josh made an analogy of how chain is like an exposed bearings with no seals. We make chain faster and last longer by wax coating it. Would the same principle applies to your bearings? Would wax coating your bearings make it faster, more efficient and more durable than using a grease?

Question 2:

I’ve been running Zipp wheels (the 2016 model V3 rims, 77/177 hubs) for pretty much on any type of riding. I do feel they go uphill on a steady climb quite nicely. But my question, does aerodynamic still trumps weight on a steady climb? Something like a 3-4% gradient avg for 15km? Or would something like a 303 be better at this?

Thanks again and keep the podcast and insights coming.