New Silca Stripchip

[gravelreformist]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I can fully appreciate that I sound like a retrogrouch old dog unwilling to learn new tricks these days. It just seems to me that in the past few years there is a never ending stream of products that are getting released to deal with an area of cycling that I have never given much thought to.

During the riding season, I drip some oil based lube on my chain every so often, wipe the chain down every couple of rides, and when the bike gets really dirty I wash it with water and dish soap.

I read through this thread, and it seems like instead of my shelf with a small bottle of chain lube and a bottle of dish soap, I'm seeing people use hair dryers, hot water kettles, thrift store crock pots and a boatload of boutique-ee products.

I would never question someone on how much money or time they spend playing with bikes, but it sure seems to me like in recent years there is more and more done to erode the "simplicity" of what being a cyclist means to me.

I recognize that some of the other big trends in cycling which I also reject, like disc brakes and electronic shifting might actually make a difference in the cycling experience, but all this song and dance associated with lubing a chain?

I can agree as someone well on their way to earning their retrogrouch credentials that most of the time a properly oiled chain was not much to deal with. However, the truth is, if you ever ride in less than ideal conditions, you're eventually going to end up with an extremely dirty drivetrain that takes some doing to clean. With oil, at least once or twice a year I'd end up with a bike that required a chain removal, a complete chain clean in mineral spirits, and I'd end up taking the cassette completely apart to clean out the accumulated gunk. Doing that just once a year is more time and hassle than waxing a year's worth of chains.

I think that chain waxing is simply one of those topics that generates conversation and honestly, Josh at Silca and some folks at zero friction, etc. have done a good job of exposing the benefits of the methods, while finding a number of unique ways to simplify the process. I think that's good for the sport.

[dustyrider]

I use a plastic bottle, mineral spirits, two old pots(one to boil water, one to melt wax) and I bought some wax years ago. I no longer have to do any of the things associated with chain lubes. Sure you can go all in and have an entire room dedicated to waxing your chain, but you don’t have to. I enjoy not getting dirty from my chains, cleaning parts of my drive train, or smelling chain lube since my bikes are inside.

I won’t be buying Silca’s StripChip or fancy wax melting device. Though if it had an interchangeable pot I may consider it, however I’m pretty poor and would rather buy a few new chains.

[BRad704]

Full explanation from Josh on YT now... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEnD95UwE3w

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by BRad704

Full explanation from Josh on YT now... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEnD95UwE3w

The video says to heat the wax to 125°C then put in the StripChip. ZFC warns that heating the wax too high damages the wax. This is too high by ZFCs definition. Also, I wonder if my small Crockpot can get to that high of a temperature.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I would never question someone on how much money or time they spend playing with bikes, but it sure seems to me like in recent years there is more and more done to erode the "simplicity" of what being a cyclist means to me.

Everyone has a different definition of what simplicity in cycling is. Some think chain waxing is too much of a hassle, but happily spend the time to setup and maintain tubeless tires, and some think waxing their chains is easy and saves time and energy in the end but think that the time and effort to run tubeless is too much hassle.

[bostonbiker]

Originally Posted by nmrt

Can you share a link? I'd like to know what the putative carcenogenic chemical is and in which of Silca's product it is found. Thanks.

His blog post is here:https://www.hambini.com/silca-announ...ca-anti-seize/ and it seems to be based on the Prop 65 warning.

A quick read of the relevant IARC monograph shows that current evidence only supports that nickel compounds are carcinogenic to humans when inhaled, causing increased rates of lung and nasal cavity. The studies were mostly done of people working in nickel smelters and refineries. None of the studies in the monograph look at grease, but maybe there are other sources since 2012 that have investigated this.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by bostonbiker

His blog post is here:https://www.hambini.com/silca-announ...ca-anti-seize/ and it seems to be based on the Prop 65 warning.

A quick read of the relevant IARC monograph shows that current evidence only supports that nickel compounds are carcinogenic to humans when inhaled, causing increased rates of lung and nasal cavity. The studies were mostly done of people working in nickel smelters and refineries. None of the studies in the monograph look at grease, but maybe there are other sources since 2012 that have investigated this.

The fact that the nickel is imbedded in the grease, I wouldn't think it's likely to become airborne.

[mjf]

Originally Posted by bostonbiker

His blog post is here:https://www.hambini.com/silca-announ...ca-anti-seize/ and it seems to be based on the Prop 65 warning.

A quick read of the relevant IARC monograph shows that current evidence only supports that nickel compounds are carcinogenic to humans when inhaled, causing increased rates of lung and nasal cavity. The studies were mostly done of people working in nickel smelters and refineries. None of the studies in the monograph look at grease, but maybe there are other sources since 2012 that have investigated this.

Silca's anti seize has nickel in it which means it's a carcinogen in CA (per Prop65), and it's labeled as such on their packaging which meets the legal requirements. Hambini's perspective is that Silca should be doing more the the legal requirements in terms of their labeling and information regarding their product, presumably because it's the right thing to do.

Silca points out that the bearings used in his bottom brackets carry the same Prop65 warning. But Hambini isn't labeling his bottom bracket with the same warning because CA doesn't require him to put that label on his products because he has less than 10 employees, not because it would be the right thing to do like he claims that Silca should do.

So they're both meeting the legal requirements, yet Silca is in the wrong for not going further, because reasons?

The comments section in the article is very telling in that Hambini is being knowingly hypocritical in his response.

Admin being Hambini in this context.

[benb]

How much nickel is actually in the Silca product?

It's probably so little you can't possibly inhale enough to have a health effect.

California is just going to California when it comes to crazy labeling.

CA seems to make no distinction between the guy painting a product or mixing chemicals all day in the factory if the fumes cause cancer and the end-user of the product who is never going to inhale anything.

[fourflys]

why would ANYONE give anything Hambini says a second thought? Dude is just a pot-stirrer and is just trying to get clicks.. I watched a couple of his videos and stopped, thankfully they finally stopped coming up in my algorithm..

[Mark McM]

There's nickel in a lot of things - most stainless steels have nickel in them (including stainless steel cookware and eating utensils), and of course there's the US 5 cent coin, named "the nickel" after its nickel content. There are even stainless steel medical implants with nickel in them. I wonder if coins and medical implants are supposed to have Prop65 warnings on them?

[benb]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

There's nickel in a lot of things - most stainless steels have nickel in them (including stainless steel cookware and eating utensils), and of course there's the US 5 cent coin, named "the nickel" after its nickel content. There are even stainless steel medical implants with nickel in them. I wonder if coins and medical implants are supposed to have Prop65 warnings on them?

Plenty of guitars have Prop65 warnings on them. At least one of my guitars did.

I don't think any of mine do but a lot of Fender-style single coil pickups have Nickel in the magnets.

I would expect it's the finish materials that cause cancer when they are in the air.

But since Prop65 doesn't seem to differentiate between playing a guitar, painting the guitar in the factory, smoking the guitar in a Bong, and putting the guitar into a smoothie and ingesting it, you get the Prop65 warning.

A nickel is 75% copper & 25% nickel apparently.

Just don't mix your leftover Silca wax in with cannabis and smoke it.

[bostonbiker]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

There's nickel in a lot of things - most stainless steels have nickel in them (including stainless steel cookware and eating utensils), and of course there's the US 5 cent coin, named "the nickel" after its nickel content. There are even stainless steel medical implants with nickel in them. I wonder if coins and medical implants are supposed to have Prop65 warnings on them?

Probably not. Most of these organizations say that there is no evidence that nickel alloys are carcinogenic, while there is for other nickel compounds. Here is the relevant passage from the nickel compound listing on the Prop 65 site:

For the purposes of clarification, OEHHA notes that nickel alloys are distinct from nickel compounds, and are not included in the Proposition 65 listing of nickel compounds. A nickel compound is a substance consisting of nickel and one or more other elements combined in definite proportions (e.g., by ionic or covalent bonds). A nickel alloy is a mixture of nickel with one or more other elements, typically produced by mixing molten nickel with other substances. The atoms in an alloy are not covalently or ionically bonded in fixed ratios.

[crcycle]

Originally Posted by MikeD

I would still think that a proper degreasing of the chain would be better and less contamination of the wax that you spent a lot of $ on. This product seems to be oriented towards lazy people.

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Sonofabitchimin..

Originally Posted by NHAero

But I just bought the Silca Degreaser! Not fair!

Yep! Me too...

[Clean39T]

I bought the melter and the strip chip. I’m voting for Silca’s success with my dollars and generally just need the easy-button to fully commit to waxing. Will follow up here w results down the line..