Silca Super Secret Lube 3000km review

[AngryScientist]

That must have been one epic race. That photo is awesome.

[joshatsilca]

Originally Posted by drewskey

charliedid, it was the super secret, but on a new chain Dura Ace chain that had just been cleaned, left in the tub of super secret for 24 hours (with LOTS of shaking), and then hung up for a couple of months, only being brought out day-of.

And yeah, Josh - i'll trade you a photo and testimonial for another jar

Deal! Email me: josh (at) silca.cc

[NHAero]

I find these quantities of solvents daunting to be honest. I might rather buy more chains. And coincidentally I have mostly KMC chains, so I've lost the game already. I'm about to install an Izumi on the Nagasawa and a Shimano 105 on the Litespeed, so I'll see if those seem easier to initially clean. I do note that the SRAM chain on my MTB, which likely sees the most adverse conditions, has remained cleanest of all the chains on my bikes, all of which are lubed with Squirt.

Originally Posted by jimmy-moots

600ml of turps, 400ml of metho per chain, I don’t reuse as the baths are visibly mucky. This is on a new chain only, you would need a lot more for a dirty used chain.

Steps I followed are in the guide below

https://zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wax-at-home/

[joshatsilca]

Originally Posted by MikeD

Hot water removes wax from a chain.

Water can wash oil based lube from a chain. Oil isn't soluble in water either, so solubility is irrelevant.

There's plenty of evidence that wax doesn't hold up in the rain https://jimlangley.blogspot.com/2009...ain-lubes.html

A: Good questions, guys. Whether or not a wax-based bicycle lube, or basic paraffin will work as a bicycle chain lube depends mostly on where and how you ride. Wax is best for relatively dry, clean climates and on bikes that aren't ridden in the rain or wet.

Even the ZFC site you quoted says that after a wet ride, the chain should be wiped down and rewaxed, as the chain will rust.

Thanks for bringing up the Langley blog Mike, he is mostly referencing White Lightning and similar Wax lubes, which are only 25% wax+PFAS in a carrier solution of heptane. the Heptane carries the wax and PFAS particles into the chain (sort of) and then flashes off (to become a terrible greenhouse gas), leaving the inside of your chain 75% devoid of lubricant. The reason it doesn't work in the rain is that the wax never fully congeals like a hot wax, AND there is so much empty space for the water and contaminates to enter the chain. With a wax emulsion like SuperSecret, the carrier (water) is only 25% of the lube, so leaves only 25% void in the chain, and hot wax leaves 0% void in the chain.. so you have to ride long enough to begin extruding the hot wax out of the chain inner spaces in order to create voids that water can then enter.

Wet lube, similarly, has zero void, but because it is stirred throughout the chain under articulation, it will pull outside contaminates into the inside of the chain in wet or muddy conditions.

For this reason, ZFC says that you need to clean and re-lube your chain after ALL wet or wet/muddy rides no matter what lube you are using, not just wax.

To me the only downside of wax is the extra work required up front in the cleaning. This is why we developed Synergetic, it's nearly all the performance of SuperSecret (and slightly better in wear actually), but in a wet lube that's faster/easier to use. The only downside to Synergetic is that it's ~0.5w slower than SuperSecret and ~0.8w slower than SILCA hot melt, but it's still faster than MSW or really just about anything else out there.

Funny enough, the MucOff Ludicrous AF lube used Synergetic as their 'best in class' benchmark showing that they can beat it by ~0.1w in their launch material.

[reuben]

I'm not into waxing my chain, but I went a little way down the non-wax rabbit hole, and the Silca NFS seems to be pretty darn good. Arguably the best non-wax. I'm pretty sure that I don't have any, but I'll pick up some next time.

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/03/fast...ves-you-money/

[fa63]

At the moment, independent testing by ZFC shows that honor to belong to Silca Synergetic.

Originally Posted by reuben

I'm not into waxing my chain, but I went a little way down the non-wax rabbit hole, and the Silca NFS seems to be pretty darn good. Arguably the best non-wax. I'm pretty sure that I don't have any, but I'll pick up some next time.

[NHAero]

Josh, thank you for your contributions to this thread (and others).
What is the initial cleaning regimen required for the Synergetic lube?

Originally Posted by joshatsilca

Snip

To me the only downside of wax is the extra work required up front in the cleaning. This is why we developed Synergetic, it's nearly all the performance of SuperSecret (and slightly better in wear actually), but in a wet lube that's faster/easier to use. The only downside to Synergetic is that it's ~0.5w slower than SuperSecret and ~0.8w slower than SILCA hot melt, but it's still faster than MSW or really just about anything else out there.

Funny enough, the MucOff Ludicrous AF lube used Synergetic as their 'best in class' benchmark showing that they can beat it by ~0.1w in their launch material.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by reuben

I'm not into waxing my chain, but I went a little way down the non-wax rabbit hole, and the Silca NFS seems to be pretty darn good. Arguably the best non-wax. I'm pretty sure that I don't have any, but I'll pick up some next time.

https://cyclingtips.com/2018/03/fast...ves-you-money/

I use the silca wet lube as well and it is not as good as the super secret wax but is maybe better than most others I’ve used. It makes for a more dirty drive train and requires much more cleaning than the wax. It doesn’t last nearly as long either and is not as quiet as the wax after a few rides.

[MikeD]

For those that are using the drip lube, when the chain needs relubing, do you clean the chain first, or just drip the lube on? I assume the chain stays pretty clean with this lube and maybe a wipe down through a rag is all that's necessary.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by MikeD

For those that are using the drip lube, when the chain needs relubing, do you clean the chain first, or just drip the lube on? I assume the chain stays pretty clean with this lube and maybe a wipe down through a rag is all that's necessary.

My chain stays spotless all the time with only a very casual wipe after every ride or two. I just swap entire chains rather than reapplying. It’s easier to just dunk them in a mason jar and less mess.

[notsew]

Wow, that's a lot of trouble for a chain. I couldn't imagine spending that much time messing about with a chain.

Although, I guess that pic is a testament to when it is worth it!

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by notsew

Wow, that's a lot of trouble for a chain. I couldn't imagine spending that much time messing about with a chain.

Although, I guess that pic is a testament to when it is worth it!

I thought the same but it’s actually less work in the long run. At least if you prefer a well maintained and clean drivetrain.

[superbowlpats]

I use the Silca SS wax on my road bike. the CX bike gets the Synergetic. Pretty sure nothing would have helped my gear train last weekend at the Orchard Cross race in NH.

[NHAero]

When they say "immerse" they don't mean the whole bike in schmutz!

Originally Posted by superbowlpats

I use the Silca SS wax on my road bike. the CX bike gets the Synergetic. Pretty sure nothing would have helped my gear train last weekend at the Orchard Cross race in NH.

[jimoots]

Originally Posted by notsew

Wow, that's a lot of trouble for a chain. I couldn't imagine spending that much time messing about with a chain.

Although, I guess that pic is a testament to when it is worth it!

It’s not for a clean drivetrain, it’s for a long lasting drivetrain.

With the cost and limited availability of parts, I have found it really makes sense if you ride a decent amount.

Originally Posted by NHAero

I find these quantities of solvents daunting to be honest. I might rather buy more chains. And coincidentally I have mostly KMC chains, so I've lost the game already. I'm about to install an Izumi on the Nagasawa and a Shimano 105 on the Litespeed, so I'll see if those seem easier to initially clean. I do note that the SRAM chain on my MTB, which likely sees the most adverse conditions, has remained cleanest of all the chains on my bikes, all of which are lubed with Squirt.

I feel that’s a bit of a straw man, you’d rather not use 1L of plentiful and easily disposed (or reused, if you’re savvy) solvents than waste all the energy, raw materials, etc on a chain?

Not cleaning out the factory gunk from a chain, regardless of lube choice, means you’re gonna be tossing your chain at 1000-2000km intervals. So realistically between 3-6 chains for 1 that you use some solvents on.