if you like to read, Zero Friction has long test reports on various waxes and lubes. Go to this page:
and scroll to the bottom. Test 13 is Silca Super Secret Drip Wax and if its like Test 20 CeramicSpeed UFO Drip v2, it will have a discussion on the tradeoffs of different cleaning methods. Silca has a degreaser, and I bought the CeramicSpeed one and use it to clean the chain on the bike both the initial removal of factory grease, and when chain is looking dirty. I’m using UFO Drip and the ZeroFriction test report has a long and Interesting discussion of different cleaning techniques and tradeoffs.
Was going to say, that - maybe with some meths on the cloth - then relube. That or swap for another chain, clean of the bike by running boiling water over it and rewax. Depends how long it’s been on the bike. Two hours is a bit excessive to take it off!
Wipe it down with a rag, reapply and let the Silca set up over night. When you are ready to rewax, boiling water flushes will get 95-99% of the dirt off and you can then drop a very clean chain into the wax pit. Really no need or benefit to use mineral spirits after you strip the chain the first time.
Silca recommends using their “Gear Wipes”, but a clean microfiber cloth works pretty well too. This will take a lot of the external dirt and dust off. Then you can apply the Super Secret lube over the chain. Remember to let it sit at least overnight after reapply. You can likely do this multiple times before you really need to take it off and give it a better cleaning.
Ah! In that case you’ve had it on the bike 300-500k more than I’d usually run a chain before removing and rewaxing as per above, so I’d go with that plan. As ZFC states, once contamination is in the chain there’s pretty much no way round the issue and only a full clean (well, boiling water at least for me) and rewax will get it back to 100% again
I ordered some of this drip lube because I’m tired of the gunk left over from squirt. I’m a bit overwhelmed with the cleaning process though.
Dumb question but where is everyone buying the stuff they need for cleaning the chain? I’m in a big city and hardware stores don’t seem to carry this stuff.
Sounds like I need:
Mineral spirits
Aerospace degreaser
denatured alcohol
It also feels like I need to keep going with the degreaser in multiple gatorade bottles, I imagine on a new chain it’s not terrible but how much degreaser am I going to need for a used chain?
Mineral spirits and either Denatured Alcohol or Acetone you can get at Home Depot, Lowe’s or Walmart. I get it in big metal containers, usually near the paint section.
I don’t tend to use a lot of degreaser, but should be lots of places to order online. I prefer to use Simple Green Pro HD (different than regular Simple Green) in my ultrasonic washer. A container last a long time because it is super concentrated.
Thank you, I just ordered a gallon of the chemical guys orange degreaser since it’s what Silca recommends. The one you linked is much cheaper, but it doesn’t state “aerospace” anywhere and that seems to be a big deal?
I’ll look for the rest at my local hardware stores, according to the Home depot site, they aren’t available at my local store but if I don’t find them at the hardware store down the street I’ll go check for an alternative.
If you are doing the bottle shaker cleaner method I suspect the Orange degreaser may be better than the Simple Green Pro anyways, so probably a good thing to get.
Trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong with the SSS lube. The initial application is good, but subsequent applications are a mess. For initial prep and lube application, I followed the Silca instructions.
I usually re-lube about 150-200 miles in, or whenever chain noise gets noticeably louder. Is this too soon? When I re-lube, I notice that the lube doesn’t stay on each roller very well so it drips down on the floor.
I was a long time user of Squirt which worked fine but have been trying SSS lube recently. With Squirt, the lube was more viscous and stayed put on each roller as I went around the chain.
No this is not too soon.
I wipe my chain clean prior to re application. To help prevent drips I put a latex glove on one hand and hold my fingers under the chain. The extra will collect on on my fingers and I massage it back into the chain. It also helps if the chain is warm, room temp or higher.
That’s a good tip. I also put a few paper towels under the chain because invariably I get a few drips.
Also, be sure to really shake up the SuperSecret as well. In the original bottles it came in you would see it layer out over time and it took a bit of shaking to get it all mixed back up. This is harder to see in the newer darker bottles.
