Silca

I finally decided to take the plunge with TPU tubes and since BTD had a sale and I've been a long-time happy user of many Silca products, I thought, why not? Well, it's been a steep and frustrating learning curve. Right off the bat, one of the tubes popped a leak at the junction of the valve to the tube as I was installing it. So much for the hoopla about how Silca has improved this particular area of TPUs that are so prone to failing. Fortunately I'm local and was able to swing by BTD and they swapped the tube for a new one, with their usual outstanding customer service. Several rides later I encountered a slow leak from a tiny pinhole puncture which was a mystery--the tire showed no signs of a puncture or any debris inside or out. These mystery punctures are apparently a known "feature" of TPU tubes--check out a recent GCN youtube video where they mention this. So I used the supplied adhesive patch and it seemed to fix it...for a couple of days, after which the adhesive gave out and it started leaking again. Mind you I had followed all the instructions and precautions up to this point. My tip for what eventually sealed the puncture: a small, thin layer of contact cement, and a patch of electrical tape over that. It's been solid ever since and I've ridden over all sorts of broken pavement and some gravel too. So forget using the included adhesive patches, they simply don't hold up. I'm a long-time user of latex tubes but I wanted to go from 28mm to 30mm Conti GP5k tires and I would've had to move up to the next size in my fave Vittoria latex tubes, which would have been much heavier. The only thing these tubes have going for them IMO is the low weight, which really helps with larger tires (no road tubeless for me, thanks). They ride harsher than latex and lose air quicker than butyl, but not as much as latex. I wouldn't even use one as a spare at this point, even though they take up little room, as I'm not confident about their reliability, and the last thing you need is a finicky spare tube prone to mystery leaks when you're stuck on the side of the road.

This product is an excellent solution for chain waxing. I form factor is small, which is great because this is something that spends most of its time not in use. When in use, I don't need a large workspace, so the form factor is beneficial for my setup. Wax heating is quick due to the limited, small tank size, and it takes me no more than a little bit of jostling to sink my chains when waxing. Product is great. Personally, I've bought 4 chains, ride them ~2 weeks a piece unless getting some big miles in, and wax all at once. This means I'm waxing one time every 6-8 weeks, which is not a massive time commitment and the drive train operates better than I can remember in my 30+ years of riding and racing. I recommend this product if you wax chains.

I had a good quality battery pump, but its performance and noise were less than satisfactory, so I went for the Silca because I know how exacting they are at doing things right. It has proven to be just as hoped, reliable, not too loud and convenient. Yes the case is larger that others but the battery life is excellent. I purchased a Silca presta chuck which I threaded into the extension hose and now have a favorite way to quickly top of tires before every ride and a reliable pump for multi day rides away from civilization.

Per instructions it's about half the chip per half bag of wax. It gives a sticky feel to the chain, which is how it makes the wax last longer I assume.

Doesn't seem to attract dirt that i've noticed. It does work and definitely lasts longer than the was alone.

I got it on sale here at BTD.