Silca

A friend bought this tape for his C64 and swore it was some of the best he tried. Although it costs a bit more than typical foam/cork bar tape (~10-15%), I decided to give it a try. I must say that after ~200 miles, this tape is indeed worth the cost. Very cushy and noticeably absorbs more vibrations from rough roads than other "thick-style" foam/cork tape. After a couple 40-50 miles rides, I had to re-wrap the tape on one side after a bar end garage door opener came loose. It and the finishing tape easily re-wrapped smoothly and was no different in appearance and feel from the once-wrapped side. The tape looks very lux and has very nice feel under the hands, plush and grippy but not overly sticky. The only question is longevity, but given Silca's reputation and apparent quality of this product, I expect this tape to last at least as long as others and be well worth the little extra $ to make my rides more comfortable.

A must buy!

The Silca Mattone is a slick seat pack that has room for my essentials (tube, tire levers, CO2). I like how it attaches to the saddle with a thick rubber strap and the boa closure, so no unwanted rubbing of plastic or metal on the saddle or seat post. I don't understand how it could be accessed while attached to the bike (as claimed by the product description), but that's alright, I would typically take a seat pack off the bike when repairing a flat anyway. I haven't tested the water-resistance yet.

I'm a waxer, been doing it since before it was the cool thing to do. Ultimately, the hot melt option lasts the longest out of the applications for wax. The drip on is convenient, you don't have to really do anything other than wipe the chain clean, drip on, back pedal, and wait overnight. No biggie, sorta the same process as drip on oils other than the waiting.

My only hiccup with the SS drip is longevity. I get maybe a 3 hour ride out of it tops before it gets grindy. So I only use it as a top up to my hot melt and in a pinch type of thing, it just doesn't last. And for that reason, I don't give it good value either, it works and does what it should, but not as well as the real thing, and it's honestly expensive even on sale.

And if you ride it in wet, forget it, it's worse than the hot melt. At least with that I can get some time on the bike and make all the cleanup afterwards worthwhile.

Convenience, great Grade A, longevity, Grade C. Clean though like the real wax, so that's a bonus. For the first application, I'd really encourage to make sure that chain is super clean, be extra OCD with it, or really use it as a top up, not as your primary (for my riding, if you do less and don't mind daily lubing, go for it). I ride too much and it isn't worth it as a primary for me.

I commute via bike as well as race, and keep a bottle at work for those after downpour rains coming in, I keep a fan on the bike to dry it by go-home time. Works fine there.

Assuming you don't live somewhere that gets constant rain, I strongly recommend you give chain waxing a try. It leaves your drivetrain much cleaner that if you use oil, and it's relatively low maintenance. I re-up my wax with Silca's drip wax every several hundred miles, and it works great.

All of the equipment needed to get into chain waxing can be a bit daunting. I started just putting the wax bag in a pot of boiling water, but I strongly recommend you get a second hand instant pot or Silca's chain wax system if you think you're in for the long haul.