Silca

Part of a larger review. I had read and heard about waxing chains, and a former teammate sold me his used beauty salon crock pot that at least has a temperature dial, sticks of paraffin wax, some PTFE and Moly in a homemade. It worked okay and the crock pot only goes up to 80C.

Read about Silca's approach and made the plunge when BTD had a 25% off sale: the wax melt system, Secret Chain Blend and the Strip Chip for new chains. After doing 2 chains: one new and one used but relatively new, this is MUCH better. The Wax Melt System melts the wax much faster than the crock pot, and so far, the chains seem to run smoother. The strip chip made the chain shine like a mirror, and this approach is a definite upgrade.

For the new chain, this seems more efficient and less mess than dropping the chain into a jar with degreaser to clean it first before waxing

Part of a larger review. I had read and heard about waxing chains, and a former teammate sold me his used beauty salon crock pot that at least has a temperature dial, sticks of paraffin wax, some PTFE and Moly in a homemade. It worked okay and the crock pot only goes up to 80C.

Read about Silca's approach and made the plunge when BTD had a 25% off sale: the wax melt system, Secret Chain Blend and the Strip Chip for new chains. After doing 2 chains: one new and one used but relatively new, this is MUCH better. The Wax Melt System melts the wax much faster than the crock pot, and so far, the chains seem to run smoother. The strip chip made the chain shine like a mirror, and this approach is a definite upgrade.

The Wax System is a bit pricey, even at 25% off, so one star off on "value" but long-term, probably a good investment for longer chain life, no lube and less effort

Part of a larger review. I had read and heard about waxing chains, and a former teammate sold me his used beauty salon crock pot that at least has a temperature dial, sticks of paraffin wax, some PTFE and Moly in a homemade. It worked okay and the crock pot only goes up to 80C.

Read about Silca's approach and made the plunge when BTD had a 25% off sale: the wax melt system, Secret Chain Blend and the Strip Chip for new chains. After doing 2 chains: one new and one used but relatively new, this is MUCH better. The Wax Melt System melts the wax much faster than the crock pot, and so far, the chains seem to run smoother. The strip chip made the chain shine like a mirror, and this approach is a definite upgrade.

I bought this pump for the larger gauge and assumed that it would be good quality. The pump is lightweight, compact, and pumps well. As a road bike rider, the larger, non-linear gauge is of limited value (except for the larger size) as the more detailed pressure reading stops after 30 psi. Regarding the head, I hate it. My other pump has a head where the lock lever is mounted to the side and works great. The way the Silca head is designed I find that I am always pinching my fingers when I snap the lever to release. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't get use to it. Finally I broke down and bought the Silca Hiro V.2 side lever head. This combination works great, but the pump/Hiro head is way too much $$. I could only recommend buying the pump/Hiro head on sale which I did.