After years of using only Silca's Super Secret cold wax I finally broke down and bought their complete hot wax system, crock pot, wax, strip chip, and all. I am hoping this will prove even more durable and clean than just the former. I must say, however, that I was surprised at just how rigid the chain was after cooling. It takes a good deal of effort to break the links free enough to reinstall the chain on the bike. My SRAM chains are stickier than Shimano. Hopefully, I will get more adept at the process with a few more practice runs. Even with using only the cold wax my drains are last 2-3x longer than they used to. That along with the added cleanliness of the system is worth the extra time and effort.
I had been holding out on moving to wax. My new road bike came with a waxed chain and a bottle of the super secret drip wax. I was really impressed with how long the wax lasted vs lubes and topping off with the drip wax was as easy as lube. So I decided to switch my gravel and MTB to wax. Watched lots of "how to" videos and talked to others using wax. The Silica system seemed to make it easy to do. I have done 3 chains now with the system, no problems and can go about twice as long between lubes as I did with regular lubes. I use the strip chip when I do a full waxing which is much easier than cleaning a chain as it is just part of the waxing process. The hanging feature on the system is really convenient and easy to use. Chain stays noticeably cleaner too, besides being quieter. Not sure if it makes me faster as my new road bike is so much faster than my old but probably doesn't hurt.
Had a flat on my Cervelo on the rear, and of course the Orange Seal spewed all over the frame. Since I was running a 50 on there (super tight, I know, Cervelo needs to up their game on tire clearance), I didn't notice the dried on sealant until I had the wheel off the bike a few weeks later. I had just added more sealant at the time of the flat and that had fixed it at that time. Ordered this stuff, and lo and behold, it managed to get it all off, not instantly, but it wasn't that long to get it all off. Impressive stuff, and it smells pretty good!
One I highly recommend switching to hot wax. Yeah it's more time consuming but it's superior to any kind of oil and even drip wax. Either way the Silca StripChip makes waxing a factory chain insanely easy especially if you have the Silca hotpot to dial in the temps. I have used the a StripChip on three different chains and they have come out perfect each time. No need for stripping the chain and then cleaning it off. Just bump the chain in with one chip and just left the wax permeate the rollers and then dry. Not the cheapest product but unless you are stripping a new chain every other weekend, than one pack should last a good while.
