As someone who waxed chains for decades -- every ~200 miles for road, ~100 miles for dry, sandy dirt -- until James at Analog convinced me to try the dry liquid lube "wipe 'n' drip 'n' wipe 'n' wipe more" method -- I'm very interested in hearing others' experiences with the Silca wax lube.
I used plain paraffin (grocery store canning paraffin and old ornamental candles from a friend) for years, tho' I added various things on the basis of mere hunches that they might increase chain life, tossing into the crockpot dollops of ATF and 30-weight. The ornamental candles added vague cinnamon and vanilla scents, and the ATF colored the wax a pretty rose, but the result was a very conservative but very consistent 2K miles between chain replacements -- tho' the chains stayed operating-room clean on the outside, despite riding in very dusty conditions. I swapped to Molten Speed Wax and this basically doubled miles -- 200 to 400 on (dusty shoulder) pavement, 100 to 200, more or less, in silty sand -- so I wonder if Silca Wax is any better than Molten. But I haven't measured chain life under this regimen. Aside: I largely switched to James-at-Analog's dry-lube drip-'n'-wipe method because it's easy; but really, waxing with a crockpot is very easy itself; certainly easier than removing a chain for cleaning, the reinstalling to oil it. Patrick Moore, who had a Phil bb get crunchy in ~2K miles of sandy bosque riding. On Sun, Jan 7, 2024 at 12:53 PM Bill Gibson <bill.bgib...@gmail.com> wrote: > Chains and other drivetrain components will wear quickly or slowly > depending on lubrication and conditions. There is no rule of thumb for > mileage. Chain lube is a perennial favorite topic, along with tires, etc. > but real progress has been made in the past few years, and much lore of old > is now obsolete. I like Silca's chain lube products, and if you enjoy the > topic, they offer extensive dives into the independent testing and research > that back their claims on YouTube. I can attest that their chain wax is > well worth the prep, and will save time and wear in any condition. Some of > the favorite lubes of the past cause much more rapid wear than no lube at > all (due to grinding paste formation), so I urge you to check out the > research. The chain is harder than the chainrings, so cleaning, lubing, and > replacing it in time will extend the life of the chainring, and the rear > cogs, too, depending on what they are made of. > > Don't expect the modern cartridge bottom brackets to be as smooth and free > as perfectly adjusted and lubricated cup and cone bottom brackets of old. > Ask a shop to let you feel a new one, or pay them to check yours. Some > bearings just don't have to be perfect to be good! Unless you > obsess...which is part of the fun...! > > > Bill Gibson > Tempe, Arizona, USA > My Photographs <https://billbgibson.myportfolio.com/> : > https://billbgibson.myportfolio.com/ and on Behance: > https://www.behance.net/BillGibson <https://billbgibson.myportfolio.com/> > If you like my photographs, buy me a coffee! > <https://www.buymeacoffee.com/04141955> > > > On Sun, Jan 7, 2024 at 12:18 PM Richard Rose <rmros...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> I am two years and 7300 miles in on my Clem. Chain measure tool indicates >> I need a new chain & 38t large chainring on the Silver crank has some >> "sharkfining" evident. New chain and chainring will arrive in a few days. >> Small ring and cassette look good. What sort of mileage do folks usually >> expect out of these components? While I am at it, bike is apart and >> standard Shimano cartridge bottom bracket does not exactly feel smooth. It >> did feel smooth spinning when crank was still installed & there is no play >> evident. Riv suggests these bottom brackets might be good for 15,000 miles? >> I do not want to needlessly replace it but the bike is apart so..? >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c36d08e0-3716-4ae7-8289-97ef61140ba1n%40googlegroups.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c36d08e0-3716-4ae7-8289-97ef61140ba1n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAG33NXHZwtaOSX-YDvdzfogBapG47xNET1DjfP0ZdJ14-iNkOw%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAG33NXHZwtaOSX-YDvdzfogBapG47xNET1DjfP0ZdJ14-iNkOw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing services ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *When thou didst not, savage, k**now thine own meaning,* *But wouldst gabble like a** thing most brutish,* *I endowed thy purposes w**ith words that made them known.* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgsa4wc%2BUTumefj-dZKhdehEOhw34srczvEs6GJQpR3LfA%40mail.gmail.com.