Degreasers vs. Cleaners - Choosing the right stuff for the right situations!

[@chrisjong8412]

The days of greasy drivetrains that where almost impossible to clean are here. Thanks Silca for making the industry a better place.

[@jimhansen5395]

Did you mean those days are 'over' ?

[@matsmorot]

Silca! Give this man a raise!

[@BrianKellison]

I just dunked my new Dura Ace chain into my chain stripper before I wax. Love these thorough and a environmental product videos

[@marklohnes6313]

I love the gear wipes, works well and easy on the hands! Like all Silca products I have used thus far, the quality is top notch!

[@bamicus9342]

Great Josh, very helpful. I have them all and are amazed at how well they work.

[@ShawnIsBatman]

I am an enthusiastic user of Silca products....I will agree that the Gear Wipes are amazing. These are my go-to for a bike/chain wipe down after nearly every ride. They are quick to use and extremely effective. Quite literally 60-90 seconds of very easy work keeps my bike looking and working well consistently.

[@PacificMtn]

Where are the HMIS Ratings for the other products? If you are going to include it for the bio-degreaser, I want to see it for the others as well. Thanks.

[@jordanmiller42]

Could I use the bio degreaser to wipe the chain before re-waxing? Or will that cause issues with adherence/contamination of my wax?

[@SILCAVelo]

BioDegreaser has no effect on a waxed chain and will leave no residue, so you can wipe it down, let it evaporate and then rewax without issue.

[@Kamikazekman]

Hey Josh, not sure if anyone has asked this, I scrolled down for as long as I could and couldn’t find anything. I know you said the best way was to put the chain in a jar with the Chain Stripper, but not wanting to take the chain off, can I also use Chain Stripper with the Park Tool chain cleaner device? It’s a brand new bike so this will be the first time I’m degreasing the factory chain before re-lubing. Thanks in advance!

[@songfta]

Question for you, Josh (and I apologize if you've answered this before): is it possible to filter and decant the Chain Stripper to allow for repeated use?

[@VendetaBrown]

Yes

[@SILCAVelo]

Yes, up to a point.. we say 1 chain per ounce and if you filter it you probably get 2x as much, but eventually the chemical will break down and not be as effective.

[@robbijay]

So, what can we use to wipe a waxed chain without needing to rewax it? Gear wipes?

[@Thomas-fy9yc]

Use the gear wipes or biodegreaser on a microfiber cloth. Add some super secret drip wax every couple hundred miles afterwards.

[@marksticky0688]

Really informative video Josh. I have a question- i keep my bike in a cold garage in the UK. In the winter is it OK to use super secret drip on? Won't it take too long to evaporate so allow rust to form? What minimum temperature do you recommend for drip on wax? Thanks.

[@scottmcnamara2458]

A couple of questions (probably dumb ones) - does the drive train and brake cleaner contaminate rotors and brake pads? Is it just for cleaning brake dust from frame etc? - does the chain stripper work on a previously drip on waxed chain?

[@janeblogs324]

Stop watching gcn

[@SILCAVelo]

Brake and Drivetrain Cleaner is meant to be used directly on calipers/discs/pads as well as anywhere else brake dust has gotten.. Chain stripper is only for removing factory lube from the chain and will have no effect on a waxed chain. To clean your waxed chain, just drop it in boiling water for a minute.

[@jimbo9030]

Commenting before watching and wondering how much this Josh video is going to cost me 🤣🤣🤣

[@richn1973]

best marketing video i've seen in a while!

[@stuartdryer1352]

Very helpful.

[@bikecommuter24]

My poor bike I never realized or considered all of the stuff that gets on it probably gets stuff on it from the car emissions too I bet Ollie from GCN is watching this and writing down notes.

[@Bicyclekelly]

Did Silica discontinue the Bio Degreaser? I can’t find it on the site.

[@holgermeier7752]

Hi Josh, it‘s not mentioned especially, but I think the Bio Degreaser is safe on all types (materials) of frames (carbon, etc.) and colours (gloss/satin)?

[@sidelnik]

Which is more preferable for cleaning dirty cassette + pulleys? The drive chain cleaner or the biodegreaser?

[@jvergar2]

Hello, And what about if I clean my chain with medium temperature water before reapply the super secret chain lube? Thanks a lot!

[@HM-vm1eb]

Hi Josh, there's one thing I don't understand: you say that Ultimate Brake and Drivetrain Cleaner doesn't attack wax, but we have to rinse thoroughly and then rewax, so why specify that it dosent attack the wax pls? Thank you very much

[@thedronescene7474]

How are the wipes at cleaning disc brakes? I like to clean the disc after every ride ( just a quick wipe ). Would the wipes work ok for that?

[@davidide1525]

I may have missed it , but will brake and drivetrain cleaner attack/remove synergetic lube .

[@SILCAVelo]

Yes!

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Thanks a lot for the overview. 2 questions left: Sometimes you want an alcohol based cleaner that evaporates quickly like bike compatible aerosol brake cleaner. Is Bio Degreaser the same or does it still contain water? You mentioned chain stripper in a water bottle. I had it in a plastic container and it always was moist at the bottom. Does it permeate through some plastics or did I just have a leaky container?

[@SILCAVelo]

BioDegreaser evaporates pretty quickly, not as fast as acetone, but typically within 10 seconds or so. Chain stripper should not damage water bottles, it's safe in both PET and HDPE/LDPE plastics.

[@chrism5433]

i wax my frame 3 times a year lol, easier cleaning, cheers great video

[@bruds111]

Do you have any recommendations for using the chain stripper in an ultrasonic?

[@michaelpearce6982]

I use your synergy lube-love it btw. How often should remove the chain and soak in a degreaser? I've only been doing a couple times in a season. Those Campy quick links are not cheap!

[@SILCAVelo]

Every 1000km or so should be fine and maybe more if you're mostly riding in clean/dry conditions.

[@leezehngebot3980]

So would a good procedure for a bike with a waxed chain be 1. clean brake and drive train with brake and drive cleaner(number 1) then 2. clean bike with bike cleaner (number 2) then wipe chain with microfiber cloth and then add super secret liquid chain wax.? How often would you use spray wax?

[@SILCAVelo]

That's a perfect way to do it! I use the Graphene wax ~2-3x per year and the Blue, step 4, cleaner/wax as a final step on the frame only after every wash, remembering to be super careful to avoid the disc brakes!

[@carolmcdermott7844]

Josh - my one concern with using gear wipes is their biodegradabilty once used. Nowhere do you state what the fabric substrate is, and, if likely, that these are synthetic (nylon, polyester, acrylic etc), then they are going to make very poor land fill. I refrain from buying these, and at the moment just use old rags from worn-out clothing etc. Could we have more transparency on these please?

[@SILCAVelo]

They are made from recycled PET filaments similar to a Patagonia Fleece and can be recycled with standard recycling.

[@larryt.atcycleitalia5786]

Good job! One thing left out might be that wiping your bike is NOT washing it. Might look nice when you're done but you haven't flushed-away any of that salt (unless you don't sweat while you ride) that wicks its way into every crevice and over time - salt + moisture + dissimilar materials = battery which means corrosion. WASH THAT BIKE!

[@SILCAVelo]

Great point Larry.. this is something we see with trainer bikes.. people try to 'wipe them down' frequently, but if just doesn't do much as the sweat residue still ends up on and in all of the places where you don't want it!

[@terrywalker7127]

I have the new SRAM Red. My front break squeals when applied. Any suggestions?

[@SILCAVelo]

Three possible causes for squeal.. 1. Grease/Oil contamination of the pad or rotor.. which our cleaner can fix 2. Possible loose rotor or caliper fastener.. sometimes something can be loose and the vibration under braking can set up a harmonic that will make a squealing sound 3. Glazed brake pads. When the pads are new, they you need to 'bed them in' which is where for the first maybe 20-25 stops, you need to gently warm them by lightly brake while pedaling to slowly build temperature. If the pads see too much temperature too soon, they can form a glaze on the outer surface which doesn't stop very well and can squeal. This can be fixed by removing the pads and sanding them with a piece of sand paper to remove the glaze.

[@richardsutton6742]

Any plans for a Ceramic Coating product? If not, why not?

[@cellsheet]

They have a ceramic waterless wash as part of their SPA collection

[@joshthomson35]

Do I need the bio degreaser if I have the brake and drive train cleaner? And then just use the soap for the rest of the bike?

[@SILCAVelo]

No need for bio degreaser if you're using brake and drivetrain.. just spray on the B&D, let it turn red, rinse, and then use the soap on everything, rinse well and done!

[@joejohnston471]

Wax safe bike wash PLEASE !!!!

[@jasonfeng3667]

If I already have the drive train cleaner and chain stripper, then am I understanding correctly there’s not really a need for the bio degreaser? I’ll just use your bike soap for the rest of the bike

[@pantube73]

To the dumb assess out there - let’s drink to good health. Cheers.

[@JakeRidesBikez]

can the biodegreaser be used safely on disc brake rotors, despite not being as efficient as the purpose built stuff?

[@SILCAVelo]

It can, but we don't recommend it as it is not nearly as effective on brake dust and is not nearly as good at eliminating brake squeal as the Brake and Drivetrain cleaner

[@trbeyond]

Is it safe to I use the gear wipes on my iPad screen ? It’s occasionally got some sweat on it after a hard session.

[@SILCAVelo]

Yes, but to be safe, use the soft (white) side, not the orange scrubbing side.

[@Viamscience]

Any chemist knows that there are NOT different versions of (isomers of) methanol. Likely mis-spoken… but if we’re getting all sciency, then this basic stuff is important.

[@emilvaradi9393]

WAIT, WAIT! What if you want to remove a polluted, filthy drip wax (like Ceramic Speed's UFO or your own Super Secret Chain Lube) before reapplying drip wax? Until this video I was of the impression that chain stripper was also good for that purpose but it does not seem to be the case. How do you solve that?

[@SILCAVelo]

No, once you're on wax, you just boil the chain in water to remove the old, dirty wax.. no solvents or cleaners needed.

[@staffanjerkeman4604]

Saw that Silca has a product called Ultimate sealant remower. Interested in it because I would like to remowe dried up sealant from my gravel tires. Mailed Silca and asked if it would work with the answer that it would work great. Got a bottle and applied to a tyre. Result: It doesn't work at all. No change at all.

[@nickkambitis5340]

As more and more people move to chain waxing wouldn’t it be good if manufacturers offered a not greased chain option from the factory.

[@jonwong1692]

It will rust right off the bat!

[@dmitryhetman1509]

​@@jonwong1692it depends on type of metal and coating

[@tjb8841]

Kmc now does just that

[@DanTuber]

Does hot waxing a chain affect it's longevity? I suspect that heating it is expanding the metal and therefore changing the length making it stretched.

[@jimhansen5395]

Check out Zero Friction Cyclings test results. Hot Waxed chains (and drive trains) last longer than when using other lubes (and it's not close)

[@janeblogs324]

So you think hardened steel is degradable at just 70 degrees? Just stop thinking, you're going to hurt someone

[@robbijay]

So, what can we use to wipe a waxed chain without needing to rewax it? Gear wipes?

[@SILCAVelo]

Gear wipes work, you can wipe it with bio degreaser on a microfiber cloth, or just a microfiber cloth to remove surface debris.

[@robbijay]

@@SILCAVelo cool. Thanks!

[@mechanicaldavid4827]

I've spent several work hours this Winter alone (with clients) explaining the layers of chain penetrating/cleaning we administer at our shop. I deeply appreciate Silca's attention and deep dive into the why, how and IF of the chemisty, not least of all for the safety issues.