Silca’s Endurance additive

[@ShawnIsBatman]

I am on my first run of a chain treated w/the Endurance Chip blend (Shimano 11-speed chain). I can't notice any performance difference, however, I am seeing what appears to be good longevity so far. I am estimating that I had probably 300-350 grams of existing Secret Wax in the pot when I added the single Endurance Chip, so not 'perfect' from the Silca recipe, but good enough. After the treatment w/Endurance Chip I did notice that the chain was a big stiffer when mounting to the bike vs. the standard treatment w/Secret Wax, however, the break-in period was not noticeably different. I have about 275 miles on the Endurance Chip treated chain in basically perfect riding conditions. At that mileage I would have already either replaced a chain treated with only Secret Wax or added a layer of Super Secret, thus, so far, the Endurance Chip seems to be performing as expected. I plan to put 100 miles on the chain tomorrow and at that point I would expect that the treatment may be getting close to its lifespan. At this point, I cannot notice any change in either performance or chain noise. I have been waxing for a couple of years at this point so I am pretty good at noticing when the chain needs a retreatment. I am definitely interested to hear some real world reports from riders who have started to experiment with different recipes. Specifically, the claim/idea of using 2 Endurance Chips to get a super-long life from a treated chain.

[@vitalbikechains]

@@ShawnIsBatman I made a couple of double dose endurance chains, one went out to a pro rider, so I’m curious to hear back from him.

[@dawn_rider]

The 250 grams of secret blend wax + 1 endurance chip 2:07 probably comes from kzbin.info/www/bejne/inmoYap8ppJ3erM . It also likely answers your question at 5:33 , i.e. is the endurance chip a homogenous mix ? I would say it is, as the paraffin and synthetic waxes will likely be soluble in each other. I suppose they could have made 1 half of the 'dumbell' shape out of 1 wax with the other half being the other wax , but that would increase manufacturing costs. Also if the 2 waxes were not at least partially soluble, the 2 halves would not bond together. For confirmation, you could always post a comment on the linked video or on the Silca FAQ video that followed it. I don't think the question has been asked yet ? I would have been interested to see how 'flakey' the new wax mixture was compared to normal. You mentioned it to Adam at ZFC. You have diluted the Tungsten Disulphide ( higher concentrations reduce wax / chain adhesion ) and added a substance that sticks better to chain metal so I would expect it to flake less / more slowly.

[@vitalbikechains]

@@dawn_rider as far as flaking, I finished making the video before any chains went on the shedding machine so that’s why it wasn’t commented on. But, I did shed 5 chains and I’d guess that I had a third of the flakes compared to just the base wax.

[@dawn_rider]

@@vitalbikechains How difficult was breaking the wax / chain link bonds compared to normal ? In winter when it is literally freezing it is very difficult to break them by hand, and that is with 'normal' wax. Might be an idea to put an air cooled freshly 'endurance waxed' chain in the fridge then try it.

[@vitalbikechains]

@@dawn_riderI don’t really know of a difference since I load the chain in a machine and it does the work. I do have to articulate a few links to load it, but I didn’t feel a difference.

[@vitalbikechains]

Silca has confirmed that the Endurance Chip is indeed homogeneous. So I’ll be cutting them in half to add with 125gms of the wax to top off my pots.

[@IKnowAGuyBicycles]

I'm sure Silca will eventually make blended Endurance and Speed Wax. So, no MATH is needed, right?

[@vitalbikechains]

I didn’t get that vibe from Josh. Now that I’ve started with the chips, I like this because one customer wants one thing, another something else and I can just make it. BUT, I think that a single dose Endurance blend would make sense to Silca.

[@Karovaldas]

Dude, so much talk about the size of the chip ... just break it in half!

[@vitalbikechains]

@@Karovaldas my next video, you know what I do? Break it in half. I thought it would make a mess, but it doesn’t.