I currently wax my “nice weather” road bike, and I’m thinking of going for it with the full fleet. The bot via Silca’s “contact us” site says it’s ok to use Chain Stripper degreaser on a used chain, but I’m wondering if anyone has tried it and would recommend.
I have a rain bike, CX bike, and MTB that are all running Synergetic at the moment, not to mention my wife’s road and MTB. None are due for a new chain for a good long time, and while I’d like to get off of oil for cleanliness, I don’t really want to toss chains that have plenty of life left in them.
I live in the US Pacific Northwest, so wet weather is likely on all these bikes I’m looking to convert (planning to run Silca immersion wax with an Endurance chip), and given I have to clean these bikes a lot, I’m warming to the idea of just popping the chain off and re-waxing rather than constantly having to degrease and reapply oil.
I have used Silca’s Chain Stripper on used chains to convert them to wax. Just get as much of the old lube off as possible first using whatever method is at your disposal.
Previously was using UFO drip on a chain and to ensure it was clean before going full wax I did the Silca Chain Stripper process without issue. One thing I wish I didn’t do was follow their reuse instructions as there must have been finer particles in it than a coffee filter would keep out.
Yeah, I have not been super successful with filtering used Chain Stripper after removing factory grease from a chain. It seems to me the better move is to let the particulate settle to the bottom of a jar, pour off the more pure Chain Stripper liquid, and then decide if filtering or disposing of what’s left is more economical in terms of time and materials. For me it seems nothing really drips through the coffee filter, or if so it’s extremely slow, so I’d rather decant off as much liquid as possible.
I did that (for a road bike) and worked very well. Just have a little more patience and make sure that the chain is really clean. I kept it some more minutes in the stripper and repeated for 2/3 times. It should be fine. Don’t forget you can reuse the Stripper (by passing it through a coffee filter before you pour it into the bottle.
Ah and did not regretted, wax converted now. It so much easier and less messy (IMHO)
I maintain 5 bikes (road, gravel and MTB for me, and road & MTB for my wife) with Silca waxed chains. I typically top up the lube with Silca super secret wax emulsion lube as part of the post-ride wash routine, and then rewax every 500 - 1000km, depending on the bike and conditions. When I rewax, I make sure the chain is clean. If it’s just dirty from dust, I will clean by dropping the chain in jug of boiling water, and then wiping any remaining residue. If the chain looks to have gathered some grime or grease, I will use a small amount of Silca Chain Stripper in a plastic jar, and shake hard to loosen the grease. I then rinse the residue off under the garden hose, aiming at the links and the pins. You learn to ‘feel’ when the chain is clean by how it swings lightly and the slight metallic noise it makes when you’re holding it. The chain is then ready for a full rewax using the Silca melted wax immersion system.
There might be a problem with how much dirt you’ve accumulated in the chain. You cold try shaking that chain with the degreaser to see how much stuff comes out. If you already had an ultrasonic - don’t go out and buy one just for this - you could try to US clean it after the Silca stuff to see if you’ve got all the dirt out. You might be surprised at how much is inside a chain.
Yeah, I think that is the one big question mark. I am pretty good about cleaning the drivetrain after dirty rides, but I might do a round or two with regular degreaser or use a friend’s ultrasonic to be really sure.
I use Simple Green Aircraft for degreasing chains (and anything else on my bike). Its what Silca recommended prior to producing their stripper. Its safe on bike parts, effective and can be decanted for re-use. And its about the same price for a gallon of SG Aircraft as 16oz Silca Chain Stripper.