How to Use Silca Super Secret Chain Lube

Silca’s Super Secret Chain Lube was created to bring the speed and silent running of a hot-melt wax-dipped chain to a drip applied wax lubricant. Here’s the lowdown on how to best clean your chain and apply the wax-based chain lubricant, from Silca CEO Josh Poertner.

It has long been known that the best bike lubes are wax-based, reducing friction while their dry nature makes them resistant to picking up dirt and consequently improving the lifetime of components. The only downside to wax-based lubricants is often they require lengthy application processes involving immersing the chain in hot-melt wax crock pots.

The Silca Super Secret Chain overcomes such difficulties bringing all the benefits of a hot-melt wax lubricant but in the format of a drip lube.

The wax lube from Silca has been in the making for over a year. Silca’s CEO Josh Poertner has been recommending wax based lubricants to pro cyclists and teams for years, and he wanted to bring his lubricant formula to Silca customers. The project took a major turn when Poertner learnt of a group in the world on IndyCar who had developed a technology to put micro-scale wax particles into a solution that was quick drying, doing away with difficult crock pot application methods.

The secret ingredient that gives the lubes its name is Tugnsten Disulfide, the world’s fastest, most lubricious additive. The suggestion of using Tungsten Disulfide also came from IndyCar and a company nearby to Silca in its Indianapolis home that specialises in gearbox friction reduction.

Over three-times slippier than PTFE and four-times slippier than Molybdenum Disulfide (another additive used in wax based lubes), Tugnsten Disulfide proved to be just the stuff for Silca’s lube. Combined with the quick dry solution the formula developed by Poertner and now available as the Super Secret Chain Lube quickly proved to beat all currently available wax-based lubes while also being much faster and easier to apply.

See the video’s below from Poertner himself on how best to apply the lube, cleaning your chain, and to hear a bit more about the project too.  

Applying the Lube

1. Be sure to have the chain in a gear ratio that is relatively straight (53/15 or so).

2. Shake bottle and open tip halfway. 

3. Begin applying drip lube to top of rollers while pedalling backward. Apply at least 1 drop per roller and no more than 2 drops per roller while continuing to back pedal.

4. Use fingers on top-bottom of chain to work the lube into rollers while back pedalling at least 3-4 revolutions.

5. Pedal forward shifting all the way to top of the cassette, pedal for at least 3-4 revolutions. The extreme chain angle opens gaps between plates to allow the lube to better work into the chain. Continue pedalling, shifting through all gears on the rear cassette at least once.

6. Stop pedalling and allow Secret Chain Lube to dry for 30-40 minutes.

7. Silca Gear Wipes are a great way to remove any excess lube from the chainrings for clean look.  

Cleaning Your Chain

1. Use a degreaser and brush and begin working the degreaser into the chain links.

2. Silca recommends 6-8 revolutions of the chain, scrubbing all sides of the chain with the brush to work the degreaser into the links and rollers.

3. Hose the chain directly just in front of the rear derailleur pulley. Do not direct pressure onto the cassette, hub or BB areas.

4. With clean brush and strong dish soap/water mixture through the chain again, scrubbing all sides and trying to drive out any remaining dirt as well as any trapped solvent.

5. Rinse the chain again just like before.

6. Dry the chain with a towel or paper towels and allow it to air dry in sun for at least 30 minutes.