Chain lubricants

[HammerTime2]

After applying (new) UFO Drip and letting it dry, should you wipe the wax off the pulleys and chainring the chain is on, before riding?

Possible answers:
a) clean it off
b) no harm to clean off, but no good either, just wasted effort
c) better to leave it on (lengthens re-lube interval, or whatever)

[TobinHatesYou]

After applying (new) UFO Drip and letting it dry, should you wipe the wax off the pulleys and chainring the chain is on, before riding?

Possible answers:
a) clean it off
b) no harm to clean off, but no good either, just wasted effort
c) better to leave it on (lengthens re-lube interval, or whatever)

Just leave it on. It will leave your drivetrain quieter, longer.

If you want to take glamor shots, it washes off easily with a sponge soaked in hot water.

[warthog101]

Anyone else getting a bit tired of looking for the holy grail of chain lubes?

Yep. Not paying through the nose for it either.
Squirt is doing the job.
Cheap, easy and relatively clean.
Care factor about a watt or 2 with the latest and greatest, dear as poison product, just isn't there.

[Roadbiker10]

UFO is much better. Silca SS seems to have QC issues at the moment.

This may be due to people not shaking the bottle enough before applying.

It seems to be a bit more complicated. If you read the wax post there are interesting differences between people using the same Silca SS. Some have no issues in putting a droplet on the roller, others have it dropping on the floor, the colour also seems different even after intense shaking sessions.

I am of those that has no problems, others seem to face a different experience.

Is it a problem if some is dripping of the chain? I also have a problem with that. Seems like I'm using a ton of it for it to cover properly. Last time I shook it like crazy and it was about the same.

This is how it looked after I was done the last time. Two dropps per link. But it's hard to know what is two dropps when it like forms in to a bridge at times between the rollers. It's strange. If I try to put one drop on then it glides of easily, so I have to pull it across a little faster, and then it forms like bridges between. This can't be seen in the pics though. Just posting them so people can se how much it seems to take. Or is that normal?

[Torbjorn]

I'm no Silca Super Secret drip lube expert, but in my book, that is far too much. I've been using the product since it came on the market, and I apply one small drop per roller for all the links visible/available at the bottom of the loop, the move my index finger and thumb back and forth that length a few times. I hold my fingers so it rotates each pin and roller to increase the penetration of the lube. Then I move the crank arm just enough to expose a new length of unlubricated links, and repeat the process.

I know this is not what Silca recommends. Their advice has changed a few times, but I believe the current is to apply the lube at the top of the chain right before the cassette (where the chain links are more open sideways) while spinning the drivetrain/crank arms rather quickly. This might be what you're doing, based on the amount of lube on your cassette? I'm sure this will achieve good penetration, and it is seemingly faster than my slow drop-by-drop technique. But I have settled for this, as it seems to penetrate well, and I have no spillage, meaning the product lasts longer and there's no time wasted on cleaning up the floor/your components.

[aeroisnteverything]

After applying (new) UFO Drip and letting it dry, should you wipe the wax off the pulleys and chainring the chain is on, before riding?

Possible answers:
a) clean it off
b) no harm to clean off, but no good either, just wasted effort
c) better to leave it on (lengthens re-lube interval, or whatever)

Just leave it on. It will leave your drivetrain quieter, longer.

If you want to take glamor shots, it washes off easily with a sponge soaked in hot water.

Yep. After a few hours at room temperature, it sort of melts into the chain and is no longer visible.

[rollinslow]

UFO is much better. Silca SS seems to have QC issues at the moment.

This may be due to people not shaking the bottle enough before applying.

It seems to be a bit more complicated. If you read the wax post there are interesting differences between people using the same Silca SS. Some have no issues in putting a droplet on the roller, others have it dropping on the floor, the colour also seems different even after intense shaking sessions.

I am of those that has no problems, others seem to face a different experience.

Is it a problem if some is dripping of the chain? I also have a problem with that. Seems like I'm using a ton of it for it to cover properly. Last time I shook it like crazy and it was about the same.

This is how it looked after I was done the last time. Two dropps per link. But it's hard to know what is two dropps when it like forms in to a bridge at times between the rollers. It's strange. If I try to put one drop on then it glides of easily, so I have to pull it across a little faster, and then it forms like bridges between. This can't be seen in the pics though. Just posting them so people can se how much it seems to take. Or is that normal?

9D9F0ACD-954A-4EF8-A61D-58745A147275.jpeg1B6509D0-1007-4013-8F0E-B0637E609D22.jpeg

The deal with Ceramic Speed UFO wax is that they updated the directions to put one drop on both the top and bottom of the roller during the first application (chain must be very clean). You allow it to dry overnight. Subsequent applications are just one drop to the inner roller. This stuff wears off very quickly. I have to reapply it after about 70 miles. The benefit is that it is super clean running. Once it has worn off, your chain will start squeeking.

[Roadbiker10]

I'm no Silca Super Secret drip lube expert, but in my book, that is far too much. I've been using the product since it came on the market, and I apply one small drop per roller for all the links visible/available at the bottom of the loop, the move my index finger and thumb back and forth that length a few times. I hold my fingers so it rotates each pin and roller to increase the penetration of the lube. Then I move the crank arm just enough to expose a new length of unlubricated links, and repeat the process.

I know this is not what Silca recommends. Their advice has changed a few times, but I believe the current is to apply the lube at the top of the chain right before the cassette (where the chain links are more open sideways) while spinning the drivetrain/crank arms rather quickly. This might be what you're doing, based on the amount of lube on your cassette? I'm sure this will achieve good penetration, and it is seemingly faster than my slow drop-by-drop technique. But I have settled for this, as it seems to penetrate well, and I have no spillage, meaning the product lasts longer and there's no time wasted on cleaning up the floor/your components.

I don't do the spinning version. Last I checked they say you can use both methods. I do one by one, so everything I described is using that method. Although I can't do one at a time properly because if I do, seems like half of the drop just slides of. So then I rather do it by pulling it over slowly(not while spinning) and that's when it forms the bridges between. Whenever I see that it's gonna fall of, I just catch it with my other hand and smear it on the coming links to not waste it. So that large amount you see on the cassette is not the result of the spinning method.

After I applied once on the whole chain. I spin two revolutions why massaging the bottom of the chain like instructed on their site. After that I do the same process again with another drop. Then I do 10 revolutions backspinning like they say before I let it dry.

I might try the spinning method next time. But I'm not to confident I can pull that of.

The problem is how do you know how big the drop should be? Because the size of the drop varies depending on how much you unscrew the tip.

[Roadbiker10]

This may be due to people not shaking the bottle enough before applying.

It seems to be a bit more complicated. If you read the wax post there are interesting differences between people using the same Silca SS. Some have no issues in putting a droplet on the roller, others have it dropping on the floor, the colour also seems different even after intense shaking sessions.

I am of those that has no problems, others seem to face a different experience.

Is it a problem if some is dripping of the chain? I also have a problem with that. Seems like I'm using a ton of it for it to cover properly. Last time I shook it like crazy and it was about the same.

This is how it looked after I was done the last time. Two dropps per link. But it's hard to know what is two dropps when it like forms in to a bridge at times between the rollers. It's strange. If I try to put one drop on then it glides of easily, so I have to pull it across a little faster, and then it forms like bridges between. This can't be seen in the pics though. Just posting them so people can se how much it seems to take. Or is that normal?

9D9F0ACD-954A-4EF8-A61D-58745A147275.jpeg1B6509D0-1007-4013-8F0E-B0637E609D22.jpeg

The deal with Ceramic Speed UFO wax is that they updated the directions to put one drop on both the top and bottom of the roller during the first application (chain must be very clean). You allow it to dry overnight. Subsequent applications are just one drop to the inner roller. This stuff wears off very quickly. I have to reapply it after about 70 miles. The benefit is that it is super clean running. Once it has worn off, your chain will start squeeking.

Alright, maybe that's something to try. Although 70 miles is very short lasting compared to Silca SS.

I guess the massaging of the chain in Silcas instructions is about the same thing. To get it in properly on both sides.

[TobinHatesYou]

Alright, maybe that's something to try. Although 70 miles is very short lasting compared to Silca SS.

I guess the massaging of the chain in Silcas instructions is about the same thing. To get it in properly on both sides.

Ceramic Speed advises not to massage the lube into the chain, and to just backpedal for a few passes. It's about the same honestly.

I get 150-180mi on one application of UFO Drip in dry conditions. I would reapply after a single long ride in damp conditions.

[Roadbiker10]

Alright, maybe that's something to try. Although 70 miles is very short lasting compared to Silca SS.

I guess the massaging of the chain in Silcas instructions is about the same thing. To get it in properly on both sides.

Ceramic Speed advises not to massage the lube into the chain, and to just backpedal for a few passes. It's about the same honestly.

I get 150-180mi on one application of UFO Drip in dry conditions. I would reapply after a single long ride in damp conditions.

Ok. How does it compare to SS when it comes to value pricewise?

[Roadbiker10]

Do people remove the cassette to wash it after every cycle of about 1000km? I mean when you either change to another chain or clean the existing one. I didn't do that after my first cycle. I just washed the bike with the cassette on but chain of. All the wax that was stuck on the cassette didn't go anywhere after washing. So I had to meticulously clean especially between the 28 and 24 where there was a ton of wax. I cleaned it with shoelaces, and I still couldn't get it all of.

The same on the jockeywheels. There was a lot there and really difficult to clean. There was also wax dried on the back of the cassette.

[TobinHatesYou]

Do people remove the cassette to wash it after every cycle of about 1000km? I mean when you either change to another chain or clean the existing one. I didn't do that after my first cycle. I just washed the bike with the cassette on but chain of. All the wax that was stuck on the cassette didn't go anywhere after washing. So I had to meticulously clean especially between the 28 and 24 where there was a ton of wax. I cleaned it with shoelaces, and I still couldn't get it all of.

The same on the jockeywheels. There was a lot there and really difficult to clean. There was also wax dried on the back of the cassette.

First your other question:
Ceramic Speed is a little more expensive in the US, but it's cheaper in Europe. Ceramic Speed runs cleaner and is easier to apply.

And your cassette. If you want to clean all the wax off, just take the cassette off an pour boiling water over it... Or, you know, don't worry about it. It's just wax.

For your pulleys, just pinch a rag against the sides and turn the pulleys while the chain is off. Or take them out of the cage and wipe them down...it's wax.

[alanyu]

The deal with Ceramic Speed UFO wax is that they updated the directions to put one drop on both the top and bottom of the roller during the first application (chain must be very clean). You allow it to dry overnight. Subsequent applications are just one drop to the inner roller. This stuff wears off very quickly. I have to reapply it after about 70 miles. The benefit is that it is super clean running. Once it has worn off, your chain will start squeeking.

I can get 120 km (75 miles) in a rainy day using UFO v2, and 250~300 km (155~185 miles) in a good day.

[TobinHatesYou]

I can get 120 km (75 miles) in a rainy day using UFO v2, and 250~300 km (155~185 miles) in a good day.

I really wonder what others are doing to get such little distance out of their wax baths or wax drips.