Silca

I recently switched to waxing all my chains. I've had good luck with both wet and dry conditions, but I primarily use them in extremely dry conditions. While I'm not thrilled with the price that Silca garners, this is a high-quality product. A bag has lasted 10+ months and waxed 12-15 chains. Each waxing lasts hundreds of miles regardless of the discipline. I have now converted road, mountain, gravel, and commuter bikes and am extremely satisfied. I have yet to try other types of wax (aside from some old ski wax, which worked surprisingly well) so I cannot offer a comparison.

It took some effort to convert all our bikes to wax, but I have found efficiency in waxing multiple chains at the same time. Starting with a new chain is best. I used basic hardware store items (mineral spirits and denatured alcohol) to strip the chains and an old rice cooker to melt it. Simple is best. I recommend taking care when waxing to avoid allowing significant amounts of wax to cool on the exterior of the chain. This can result in gummy residue that can get on the rings and cassette.

This is a good product.

I bought this pump because with my old pump was inaccurate and didn't have a bleed button, so I had to overfill the tires then use an AccuGage with a bleed button to get down to the right pressure. I figured this would do that job with a single tool. Unfortunately, several things about this pump prevent that.

First, it's very hard to get the chuck off the valve without letting a good amount of air out. It's just hard to get off the valve and as soon as you disengage the lever to unlock it, air starts pouring out. It's easy to lose 4-5 PSI just getting the chuck off. Sometimes I can get it out and not lose much, but not consistently.

Second, the bleed valve is right where your hand goes when you're trying to remove the chuck, and the bleed button is VERY sensitive. If you breathe on it, it lets air out. So removing the chuck is even harder because I can't wrap my hand around it.

Third, as I said, the bleed button is sensitive. I had my tires at 25 PSI, then touched the bleed button for as short a time as I could and lost 1 whole PSI. I don't even know how it's letting out that much air so quickly. With my AccuGages I have to hold the button down for at least 1 whole second to let that much air out, which is how I want it to work.

Fourth, the gauge is not accurate. I compared using two different AccuGages and they both read about 5 PSI lower than this pump when pressure was being read by the second stage gauge. The first stage gauge agreed with both AccuGages, however.

The good things about this pump is that it's Silca, so the construction is quality. I don't agree that this pump seems fragile, which I see called out in some other reviews. It also does do a nice job of actually inflating the tires. It certainly fills my tires in fewer pumps than my old pump.

I was skeptical: a small "chip" of wax, shaped like a chain link no less, that will extend the silence of my waxed chain. But Lo & Behold! I notice a difference! Normally I get about (only) 150 miles or so before I can start hearing the links making their noises. But so far I have 400 miles (yes, 400!) on this chain and I've yet to hear that familiar link noise. I have got to hand it to SILCA; this product does what it promises to do!

I could be remembering the first time I bought this tape incorrectly but it seems like it is easier to work with now, I swear it stretches and wraps with less effort and I was actually able to unwrap a bit to fix some mistakes without the glue strip tearing the top layer up. Silca may have starting using a slightly less aggressive glue or maybe they added a coating to the top layer?

I really don't think you'll find a better looking bar tape than Silca's, certainly not one that feels this good as well. Wet or dry the grip is incredible and the vibration damping is probably as good as it gets with 2.5mm thick tape. Of course it is one of the more expensive options out there but if you ride a lot without gloves like I do I feel like it is worth the investment, your hands will appreciate it.