Silca EnduranceChip review

Designed to significantly extend the life of hot melt chain wax, with claims of lasting up to 750km in ideal conditions, this product promises impressive performance. But can it hold up to the demands of UK mountain biking, where wet, muddy trails are the norm rather than the exception?

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Silca EnduranceChip – Technical Details

Silca released the EnduranceChip alongside the SpeedChip, both of which are designed to be added to Silca’s Secret Chain Blend hot melt wax. Each permanently alters the formulation, allowing riders to fine-tune the performance of the wax depending on their specific needs. Secret Chain Blend on its own aims to strike a balance between speed and durability for most riders, but by adding either chip, or both, or even doubling up, you can tailor the wax more precisely to your riding style and conditions.

The EnduranceChip is a semi-synthetic wax blend that, according to Silca, can double the longevity of chain lubrication, offering up to 750km or 24 hours of riding when using two endurance chips, in ideal conditions.

Silca EnduranceChip Packet.jpg, by Matthew Page

To support this, Silca has produced a “recipe card”, which outlines the expected performance from various combinations of SpeedChip and EnduranceChip when added to 250g of Secret Chain Blend.

From my experience, however, such claims are often optimistic, based on lab testing rather than real-world riding, particularly off-road. On the road, and in perfect conditions, premium hot wax or quality drip wax can occasionally exceed 200km. Off-road, 150km is a more typical upper limit, due to constant exposure to mud, water, and grit. Despite that, I remain a fan of hot melt wax, or good quality drip wax, for its ability to keep the chain extremely clean and prolong drivetrain life.

Silca EnduranceChip – Performance

Using the EnduranceChip is simple. Just place it into your usual wax heating method alongside 250g of Silca Secret Chain Blend. It needs to reach 95°C, which is slightly hotter than standard, likely due to the harder construction and higher melting point. From there, the process is the same: submerge the chain for 10 minutes, agitating it several times. Accurate temperature control is important, and once the wax begins to harden on the surface or cools to around 75°C, the chain can be removed. Cooling takes around 15 to 30 minutes, after which the wax can be broken away to free the rollers before fitting the chain to the bike.

Silca EnduranceChip Block.jpg, by Matthew Page

A short break-in period is required. Around 10 to 20 minutes of pedalling usually helps the wax settle in. During this time, the drivetrain can be noisy and shifting slightly sluggish.

I tested the EnduranceChip over several re-waxing applications, with the most useful test being a full weekend of riding, including a 90km MTB marathon. This began with a 35km dry road ride (1hr, 20min), followed by a 15km off-road course pre-ride (1 hour). The main event was a 90km mountain bike race (4hrs 20min) with damp and muddy ground conditions but no rain, followed by a final 35km (1hr 20min) on dry roads, giving a weekend total of 185km (8 hours).

Typically, I would avoid chain wax for this kind of ride, particularly with wet ground involved. However, the EnduranceChip showed some improvement over what I would normally expect. By the end of the race, with 140km completed and most of it on damp terrain, the chain was beginning to feel and sound dry, at the point where I would usually opt to re-wax. After the final 35km, it had become noticeably noisier, with an audible rattle within the rollers.

Silca EnduranceChip Fitted.jpg, by Matthew Page

For long-distance events or riders looking to stretch time between applications, adding an EnduranceChip makes sense for mountain biking or gravel use. I would still be cautious about relying on it for distances beyond 200km unless the ground conditions are reliably dry.

There will be an increase in friction compared to the standard Silca Secret Blend wax, although this will be minimal, and the performance and overall friction losses will be lower compared to the best oil-based options, so long as there is still wax working within the chain. Silca quotes a -0.25% efficient reduction when using a single EnduranceChip, or 0.4% when using two chips.

Silca EnduranceChip – Value & Overall

Hot immersion waxing is generally a very economical way to lubricate a chain, particularly when compared to high-performance oil-based options. A 500g pack of Silca Secret Chain Blend wax costs £40 and, provided it remains uncontaminated, will last a long time. Silca estimates around 40 to 50 chain coatings per pack, and that figure does not take into account the potential money saved on replacement drivetrain components due to the reduced wear.

The EnduranceChip adds a further £30 to the cost, bringing the initial outlay to £70 when using a single block. While this starts to push the price into more premium territory, it remains a worthwhile investment for most off-road conditions, extending the time between re-waxing and reducing the likelihood of needing to top up with oil-based lubricants.

Adding an EnduranceChip is not quite the secret weapon Silca might suggest, and to achieve the maximum claimed gains in longevity, you will need to use two chips, doubling the cost. The process remains time-consuming, and while batch-waxing chains may help offset this, it is still a straightforward, if costly, method for making hot immersion waxing a more realistic option for off-road riding in British conditions, where mud and water are common.

• silca.cc
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