SpeedChip. SpeedChip is a fully synthetic wax made from the same exotic base oils used in SILCA Synergetic. It is the fastest wax ever used in a cycling lubricant, blended with three sizes of submicron- and nanoscale tungsten disulphide platelets to further reduce friction and wear. Tests have shown that it permanently improves chain efficiency by up to 0.6% compared with SILCA SecretBlend hot-melt wax; the only drawback is the need to lubricate more frequently (see the table for details).

EnduranceChip. EnduranceChip is a blend of semi-synthetic waxes with some of the longest molecular chains possible in a wax, for ultimate durability. Adding EnduranceChip to SecretBlend can permanently extend the distance between rewaxing by up to 2.5 times (up to 750 km), while remaining as fast as the best wet lubricants and significantly faster than any dry lubricant.

One of the secrets of Secret Chain Blend is that it combines four distinct types of wax, rather than just paraffin like most other hot-wax products. This blend of waxes, together with our exclusive WS2, has kept Secret Chain Blend at the top of the ZeroFrictionCycling rankings for the past three years. Many competitors have reformulated their products to come closer, but none has managed to beat it.

Blending four waxes enabled SILCA to create what we believed was the best overall balance of high performance, dirt resistance and longevity between applications. But over the years, as we worked with professional gravel athletes, WorldTour teams, Olympic medallists and many others, we repeatedly received requests to formulate custom waxes for specific events or conditions. Rather than make an endless number of custom blends, in early 2024 we began sending two different wax additive kits to our athletes and teams to test new formulations based on their events and experiences.

The challenge with formulating waxes is that the fastest, most exotic waxes tend not to last as long per application, while the most durable and resilient waxes tend not to be as fast. Rather than mixing new, custom formulations for every event, we put the power to formulate them in athletes’ hands. The results they’ve reported back have been incredible, with more than 100 wins across the WorldTour, Lifetime Grand Prix, Olympic Games and beyond!

This new system puts wax optimisation in the athlete’s hands. Want a training wax that lasts 600 km between applications? You’ve got it. Want a race wax that has won multiple stages of the Tour de France? You’ve got it. Want the ultimate time-trial wax for your 40 km time trial? You’ve got it.

Internally, we started calling the process ‘wax doping’, but given how much we work with world-class athletes, we decided to call it ‘wax optimisation’. Introducing SpeedChip and EnduranceChip, wax optimisation additives that let you mix the perfect wax for your needs.