This chain lube is an excellent overall option if you don't want to commit to immersive waxing. Performance will be very good, but make sure you are committed to using and applying it properly to get the most out of it.
Pros
+
One of the very best drip lubes on the market
+
Can be used to ‘top up’ hot waxed chains, lengthening re-wax intervals
+
Nice product support and info provided by Silca
Cons
-
Visually, the chain won’t appear as spotless as an immersive wax treatment, which may niggle some.
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Silca Super Secret chain lube
Price: $25 / €30 / £25 (120ml)
Volume: 60ml / 120ml/ 240ml
Biodegradable: Yes, non-toxic, PFAS free
Colour: White, dries dark grey/clear
Chain cleaner/degreaser product available: Yes
Silca Super Secret drip lube is one of the first names you will hear mentioned when it comes to the best bike chain lube. It’s a product that has been on the market for some time now and has earned an excellent reputation.
Super Secret is a slippery, wax-based drip lubricant that can be used as a standalone chain drip lube or to ‘top up’ chains that have been hot waxed, which lengthens the time needed between rewaxing intervals and keeps things running that little bit smoother.
Super Secret sits alongside two other drip or liquid lubricants in the Silca range, the other two being Synergetic wet lube and Synerg-E e-bike-specific wet lube. The brand also offers a chain stripper degreaser product you can use to thoroughly degrease your chain, which is a requirement for proper chain prep if you are using Super Secret on your chain. This product is also available as a bundle with the chain lube so you can purchase both products together.
The lube is available in three different volumes 60ml-2oz, 120ml-4oz and 240ml-8oz. I’ve had a 120ml/4oz bottle to test. On the topic of my test bottle, my own has the older Super Secret bottle sticker that was replaced a few years ago for the red and green one that is used now. The lube formulation is exactly the same (I checked with Silca) it’s just a branding refresh and a slightly different bottle shape.
This is how the lube looks on my own chain after several track races (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Design and aesthetics
The chain lube comes in a cylindrical bottle with a nice, easy-flow nozzle that twists to open and close to avoid spills, it's a larger nozzle than CeramicSpeed UFO drip, but you can still be accurate with it.
The lubricant itself is made from wax, water, and tungsten disulfide which is the same component used in some hot immersive waxes. The general idea is that on the application the carrier for the wax (i.e. the water) evaporates, leaving behind the good stuff to look after your chain and its many moving parts. The product safety data sheet is also in plain view on the website, not something you see everywhere.
Silca recommends applying this lube to a chain that's very clean, essentially as clean as you can possibly get it - Best practice for applying any quality chain lube if you ask me. Silca in general offers plenty of information and education on a lot of its products and there is a lot to read and watch on the brand's YouTube channel and website. There's a heck of a lot of good information on both.
The brand has a comprehensive cleaning and chain prep webpage. And no, you don't need to buy an ultrasonic cleaner to get involved. This is a quality product, one of the best chain lubes out there. Investing in it and switching to it, the same as with other top drip lubes, means a little more involvement than just adding some lube to your chain and heading out to ride, but it will be worth it!
To apply the lubricant, shake the bottle well and switch to the big chainring and largest sprocket, this gives the lube the best chance of easily penetrating deep into each chain link. It's also best not to store the product at temps under 41F / 5C. Apply two drops of lube per link or a steady flow whilst pedalling backwards. It's then key to massage the lubricant into the chain links whilst backpedalling with your fingers. Finally, backpedal for 12 revolutions to allow the lubricant to penetrate the chain, and wipe off any excess from the links. Ideally, do this at least four hours before you ride, and even better, overnight, or up to 24 hours before riding for the absolute ideal.
Allowing the lubricant to properly penetrate or work its way deep into each chain link is what this is all about. If bare metal surfaces aren't covered and protected by a lubricant the first miles of riding can actually see very high wear rates due to a lack of protection. So if you've ever added a tiny, neat drip of oil to a chain link in the past, this may not have actually done the chain much good. We want lots of quality lubricant, deep into the chain links. Independent testing has found Super Secret drip does this easily, which is one of the reasons it performs very well.
Performance
The lube is incredibly slippery, so you will need to work out how best to apply it (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
I thought Silca Super Secret lube would be a perfect pairing for a brand new chain I was fitting to my Dolan track bike, which I ride regularly on an outdoor velodrome. I purchased a brand new YBN SLA 410 chain for the bike and degreased it thoroughly fresh from the packet, which in my opinion is the best way to start off with a new chain lubricant if you can. As I mentioned in my CeramicSpeed UFO Drip review, attempting to thoroughly clean and degrease an already dirty and or worn chain can be a waste of time and effort sometimes. It’s easiest to do it with the chain off the bike.
One thing that struck me immediately was just how slippery the chain lube is, almost sliding off my chain links as I applied it. I’ve never seen anything quite like it from another chain lube and I put this down to the Tungsten Disulfide in the formula. I’d recommend putting something under your bike as you apply the lube to avoid mess and to catch the excess; cardboard or a drip tray would be a good move. I’d strongly recommend not doing it over the carpet.
My brand new chain, once treated and left to dry overnight felt, as you might expect fast and 'light' feeling. Running cleanly and quietly. The chain lubricant in my experience doesn't dry completely clear though, with a dark grey sort of look. This may niggle if you are used to immersive waxing or certain products that keep things visually pretty much spotless.
Super Secret is also fully compatible with Silca Secret Chain blend immersive wax. This means it can be used to 'top up' an immersive wax coating, and help you get longer out of each treatment, as well as keeping thing that little bit quieter, as waxed chains can run a little bit louder at times which I think is one thing that puts people off longer term.
When it comes to reapplying, the brand recommends a reapplication every 150-200 miles in the dry, which is on a par with UFO Drip at 180 miles. In the wet, wipe the chain down with a cloth and reapply a drop of two of lube per link. You can also use boiling water on the chain after a longer period to 'reset' things' clean the wax off and start with a fresh application.
Super Secret has also tested very well in Zero Friction independent lubricant testing, and has tested as one of the worlds best drip lube options. It's important to make the point, that a chain 'feeling fast' is not enough to say whether it's on the money or not. The ZF testing procedure takes a chain through six blocks of testing of dry, wet, and wet with an abrasive contaminant. It's the chain wear rates themselves that are monitored to see if your lubricant is looking after your drivetrain and wallet. It's best to read all of the information which is available for free, but this lubricant is a very good option, and one of the best drip lubes. I'm willing to bet it's faster than a lot of others, which is something we all want to know.
It sets dark, but runs very clean. (Image credit: Tom Wieckowski)
Value
Price-wise, at face value, this lubricant is on par with others on the market, and there are three bottle sizes on offer. In the biggest size it's $45. Affordable enough if getting the absolute best drivetrain performance is your aim.
It has a very good cost-to-run ratio, meaning if applied and used correctly it should lengthen the life of your drivetrain components, often the most expensive parts of the equation. This is also the case for a number of top waxes and lubes, not just Silca. No one wants to pay for a new chain and cassette every couple of years, or even a year.
Take a look at this cost-to-run calculator, which lets you input your drivetrain, lubricant and mileage to see how much your setup will cost to run. $45 could begin to look like a very attractive option. Overall, this lube offers good value for money.
This is the latest packaging, just to be clear, but the product is the same (Image credit: Silca)
Verdict
Silca Super Secret is an excellent option when it comes to a drip lubricant for your chain, this should be clear enough by now. It's also a useful ally if you already use immersive wax and want to just keep things ticking over nicely in between full rewaxing.
Independent tests are solid in terms of wear rates and cost to run, reinforcing the fact this is one of the best products you can use on your chain when it comes to drip lube. The brand also does an excellent job when it comes to education around its products and provides all the info you need to get set up if you are considering investing, which is good to see.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Independant test results
Excellent, one of the best drip lubes, only really beaten consistently by hot waxing
9/10
Green credentials
Very good, no nasty ingredients
9/10
Application procedure
Involved cleaning first time round, and a fairly specific application procedure. Thereafter easy to live with once you are set up
7/10
Performance
Dries and runs clean, feels fast which is always good for morale. Though I find just hot waxing a bit easier long term
8/10
Value
Not overly expensive to buy, even if you factor in degreaser. Could prevent some big drivetrain bills
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
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