Its been a while since I reviewed something. I normally will only ever review if its so good or so bad it deserves it and I feel compelled to share. Well I do this time, so here it is.
I have a theory. There a three types of cyclist that clean their bikes. #1 Those that don’t, #2 those that do, diligently, to showroom condition everytime, usually only using said bike in warm weather and then #3 the practical cleaners. They just simply clean to look after the bike. Wash it, dry it, lube it, put it away. Thats me.
As a practical cleaner, I’m only concerned about the bike being clean, dry and lubed. I never bother with polish but I bagged a freebie recently that prompted a try.
I was recently featured in our company mag and won a Muc-off dirt bucket. I steer clear of mainstream cycling brands (apart from lube) but this was free and worth £60 so I’m not going to say no am I? In it (its an actual, working 13L bucket which is actually too big for my sink!) were a set of brushes, a microfibre sponge, bike cleaner, wet and dry lubes, chain cleaner and what I’m reviewing today, Bike Protect or posh polish to you and me. Its a nice prize.
My Ribble CGR is just over a year old now. Its done 5500km+ and in good nick as I make sure I clean it every week to maintain it. A wash, dry and lube takes about 20 mins. I normally just put it away but this time I decided to give the Muc-Off Bike Protect a go.
Shaking the can is like an old-skool can of paint where you can hear the balls inside rattling around
A quick spray on the top tube and wipe down. Oh wow! It gave the lacquer a really clean, glossy finish. On my forks I had a few spots. Those little black, tar-like dots you pick up off the roads. If you try to rub them with your sponge when washing it, they smear brown or don’t budge. Well applying Bike Protect and they just wiped off and left what I can only describe as a showroom finish. You could see a real, tangible difference to the gloss of the paint on the frame. I have to say I was really, really impressed.
I took a picture of my bike below but its difficult to convey how glossy Bike Protect makes your bike look. I’ve continued to use it repeatedly since, applying by spraying onto a kitchen towel and just wiping the frame tubes down. Spraying directly onto the bike isn’t recommended due to over spray onto components, particularly my disc rotors.
I’m in a pickle now. What do I do when it runs out? It totally goes against my grain to use it but its so good I think its probably worth it
As a frame polish, I’d give it 5 out of 5 all day long
**IMPORTANT** All my bikes have glossy finishes, I wouldn’t recommend it on matte finishes