With cross season firmly upon us, it’s time to start to talk about some cleaning and lube products from the UK brand Muc-Off. They are the official sponsor of Team Sky and the Atherton’s among others, but you can use their products on all of your bikes to keep them clean and running great. Since you are going to be getting your cross bike muddy and nasty throughout the season, do yourself a favor and pick up some of the products below.
Being from the UK, the folks at Muc-Off know a thing or two about riding in nasty conditions, but their roots started elsewhere in the industry. Rex and Marilyn Trimnell started X-Lite UK in 1991, building mountain bike parts. They designed and built the first dual-crown mountain bike fork, but it was the signature pink cleaner that they developed that made the impact. Sixteen years on, they have left the bike components behind and focused on keeping your bike clean and running smooth. They have other lines in the UK, including car cleaning products and the newly renamed Athlete Performance personal products (www.athleteperformance.cc), and we hope they will be bringing them across the pond soon.
The heart of the line up is the pink cleaner, the Nano Tech Bike Cleaner. It’s an all purpose cleaner that can be used all over your bike, including disc brake rotors and pads. It’s biodegradable, free from acids, CFC’s and solvents, and is alkaline based, so it is safe for the environment. The Nano Technology breaks down dirt at a microscopic level, making it easy to wipe everything away. Through a summer of use on our road, mountain, and cross bikes at the East Coast Service Course, including some really muddy trail rides on the Van Dessel A.D.D., the Nano Tech Bike Cleaner handled it all. Anything from road spray to mud, it all was a breeze to clean, whether fresh or dried on. Even with liberal use at the Service Course and a local shop, we still have half a bottle left, so the 1L bottle should last you quite a while. At $14.99 for the 1L, $39.99 for the 5L bulk jug, it’s an excellent deal for a great cleaner.
Though we didn’t have a chance to try them out, Muc-Off also offers a few degreasers and plenty of brushes and tools to get into all the nooks and crannies of your bike. The Water Soluble Degreaser is an aerosol cleaner that cuts through water proof grease and wax chain lubes. It’s biodegradable and washes away with water. Their Bio Drivetrain Cleaner is a spray on degreaser that can be used on its own or with their X-3 Dirty Chain Machine. It’s also biodegradable (sensing a pattern here?) and is safe to use on rubber, plastics, metals, and seals.
The next step in the process is to protect your bike. If you are going to clean your bike, you should take the time to polish it up to keep it looking nicer for longer, and make it easier to clean later on. Of course, Muc-Off has some products for this.
We had a chance to try the MO-94 and the Bike Protect. The MO-94 is more utility than looks. The PTFE spray can be used clear out moisture and protect moving parts from accumulating dust and dirt. Think derailleurs, shifters, brake pivots, etc. This will help keep rust away and everything moving smoothly. Though I haven’t tried it on anything other than bikes, Muc-Off says you can use it on cars, motorcycles, squeaky door hinges, and even stubborn, rusty nuts and bolts. Aerosol cans are just $9.99 and will last you for years.
For the frame (and just about everything else), grab a can Bike Protect. Beyond being a polish for your frame, you can use it in a similar way to the MO-94. The Bike Protect has a higher oil content, which will leave a polished look while expelling moisture and repelling dust and dirt. On moving parts, it keeps them cleaner, reduces wear and friction, and keeps things moving efficiently. I tend to use the Bike Protect more than the MO-94, but I prefer to give the frame a good spray and wipe down once everything is clean. Just be sure to keep it away from disc rotors and pads. For $14.99 a can, show your bike some love.
For those that want to take some extra time to polish up their metal or carbon frames, Muc-Off makes their Uber-Wax kit. Made from an extremely high concentration of pure North Brazilian Carnauba, natural oils and the finest blend of luxury ingredients, this will be the product for those that want their bike to be protected like they do their sports car sitting in the garage. It goes on like an auto wax but is formulated especially for your expensive bike.
If you have a matt finish, their Matt Finish Detailer is the way to go. It is similar to the brands other polishes, but leaves a streak-free, shine-free protective finish that helps keep bike cleaner and easier to clean later on.
The ultimate polish and protector from Muc-Off is the Wunder Shine. Made with Carnauba wax and other premium ingredients, it is suitable for your bike, car, or motorcycle. The Fluoro Polymer Technology used in it helps to keep environmental pollutants off your machine and leaves a deep, glossy shine.
Now that your bike is clean and polished, let’s give some attention to the chain. Before we dive into the lubes we tested, I wanted to mention another lube that has helped Muc-Off develop or tweak their other lubes, the Team Sky Hydrodynamic Lube. The team challenged the brand to make a lube that will be the most efficient and last longer than anything else on the market, and needed to provide data to back up the claims. Muc-Off responded with C.L.O.D., the Chain Lube Optimisation Dyno, to provide the data Team Sky was looking for. This machine has helped to test and provide data to their R&D team develop the best lubes available. Through the testing, they were able to strike the balance between efficiency and protection that the team was looking for.
We had a chance to try the C3 Wet Ceramic and C3 Dry Ceramic lubes, but they are just two of the seven options you have available. For $12.99 for either of the C3 Ceramic lubes, they are a great way to protect your chain and add some marginal gains in efficiency.
For wet rides, the C3 Wet Ceramic lube is the ticket. With a wet and muddy mountain bike race looming, we cleaned the chain with an ultrasonic cleaner to get it as clean as we could to see how well the lube worked. As we slogged through the muddy singletrack, the chain remained quiet and shifted impeccably. It is made with Boron Nitride and Fluoro Polymers, which keeps the chain moving smoothly and keeps friction low for efficiency. While I couldn’t tell the difference in watts saved, the fact that the bike worked flawlessly in demanding conditions kept me happy.
I’ve been using the C3 Dry Ceramic lube on the road and cross bikes we have in and have also been extremely happy with it. It is similar to the C3 Wet Ceramic lube but specifically formulated for dry and dusty to damp days. The nano ceramic particles help to keep metal to metal contact to a minimum and is claimed to offer 10 times the performance of other lubes. With running a CeramicSpeed coated bottom bracket and coated Over-Sized Pully Wheel System on one of the road bikes, the bike was already incredibly efficient. Adding the C3 Dry Ceramic lube seemed to keep things moving smoothly and friction free, even after some dry, dusty rides.
Something fun and functional about these lubes is that they show up under UV lights. Both lubes shipped with a small UV light keychain that you can use to make sure you coated the chain. For me, I applied one drop to the roller bearing of each link. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but it controls how much lube you use and gets it to where it needs to go. Once done, I shined the UV light on and could see where the lube was applied in a fluorescent green color. Even after spinning the cranks a bit to work it in, and then wiping the excess off with a clean rag, you can still see where it was applied with the light. Again, fun, but also very functional.
Additionally, Muc-Off offers a Bio Dry Lube, Bio Wet Lube, and a Dry PTFE aerosol chain lube. For those looking for the ultimate in efficiency, the Nano Chain and Nanotube Chain Lube are some of the best out there. Instead of using a wax lube, Muc-Off goes with a Nanotube Speed Film. Like some other options out there, they start with the top end chains on the market from Shimano, Campagnolo, SRAM, KMC, and Izumi, speed grade them and run them in to make sure they are at peak efficiency before they add their lube. Next, they sonically clean them and then add on the Nanotube Speed Film. What you get is a chain that has been optimized to save you 6 watts, and is suitable for road, cross, mountain, or track racing in all conditions. For over 400 miles on the road in dry conditions, or over 250 in wet, you should see consistent efficiency gains, unlike wax lubes that can lose their gains much quicker. Even when the Nanotube Speed Film starts to wear down, the Nanotube Chain Lube is there to bring you back to 1-2 watts of the original treatment. It’s not cheap though, coming in at $199.99 per chain, and $65 for the lube.
So there you have it. There are some other items we didn’t cover, but check out their website to view the full line, and to see the different bundles they have on offer to save you some coin. Be sure to check out their Facebook and Instagram feeds for some great content and your chance to win products from Muc-Off and their partnets in their Freebie Friday drawings.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
Dream Bike – I’ll tell you when they make it
Discipline – Cyclocross, gravel, road and duathlons (ride/run)
Favorite Rides – Quiet country roads of Amish Country, some of the best roads around.
Food of Choice – Sweet potato roll
Beer of Choice – Unibroue Grand Reserve 17, aged four years
Bourbon of Choice – Widow Jane 10 Year