Riding in winter can really take its toll on your bike. With salt on the roads, mud and dirt getting into every nook and cranny, it’s really important to take care of your bike.

Muc-Off offer a pretty large range of cleaning products, and we got to test the Bike Care Essentials Kit, a pack of goodies that makes cleaning down after a muddy ride quick and easy.

The cleaning kit came in a handy storage bag, which included four items;

– 1l Nano Tech Bike Cleaner
– 300ml Bike Spray
– Wheel & Component Brush
– Sponge

Muc-Off advertise a 1-2-3 cleaning system. This kit covers stages 1 and 2, which means you’ll be able to clean, then protect and shine your bike. The third part that’s missing from this pack, is lubing – you’ll need to buy separate products for this stage.

Returning from the muddiest ride you can imagine, I got straight to work. After chucking a bucket of water at my bike, I sprayed first the Nano Tech bike cleaner all over the bike.

The Muc-Off cleaner is fully biodegradable, which goes down well in my eco-book and importantly it’s safe to use on every part of your bike, even on a carbon fibre frame.

The spray bottle itself is also handy because the strength of the spray means it half blasts some dirt right off. As mentioned, it’s safe to use on the entirety of your bike, even your brakes and cables too.  It’s best to leave it for a couple of minutes to let it work its magic, then you can set to with some tools.

Next step was to get some elbow grease in with the two ‘utensils’ provided, the wheel/component brush and the good old classic sponge. I used the brush for all the hard to reach places; around the cassette and chain, then the sponge for the framework, as I didn’t want to damage the paintwork.

If you’re really keen, you can buy additional brushes to the kit, it seems Muc-Off have a brush for every eventuality…

After I had doused the bike with water, removing residual cleaner and all visible grime and dirt, I moved onto stage 2 of Muc-Off’s cleaning process, to “protect and shine”.

The Muc-Off Bike Spray is fine to use on the frame, chain, plastics, paint and carbon fibre. Areas to avoid spraying are tyre treads and our brakes, unless you want to skid about of course!

The aim of the Bike Spray is that it uses PTFE which repels moisture and makes it difficult for dirt to stick on the bike. It also acts as a lubricant to your mechanisms. However, do not assume your bike won’t need additional lubing. Make sure you treat your chain and relevant parts to a separate lube.

My bike was shining after. Best thing is, it took minutes to do. I take longer in a shower after a ride than it took to give my bike a once over. I now just do it quickly after every ride, tackling a bigger clean fortnightly, where I degrease my chain and lube the bike again.

VERDICT

A great bit of kit all in, you also save £2.50 buying the kit in a bundle as opposed to separately AND you get a tote bag to store it all in – magic.

Although you will need to get lube and degreaser too, if you want to maintain your bike fully, this is a fantastic starter that’s easy to use and will help get you in the habit of regularly cleaning your bike.

PROS

– Easy to use
– Comes with tote bag to store everything in
– Simple to follow instructions

CONS

– Sponge received was not the same one that was advertised

Price: £25
More info: Muc-Off

What Muc-Off says about the Bike Care Essentials Kit

All the essentials for bike care and maintenance.

Bike cleaner:

Using our state-of-the-art Nano Tech formula, Muc-Off cuts through grime quicker than you can say “OMG!” regardless of the weather or riding conditions. This classic pink Bike Cleaner has incredible cleaning power because it contains revolutionary Nano Technology that breaks down dirt and grime on microscopic levels, while also caring for your bike’s delicate finish.

Bike Spray:

Bike Spray is a perfect ‘all over’, after-wash corrosion inhibitor due to its extremely high oil content. This increased oil content creates the finest bike protection spray on the market. It drives out moisture and leaves a sparkling, non-sticky protective layer on your frame, drive chain, metal parts and paintwork.

Microcell Sponge:

Muc-Off’s premium quality Microcell sponge is contoured to an ergonomic shape for maximum comfort and surface area cleaning.

Wheel & Component Brush:

Our Wheel & Component Brush is shaped and contoured specifically to clean rims and spokes.