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Carbon Pro Dri-Shine

7
£12.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Convenient bike sprucer with decent staying power
Weight: 
257g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Carbon Pro Dri-Shine is a clever detailer designed to keep bikes looking showroom fresh with nominal effort and seems more effective than most I've played with to date. However, mud encrusted cross and mountain bikes will still require a bike wash blow-over and bucket rinse first.

Coming from the school of sudsy water and polymer waxes, I tend to approach waterless cleaners with a sense of scepticism. Many contain silicone derived additives, which impart a really glossy sheen but rapidly develop a grimy patina, particularly during changeable conditions.

Carbon Pro weren't forthcoming with precise ingredients but stressed its biodegradable, non-corrosive, and UV repelling protective properties.

£12.99 buys a modest 8oz bottle, though there's a 32oz workshop option too, which works out cheaper if you've a big fleet or fancy pooling resources with friends. However, being a pump spray, the 8oz still represents surprisingly good value.

Application is point n' shoot intuitive; shake the container, flick nozzle open and squirt in single bursts from a distance of 20cm. For best results, transfer via a soft cloth and work gently into the surfaces. Finger marks, brake dust, oily prints, road spray and watermarks vanish instantaneously. More ingrained or complex contaminants (wet lubes, diesel, greases etc) require second helpings and elbow grease but nothing major.

Traditional road framesets were spotless in eight minutes. Results seem uniformly good on all materials/finishes, though metallic enamels and jaded carbon composites responded particularly well. Use on saddles and leatherette bar wrap is best avoided.

Thus far my workhorses remain resplendent, most residual dirt wipes away effortlessly with only a soft cloth and those entering seasonal hibernation are still gleaming with little evidence of dust/dirt. Winter's slimy, salty cocktail will be the acid test but for time being I'm suitably impressed.

Verdict

Convenient bike sprucer with decent staying power

road.cc test report

Make and model: Carbon Pro Dri-Shine

Size tested: 240ml

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"CarbonPro Dri Wash is a revolutionary way of cleaning and caring for your bicycle every day anywhere, anytime.

Biodegradable and Green Product". Certainly convenient and fairly economical thus far.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Carbon Pro's CEO was fairly coy but said "The chemical composition is also proprietary, free of salts and solvents with conditioning agents and UVA/UVB ingredients."

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Has the edge on several similar products I've used to date but will be interesting to see how it fares alongside traditional polymer based waxes during the harsher months.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

Really convenient and super quick to use.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Ultimately, Carbon Pro Dri-shine is a time efficient, composite friendly detailer that leaves a lasting shine. However, genuinely grubby bikes still need a sudsy bucket wash first and thrifty riders with steel/aluminium framesets might find beeswax furniture polishes a more cost-effective option.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Convenience and brilliant sheen.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing of note, though it's pricey compared with more traditional options.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

 

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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