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Pedros Green Fizz

8
£6.99

VERDICT:

8
10
New and improved, it really does seem to work better than the old Green Fizz
Weight: 
574g

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I like a clean bike, and the less hard work involved in keeping it that way, the better. Pedro's Green Fizz Bike Cleaner did a quick and efficient job, but like other spray-on solutions there's a fair amount of waste involved.

Green Fizz mark 1 was indeed green (and, I trust, fizzy). The new formula, sadly, is colourless, the 'green' applying only to its environmental credentials. Manufacturers are quite coy about stating exactly what is in their products and words such as 'biodegradable' and 'natural' are used widely but harder to define, especially if you don't know what's in there; but I asked Pedro's to send me its hazard sheet for this (which it did the same day) and it all looks pretty benign, unless you actually set fire to it.

> Find your nearest dealer here

David Else reviewed the original formula Green Fizz back in 2010 and thought it was a bit underpowered for mucky transmissions. Someone much wittier than me once remarked that cleaning your transmission is much like cleaning your toilet – it's a lot easier if you don't let it get so disgusting in the first place. Pedro's claims its reformulated Green Fizz can be used 'without risk of damage or washing away grease/lube from critical parts', and says it is solvent-free, so I wouldn't be expecting it to remove heavy grease accumulations from the transmission anyway. That's why God gave us citrus degreaser. Having said that, once the bike had dried I found the chain was very dry and ready for some lubricant.

There are just three words of instruction on the bottle: 'spray, scrub, rinse' and I dutifully followed them, with excellent results. However, I much prefer to cut out that middle one, just spray and rinse, saving the 'scrub' bit for any nooks and crannies that don't come up clean. I tried it this way too and it was still excellent, the mud and dirt easily sluicing off under the spray from the garden hose. That's how I like it. Lathering it onto my disc brakes had no ill effects and carbon bits and pieces boringly failed to dissolve.

> Watch our video: how to clean your bike

The half-litre test bottle was enough to clean four very dirty bikes, working out at around £1.75 a wash, which is not as cost-effective as some of the rivals. However, a half-litre bottle is about the least economical way of buying, so look out for bigger bottles, bulk buys or concentrate that can be diluted to your requirements to get a better deal.

The foaming nature of the spray lets you see which parts of the bike you have already covered, which helps reduce waste – but also shows how much of it is missing the bike altogether. This is unavoidable since bicycles are mostly empty space between the tubes, spokes and so on. The problem is common to all spray-on products and makes them less economical to use than simply putting some detergent in a bucket of hot water; but it's the speed and convenience that makes them worth persisting with, and Pedro's Green Fizz is as fast and effective as anything I have tried.

Verdict

New and improved, it really does seem to work better than the old Green Fizz

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Pedro's Green Fizz Foaming Bike Wash

Size tested: 500ml

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?

Green Fizz Foaming Bike Wash is a bike cleaning product supplied in a trigger-spray bottle, aimed at people looking for a biodegradeable bike wash that won't harm the bike finish or greases and lubricants.

From Pedro's website: "The new and improved Green Fizz bike wash safely, naturally, & effectively removes tough dirt & grime from the whole bike. Developed specifically for bicycle washing, Green Fizz can safely be used on any material without risk of damage or washing away grease/lube from critical parts. The pre-activated, biodegradable formula uses advanced plant-derived surfactants and incredible foaming action to reach surfaces and loosen dirt allowing it to be easily wiped or rinsed away leaving your bike looking like new. Free of harsh chemicals, gentle enough to use on any material, fully biodegradeable, phosphate-free, solvent-free, plant-derived, and zero-VOC."

In my view it works very well, at least as good as various others I have tried over the years and better than some. Like all sprays marketed specifically at cyclists, it seems expensive and the spray application is a bit wasteful. On the other hand it is quick and easy to use and saves a lot of time in bike cleaning.

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

Not much is made available by the manufacturer:

Advanced plant-derived surfactants quickly remove tough dirt and grime from the whole bike

Use on the whole bike without risk of damage or washing away grease/lube from critical parts

Safe, biodegradeable, phosphate-free, solvent-free, plant-derived, and zero-VOC.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

The spray trigger was sturdy and worked well.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Following the (brief) instructions on the bottle – "spray, scrub,rinse" – resulted in a clean bike. I prefer to cut out the "scrub" bit to save time – spray, rinse. This also resulted in a clean bike. Likey.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

£6.99 for a half-litre puts this product at the expensive end of the scale: cf £9 for 1 litre of Muc Off; £5.99 for 1 litre of Hope Shifter. However, it also comes in 1 litre bottles as well for £8 which represents much better value, and if you shop around there are various deals for multi buys.

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

It made short work of cleaning some really muddy bikes: my winter road bike and mountain bike have both been taken to places they really don't deserve to have, but the Green Fizz brought them up clean with the minimum of fuss. I don't let my transmissions get into a filthy, oily state.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Cleans with minimum effort. No detrimental impact on disc brakes.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Like all spray wash products, quite wasteful and a bit expensive.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

I've used a number of spray bike cleaners over the years and this is as good as the best of them. Spray on and hose off seems to be enough; get a brush into the nooks and crannies if it doesn't all come off at the first rinse. The foaming of the product as you spray it makes it easy to see where you've been but also unfortunately shows up how much you waste, which is true of all spray cleaners. So is the premium price for what is, in the end, water and detergents.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 51  Height: 6'2"  Weight: 73kg and rising

I usually ride: Cannondale CAAD10   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mountain biking

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4 comments

Avatar
StraelGuy | 7 years ago
1 like

I use this stuff. £3 a bottle from Tesco, lasts for ages, smells GORGEOUS and is completely eco-friendly.

Avatar
Simon E replied to StraelGuy | 7 years ago
0 likes
guyrwood wrote:

I use this stuff. £3 a bottle from Tesco, lasts for ages, smells GORGEOUS and is completely eco-friendly.

It contains potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) so probably not completely benign. Ecover multi-surface cleaner (500ml) is £2.50 and will do the same job as this and the Pedro's.

I've found that brushing away mud etc after it has dried means that the subsequent wash (using washing-up liquid) takes much less time than previously.

Avatar
Team EPO | 7 years ago
0 likes

Just found Muc off is even cheaper in bulk - 5 litres for £21 (and Prime  delivery)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Muc-Off-Bike-Cleaner-5-Litre/dp/B000NNQHYC?tag=...

Avatar
Team EPO | 7 years ago
0 likes

You can also get the 5 litre version for £34 which works out at half the price of buying the 500ml versions which I burn through with a very muddy bike

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pedros-Fizz-Foaming-Bike-Wash/dp/B010O0KC8A?tag...

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