Muc-Off

Muc-Off drivetrain cleaner is a fast-acting grime shifter useful for cleaning more than just your drivetrain. It's pourable, biodegradable and recyclable but all that comes at a price.

It's a stage 1 product in Muc-Off's three step 'clean – protect – lube' programme. It comes in a 500ml bottle for twelve of your fine English pounds putting it at the premium end of premium chain cleaners – a full 25% more per volume than Finish Line's offering at RRP.

The Muc-Off Ultimate Bicycle Kit brings together bike cleaning pioneer Muc-Off's main products to cover all stages of bike cleaning. Let's see if it's better than my usual bucket, sponge and washing up liquid.

I've been pleasantly surprised by Muc Off's silicone shine. Dubbed the workshop in a can, it harmlessly restores that seductive showroom lustre to everything from Chrome to carbon. That said, good quality furniture polishes are markedly cheaper and will achieve comparable effects without betraying clandestine front-room fettling.

Not just for posh shades and prescription lenses, Muc-off Optix pack restores optical clarity and hygiene to camera lenses, LCD displays, viewfinders, visors, goggles, mirrors and even helmets requiring the gentle touch. Complete with soft-shell EVA pouch that slips unobtrusively into jersey pockets it makes a perfect touring/trail companion and is surprisingly economical to boot. However, fluorescent and matt finishes can stain so try an inconspicuous area first.

Bike cleaning is easier with the right equipment, such as Muc-Off's 3x Bicycle Brush Set. Brush one is a big fluffy one for the frame. Brush two is a smaller and stiffer one for components. Brush three has narrow strips of bristles and plastic teeth for the drivetrain. If you're regularly cleaning bikes, it's a useful collection that could even save you time: 'If you have your brush, you can avoid the rush,' as The Beat sang, although possibly not about bike care...

Muc Off Dirty Work Wipes are convenience strips that come in a handy re-sealable pack, perfect for cleaning rider and machine following a roadside mechanical, around the workshop, on the trail and pretty much anywhere else. Requiring no water, they're a boon for touring and quite useful for impromptu polishing too-especially if you have limited space for full-blown bucket washing. However, kind to finishes, they're not so gentle on the skin so wash your hands in fresh soapy water at the earliest opportunity after using them.

Listen, we've all got enough old sponges and bottles of washing up liquid knocking about to make a decent fist of cleaning our bikes. Sometimes it's nice just to know you've got everything in one place, and that's where the Pit Kit comes in. Brushes, sponge, degreaser, bucket and finishing spray, all in a handy kit. An expensive kit, for what it is, but handy nonetheless.

Nothing comes for free and to get the best from this spray you will need to roll up your sleeves, fill the wash bucket and get your bike in showroom condition. Once you can see your face reflected in the rims, apply a generous coating of Muc-off Bike Spray over the whole thing.